Holding Fast

Heartland #16

by Lauren Brooke

Heartland is a horse farm nestled in the hills of Virginia, but it's much more than that. Heartland is like no other place - it's a place where the scars of the past can be healed, a place where frightened and abused horses learn to trust again.

Just when Amy feels that things are back to normal at Heartland, an injured police horse named Venture arrives. Venture's partner, Sergeant Garcia, is desperate to help the wounded gelding. Amy convinces the policeman to put his trust in Heartland's methods. But when Amy's tried-and-true remedies have no effect on Venture, she is the one who loses faith. Before she can reach a breakthrough, Amy must open herself up to new possibilities - and learn to believe in the power of change.

Genres: Horses, Young Adult, Fiction, Childrens, Animals, Contemporary, Middle Grade

170 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Lauren Brooke grew up in a ranch in Virginia and now lives in Leicestershire, England. Her husband is a veterinarian who specializes in horses. Her books have been published by Scholastic since Mid-2000, starting with the first book of the Heartland book series. The first book of her popular Chestnut Hill series was published in 2005.

According to an interview on scholastics' website, Lauren Brooke has been riding since before she could walk. She also said she competes in a few local-level horse shows and events.

There may be some other people in books and movies named Lauren Brooke:
Amazon lists the author of "Book of spiritual regeneration" (1995) as Lauren Brooke.
IMDB.com has a record for an Actress named Lauren Brooke. Her only movie is "Wiseguys vs. Zombies" (2003) as Goat Man's Wife.

Reviews

[Amanda Schell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore the heartland series!!! All of them! And in case you were wondering the TV series is pretty good too <3

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Heartland takes on a police horse injured in the same storm that injured Ty, it is a chance for everyone to overcome the trauma of that night. Unfortunately, working with Venture is more difficult than planned. On top of that, Ben wants to leave Heartland to pursue competition riding, and Lou seems irritable about her wedding plans.

There are quite a few storylines in this book. I liked how the new stablehand, Joni, turns out to offer the solution to Venture's problem, and Lou works out why she doesn't want to talk about her wedding. It was sad to see Dazzle leave and Ty's feelings about it.

[Tiffany T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartland is a horse that is a horse farm nestled in the hills of Virginia

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuing the rereads.
Lots of changes happen in this one for both Amy and Lou- and the rest of the Heartland team really. With earlier books in the series, I thought that for the moment, I'm at the stage where I'm too old for them. However, from what I remember, the last few seem to be 'older', if that makes sense because Amy is growing up fast now.
But regardless, I'll still always love this series. :)

[David Burnworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was another super good one in this series.
I am a huge fan of the show.
The books and TV shows are a lot alike but also so different it makes both really good.
In this book, as it should have been on the TV shows Lou and Scott are engaged and have set a wedding date.
Ben leaves Heartland in this one, which was weird but expected, with his skills competing on Red.
A new girl starts to work at Heartland and so far, so good with her skills and fitting in.
Jack's lady friend, Nancy, and Lou have a major blow-up but things get better when Lou and Amy find out something about Nancy's past.
Much more happens in this one, so you have to read it to find out just what.

[Dagmar T. Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stå fast handler om Ben, der vælger at sige op på Heartland, for at følge en karriere som springrytter, hos en stald for springrytter, med sin hest Red. Så Heartland prøver at finde en ny stalddreng i stedet for Ben. Samtidig med at de skal prøve at hjælpe såret politihest, Venture, over nogle smerter, som ingen dyrlæge kan se.

Jeg synes at de en rigtig spændende bog, og sproget er et meget ungdommeligt sprog. Bogen var for mig bare en pageturner, da jeg har læst den på to dage, det er også derfor at jeg har givet bogen 5 ud af 5 stjerner.

[Alex Apostol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am really loving the Heartland book series. I am a fan of the show, and I loved that a lot of the clients in the book are familiar to me. But the series also keeps me on my toes with changes in the characters and their story lines as well. It's one of those series that keeps me turning the pages with the nice breaks in the chapters and shorter chapters. I never get tired of reading them. And they're such short books that they're easy to take to work and read on my breaks. If you're a horse lover and can find these books used somewhere, I highly recommend reading them!

[Tibbara's Den · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this one stands out from the others. I really like how familiar the characters are at this point, but the changes in this one were refreshing. I liked how Amy approached those changes instead of getting angsty. Also loved how she helps Lou through her own emotions. I really liked the two main horses they are working with, especially Venture. I loved the new approach with acupuncture. I look forward to seeing the newer characters going forward and how the dynamic between the past characters continues to grow.

[Clemence D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Que de bonnes nouvelles pour ce nouveau tome : Adieu, l'Australie ! Laura retrouve avec bonheur Heartland... et Ted. Lou et Scott vont se marier !

Deux nouveaux pensionnaires arrivent au haras : Molly, une jument qui a perdu confiance en elle suite à une blessure, et Aventure, un cheval de la police montée. de quoi occuper Laura !

Seul nuage à l'horizon : John. Bougon, soucieux, irritable, le palefrenier ne va pas bien.

Très bon tome, sans doute un de mes préférés !

