I was recently contacted about the possibility of reading and reviewing this first book in the Triple Crown Trilogy. Always being up for new books, I was quick to say yes.

This novel by Kimberley Campbell is an entertaining and enlightening read about one family’s aim to get their horse ready for the Kentucky Derby. Sounds simple, right? Wrong!

The reader is first introduced to the young colt Storm on the night that he is born. His owner Mr. Schilling has gone to great depths to get this colt and he is excited about his racing possibilities. Through careful pedigree researching and organising just the right stallion, Mr. Schilling is able to get his mare Storm Minstrel bred to a stallion that he believes will result in a foal with an incredible pedigree.

As the young colt grows, he shows promise. It is only as unforeseeable events result in him being sold off at auction, that the colt’s future becomes questionable.

Unaware of George Schilling or his careful plans, Charlie Jenkins is battling life with her two children. Recently widowed, Charlie is finding it hard to come to grips with what life has thrown at her. With two friends who are desperate to pull her out of her depressed state, they organise to take Charlie out for a night on the town.

Although the idea is intimidating, Charlie agrees as the element of watching some horse racing draws her. She has a passion for horses.

A chance meeting with a two year old colt that seems to be as unhappy with life as she is results in Charlie losing her heart – and perhaps her common sense! On a whim she finds the horse is in a claimer race and feels that she must buy him. And so starts the journey of “Storm” towards learning to love racing again and the big race the Kentucky Derby.

The Calm before the Storm is an educational read that shows how a broken family can be restored through the love of a horse and a common goal. I learnt a lot and found it easy to read and enjoyable.

Author – Kimberley Campbell
http://www.triplecrowndreams.com/
Fiction – adult
In my library? – as a hardback, it is!
Want it?  Get this book now at Amazon.

“The blood runs hot in the Thoroughbred and their courage runs deep. In the best of them, pride is limitless. This is their heritage and they carry it like a banner. What they have, they use.” – C.W. Anderson

Nancy Wright Grossman puts a great spin on the importance of being yourself in this horse story for pre-teens.  Meg and Morgan are identical twins.  They look alike, think alike and even like the same things.

The girls are mad about horses and are delighted when they find that their parents are willing to invest in a horse for them.  Both girls are keen to try out the horses their instructor Betsy recommends.  Because they like and dislike the same things, it isn’t a surprise that they agree on one horse in particular for their parents to purchase.

The girls love the mare they’ve renamed Trouble, but when they discover that she can tell them apart, they find they’re not so keen on this.  Pointing this out to their parents, it raises the question of whether the girls are happy to be mistaken for each other and don’t want to be their own person.

The Judge is Seeing Double is a great introduction to the world of riding horses and has a wonderful focus on what it’s like to be a twin, but to still be your own person.  A good start to the series.

Author – Nancy Wright Grossman
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/360090.Nancy_Wright_Grossman
Fiction – childrens
In my library? – that it is!
Want it? Get this book now at Amazon.

“It’s double the giggles and double the grins, and double the trouble if you’re blessed with twins.” – Author Unknown

This sequel to The Horse is Never Wrong by Mary Pagones follows on with the after school aspirations of Simon Shaunessy. Simon is introduced in The Horse is Never Wrong as an ambitious teen who doesn’t make friends easily. His choice in sexual orientation and his attitude of not caring what others think of him win him few friends.

Now out of school, Simon is able to pursue his dream to be an incredible eventer. On an impulse buy, Simon purchases a tall, strong gelding that he is able to take with him to his studentship position with well known rider and trainer Daniel McAllister. Moving away from home to a small town, Simon finds he is able to focus fully on his development as a rider in all things eventing, jumping and dressage.

The studentship position is over a year and in this time Simon develops both as a rider and as a young man. His determination to succeed in the equine industry is tangible and his need to ride horses obvious. Pagones writes about horses in a realistic manner and portrays her main character well. He’s honest – brutally so – and yet a likeable character.

At times I felt the language could have been toned down and that the story moved a little slowly between some pivotal events, but overall Fortune’s Fool is an enjoyable and horse filled read. A great ending.

Author: Mary Pagones
https://twitter.com/horseneverwrong
Fiction – teen
In My Library? As an ebook it is!
Want it? Get this book now at Amazon.

“A fool and his horse are soon parted!”

I’ve read the first in the Timber Ridge Riders series and really enjoyed it. This prequel was a great way to find out a little bit more about Kate and how it was that she came to lose her interest in horses and riding.

Told from each girl’s point of view, the reader is introduced to first Kate and her dedication to being a working student in order to ride the animals that she loves. Kate is hard working, focused and a good rider.

It seems that she is going to go far in the equestrian world, already performing well at the age of fourteen. A freak accident at the riding school in which she works changes all of this suddenly and Kate finds herself away from home and not wanting to go near horses.

Holly is desperate to return to her life of riding horses and competing, but finds one thing in her way; she can’t use her legs. An accident leaves her wheelchair bound and Holly comes to realise how fickle people are because of her sudden disability.

In the search for a helper for her daughter, Holly’s mum places an advert searching for a mature caregiver who has the time to keep an eye on her daughter and get her to the barn safely. After a few unsuccessful interviews, Holly questions if the young girl her age may just be the person they are looking for. Kate and Holly is a great introduction to the series and the two main characters.

Author: Maggie Dana
http://www.maggiedana.com/
Fiction – teen
In My Library? As an ebook copy, it is!
Want it?  Get this book now at Amazon.

“Some are slaves on the ground but are free on a horse.”