As some of you may be aware, I have previously reviewed two books by Hannah before as well as read the others in the 'Aspen Valley' Series and so when an email popped up from her in January asking if I would like to review the fifth, and final, instalment, I jumped at the chance. So, after a few fails at navigating how to download the book and it being in the right format for me to be able to read it, and then February flying by quicker than I expected leaving me little time, it took me a bit longer to start reading than planned!
This book took me a bit longer to get into than some of Hannah's previous ones but once it got going, there were turns everywhere that kept you guessing as to what was going to happen. The story mainly follows Lucy Kendrick, a young 'reporter' who is not what you expect! For the first quarter I was constantly trying to guess what her plan was. It soon becomes clear she's not what it's first made out to seem but when the truth is revealed, it's nothing I expected! There is also a bit of a shocker within the first couple of chapters which I can't decide if I like or not...however, I have to say hats off to Hannah for writing it!
There's the typical romance side that accompanies Lucy's story which I always enjoy, although I did want to shake Lucy a few times! (Though, isn't that the same with a lot of romance's?!). There is also the story of Jack Carmichael who we've seen plenty of times before and we were fully introduced to in Book 1 which introduces Pippa and Aspen Valley. This time round, they hit a number of stumbling blocks which stem from the shocker I mentioned. Now, Jack is definitely a character you want to shake and yell at!
For some reason, I found it a bit harder to get into this one compared to others and it took me longer to read, however it is still a great story. There are plenty of twists and turns along the way which really keeps you guessing as to what's going to happen and whether there will be a happy ending or not. As always, Hannah does such a great job of captivating the reader and getting them sucked into the story so it feels more realistic and you really do feel all emotions in reading
Overall rating:
If you want to give the book a read yourself then the links are below:
Thanks for reading,
Laura xx
When I saw on Thursday that this book had just come out, I knew I had to order it and I'm so glad I did. Thanks to Amazon prime, the book arrived the following morning and by the evening I had finished reading it!! It is honestly so good and a definite must-read for all dressage fans, or in fact for any equestrian!
The book is written by Carl Hester and so is from his view point and it chats from the beginning of when Valegro was born to now. I really like the layout as there are not pages and pages of words but instead short paragraphs on each page which link to lots and lots of amazing pictures! I love the photos as not only are there lots of Valegro competing, there are also 'behind the scenes' photos which I love!
Another great asset to the book is the snippets written by a variety of people who have all come across Valegro in some way. Whether it's the breeders, the phyio, owners, judges, literally everyone it seems (only there's nothing from Charlotte!) has written a paragraph on their thoughts of Valegro and the impact he has made in their lives.
As mentioned before, this book is a must read for everyone! Quite literally! It's so nice to read about his success and yet how much love everyone has for this horse, simply due to his 'down to earth' attitude! He is truly a one in a million horse!
Thanks for reading,
Laura xx
You may remember last year I wrote a review of a racing novel by Hannah Hooton (Share & Share Alike) which I really enjoyed despite being slightly skeptical at first as I'm not always a big fan of equestrian novels! I can be really hit and miss with books and it can take me ages to find a really good one that I enjoy - when I do, I'm normally finished within a few days!
When Hannah recently sent me another email to ask if I would like to review her new book, Making the Running, I jumped at the chance. As mentioned, I really enjoyed the last one and I actually went and downloaded another of her novels for my kindle (though I haven't actually read it yet...oops!). Making the Running follows the story of work rider Kate and her love for D'Artagan as well as choosing between two brothers. I got into the book straight away and must say that I absolutely loved the character of Kate! I slightly believe that if she were real, we could potentially be friends! Hannah portrayed her character so well, making it that she comes across as such a strong individual looking out for everyone yet has been through so much and you can't help but feel for her - especially when her sister seems to give her such a hard time! I will admit, that I rather disliked Kate's sister from the word go but at the end of the book, snippets came out that made her not seem too bad! This brings me on to one of the reasons I love Hannah's books is the fact that she writes the characters so well you can't help but get drawn in and half imagine that they're real...
