I heard about these books a few years back, honestly I heard about the first one on HHO (Horse & Hound forum) but by the time i got around to ordering it (amazon link provided with photo credit below) a second book had been written with a third one in the works i think...
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| Google Images LINK - Amazon LINK |
I flew through the first book as Lizzie (the main character) adjusts to her new post-college life as a Working Student for a renowned Dressage Rider during the winter season in Florida.
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| Google Images LINK - Amazon LINK |
All the horses are great & the descriptions of all are brilliant right down to characteristics and mannerisms that all equestrians will recognise and identify with.
I am no dressage buff but i loved the terminology explanations and the peak into the upper dressage shows these books afforded me as I'm never going to experience it in person. I also liked how it was written for equestrians so the 'simple' stuff like; trot, canter, gallop weren't explained but the execution behind a half halt was amongst other dressage movements which are explained in understandable terms for simpletons like myself.
I don't know if it was just me but the main character seemed to have an easier ride than she makes out, all things considered she has it pretty easy with fab tuition, great horses to ride and plenty favourable character interactions to balance out the less savoury ones.
I am looking forward to the next book, but don't think I'll be re-reading these over and over again.
In the mean time I have just started Ambition (see below for links) and so far am really not loving the main character. Talk about having a chip on her shoulder...hopefully she mellows out!
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| Google Images LINK - Amazon LINK |
Has any one else read these or have you any other equine "novels" to recommend?
I haven't really read many since being a kid/teenager so I'm eager to get my hands on as many as i can. Kindle friendly preferred :-)
PS: hopefully i haven't given anything away or ruined the appeal of these books.
Oh & I wasn't asked to write a review or anything + no copyright infringement meant etc etc
PPS: I forgot to give a shout out to the equine clothing outfits described in these books. These are some super stylishly dressed riders - #rootd descriptions were awesome and made me want to be rolling in dosh to be dressed as nicely in designer matchy-matchy threads LOL
I've had these books sitting in my Amazon wish list for awhile now, but I've never taken the plunge and bought them to read. Thanks for doing a review! I'll definitely get around to them eventually.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get to read them, I enjoyed them and are looking forward to the third book.
DeleteThe horses really are the best characters imo...does that make me weird lol
i really like the books by natalie keller reinart. i also read "training harry," which although long was pretty good!
ReplyDeleteShall look that one up when I finish this one ☺
DeleteThanks
I read Jilly Cooper once. Riders. Someone "recommended" it, was a soap opera!
ReplyDeleteWill check these out some time.
Yeah, figured as much about JC - hence why I haven't read any of her books.
DeleteThese books are much more about the horses than the people if that makes them more appealing :-)
I've got all of those books on my kindle. I wanted to like the Ambition one, but same as you didn't love the main character. I like that she seems 'real' just..maybe too much so. The Dressage Chronicles I liked OK, but I like the first book way better than the second. After the second I'm undecided whether I'll continue with the series. (OK, OK, it's a horse book, so yes, I'm sure I will even if I don't enjoy it ha ha) Jilly Cooper's Polo is a guilty pleasure. I love the animal characters so much I ignore the rest :)
ReplyDeleteI think I'm 15 chapters into Ambition and am still waiting to warm to the main character ... I try to put a positive spin on life but so far that girl be dragging me down with all her woe-is-me.
DeleteI too preferred the first DC book to the second; I'm foolishly looking forward to the 3rd book following some googling as author has mentioned a return for some of the first book characters - that's enough to get me to read it...hope we don't have too long to wait ;-)
I'm still hoping to hold off on JC for another while, I think i might return to my teenage years and check out the Bittersweet Farm series recommended by Tracy @FOO and/or the A Circuit series to see if I can get a better understanding of the h/j-land which outside the blogs I follow is completely unknown to me@
*LeShame*
I will definitely be ordering these :) I really liked a book a few years ago, Dark Horse. It's kind of brutal and....dark, but it's still a good read. It's kind of a mystery set in the jumping world in Florida.
ReplyDeleteI've read a fair few equine mysteries in the past. After a while i found they got predictable...I was probably reading the wrong ones ;-)
DeleteI hope these books appeal to actual dressage riders too - i really enjoyed them as they explained a world i admire but know not enough about
Never heard of these books, interesting! I always liked the Saddle Club, very much for adolescent girls but meh :P Also Micheal Korda wrote a book called Horse People I liked.
ReplyDeleteI used to love the Saddle Club too & I read and reread the Ashleigh TB series when I was in school; only the first 4 books though as I had no idea the series continued on after that. Back in the day when the Internet wasn't a thing I had no Google or amazon to help me out here ;-)
DeleteI will look up Horse People and add it to my wishlist so that I remember to read it ☺
As soon as I finish the two books I'm working on right now I'm going to try those! :)
ReplyDeleteHope you like them ☺
DeleteI loved Riding Lessons and Flying Changes by Sara Gruen. Can't remember which one came first. And OMG, yes, what did we ever do before Kindles :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recommendations, shall check them out. My Amazon wishlist is growing ☺
DeleteBefore kindles we lugged around heavy books in our purses...or was that just me? ;-)
I loved Saddle Club and Thoroughbred too. :D I think I read most of them lol. Thanks for mentioning these and feel free to mention anything else you read. I'm always up to read more horse books and I hadn't heard of these before! I really liked the Heartland books although they are for a younger audience I think. Very easy read, but still really good too. :) Some of the other ones I read as a kid were the black stallion books, Misty, Working Trot, etc. Recently I read all of the Dick Francais books. They are more about the people and mystery than the horses, but I still really liked them. They are set in Europe and Australia. One was in Canada. :) If I think of any others I'll let you know.
ReplyDeleteThanks lady! ☺
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