A Wilder Winter

Harnessed #1

by Kent Holland

10% of profit from the paperback version of this book goes to support LGBTQ+ charities.
A lawyer and a cowboy find themselves on opposite ends of an important land deal in Montana...and then in the same house when a blizzard hits. Bradley and Colton might not agree on much, but they can agree on one this tension between them isn’t just about the job.Bradley Blythe, lawyer extraordinaire, is convinced he did something to make the Universe angry at him. Why else would he be sent to Middle-of-Nowhere, Montana, to finalize his company’s acquisition of a midsized ranch?

Colton Wilder knows he’s an unstoppable force. Horses love him, ranchers fear and respect him, cattle come at his call. But can he stop the sale of his beloved ranch?

When a blizzard hits Longhaven, Montana, Bradley and Colton find themselves snowed in together in Colton’s house. With no chance of escape and not much to do, they start talking...and then doing other things.

Attraction builds, and questions rise, as Bradley begins to wonder why his company wants this little ranch so bad. The answer might not be good, and it might force him to make a terrible choice between the job he must do, and the man he now can’t forget.

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Gay, Queer, LGBT

290 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 9, 2025

About the author

Kent Holland is an openly Queer writer of gay and queer romance novels that have a lot of heart and a healthy amount of spice. He is based in Tennessee. When he is not writing, he enjoys listening to music, running marathons, spending time with his friends, and reading books in any number of genres. A percentage of the profits of all of his book sales goes to support various LGBTQ+ charities, and you can explore various resources to support the LGBTQ+ community on his website, or through the QR code linked in each book. You can connect with him on Instagram at kenthollandwrites.

Reviews

[Marcos “MSMDragon”]

A Wilder Winter was a great book to end the year on. Kent Holland is fantastic at writing authentic, queer stories and this one was no different. The story was engaging and didn’t end how I expected it to, which was a nice change of pace. The characters, Bradley and Colton, weren’t just hot, but intelligent and driven as well. They had some great chemistry and the forced proximity made for some spicy scenes. I’m very much looking forward to the rest of the series!

[Liza Broadaway]

New to me author! I loved the banter so much! This is a forced proximity, city/rancher, snowed in sorta of fun! Honestly just a great quick read with believable charcters and some fun smexy times!

[Esther]

Oh how missed the easy banter Kent Holland infuses in the getting to know portion of his books. It has been a bit since the last one. But that’s just because releasing a book a month couldn’t have been easy. Even if it was pleasurable for us readers. And i didn’t want to start on his fantasy oeuvre just yet.

Anyways getting sidetracked. This was once again a good read. Interesting story that could have been boring or too predictable given the set up. Great chemistry between the leads in and out of the sheets.

And I also how this story is not steeped in cliche. Sure the author plays with the images of both the snobbish city lawyer and the ruggedly handsome mountain man. But it does not define the characters per se and how they interact. They are soon revealing their common grounds and Kent Holland doesn’t rely on their perceived differences to carry the story.

I fully recommend reading this.

[Eric]

I liked the story and the MCs had great chemistry and banter. Their conversations made me laugh a few times. I an also here for the sex positivity.

There were just some editing and continuity issues that kept dragging me out of the story. Like using the word "nice" instead of "noise" or "heard" instead of "hard" ... also the MCs having sex on the bed, grabbing the sheets etc then flipping him over and "grabbing the back of the couch"... I had to reread the whole scene to see if I missed something.

And then the MCs really just get a HFN after reconnecting because the epilogue was all about a side character from before who isn't even in the same state.

[amanda rana]

Fabulous

Sorta like if a Hallmark Christmas movie mixed with a John Grisham novel and talked about poppers & lots of super gay sex! There's something fun about reading a gay romance written by a sex positive gay man. There's little extra details you don't often find other places. Low angst, delightfully steamy with fun use of tropes. Ends with a HFN that felt right for the characters. I've said this before, but I think this is an underrated author.

[Trevor Louviere]

This was the first time I read a book by this author, but I can definitely say I will be reading more. It is the perfect book for someone that is looking for a queer romance book with witty dialogue. There were a few typos/inconsistencies, but the heat of the book will divert your attention. Adding a Montana vacation to my bucket list so I can find a sexy rancher of my own.

[BM]

The chemistry and sweetness between Bradley and Colton was really nice to see develop. It felt genuine and vivid. I also appreciated the legal land acquisition backstory as well. It lent weight to the story and I like seeing how a character thinks and approaches a problem.

[Sara]

Too much narrative compared to dialogue for me. And I really enjoyed their conversation and banter, so would have liked more of that. Kind of a HFN ending too.

[Emily Finch]

This was the perfect winter novella. Will definitely be reading this authors backlist now!

[Lo Reads Books]

What a fun, sexy, joyful book.

[Kelsey Evans]

4.5 ✨ Colton and Bradley stole my whole heart. Kent Holland pulled off an impressive feat by infusing 228 pages with so much lust and longing that I couldn’t put this book down. Yes, the sexual tension is there from the snowy meet cute but it manages to still feel nuanced. The characters are developed and unique, offering that depth I crave in a romance. And although this read delivers on spice, it’s so much more than that. I could literally happily read about these two doing Sunday laundry, because their banter and compatibility were that perfectly written. I’ll be picking up the next in this series in a heartbeat.

[Andrea]

Such a cute story! Also really funny. I loved the banter between Colton and Bradley. I loved that there weren't any declarations of love after such a short period of time - instead offering the promise of at least wanting tomorrow.