Making the Running also followed Kate's relationship with two brothers - Nicholas and Ben. At first, I preferred Nicholas but that was short-lived! Soon I was definitely rooting more for Ben as he just had so much more depth so him and was by far the better brother! It was really nice to hear more of his story and, again, Hannah portrayed his character so well!
It appears that Hannah features a different aspect of racing with each novel and as mentioned, this one focuses on a work rider/groom which I really enjoyed! It was so good the way she wrote about the struggles Kate has with affording somewhere to live/car expenses/etc but she also contrasts it with Nicholas who's a rich kid and Ben who comes across as that but really isn't! It's also nice that it gives work riders a bit more credit as so often when you hear about racing it's about the jockeys/trainers/owners and very rarely about the people behind the scenes that actually play a pretty big part! I also related so much to all the times she 'rode' along with the horses when they were racing by turning when the jockeys needed to turn and pushing forward. I'm pretty sure there's a quite a few of us who could relate to that! I know I have often found myself leaning forward slightly when watching someone showjump!
There were one or two parts of the book which were a bit slow (& very slightly boring) but they were very few and far between and it's something that happens in all books so it's not really a criticism at all! However, there was one point in the book where Kate visits Ben's rehoming/reschooling farm and they go cross-country after schooling and instead of putting her stirrups up, Kate is told to lengthen them.. Slightly reversed to what I've always known but other than that I didn't pick up on any criticisms or other confusing points.
Overall I absolutely adored this book and had a massive grin on my face at the end - particularly with the last paragraph (I won't give any spoilers away apart from saying - very clever Hannah!!). This is by far my favourite equestrian novel I've read and will definitely pick it up to read time and time again!
If you want to give Making the Running a go then you can purchase it from Amazon here. Or, why not check out Hannah's website to read more about her other stories? (Psstt, I've been informed that the first book in the series, Keeping the Peace, is available to download for free!).
Thanks for reading,
Laura xx
Hello!
I have just finished reading Claire Lomas' book and simply had to share my thoughts of it with you! I am sure that many of you know who Claire Lomas is, but for those of you who might not here is a brief background:
When I saw a comment from Hannah asking if I would be interested in writing a review on her new novel, 'Share and Share Alike', I knew I couldn't refuse. I am such a book nerd; I will spend hours reading a good book - often staying up until the early hours of the morning or wasting a day away stuck with my head in a book. 'Share and Share Alike' is a racing novel following Tessa as she forms part of a syndicate, only to end up with the horse being deliberately injured.
The story will make you play detective as you try and work out who the culprit is. I was so sure I knew who it was only to be completely wrong...good thing I don't plan on going into the police force or even law for that matter, I'd be rubbish! However, I love how the author makes you question everyone and that it's not predictable about the outcome or the reasoning behind. I get bored and annoyed when books become predictable, it just ruins the element of surprise, but this story definitely does not do that and I ended up so engrossed, promising myself just one more chapter, only to still be there an hour or two later - oops!
Alongside the crime mystery there is also a romance story which I love. I'm such a sucker for good romance novels... Although this is slightly more predictable, I still got swept away in the story and found myself laughing and also crying (in happiness though!) which is slightly embarrassing, but it just goes to show that I got completely engrossed in this book!
The book caters for everyone as even if you don't know much about horses or racing you can still follow along with great ease as she cleverly gives explanations about aspects that might be confusing within the industry. For example, the purpose of the handicapper and weights is explained really well, which I really liked as, although I do enjoy going to the races, I was still slightly unsure about how this worked, but luckily, I'm now more clued up.
So, if you're looking for a good book to get lost in this summer, I completely recommend you go and check out 'Share and Share Alike' as I'm sure you won't be disappointed. Just be sure to leave a few hours to read it, just in case you get a bit too engrossed as I did!
Here are the links for you to be able to find the book:
Amazon
Kobo
Itunes
Paperback
Also, be sure to check out her website to find out about her other novels. I am definitely planning on reading some more! You can also find other methods of purchasing the book on here if need be!
Thanks for reading,
Laura xx
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