Bev Pettersen

It is just before Christmas and Suzy is trying so hard to be good because she just knows that this year Santa is going to bring her a real live pony. She and her mother have moved to this small town in Montana after the death of Suzy’s father. Her mother, tries hard to keep her daughter’s belief in the magic of Christmas alive, knowing all the while it is a struggle to just provide the basics for her them. Hard pressed as she is, she has raised her daughter to have a good heart and when she makes some new friends, Mom finds out that Christmas miracles may sometimes happen in the real world.

Who hasn't wanted a pony for Christmas? Telling this story from the perspective of a 6 year old child is sheer genius. Children, in their innocence, are brutally honest in how they view the the world and yet are often completely oblivious to to the harsh realities of that world. Using Suzy’s voice, the author has done a fantastic job of putting a lot of exposition in this short read. Her child's ability to see good in all and to show kindness reverberates through the entire story.

While the outcome of the story is never in doubt, the people Suzy meets along the way make this a perfect Christmas read, and I am not ashamed to admit I shed a tear or two as a twist I did not expect showed itself. Carl’s history is compelling and even peripheral characters have a way of filling out the story.

Bev Pettersen has a impressive list of grown up books to her credit. This particular novella is perfect for readers ages 6-600… (altro)

I did enjoy this book set in the world of horse-racing – I’m an animal lover and a sucker for any story with a four-legged creature. Although I don’t ride, I love horses, and this book did not disappoint.

Jessica Boone’s skiing career is seemingly over after a severe knee injury and her wily, controlling and ruthless grandfather – her guardian after the loss of both parents – is keen for her to join his company. She has more independent ideas, however. She bets her grandfather that if she can last an agreed period working in the stable that trains her Gramps’ colt, supporting herself financially, he will respect her wishes and agree to fund her plans to run a dog kennel and not insist on imposing his own intentions for her future. The stables are run by Mark Russell – a good-looking and, of course, irresistible, trainer of horses. He and Jessica are undeniably attracted to each other. His efforts to try and keep her at arm’s length are impeded by her attractiveness, her personality, her unexpected affinity with the horses, her willingness and capacity to learn.

There is a smart thread of suspense that runs through this romance which is neatly interwoven into the horsey setting – there’s a murder, an attempted murder, theft and a potential terrorist threat. Bev’s knowledge or research of the horse world is impressive and credible – the pace of the story ran along enjoyably with the nail-biting horse races.

However, I did think this book was struggling to decide what it wanted to be. There was a fair amount of explicit sex in this – I don’t have an aversion to that, but this wasn’t an erotic novel – it was a romantic/suspense story and perhaps the emphasis should have been on the mystery side of it rather than the afternoon bonkathons.

My only other niggle – and this is personal, other readers might be perfectly happy with it – I just didn’t like the slightly irritating absence of pronouns in the sentences, a style which peppered the novel and made for rather jerky reading, eg:

“Flexing his knuckles, he turned, reluctant to look. Stared down the walkway.
She glanced at the thick-chested man next to her. Could see his program spread against the rail.“

Aside from that, I was smitten by the characters – they were caring and likeable, and it was hard to not to have a soft spot for the horses – Bev managed to give them endearing personalities, and I’ll admit I had the odd lump in my throat.

A satisfying and entertaining read.… (altro)

Really a 2 star for me as a non-romance reader, but a 4 star as a romance so I'm trying to be fair. If you like the normal romance genre - girl meets guy, fall in love, silly mis-communications separate them, mis-communications repaired in the the knick of time and finally cue the curtain roll on an assumed happily ever after than here you go, it's all there. I got this for free and as a horse person I like to read just about anything equine. Bev Pettersen is clearly a horse person so at least I did not wince to much at the equine side of things. It is silly and completely implausible multiple places but no more than any romance book. Fairly quick, easy read. Plot holes are reasonable seeing as every romance ever seems to require them to get the mis-communication part right.

If you area horse person, and not a romance reader, steer clear. If you are a romance person and not a romance novel, looking for something that is not steamy then here you go. The equestrian part doesn't go over the average readers head so an easy, pleasurable read.… (altro)