No Holding Back is the first book in this new series "Mckenzies of Ride Trail" and I will admit that when I listened to the sample of this audiobook I was sure that this would be a such a win of a read, because the first part of the book will really pull you so quickly into the story. This is a book that features some content that may be hard for some as it does contain elements of human trafficking and the slave trade so be aware before reading this book if that is going to be triggering for you. I will admit that this book didn't quite deliver in the ways that I was expecting it to. I think I had too many high hopes or maybe I wasn't worried about the heroine since this author has always delivered on relatable heroines but I just struggled with the romance and certain aspects of the character development that kept this from being a higher rating from me but I still liked it in the end.
No Holding Back is a intense filled suspense which features:
Cade McKenzie-Ex military, Bar Owner, Commando, Protector and Defender of the Innocent
Sterling (Star) Parson-On The Run, Posing as a Truck Driver, Fighter and Protector, Stubborn and Independent
No Holding Back is a story that begins with our heroine, where she gets kidnapped into the human trafficking rings but manages to eventually escape on her own and has been in hiding and on the run ever since. She found her way to getting her CDL license and found a perfect way to find victims of human trafficking rings and being a defender of those victims. But while in a small town, she finds herself making herself comfortable with a bar owner that she feels can see too much inside of her and he intimidates her. A part of her wants to be able to trust Cade, but she knows the evils of the world and she has survived on her own and will continue to do so but Cade is not a man to be denied. He is a defender of the innocent too and he holds secrets that could rival those of Star's. But can these two fighters come together and find a love that is a fierce as their need to bring down the human trafficking rising around them?
No Holding Back is a book that I deeply wanted so much of, and it has been a long time since I have read this author. I have been meaning to get to her, but just other books have gotten in the way of that. I will say that I was highly intrigued by the sound of this one here and I do love books that feature on this "Human Trafficking" because it doesn't get the attention it should in this country. So I really appreciate in this respect, how Lori Foster, really wrote this book and felt like it was done very well in the way you can tell that she definitely did her research on this and it was reflected in this story. When you look at the characters individually you can really respect what they both bring to the table. They are both fighters but whereas Cade is willing to compromise more and adapt .....our heroine ISNT. She is so stubborn, willful, and independent, and to the extremes. I really struggled with Star's character, but a full margin. Because she just ruined the enjoyment of the story, to be honest. She was so stubborn, not wanting to let anyone in, that I definitely felt Cade deserved someone better. I just couldn't really be as invested in the story as I wanted to be because of this. And there was this odd interaction with her and his family. I don't know, I just couldn't really understand these moments. They felt disconnected in certain ways that just had me speeding up the book so I could get to the good stuff. There is a good mystery though, where there are these villains (and one of them you aren't sure if she is a villain or not) so I was really curious to see how that would all play out in the end. I am curious to see how Lori Foster builds this series since I did like the familial connections.
Overall I found No Holding Back to be a likable enjoyable story with many redeemable qualities and if this level of angst is what works for you, then-No Holding Back will definitely work for you.
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