Blaze of Glory

Forbidden Romance would be a better title for this Young Adult novel. Blaze is the name of a horse that the main character, Tea (17 years old), sets her dreams on for the Canadian Hunter/Jumper show scene. When he dies early in the book, her depression sets her in a different direction - a love/lust affair with her first cousin who's in his 20's.

Okay, Jaden is not related by blood since Tea and her twin brother are adopted by her stepfather. They stay with him on the horse farm after their mom dies. She teaches riding and trains/shows hunter/jumpers. Tea also tends to be impulsive and tries to hide her "bad" behavior from her stepdad. He's physically abusive and way over the line, and not one Tea can confide in, especially when she's an emotional wreck after the accident that causes Blaze's death.

But Jaden, the sexy polo playing nephew of her stepdad, is the one that she opens up to, and soon finds herself on an emotional roller coaster. She realizes she shouldn't love him (besides being first cousins legally, she's jail bait) but when she learns he has the same feelings for her, the rest of the book describes their love affair and resolution.

While I liked the horse scenes (not only H/J shows, but also polo) and Tea's way with horses, I did not care for the rest of the drama. I would not want my teenage granddaughter reading about this love affair as if it acceptable. The "happy ending" is that Tea and Jaden announce to the family that they are in love. The first cousin aspect is not as bad as a 17 yr old having sex with a 23 yr old.

I did like the ending when Tea is given a gift - a colt that is Blaze's brother.

Keeping Secrets

Maggie Dane's Keeping Secrets is one of the best books I've read! The realistic setting and characters had me hooked from page one. I, too, rode my bike as a teen to find a stable that would give me a job!

When Kate McGregor lands the job to be a companion for a teen in a wheelchair, she is thrilled. She is less than  thrilled to find out the girl, Holly, and her mother spend most of their time at the stable.

Due to a horse's death at her last barn, Kate had sworn off horses for good. She tries to keep her riding skills a secret until an emergency has her mount up. Another rider at the barn watches her jump the gate and tries to blackmail her.

The descriptive equine scenes, the well-rounded characters and the believable dialog kept this book a page-turner!

Visit the author's site at maggiedana.com

Ringer by Cheryl Rhodes

Cheryl Rhodes' romance novel, Ringer, is an exciting read for female horse lovers. It features a brave protagonist named Holly helping a handsome horse trainer named Matt solve the mystery of his missing Standardbred. The settings include racetracks in Canada and California as well as an Oregon horse farm. The backstretch details are vivid and the racing scenes are realistic. And then there's the sexy hot tub scene!

Holly, with her horse in her trailer, is on her way to a new job on a drill team when she rescues Matt from drowning in a track fountain after he was beat up. He persuades her to take him and his mare across the Canadian border to his Oregon farm. But that's just the beginning of their adventure together as they try to figure out the who and why of the horse theft. Along the way, they fall in love despite Holly's misgivings of loving a track man who most likely will break her heart.

Loved the realistic horse scenes, the suspense and the conflicts, but I felt the romantic ending was a little unbelievable. 

Find her e-book on Amazon etc and visit http://cherylrhodes.blogspot.com/

The Girl Who Remembered Horses

The Girl Who Remembered Horses by Linda Benson 

What a delightful story about the aftermath of Doomsday! I was actually confused at first since I knew nothing about the story prior to reading it. (Love my Kindle!) I thought the setting was cave man days since the people used dogs to pull wagons. Horses were considered wild beasts and if a hunter was good enough, a tasty meal.

This coming of age novel features Sahara (great name!) who has vivid dreams about riding and training horses. She confides only to her grandfather who believes she has inherited a gift - a way with animals. Sahara and her sister along with their grandfather are the last of their family, but travel with a clan of traders. This clan travels the country looking for relics from the old days that they can trade.

During their travels, Sahara sees horses and begs the clan hunters not to kill one that has been shot with an arrow. Later in the story, the teen finds a foal who's mare dies while birthing. Sahara raises the foal on goat's milk and earns the respect of the clan but only after many obstacles.

I was only disappointed in the end - I wanted more! I hope there will be a sequel!

Visit the author's site at http://www.lindabenson.net/ and find her and her novel on Facebook!