I received an advanced copy of Fools Rush In by Cora Marie Colt to read and review.  This book was just released at the start of April so if it appeals to you, be sure to get one of the first copies.

Fools Rush In is a racing into romance novella.  It focuses on Dasha and Wyatt Lane – a brother and sister pair who have recently acquired some racehorses.  They are instructed by their deceased father to sell off the horses and utilise the money to pay the horses’ trainer, Oliver Way any outstanding debts.

From the get-go, the pair rub Oliver up the wrong way.  The down to earth racehorse trainer is frustrated by the high society brother and sister and yet… he can’t deny an attraction to Dascha.  It seems the feeling is mutual. But Oliver isn’t ready to have his heart crushed by another female.

As Oliver works with the pair to put their father’s horses into claiming races, Dascha finds herself drawn to the racehorse trainer.  But then his actions come across as underhanded and she feels her disappointed response is stronger than it should be.  Throw in Wyatt’s own fascination with the man and things get messy and confusing for the three involved.

Fools Rush In by Cora Marie Colt

Fools Rush In is an interesting and quirky look at the racing world from the eyes of two people that are just learning what it’s all about.  The novella travels at a good pace and has some amusing points that bring in a touch of humour.  For those who enjoy a short horse racing focused read with some romance thrown in, be sure to check out Fools Rush In and Cora’s other upcoming books.

Author: Cora Marie Colt
Fiction – adult contemporary romance, novella
In My Library? It is as an eBook.

I was recently asked if I would be interested in reading and reviewing a horse book for middle grade readers.  Corinne Joy Brown’s book is titled Finding Home.  It explores the lives of wild mustangs and the struggle they go through to survive in the wild.  It also follows the journey of a horse mad young girl who is desperate to own a horse – specifically, a wild mustang.

Finding Home starts being told from the point of view of a young golden horse.  This wild mustang filly known as Pahaska, enjoys life with her mother and other herd members.  It is once she’s a few years old that she is caught up in a helicopter muster.  Young Pahaska finds that her life changes drastically over the next few days.

She looses her mother, develops a fear for helicopters and has no idea what to expect when she is auctioned off and expected to load into a small, dark trailer.

The filly with the golden coat and curly hair is renamed Curly Girl by her adoring new owner.  Although young Jesse is rapt to finally have a horse of her own, she is impatient to get the filly to the boarding stable that she has organised.  Her Uncle Joe needs to first gentle the filly, start her under saddle and ensure she is safe.

The days pass by incredibly slowly.  It feels to Jesse that her Curly Girl will never arrive.

Finally the day arrives and Jesse finds that her exciting adventure has truly begun.  The arrival of the horse soon turns everything upside down and Jesse is devastated to find all of her plans fall down around her.  The solution that her Uncle Joe proposes is far from appealing.

And yet, as the young girl explores a relationship with her new horse, she redevelops an old one with her distant father.  Finding Home does a wonderful job of enlightening readers about horses – particularly the plight of the American mustang.  It also looks at family dynamics and explores the hope that can be found in a family being restored.  It was an enjoyable read and the illustrations by Ginny McDonald only added to the story.  These were beautifully done, giving wonderful imagery to the book.  Recommended.

Author: Corinne Joy Brown
Fiction – middle grade adventure
In My Library? It is as an eBook.

The Sport of Baronets is an entertaining novella about the horse racing industry. It is also a romance. This was another kindle book that I downloaded and read over the Christmas period.

This novella focuses on young woman Hannah Chandler and her most recent acquisition.  The champion colt Golden Barb was purchased from a rival family – the Crosbies.  As Hannah approaches Bart Crosby about taking the newly acquired colt home, she is dismayed to find that the handsome young baronet doesn’t take her seriously. It seems she has come to do a job that men should do.

To make matters worse, the horse is stolen whilst Hannah is visiting.  This removes any chance she has of taking him home and showing her father she can help to run the family business.  Hannah battles with the thought that Bart is behind the theft – after all, he has a lot to gain if she cannot acquire the horse that she has purchased.

Hannah and Bart grudgingly work together to solve the mystery before Golden Barb’s next race.  Hannah is amazed to find in this process that she is drawn to Bart.  It seems that the attraction is mutual.

The Sport of Baronets by Theresa Romain

The Sport of Baronets is a fast paced, easy read.  It is a horsey romance that is for adult readers.  Some content would not be suitable for younger readers. The historical focus is an added bonus.

Author: Theresa Romain
Fiction – adult historical romance
In My Library? It is as an eBook.

“How should a man be capable of grooming his own horse, or of furbishing his own spear and helmet, if he allows himself to become unaccustomed to tending even his own person, which is his most treasured belonging?” – Alexander the Great

I got a lot of reading done over December whilst on holidays and am now finally catching up on reviews! Fall for Me by Heather Slade was one such book that I read.

Olivia Fairchild loves her daughter, live music by the band CB Rice as well as horses.  As a single mother with a young adult daughter, she is amazed to find that she catches the eye of the lead singer of her favourite band.  Liv finds her defenses going up.  Why would a talented guitarist and singer with throngs of fans as well as ridiculous good looks be interested in her?

As Ben Rice pursues the single mother, Olivia fights between a desire of allowing herself to fall for the ‘hot guitarist’ and living a life for herself.  As a nineteen year old, she forfeited her dream to be a competitive barrel racer. This was to be beside the man she loved as he worked as an F15 pilot.  In time he lost his life when his plane was shot down. But this was not before Olivia fell pregnant with their child.

Suddenly the dreams of a nineteen year old fell by the way side. Instead, she took on the incredible task of raising a daughter – alone. Fast forward twenty odd years and Liv is at a crossroads of what to do.

Fall for Me by Heather Slade

Fall for Me has a great mixture of music, horses and also romance.  Horses don’t feature highly at the start of the novel. However, this builds as Olivia works to do something for herself.  As she breaks back into the barrel racing world, she finds that the two things she loves – Ben and barrel racing – aren’t conducive to each other.  It seems she could pursue her dream as a barrel racer or follow Ben around as he tours with his increasingly popular band. The choice isn’t an easy one to make.

Author: Heather Slade
Fiction – adult
In My Library? It is as an eBook.