[kirjojenihanuutta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Löysin mökiltä, luin ja palasin ala-asteelle. Ala-asteaikoina ahmin hevoskirjoja valtavia määriä. Nykyisin en hevoskirjoja juurikaan lue, mutta ymmärrän yhä niiden viehätyksen. Niin leppoista luettavaa. Koko ajan tietää kaiken päättyvän oikealla tavalla, mikä on samalla sekä ihanaa että tylsää. Täydellistä lomalukemista ja nostalgisointia, mutta eipä näitä kyllä montaa jaksaisi putkeen lukea. :)

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book, Amy has returned from her emotional trip to her father's ranch in Australia. Ty is still recovering from his injuries, so she is on her own at the farm. In addition to her normal duties, a new horse comes in-a police horse- that needs help. Her experiences with the horse are discouraging, and she works hard to get through all of the hurdles.

[kat♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

this one was a really sweet read! of course it was sad to see a character move on but thats what the whole book is about: moving on, change, and growth. its a powerful lesson and its one that has definitely hit home. so, to say the least this one was a pleasant read. im sad to say my time at heartland is limited as i finish each book, but im still excited for what the rest have in store!

[Olivia H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book! This series is so great, and the books are such fun, easy reads! (Spoilers:) SO happy Lou and Scott are getting married, but I’m so sad Ben’s leaving. Though I am glad that Joni’s such a good replacement. Definitely recommend!

[Eva Wolfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is my second time reading this series!! I love it so much!
In this book i love how the heartland family goes through changes, and it all turns out okay for them. also, Amy and Ty are such a good couple!❤ If you like horses and romance this the book for you.

[Twyla · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite part was when Venture started to get better. My least favorite part was when Ben had to leave and they had to hire someone new.

[Lcecnca · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5

[Katie Hildreth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this series. I see some similarities with tv series.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am enjoying this series and love the character arcs. The innovative ways they treat the horses at Heartland keep me reading and the family relationships bring so much to the stories.

[Tara Warner · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4,25⭐️

[AmbWitch · Rating 2 out of 5]

What was this one about again? I’m sorry, I just find that when I take a while to review the books in this series they all sort of run together. I would like to point up that when I was a young teen I loved these books but have since grown out of them. If you had asked me to review them years ago these reviews would be very different. So, just to let people know, though I do only give them low stars, when younger, I would give them higher ratings. In fact, there was a time that they were one of my favourite series of books.


Ah yes, I remember now, Venture. I wasn’t too keen on how the new girl pops in and solves his problem, it just seemed like too much of a happy coincidence to me to be plausible. It is a good way of showing that Joni will be a good member of Heartland and shows that she is accepted and valuable straight away. This in some ways is good. But meh, I didn’t like it.


I do have to say however that it made a nice change from the usual plot layout. Usually there is one horse they are struggling with and then they have a breakthrough a little over half way through with. In this case it was only right at the end that they made any progress. It seemed that there was more focus on other arrears of the plot instead, which I did like. It made a refreshing change. Unfortunately, it seemed to be focusing on people’s relationships a little too much and I found this incredibly annoying, though I have a feeling that this is due to a matter that has nothing to do with these books so I shall shhhhh (and sorry, I’m in one of those moods again).


Other than that I have nothing much to say. This was another quick read of a book that I will be getting rid of. Not because it’s rubbish, because it’s not, and I think it’s great for its age group, but because I have outgrown it.

[Isabella Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read by Lauren Brooke! I don’t have many books left in the series now, I am going to miss reading stories about Amy Fleming and her home, Heartland. 🐴

In this story, a new horse is arriving at Heartland to be treated after being a victim of the dreadful storm back in the Summer, leaving him full of sadness and pain. At first, Venture’s arrival has a big impact on Amy, for he brings back the memories of Ty’s time in hospital after his accident caused by the very same storm. As Amy tries to figure out how she can best help Venture and leave behind the past, only the help of someone outside of Heartland can restore peace and help Venture and his owner reunite.

*Feel free to check out my overview for the Heartland series over on my Substack blog:

https://thepaintedcaravan.substack.co...

Isabella Ann of The Painted Caravan ♡

[Mallory Beckler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been looking for this book forever! I read the entire series up to 15 in elementary because they didn't have the 16th book. I looked at alexander mitchell but they didn't have it either. Finally I found this the other day in the library. So of course I loved it! This series is all about a place called heartland that heals horses. Weather they have injuries or they are traumatized. These horses find courage and strength at Heartland and so do the people helping them. Even though it has been 3 years since I read the last book as soon as I read this one all the memories of the other books came back! This is a great book if you love horses, or if your going through something tough. So now I can't wait to read the next book1

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Heartland book... As I've mentioned before, this series is a fast read aimed at the preteens, but it's cute and interesting at times. It's pretty safe from the touchy topics for kids, since Amy's focus is on the horses and while the series can and does deal with death they usually end in a hopeful message. If you've been reading the series, continue reading and if your considering the series, go for it. They're cure.

[livresetsonges · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laura est de retour après son voyage en Australie et elle ne va pas chômer. De nouveaux chevaux sont arrivés à Heartland, et John, un des palefreniers ne va pas bien. Entre relations humaines, travail équin et recherche, Laura n'est pas de suite prête au repos. Un très bon tome qui annonce de multiples changements à Heartland !

[Denise Barney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book for horse-crazy middle-school girls. Amy has to deal with several chnages in her life and copes with them while helping horses heal from their traumatic injuries. Part of a series, but I don't think I missed much. Not too challenging.

[Cale_Steps]

Good to pass time. Can be interesting/exciting-but def. for horse freaks!

[Alexa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, but not exactly up to normal Heartland standards in my opinion. However I did enjoy it a lot, and if you like horses, definitely for you!

[Sully · Rating 3 out of 5]

As we say good bye to one character that has grown on me, we welcome a new one to the Heartland family... two really.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

See first book in the series for a full review.