ARC copy provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Holding On is contemporary romance and is the 7th book in the Colorado High Country series. I have liked every one of her books in this series. I do prefer her romantic suspense series, her contemporary ones are growing on me.

As is obvious based on how long it’s been since this title was published, I have decided not to review this title.
I apologize for the delay is sending the feedback, as well as for potentially clogging up an inbox with reports that are not timely…
Thanks again!

I liked this one. The H has serious issues. The h is just what the doctor ordered without being too cutesy. The dog angle is just fun.

*I received a review copy from the publisher/author via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*

It has been awhile since I've read a Pamela Clare -- I love her I-Team series; Unlawful Contact being my favorite. I stumbled upon Holding On in my Kindle...and although it is the 6th book in the series...and I had not read the first five...I started reading.

The author gave the characters, especially Harrison, a wide-range of realistic emotional experiences. Those experiences made this story enjoyable. I adored the interactions of Harrison and Kenzie (+ Gizmo and Gabby); their relationship evolved naturally...from crush-to-lust-to-HEA.

Off to read more...

This was a good read! This was a first for me from this author, and this series, but I didn't feel lost at all. The writing flowed well, and I loved the chemistry between the Harrison and Kenzie. Harrison was a good guy that was struggling with everything that had happened. Kenzie was a great h, and I liked that she was trying to help Harrison get his life back. There was some suspense in this story, but I liked that it had the romance to balance it out. I was happy to see these characters get their HEA.
I voluntarliy reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.

OMG the feels!
Ok, so now that I got that silliness out of my system…
This story truly is packed full of emotional trauma and is the story of a man coming out of the darkest and deepest pit he could find himself in, with the help of a woman that is determined she not lose him to that darkness—and a sweet puppy of course. I love everything Pamela Clare has ever written so I was not really surprised to enjoy this story so much, and wasn’t even really surprised by the darkness and emotion that she tackles so beautifully, but I cried so much through this story that I was surprised that she was able to get to my heart even more than she usually does. While I can honestly say that I have been putting this story off, knowing that I would be a wreck after reading it, Pamela’s ability to put a person right there in the lives and minds of her characters, to make the reader feel like they are living their lives, is so masterful that I felt I was being pulled along with Conrad into Kenzie’s circle of love and there was no greater feeling. Conrad has gone through an ordeal so terrifying that most of the population will never experience something like it and it has left him a shell of the man he once was. His friends and family are terrified they will lose him forever, especially Kenzie and she refuses to let him give into that darkness. When brilliance strikes she uses the best weapon at her disposal, the sweet S & R puppy she is training, and uses her to force Conrad slowly back to the land of the living. As they spend more and more time together and Conrad comes back to the life he left behind, he begins to see something in Kenzie that he always ran from in the past and wonders if he made a mistake in doing so. As their love grows deeper, Conrad’s fears and worries rear back and soon he has to decide if he is a healed enough man to embrace the light and love that Kenzie represents or if he will forever remain in the darkness without the love of the woman that will sacrifice it all for him. I ADORED every moment of this tear-filled, emotional and draining read and wouldn’t miss a single moment of it, might even go back for a reread soon, and seeing Conrad and Kenzie together gave me hope that there truly is someone out there for everyone. Kenzie is a woman that will do just about anything for those she loves, or just for those in need, even to the extent of risking herself, but the way she fights for Conrad, again and again, refusing to give up on him…man she is definitely the kind of woman I want to be when I grow up. She is obviously sexy, brave, talented, sweet, and funny and that is a bit intimidating to the rest of us normal women, but I can see why she needed to be all of those things to match the amazing Conrad. Conrad has lived his life on the edge, always reaching for the next extreme challenge, but now that he has lost his nerve and willingness to even get out of his PJs, he needs an ass-kicking, and it comes in the form of the sweetest woman he’s ever met and her cuddly puppy. Conrad is sexy, sensual, heroic, and humble once he decided to pull his head out of his butt; the best part of course is seeing how sweet he is with the puppy and then with Kenzie one he lets himself accept their relationship. If I could find a man like Conrad for myself you can damn sure bet I’d fight for him just as hard as Kenzie did and never let him go. I am dying to see what comes next in this amazing town full of sexy heroes, amazing women and crazy characters. MORE, MORE, MORE, Pamela!

