The Holding

by Claudia Dain

Ya estaba hecho. Ella era su esposa. La esposa de un caballero silencioso y cauteloso al que todos apodaban "The Fog" (Niebla). Todo lo que lady Cathryn de Greneford hab?a pose?do alguna vez... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0843948582
• ISBN13: 9780843948585
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: Leisure Books
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

What a smart and impressive love story!

I read this book over a week ago and I still can't stop thinking about how great this book was. I've had this book in my TBR pile for months and now I regret not having read it sooner. I never started on it because I usually prefer the Regency/Georgian era and contemporary books compared to this earlier time period. I now realize how wrong I was to have pre-judged the book. William is our hero and a favored knight of King Henry. He has never really had a home to call his own and thus has fought for the King for years to finally be rewarded with his own holding, Greneforde's Castle. Cathryn is lady Greneforde and our orphaned heroine. William meets Cathryn for the first time when he arrives at Greneforde. His first impression of Cathryn is worst than his first impression of her castle. Of course, he falls in love with both way before the book ends.But the journey to that love is what really endeared me to this wonderful story telling. It's been a while since I've met a hero as wonderfully well-rounded as William. He brings to Greneforde the seeds that he's collected and kept safe all during his crusades. He knew that when he finally got a home, he'd want to plant the best of every crop. This is a man that is feared by the fiercest of all men! He is big, strong, and can kill a man before the victim even knows William is near. Thus all those that know him call him "The fog". He doesn't yell, he doesn't need to. He commands attention just with his presence. Yet he is the same man that pays special attention to the caring and handling of his seeds to make sure they arrive safely at his final destination. It's the small attentions to detail like this that distinguishes this book as three-dimensional as opposed to the run-of-the-mill romances which dish out two-dimensional characters.His treatment of Cathryn is what warms me to him most of all. He may seem to some to be more like a 20th century man who is warm, sensitive and caring. Think Russell Crowe crossed with Tom Hanks but that's only to grasp for comparison as William defies anything to really compare with. He is sensitive because he is observant of everything around him. That is what makes him a great knight and ultimately an ideal husband. Ideal being that he puts the needs of his wife first because he can sense her when she's distressed or in need. Sigh, this is why I love romance novels. What girl doesn't dream of this stuff!The Biblical references about honor and love are wonderful and appropriate for a romance novel. I'd have said a mainstream romance novel but to put this delicious love story in that same category would be doing this keeper of a book a big injustice. The references are not overbearing and would not be for even those that have never held a Bible. To my delight, Cathryn and William are well versed (William's priest has been a part of his crusade for years) and to be a voyeur in their back and forth dueling (more like flirting and taunting-teasing)

Outstanding Historical Romance, with a Religious Twist

I'm a voracious reader of romances, with a 5 - 10 book a week habit, so sometimes they tend to run together. Not THE HOLDING! This is a book that will stay with me for a long time. It just worked for me on so many levels. It is historically accurate, but the history doesn't hit you over the head. The characters are memorable, with real flaws and foibles, and the plot is ingenious without being contrived. What struck me the most about the book, though, was the strong religious element. William has travelled for many years with his priest, and was made to commit large parts of Scripture to memory. Hardly a page turns without a verse from the Bible or a reference to God's plans or will. William's views on marriage are inspiring and spiritual. This is a book which manages to be both sensual and inspirational, and captures the central importance that religion played in medieval life. Don't miss this one!

Dain's second effort is excellent

I remarked on the unusual "Tell Me Lies" by Claudia Dain, and a significant style is emerging that sets her apart from so many of the clichéd romance writers. Her heroines are real women, not vixens or witches, silly, bad-tempered infants or ridiculous sword-swinging Xena's. Dain creates a woman in her own historical time with its particular social context and problems; the lack of anachronism and 21st-century political correctness and stridency is refreshing. Her prose is both lyrical and hypnotic--you *float* into one of Dain's stories, and the story won't let you go until Dain wants.The hero is quite masculine, with his own flaws and stuggles and eventual generosity. The hero of "The Holding" is more fully realized, more alive, than the hero of "Tell Me Lies." All in all, a keeper. I also keep Mary Balogh...if you want to know the style of romance writer I really go for!Highly recommended.I wish the publishers would lose the lurid covers, though.

THANK YOU, MS. DAIN!

What a great escape into the past - I loved it! Cathryn and William were made for each other! The characters are so real and the author made you feel like you are with them, standing by the fire in their bedroom, sitting in the great hall, feeling the tension and the desire between them. Ms. Dain also keeps you guessing. What happened in Cathryn's past? Will William truly accept her? If you want to experience romance and TRUE love then enjoy an evening with this book.I picked this book up one afternoon and planned to only read for an hour and ended up finishing the whole book. I understand this is the first in a trilogy and I can't wait to get back to 12th century England. This is an author that I will look for on the shelves! Don't miss it!