( 6 reviews )
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Posted: Sep 13 2007
I adore romances that begin on the premise of the hero and heroine being childhood friends, or having known each other for a long time. I also appreciate the unusual setting of this romance occurring between two "commoners," rather than always being between two titled people of London's elite. That said, coupled with the brilliance of most of Maxwell's other works, this story had a lot of potential, but the delivery of it fell short of my expectations. Because the plot has already been summarized several times, I will just point out why this book only earned 3 stars from me -- - The heroine behaved like a shrew towards the hero for 4/5 of the book. While I appreciate feisty and independent-thinking heroines, this one was unnecessarily rude, bitter, and sometimes even downright cruel to a man far too deserving for her. - The amount of tension in the novel between the hero and heroine (mainly caused only by the heroine herself for ridiculous plot-contrived reasons) really took away from the romance of why I even read romances to begin with. - The plot was very predictable, there was really no "villain" or secondary characters to speak of, and I doubt I will remember much about this story after a couple weeks of reading several more romances. All in all, this book gets 3/5 stars for me for its original storyline, background, and the fact that it was well-written. Minus 2/5 stars for the unnecessarily shrewish behavior of the heroine, and the predictability in the deliverance of the promising storyline. I would recommend it only if you merely want to pass your time -- you won't find a ground-breaking, heart-wrenching story here, but I suggest checking your local library or buying a cheap used copy.
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( 2 of 2 found this review helpful ) Posted: Aug 2 2006
Barely making ends meet, horsewoman Mary bids over her means in order to secure a prized 'horse stud' for her estate in hopes that breeding will bring about her financial success and sticking it to neighbor and fellow horseman, Tye, makes it that much sweeter. In a desperate attempt to get the money in order to pay for the horse, Mary goes to London to find a rich husband. That doesn't sit well with Tye, sore from being out-bid and a bit suspicious, he follows her -because he wants the horse of course. Mayhem insues when, gorgeous, but socially inept, Mary storms the London social scene. Tye's there for rescue her when scandal results. Romance blooms in the shadows and maybe they figure out that the stud isn't that important anyway. Great romance. I love fiesty females and Mary takes the cake! She causes scandals just by breathing, a real tough cookie that doesn't take it from anybody -including Tye. He's just that man to lasoe this filly in. One of my favorite Maxwells. If you liked Falling in Love Again and You and Only You, you'll like this one too.
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( 2 of 2 found this review helpful ) Posted: Apr 13 2004
Mary Gates wants this stud in her stables. The Stud is a prime piece of horseflesh up for auction in her hometown of Lyford Meadows. The entire town's male population will be in attendance to witness who places the winning bid. Mary believes this horse is just what she needs to bring her stables back to full operating glory of the past. The town views Mary's independent and willful behavior as quite eccentric, including her normal attire of donning men's breeches. And her desire to win the horse may also have something to do with her constant battles with her neighbor and rival, Tye Barlow. Tye is just as determined to win, because it would secure his stable's future as well. And he believes he has a good shot with the amount of money he's willing to bid. In the end, Mary outbids him but he's suspicious, because he knows there's no way she could own that kind of capital. Mary's winning bid is well beyond her means, but she makes up a fictitious, wealthy fiancé, and then convinces the seller she needs a little time to make her payment. The independent Mary, who never intended to settle down, sets out for London and the marriage mart to snag herself a rich husband. Tye discovers where she's gone, and follows with the intention to foil any possibility of her paying for the horse.Their complicated history resurfaces, as well as their desire for each other, which of course has always been there in the form of a battle of wills. Together, they may discover the real prize isn't the horse, but their love for each other.I've read three or four novels by Maxwell, and this is my favorite so far. I enjoy romances that involve the battle of wills, which is done well here. Although, I did think Mary's obstinance over her independence did go on a little too long, but that's only a minor issue. Even though there's not much new here for a romance story, I still found it refreshing and the witty dialogue probably had a lot to do with that. Mary and Tye were both headstrong characters and well matched for each other. There's nothing heavy-duty about this story, it's a nice light, recommended read.