I love the Colorado High Country Series. Each book has been a hit for me. Holding On was a great addition to the series. I have been waiting for Harrison Conrad's book for a while now. I knew going into this read that Harrison had some major issues to deal with after losing his climbing team in an accident and almost dying himself. Pamela Clare did a great job of writing Harrison and his pain in a believable light. My heart broke for Harrison. He felt so guilty for surviving and he suffered with PTSD. Enter Kenzie and her adorable puppy Gabby! OMG talk about cuteness overload. Kenzie was a member of the Rocky Mountain Search & Rescue Team as the K9 SAR unit. She knew how therapeutic animals could be. Crushing on Harrison for years, Kenzie came up with a plan to ask Harrison to foster SAR trainee puppy Gabby. What ensued was some of the cutest puppy antics I have ever read!
Harrison and Kenzie were both amazing and they made a cute couple. Different in a lot of ways they complemented each other well. They were both very protective of one another and the dogs. They were both supportive of each other and had a friendship along with being in love with each other. Harrison was very sexy and charming. I loved how hard he fell in love with Gabby. Nothing like a man cuddling a baby human or animal to make a woman's ovaries explode. Kenzie was smart, and sassy. She had a confidences about her that made her very sexy as well. I felt Harrison and Kenzie has a great connection. Smexy time between Harrison and Kenzie was smokin' hot. When Harrison role played Kenzie's fantasy I totally melted.
I love that even though they made a great couple they still had to deal with PTSD in a real way. Healing isn't always easy or pretty and I love when Authors keep it real when it comes to things like PTSD. I loved getting to catch up with past couples and seeing how they are doing in their HEA. Lots of babies to awe over. There was some raw emotional and sweet moments in this book. There was some really funny ones too(Harrison naked outside his older neighbor catching him and calling his junk franks and beans). The action towards the end had me on edge and I was so happy that Harrison was able to overcome his problems and saved the day. The epilogue was amazing and gave me everything I wanted. I loved this book and I can't wait to get my hands on the next one!

This was another excellent instalment in what is swiftly becoming one of my favourite series! This story focused on Harrison Conrad (a famous mountain climber who was almost killed during an accident on Everest) and Kenzie Morgan (who trains search dogs). They are both members of the Rocky Mountain Search & Rescue Team and following Conrad's return their friendship blossoms into a sweet and sexy romance. It wouldn't be a Clare novel without some pulse pounding drama and here it comes courtesy of bank robbers without consciences! This was a brilliant story, it kept me turning the pages long after I should have put the book down and gone to bed and I can't wait to read more!
*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher*

WOW

This story is all kinds of intense! Your hear will just absolutely shatter for Harrison and what he went through. Even a year later he's trying to figure out how to deal with the death of his team member and the two boys who were with them. When he returns home he finds the struggle to be even more intense then he thought.

Enter Kenzie who takes it upon herself to help him even if he refuses the help initially.

I love the slow, but realistic build of the relationship between these two. I appreciate that the author took her time in having Harrison heal instead of pretending that this sort of thing goes away overnight.

This is a beautifully written friends turn to lovers romance story. The twists and turns, and the huddles they have to go through to get their happy ever after. If you want to find out just how fantastic this story is, then pick up your copy today and really find out how Harrison and kenzie get their HEA, you won’t regret it I promise. A definite must read of 2018

I received this e-book via NetGalley and am leaving my honest opinion.

Harrison is one of the best known Alpiners (aka Mountain climber) in the world. Then his world came crashing down when he became the only survivor of a 4-man team climbing Mt. Everest, which included a man whom he had climbed with for 20 years, a brother in his heart. So for the last 15 months, he has been living with the monks, working for his room.

Meanwhile back in the small town of Scarlet Springs his friends worry about him. Though he wasn't born there, Scarlet Springs had been his home for 10 years and it was home to him. Though he didn't need to work because of company sponsorships, he was involved in the Search and Rescue team that was based in town.

