2 1/2, elevated to 3.

I had a hard time connecting with the characters and story, it felt a bit rote, but it kept me interested enough to read to the end.

Star was abducted at 17 and she's now a trucker to keeps an eye out for women being trafficked, and helps them get out. But she works alone and is not able to do a lot of things.

Cade and his family help dismantle human traficking and have a whole set up to do it. He takes notice of Star and soon he's helping her.

I think the next books will be about the other siblings.

Not clean.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

Good book! I definitely enjoyed reading this one! It had suspense, intrigue, drama, and had some steam to it! It was a good start to a new series! I would definitely recommend this book! Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me!

Sterling Parsons is a trucker who has a habit of rescuing trafficked women when she finds them along her route. She was abducted herself when she was a junior in high school but managed to kill the man who was the first to buy her and escape.

Cade McKenzie is a bar owner and bar tender in the bar Sterling uses as a refuge. He is a former Army Ranger who invalided out because of damaged knees from all the parachute jumps. He secretly works with his family to shut down trafficking since his stepmother was abducted, trafficked, and committed suicide after being rescued. His father is quite wealthy and quite determined on his vigilante course of action. Cade has a younger half-brother and half-sister who are also involved in the family business.

When Sterling gets into a situation where she is way over her head, Cade is determined to get her out of it and protect her. Her attempt to rescue trafficked women has led her to the man who originally trafficked her and who Cade's family has been investigating for quite a while.

Cade and Sterling fall in love though Sterling finds it hard to trust anyone and Cade has trust issues of his own. The love scenes were nicely hot and the action scenes tense. Fans of romantic suspense will enjoy this first of a new trilogy. My guess is Cade's brother and sister will also find love before the trilogy is finished.

Lori Foster continues to tackle the tough topics, weaving in steamy romance, in "No Holding Back" the first of a new series.
Readers will love alpha hero, Cade, and strong heroine, Star.

I received an electronic ARC from HARLEQUIN - Romance (U.S. & Canada) through NetGalley.
A strong but damaged heroine and a hero with a passion for justice and damage of his own. Foster develops a new set of characters that will appeal to a broad spectrum of readers. The McKenzie family is committed to destroying sex traffickers and have established a far reaching network to do so. Sterling escaped and trusts no one. She finds a safe place to rest in a bar where Cade McKenzie is the bartender. She senses he's more and he recognizes her hyperaware state too. When she attempts a sting on her own, he steps in to protect her and their relationship deepens and expands. From there, she joins with the family to take down a vicious trafficking ring leader and his team.
Foster has a gritty and realistic touch that also offers hope and belief in love. She pulls readers in with the suspense and adventure and the plot twists her characters move through. Looking forward to seeing how she further develops these characters in the rest of this series.

*I received an arc from Netgalley, author & publisher for an honest review.* This is a new series by Lori Foster & what an amazing start! Sterling aka Star meets Cade after going into his bar. She keeps to herself but knows there’s more to him than just owning a bar. Cade also keeps an eye on her because she intrigues him & he knows there’s more to her story. They soon find out they’re both trying to take out sex traffickers & end up working together with Cade’s family. While it’s a serious story line there’s still the strong sense of love & family (between Cade, his brother Reyes, sister Madison, Dad Parrish & family friend Bernard), humor & love story between Cade & Star. Star never had a family to count on & finds it difficult to trust Cade & his family. She finally trusts Cade & his love for her and gets the man she loves & the family she never had. Lori also has rescue animals in her books (homeless Mama cat & kittens this time) that I also love!! Another amazing book by Lori Foster!! Looking forward to Reyes & Kennedy’s story!!

As expected, I loved this book. It captured me from the first page and I couldn't put it down. I love that Cade and his family aim to take down human traffickers and that Star is SUCH a badass heroine. Their chemistry was off the charts. Cade's family was a wonderful addition and I cannot wait to read his brother's book! I am going to be on the edge of my seat until it comes out. Such a sweet story told so well.

