Book Review -The Holdout

The Holdout

By: Laurel Osterkamp
Publisher: PMI Books
Publication Date: September 2013
ISBN: 978-1933826400
Reviewed by: Ellen Feld
Review Date: November 2013

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go on a reality show? Would you participate if offered the chance? Would you expose your innermost secrets on national television? In Laurel Osterkamp’s quick-reading new book, The Holdout, that’s just what Robin Bricker must decide as she’s given a chance to compete for one million dollars.

Told in the first person by Robin, the story picks up quickly. We immediately learn that Robin has returned home after competing on "The Holdout," a "Survivor" type reality show. Now home, she's dreading the fact that the last three episodes have yet to air, and she admits that "...my most humiliating moments are yet to come." Her contract states that she can't change her appearance while the show airs, so maybe she should just stay in her house until the next season starts. The reader's interest is piqued - what humiliating things happen to Robin? Can't stop reading now!

Our protagonist next introduces the reader to her family and it quickly becomes obvious that they don't all have faith in Robin, or in her ability to win the million dollars. Indeed, some of them laugh at the thought of Robin being good at sports and survival skills, two important things needed to win the show. A great support team they're not. It's no wonder Robin doubts herself, her employment skills and her ability to pick men.

Now it's on to the really fun part of the story - Robin's time competing on "The Holdout." We meet the other contestants, including the dorky Henry, the sultry Klemi, and the very handsome Grant. Before the contestants have even arrived at the island, Grant is making eyes at Robin and she's soon pretty happy about his interest. Unfortunately, Grant's only goal is to win the million dollars and he'll do anything to get the prize, including taking advantage of Robin. While the reader, and the national audience watching the show, can see that Grant is two-timing Robin, she's far too slow to pick up on the betrayal.

The majority of the book switches between the telling of the competition, and Robin's time at home while the show airs. She is called for Jury Duty and is hopeful that she can hide her true identity to the other jurists, since the final episodes will air during the trial. As she listens to the case, and gets to know some of the other people on the jury panel, Robin starts to grow, to mature, to find herself and maybe, just maybe, allow another man into her life.

While I'm not a fan of reality shows, I truly enjoyed author Laurel Osterkamp's version of a survival show. The scheming, backstabbing, and yes, skill required to win had me glued to the page. Like the imaginary national audience, I picked my favorite and kept my fingers crossed that that person would win. The jury scenes started out a bit slower, but as the case neared conclusion, and Robin and a fellow juror "got closer," the courtroom scenes were just as enjoyable. The Holdout is a definite gotta read book that fans of romance, fans of reality shows, and yes, even those who switch the channel when that tribal music comes on, should pick up a copy and start reading. You won't be disappointed!

Quill says: Grant is a royal scumbag who you love to hate, Robin is believable and likeable, the story moves quickly, the romance is spicy without being too outlandish, what's not to like? The Holdout is well worth your time.

For more information on The Holdout, please visit the author's website at: www.laurelosterkamp.com

Books In For Review

Here's a sample of the books that have just come in for review.  Check them out and then stop by our site in a few weeks to read the reviews.  Enjoy!

Ashes to Ashes: The Scribing of Ishitar (Volume 2) by Carrie F. Shepherd Exiled from the Sixty Realms at the end of the Second Revolution, Iykva, one of the demons sent to propagate a new mortal race, longs for equality between his people and those of the exiled angels. Believing the key to this equality lies within the blood of his enemy, he strikes war on the first born of the race of the elves. Caught up in his parents' game to claim the ultimate power, Ishitar dismisses this mortal war as unimportant to his strategy of placing his own pawn upon his father's throne. Will the cost that he eventually pays for his ignorance be worth what little advantage he has gained on the kings' board?

The Holdout by Laurel Osterkamp Robin wanted to win The Holdout, a cutthroat reality TV show, so she gave it her all, challenge after challenge. Then she fell for Grant, with his irresistible eyes and heartbreaking life story. But Grant was only using Robin as they competed for a million dollars. Once home, Robin wants to hide from the humiliation as episodes of The Holdout are aired, and she worries her family was right all along; she's not a survivor. Or maybe she'll have the last laugh Besides, Robin now has jury duty. And as she forges ahead, confronting her demons about bravery, justice, and romance, Robin will come to decide which is more important: the courage to stand alone, or the strength to love again. Laurel Osterkamp's award winning novels have been hailed as funny, intelligent, snarky and poignant. She is the author of four novels and two novellas, including the November Surprise series, which, like The Holdout, features the Bricker family. Laurel was recently on a federal jury, and she loves watching Survivor.

One-Woman Farm: My Life Shared with Sheep, Pigs, Chickens, Goats, and a Fine Fiddle by Jenna Woginrich Jenna Woginrich’s inspiring journey from city cubicle to rural homestead has captivated readers of her blog and previous books. Now, in One-Woman Farm, Woginrich shares the joys, sorrows, trials, epiphanies, and blessings she discovers during a year spent farming on her own land, finding deep fulfillment in the practical tasks and timeless rituals of the agricultural life.

Death Overdue: Librarian Mystery series by Mary Lou Kirwin Ropes, revolvers, daggers, arsenic...They are the classic, go-to murder weapons, from Christie to Clue. But death by bookcase? With one good shove, a crafty killer can keep investigators guessing: did it fall or was it pushed? That’s what sassy Midwestern librarian Karen Nash must determine—and if so, who did the pushing—when an avalanche of books and splintered wood fatally flattens Sally Burroughs, the ex-girlfriend of Karen’s squeeze, London B&B proprietor Caldwell Perkins, who appears the most likely suspect for murder. In the library. With the bookcase. And maybe he has grounds? Just as he and his librarian love are making a go of opening their dream bookstore (that’s bookshop, in British English), Sally pops up years after abandoning him, to demand her share of the B&B’s sale. To Karen’s orderly mind, sorting her jumbled feelings about uprooting her life in Minnesota and taking a chance on Caldwell is much like sorting his four-thousand-three-hundred-and-twenty-four precious volumes: everything has its place. A little research reveals that more than one person may have had Sally issues, and Karen must prove that Caldwell is obsessed with books, not revenge. But will her hunt for a killer turn up too little, too late?

Murphy and the Magical Hat by Kate David When a rainy day threatens to spoil a little girl's plans to play outside, her disappointment quickly disappears when her Mother shares a magical hat with her. This magical hat has the power to whisk little Murphy away to where she most wants to go. Explore the power of imagination with Murphy as it turns her disappointment into joy!

A Very Fuddles Christmas by Frans Vischer The way Fuddles, the overly indulged feline, sees the world, it’s better to receive than give! And what better gift for Fuddles than Christmas? One winter day, he wakes up to the smells and sights of the holiday: a juicy turkey dinner, sweet gingerbread, and a tree decorated with shiny, glittering toys—all for him! But when Fuddles tries to climb the tree, his family chases him away. He runs outside to escape, smack into cold and ice and snow! Will Fuddles ever make it back home in time to celebrate the merriest time of the year?