King Henry II has rewarded William de Brouillard with Greneforde Castle, her lands, people and her mistress. William arrives with his knights and a priest. He intends to leave no doubt about his claim, with his immediate marriage to Lady Cathryn. There's a mystery to be solved here, when he arrives, for nothing is as it should be. The lands lie fallow, the castle and servants are filthy. Only the castle's mistress seems to care about her personal appearance. William will have to find the answers to Greneforde's mystery, but no one is talking.
Lady Cathryn is cold and aloof, and reluctantly bows to the king's decree. She doesn't trust William or his men, but she's not about to tell him why. Cathryn wants him to take ownership of the castle, while she does what she must to keep distance between Greneforde's people and William's knights. There are lessons she's learned the hard way, and she's not about to have them repeated with her new husband.
The Holding fulfills a knight's dream to own land. Once he succeeds, he finds there's more to it than he'd expected. Cathryn is a beautiful young woman, casting a spell over any man who looks in her direction, but she would prefer to be left alone. William and his knights have their work cut out for them, searching for the source of the mysterious behavior of Greneforde's inhabitants. What will he do when he learns what went on before his arrival?
Claudia Dain has written a compelling novel of a young woman who must learn to trust again, and a hard knight who needs to show patience. Step by painful step, the truth slowly surfaces and affects the lives of every person in the castle. Cathryn is an admirable heroine, showing wisdom and a sort of cunning beyond her age.
You eventually discover what the villain has done, propelling the story to its inevitable conclusion. More important than his actions, is the way the hero and heroine handle the results. The secondary characters are more involved in this plot, and have a couple subplots of their own.
The Holding deals more with the psychological aspects of the characters as opposed to an action story, but it's riveting, nonetheless. This story will provide readers with a change of pace from the usual romance fare.