First of all, I am so happy to see Ms Foster writing hot, edgy, heroic romance once again. Seems a long time since I've been fully immersed in a great hero style from her, with a twist I loved.
Sterling or Star, is a true survivor, bent on saving women from human traffickers. The best way she had of doing that is becoming a big rig driver, easily explained away. Who better to be at truckstops, or driving up and down the same routes often, always blending, but still being a loner.
Cade, a bartender with a hidden agenda, has good instincts and his were saying there was definitely something up with Star, when she often came in to just sit back in a corner and sleep, but he also wanted her in the basest of ways. He broke a Cardinal rule and ended up bringing her to his family's fortress near Ridge Trail, Colorado.
These two are so well matched in all ways, recognizing each other for equals, feeling a yet unexplained bond between themselves, and respect!
A ton of action in here, heat to scorch, and an amazing journey start to finish! There's more goodness to come in this series and I, for one, can hardly wait for the next one.
A stand alone and happy ending for Cade and Star, there is more coming from the McKenzie operation.

Please note this story is about a lady who was one captured for prostitution and now she is trying to save as many women as she can. Could be possible triggers for some.

I enjoyed this one! A few parts were hard for me to read since they dealt with certain things I like to not read in my romance stories, but overall, good story with a sweet romance between two strong characters.

No Holding Back is the first book in Lori Foster's The McKenzies of Ridge Trail trilogy. It is dark and gritty as well as inspirational and hopeful. Sterling has turned tragedy into motivation. She could've given up; instead, she becomes an avenging angel. Cade has similar motivations but more resources., Together, they make a dynamic team. A timely and engrossing novel of loss, love, and redemption!

Excellent start to a new series for Lori Foster. Though it returns to the theme of human trafficking, which the author has written about multiple times, it goes in a fresh direction with lots of action and electric attraction between the two mains. I especially like that the female lead is a delivery driver--not a typical career choice for most women. Look forward to reading more in this series as they come along!

A dark tale but a good ending. O admit I wasn't a fan of these characters in the beginning. They butted heads so much. Both so secretive but over time I learned more about them and I enjoyed them and their journey.

Ok, so I peruse ARCS as part of my job as a librarian. As such, I don’t always leave feedback. This is an exception.

I love Lori Foster, but the last few books haven’t quite hit the spot with me. I mean, I enjoyed them, but for me they were just slightly off the mark - not QUITE as good as past Lori Foster books had been. I was a little afraid one of my favorite authors was losing her edge.

I take it back - this is Lori Foster at her BEST. I devoured this book in one day, and absolutely adored it. I can’t wait for the siblings’ books and it’s absolutely on my buy list when it’s released. If you loved the Edge of Homer series, you’ll love this new series. 100% recommend!

From this first page Foster grabs your attention tackling a known problem of human trafficking. You’re immediately invested in Star’s character needing to know more of her trauma and how she overcomes adversity and opens herself up to trust again. You feel the strength and honor in Cade's character. With his background and skills, he stands for justice. Star and Cade have great chemistry but also a deeper connection based on life’s experiences. A must read to see how these two combine their personal and professional lives.

A great start to the new trilogy and can’t wait for the next book in this series!

No Holding Back is the first book in a new series by Lori Foster, and it blew my socks off! I loved Sterling, she had definitely been through hell. She was therefore far from trusting, but she was a very strong character, both physically and emotionally. Cade was a fantastic character as well, fighting the good fight - all in secret - he felt like there was something about Sterling from the first time she came into his bar.

This story is a fast-paced romantic suspense, and I loved how complete it made me feel. There's a lot of action - both in and out of the bedroom - and I enjoyed the fact that Cade did not steamroll over Sterling's wants and needs, he treated her as a partner in every way of the word.

This is the first book in a new series, and I can’t wait for there to be more! This book has everything I expect from a Lori Foster book, great characters, plenty of heat, and an interesting plot that draws you right in. Once I started this book I could not put it down. I loved Cade and Sterling together, and I am so pleased with the ending they got. The idea behind this book, and the organization the family runs is really interesting. I can’t wait to read Reyes and Madison’s stories and to revisit this world again. Another great book by Lori Foster. This is my honest review of an ARC I received on netgalley.

