I grew up behind a parimutuel horse racing track, and while I never went to the races, Daddy would take me to a break in the shrubs so I could watch the horses run. From January to April, Oaklawn Park ran thoroughbred races, while the rest of the town geared up for the influx of people coming to watch the horses run, and to place their bets on which horse was the best. Traffic was a nightmare unless you knew shortcuts or back ways to get around town. But this is the world of modern horse racing. So when I saw that this book was about horse racing, I decided to pick it up and see how romance and horses blended together.
Aaron Whittaker was watching the circus performer ride on the back of the most beautiful horse he'd ever seen. She looked like a faerie standing on the back of her horse and he was intrigued. Then he saw a young red-headed man working with the horse after the show and made inquiries to hire him to train the horses and to be the jockey for the stables he managed. When an "agent" for the trainer negotiates the contract between Aaron and the trainer, she makes him write it out and sign it, so that it is binding. The issue is that Sophie is the trainer, and Jonas is the caretaker for the horses. Aaron essentially got a "pig in a poke." He thought he was getting Jonas, but in actuality he got Sophie. She was the one who trained the horses, and rode them.
I enjoyed this book, the primary characters were multi-dimensional with secrets that could have destroyed them, but they determined not to let the secrets interfere. There are a plethora of minor characters who all only add to the color of the plot. This is not my first Kristi Ann Hunter book to read and I am sure it will not be my last. It is a four-star book with plenty to offer for enjoyment.
Bethany House Publishers and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.
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