One day he gets a visitor at the monastery. It is someone from home basically telling him he needs to come home and get his life together.

Kenzie is a local business owner, she runs a dog boarding business with an attached store and she trains dogs. She also trains dogs for Search and Rescue and is part of the team. She has everything she wants, except for the love of a good man. The last 2 relationships she has were with climbers and since they didn't work, she has sworn off climbers.


Harrison is now home but he is just a lost man. He has no interest in life. Kinzie decides to ask him to help her with a new puppy, claiming her other dog Gizmo, and the puppy, Gabby, don't get along. Grudgingly, he says yes.


Harrison has thought about Kenzie for years but knew she had sworn off climbers. Kenzie had had a thing for Harrison for years but never pursued it because he was a climber and he was away a lot. As they spent time together the feelings take over and they give into it. Harrison tells her he doesn't know what he can offer her because his life is in a shambles and he doesn't know what the future holds. Kenzie doesn't care, she just wants to help him heal and be with him. She will deal with the heartbreak later if she has to.

Can Kenzie and ret Springs help Harrison regain his life? Will they make it together?

This is an awesome story! It grabbed me right at the beginning and kept me until the last page! Harrison basically had PTSD and he had some intense healing to go through. Kenzie was there for him throughout it, as were his friends in the Search and Rescue team. And of course there was Gizmo and Gabby the dogs, the puppy Gabby warmed his frozen heart but Kenzie stole it!

Great read, highly recommended!

4 stars again for a Pamela Clare novel. I thought Holding On was a passionate entertaining read. I was especially taken by this series, the search and rescue team members and the mountain climbing aspects seem very vivid and realistic. This is the 6th book in the series, and though the story stands alone, regular readers will appreciate the updates on other characters ion the series. If you are a fan of character driven series with great dialogue, balanced action and romance, and lots of humor - fans of Suzanne Brockmann and Jill Shalvis, I think you will like Pamela Clare.

ARC received for review

I have really enjoyed every book in this series. Each hero and heroine has a unique set of circumstances to overcome, and they do it with a little help from their friends.

This book is no different. Kenzie has like Harrison for a long time, but never said anything. He comes back broken after a climbing tragedy. With a little help from a puppy named Gabby and a bad guy hurting Kenzie, Harrison overcomes. There's lots of sweet and sexy times plus seeing all the previous peeps.

I'm sad I'm caught up and now will have to patiently wait for the next one.....is it out yet


How bout now?

Harrison and Kenzie make such a good couple. They both have issues to overcome. Will they be able to have a relationship in spite of their past? Another good read from this author.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley and am leaving a review.

After reading the first two books in this series, I skipped to this one, but I'm definitely going to go back and read the earlier books. I love the setting in the CO high country. I love that the books center around a SAR (search and rescue) team of climbers, and each of the books I've read has been well-written, had engaging characters and a great story that doesn't sag anywhere. This one featured Harrison Conrad, one of the top climbers in the world, who lives in Scarlett Springs and is a member of the SAR team whenever he's not off in some far corner of the world, and Kenzie, the local kennel and pet store owner, who trains dogs, has a tracking Golden Retriever, and is also a member of the SAR team even though she's not really an athlete or a climber. Harrison and Kenzie are good friends, and there's always been a spark between them, but Harrison never wanted to settle down, and after being burned in the past, Kenzie is not interested in yet another climbing boyfriend, so they've mutually ignored their attraction.

After a horrible accident on Everest that claimed the life of his best friend and climbing partner, Harrison retreats to a Buddhist monastery for over a year until Megs, the head of the SAR team goes to Nepal to fetch him home. He comes home licking his emotional wounds and filled with survivor's guilt. In an attempt to help him, Kenzie tricks him into taking charge of her newest puppy, and slowly, Harrison comes back to life. Watching him finally start to open up and move on from the accident, with the help of Kenzie, Gabby, Gizmo, and all of his friends on the team, was very moving. The connection between Kenzie and Harrison was strong, and the romance believable. I hope the author is planning to continue this series, and I'm happy that I still have three other books in it to read.