No Holding Back is the start to Lori Foster's newest series, and it gave me vibes from the Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor and Love Undercover series. I enjoyed Foster's return to this kind of writing because she does it so well.

Sterling (Star) Parson was a prickly woman, for good reason. As a survivor of a past trauma, she strived to help others who suffered through similar experiences. Cade McKenzie was a bad ass of a man, who worked with his vigilante family to rescue those subjected to human trafficking and wreak vengeance on their abusers.

Cade and Star had excellent chemistry. Obviously they had great physical connection and amazing intimacy, but they also fit together emotionally, with their career and life goals, and the like. I loved seeing it all unfold.

The action and suspense of the story kept me intrigued and entertained, and I appreciated how everything wrapped up.

I greatly enjoyed Reyes and Madison, and even Parrish and Bernard. I can't wait for this series to continue!

***I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy generously provided by the author.***

*I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader copy of this book.*

A great start to a new series!

We first meet Sterling Parson, who is a wounded survivor with a traumatic past. She deals vigilante justice to help rescue women who are being trafficked as best she can. She uses her job as a truck driver as a legitimate reason to patrol the most trafficked interstate in Colorado to hear tips and gossip about women who may need rescued.

Cade McKenzie is ex-Army Ranger and now owns and runs a bar that he uses to hear shady dealings going down that might need the involvement of his family and their vigilante justice. The McKenzie’s have a personal stake in taking down as many traffickers as possible and their money and training helps them do it on the sly.

When Sterling and Cade’s paths cross and sparks fly, they realize they are both working towards the same goal. When Cade brings Sterling into the family fold to bring down an old enemy turned nightmare of Sterling’s, there is no holding back for either of them as the danger escalates and their feelings for one another reach levels neither of them were prepared for.

At the beginning, it was a bit difficult to get to know Sterling as she was a bit stand-offish and a loner. Her background and the things she went through make that behavior understandable but it persisted through most the book. She definitely had troubles opening herself up to Cade. Cade was also secretive and untrusting but again it makes sense because of his training. I think what annoyed me was the feelings they obviously had for each other but the stubbornness to open up lasted for most the book it’s a super small thing and considering the topic of the book completely understandable but still a bit annoying.

A warning to anyone who is sensitive to human trafficking, abuse or rape. While this book is about taking down human traffickers, it does not describe in detail the actual rape. There is some physical abuse and threats of rape but that’s all.

Overall, I believe this was a wonderful start to a new series and I’m very excited to see what comes next.

Fan-freaking-tastic book. I'm huge Lori Foster fan and read everything she writes. Human trafficking is real, it happens and as ugly as it is to read and think about, Lori did a very good job writing this story. Enjoyed how Sterling and Cade came to be together, in typical Lori style, plenty of action and romance with the perfect HEA. I LOVE the dynamic between Reyes (Cade's brother) and Sterling. Their interactions brought a grin and look forward to the next book in this series.

I really appreciate an author who can write a lot of books but keeps each one fresh and interesting. Foster is one of those authors. Maybe because she changes up the focus of each series, she never seems to run out of good story lines, interesting characters and great suspense.

I really enjoyed No Holding Back. Foster used a story "ripped from the headlines" style of a survivor of human trafficking who's spending her life fighting back. She made her escape in the nick of time and she's focused on freeing or saving others before they go through the horrors of being forced into the sex trade. Figure the odds she'd meet a man with the same goals A man who can also help her learn to enjoy dating and sex again. Cade is tough, sexy and dedicated. Sterling, aka Star, is skittish with a thick self-protection layer that tries to keep everyone at arm's length but that's OK. Cade sees a woman who's worth waiting for and gives her the space to work out her demons while showing her all the affection and attention she's able to deal with.

The suspense is a great add to their love story. There are plenty of nasty villians including the main one, a couple of deadly situations and, of course, justice . The McKenzies are a very intriguing lot and I look forward to learning more about their stories as the series continues. I hope we'll not only get to know Cade's brother and sister but I'd really like to see dad find a new love again.