I just love Pamela Clare’s books. Everything from her historicals, to suspense, to plain contemporary romance is an auto-buy for me. While I obviously like some books more than others, it seems anything she writes is at least a base level of good, and that certainly holds true for Holding On.

This is the sixth book in Ms. Clare’s Colorado High Country series, set in the small town of Scarlet Springs. Like those that come before it, Holding On technically stands alone, but there are enough references to the characters of past books that you may want to read the others first. Or not - if this is all you can get your hands on, it’s still worth picking up.

Harrison Conrad is one of the more famous members of the Rocky Mountain Search & Rescue Team. A world-famous mountain climber, he makes his home in Scarlet Springs and works with the team when he can but spends much of his time scaling peaks around the globe. Unfortunately, that came to a halt when his climbing party of four had an accident on Mount Everest. Harrison was the only survivor and has spent the following year living with a group of Tibetan monks, struggling to come to terms with the fact that he survived when the others didn’t.

When Megs, leader of the team, manages to bring Harrison back home to Colorado, no one can see he’s still broken more clearly than Kenzie Morgan. Kenzie runs a local kennel and trains dogs for search and rescue, so has worked with the team for years. She’s been a friend of Harrison’s and has long danced around other feelings for him but doesn’t want to date a climber. As his friend though, she’s concerned about how uninterested in life he’s become, so devises a plan to help Harrison.

Although she already has one fully trained S&R dog, Gizmo, Kenzie recently took on a new puppy to train, who she calls Gabby. Hoping that caring for Gabby might lead Harrison to take better care of himself, Kenzie fosters the puppy with him, convincing Harrison that Gabby and Gizmo don’t get along well. While this does help Harrison re-enter the world, it also helps him realize what’s been under his nose all along, and he and Kenzie start dating.

I don’t think Kenzie’s plan - or the backstory surrounding it - would have worked nearly so well if Harrison hadn’t first spent time grieving by Mount Everest. Ms. Clare works hard not to trivialize Harrison’s grief or his struggles with rejoining the world. She allows him months for his sorrow on Mount Everest, and now that he’s returned to Colorado it feels natural that he should start trying to interact with the world again. He can manage grocery shopping, for example, but seeing his old team buddies is more of a challenge. As is figuring out what to do with his life, now that he’s retired from mountain climbing. Even then, he’s not 100% certain he’s retired. It’s not an easy road, but it feels realistic and made me like Harrison all the more.

Kenzie, too, has her own share of issues to deal with, although they’re minor compared to Harrison’s. After her first serious boyfriend - who was also an adventurer - died in the wilds of Alaska, she’s understandably hesitant to start a relationship with Harrison. Another reason for reluctance is Kenzie’s occasional doubts about herself, something Harrison is able to help her with. The fact that she needs his support, as he needs hers, keeps things from feeling unbalanced and added to my enjoyment of the book.

If there’s anything to critique here, it might be the idealized supportiveness of the town, and even then, I’m not sure that I’d really complain. As the sixth book set in Colorado Springs, it’s natural that Ms. Clare has built up a cast of very supportive secondary characters. Those characters are one of the good things about the series, even as they make the town feel a little too perfect. It’s the environment we all wish we could bring our wounded friends home to, even if it’s not usually what they’d get.

I’d recommend Holding On to just about anyone, and definitely to fans of Ms. Clare. It’s just the kind of story to sink into on a cold winter night - or on a hot summer day. It's a perfect reminder of why Pamela Clare is on my auto-buy list.

Buy it at: Amazon/Barnes & Noble/iBooks/Kobo

4.5 stars

Holding On is a powerful installment in the Colorado High Country Novel. Harrison and Kenzie have known each other for quite a while, Kenzie is unable to act of her actions before tragedy strikes Harrison and thrust him into a self imposed prison. Only as Megs could, Harrison was dragged home to start the healing process, not ready to heal his friends decided to push the subject and Kenzie sprung into action. As a trained SAR and HRD dog trainer Kenzie knows the healing power dogs can provide. Gabby was able to provided things for Harrison he didn’t know he needed.

Kenzie works hard to help anyone, and will go the extra mile for dogs. She never knew that she and Gizmo would be threatened with death unless they helped find someone. A very passionate person, Kenzie is able to express her feelings to Harrison and and hope it will turn into more than just a fling. She herself is unsure of Harrison mental state and continuously worries about him.

Harrison is slowly, cautiously reentering life in Scarlett Springs, hiding away only provide to make things more difficult for him. Becoming part of the life in small town has become more and more trying for Harrison to hide the blossoming relationship between himself and Kenzie. Facing his demons head on, he learns how to honor the memory of those involved in the tragedy.

The chemistry between Kenzie and Harrison is so intense, readers can sense it from the moment they meet in the store. The couple had many internal battles to fight before they truly started to heal and look towards the future. Ms. Clare’s novels are so packed with twist and turns within the plot, its hard to describe the novel without spoiling it! Its easy to see the research has been done, the author has taken her time to make this as true as it can be. I love how she involves former couples/characters but does it in such a way that it feels like a welcoming home party each time you read about them. I fall more in love with Scarlett Springs and Bear with each novel, I hope to hear more about them soon!

4.5 Stars

Holding On is the sixth title in the Colorado High Country series, and whilst each title can be read as a standalone, many of the previous characters re-appear within the story lines.

Harrison Conrad is an elite alpine climber used to the most extreme circumstances, until an accident and grief causes him to doubt his abilities, and descends into a darkness of survivors guilt and PTSD.

Kenzie is sweet, kind, compassionate and caring. Her strength and loyalty is absolute and not just to her human friends but also her animal companions.

This pair of characters are complex and realistic. Holding On is a heartwarming and endearing story of friendship, community and healing with a touch of suspense. This tile is both captivating and enthralling. Pamela Clare has the ability to craft titles that are both plentiful and vivid with descriptions and details, that leaves you feeling like you are part of the story, rather than an outsider looking in.

I loved that previous characters appeared frequently within the story line, and getting a glimpse of their lives further on from when their titles ended. I look forward to the next addition to the Colorado High Country series.

What can I say? This is getting to be a habit with this series but I loved it. Truly.

Pamela Clare just has a way of not only bringing her characters to life, but making you feel like you know them, that you feel their pain, and makes you want to root for them. She gives you plenty of little details, provides significant back stories, and manages to teach you something new (the lady does her research) in each book.

There's no crazy plot twists or unusual characters (well, maybe Harrison's next door neighbor who saw his 'Franks and beans' , just some down home good storytelling. PC makes even the mundane day to day activities seem interesting. How does she do this? Of course there is the expected heat between the characters (and ohhh, that one scene where they act out Kenzie's fantasies...:o)
So this was a fairly simple, straightforward romance, with a little bit of some needed suspense at the end. I say 'needed' because the hero was really doubting himself, and this bit of suspense went a long way towards him finding himself and making him trust himself again.

I loved everybody in this story! I admired Kenzie (she turned out to be a badass), I felt bad for Harrison/Conrad and what he went through, and I loved them together. And my god, those dogs? Gizmo, Gabby, even Snickerdoodle and Prince! All wonderful additions to the story.
I loved catching up with the rest of the 'team' (even though I might have forgotten a few of their stories...). But it doesn't matter--this can be read as a stand alone, or even out of order like I did at first.:)

All in all, a great addition to what is becoming a favorite series for me.

I had to play catch up before reading this installment in the series, as there were two books I had missed prior to this one. I have to admit one of those other books was better than this one!

Harrison Conrad was always this "mythical" character for me, as I couldn't see him coming back to Scarlet Springs anytime soon. Then Megs had to go and stir him up, LOL! He's got the tortured hero part down pat, and with good reason. This has him occasionally suffering from having his head up his rectum syndrome, but by the end of the book he has recovered from that issue. I really loved seeing him grow as a character! I liked Kenzie on the whole and thought she was a good fit for Harrison. I was especially interested in how she trained her dogs for the SAR work, but was disappointed at the overall lack of detail in the story about that.

Overall, this was an engaging and entertaining read for me and I can't wait to see what's in store for the rest of the series!