The Other Side of Horse Racing by Philip Nork
Enjoy learning about horses and have yet to ride one but want to learn more about them.
Enjoy the Derby and other races in May but more about finding out about the people who train them and ride them.
Gambling is an escape and ends up being an addiction.  Bobby Tucker grew up with no father, those he loved had died. It's best to just go on by himself he thinks.
Love that it explains all the terms about betting and place the horse comes up at the end of the race.
Strikes up friendships with some ladies and pops. Different track where the horses run got him unnerved and things just aren't right...
Loved hearing all the stats, percentage wise about the different tracks and horses.  Wind and drafting totally makes sense!
Word gets around among the teens and they use him for his winning bets.
Time goes on and things go horribly wrong on all counts. After graduation he goes with his father to live in FL. He hopes to remake himself and be more outgoing.
He gets a job and once again you wonder if he's done with gambling.
Tough love sets in and you hope he will wake up from his nightmare....Love the opportunity that is offered.
Lots of twists throughout this book, left you guessing what could happen next.
Received this copy from the author and this is my honest review.

The adage that writers should stick to what they know has been assiduously followed by former National Hunt Champion Jockey, John Francome. Mining the rich seam that accompanies the elite world of horse racing, the author assembles the well-worn ingredients of wealth, corruption, murder, sex and conflict against the genteel backdrop of Lambourn and the horsey set. In some respects, the book has the feel of a formula, the cast of characters, including police investigators, stereotypes equally recognizable in other contexts. Only the presence and mystique of thoroughbred horses and the sub-plots of their racing careers mark out this book among the shelves of 'thrillers'. Still, as with the best of the genre, I did burn through the pages quickly and the fast-moving action did 'gallop' along. As I'm on holiday, it also felt like a light foray into a new hedonistic field for me. I think I shall have to pick up a Dick Francis novel to see if Francome, the padawan, is yet neck and neck with the acclaimed master of this particular turf.

The lives of Sir Bartlett Crosby and Hannah Chandler have been marked by fierce competition between their elite families...the perfect breeding ground for a mutual attraction neither can deny.

Bart hopes to conquer "the turf" through victory in a much-touted match. Should his heavily-favored colt win, the Crosby reputation and fortunes would be revived. Bart's plan seems poised for success until the lovely Hannah Chandler, daughter of a noted rival trainer, turns up claiming ownership of the colt. When Hannah insists on claiming her purchase, the prize colt disappears from Bart's stable. Theft or treachery? As Hannah and Bart rush to solve the mystery before race time, they uncover a scandalous truth about their families' pasts-a truth that has the potential to either destroy both their futures, or to guide them to a love they never imagined.

 

 

Review

 

Oh, I wanted to like this book much better than did. It has witty banter. It is not about ballrooms. The heroine has agency.

 

I found myself pushing myself to finish it. I never invested in the characters or the romance.

 

Something was just off. Romain is a great writer but this just didn't make me believe in the love between the couple.

 

I was given this book for an honest review. So, there you have it.

Dead Certainty: A contemporary horse rac... Mysteries and intrigue come thick and fast in the world of racing. Dead Certainty by Glenis Wilson is another addition to this catalogue. The novel could have been written by the likes of Dick Francis (or his wife) as it exhibits the same style of writing. Another similarity is the fact that mystery also surrounds the society of racing, here too.

I'm not complaining about how Ms Wilson has written Dead Certainty but I'm not liking the racing theme. Many critics could see this as piggy-backing on the success of a best-selling author which would be a shame. The author should be viewed as someone new and exciting in their own right. Constant references to another best-selling writer in its reviews isn't really what any author wants to see. Another worrying thing for me, is that I was actually getting extremely confused in my head between Dead Certainty and Tip Off, a John Francome novel. Yes, yet another series of horse racing mysteries...

Perhaps this was due to the fact that I had only finished the latter novel recently; a matter of a few weeks. But, whatever the reason, this is not the desired reaction from your readers that you should be aiming for. Your book should be the one that sticks in people's minds. It should make a mark. Unfortunately, for Ms Wilson, Dick Francis' Bolt is the only book that does that for me in this particular genre.

Even though I am a lover of horses and mysteries, I often tend to avoid reading books just like these, anyway. I have an idea that the subject of racing is a contributory factor here. I'm just not liking it. There are so many other equine disciplines out there that it is a waste of an extensive market just to stick to one or two.

I can't fault the remaining aspects of the novel, though. Good development of characters with a variety of personalities and personal difficulties. Maybe, something to offset the lack of variety in the book's theme? Aside from everything I have said, this is a good book to read, plenty of action and you can't help root for the poor protagonist who seems to get it in the neck frequently. He appears to have more luck caring for his disabled sister than he does himself.

Good read.

Ed has lost his place in the racing world because of a gambling scandal.  He is down and out, drinking more than living.  Maggie Anderson is in need of his skills in the racing world to start a racing horse stable and breeding program.  She finds him but will it be worth it?  Not only is she gambling on her and her children's future, she's gambling that Ed can clean himself up and help her.  To add to her burden someone is trying to get her land and will stop at nothing to do it including murder if necessary.  Who is it and why do they want her small farm?

Wow!  I love how Adriana Kraft has remade Ed into a likable character.  At the end of Cassie's Hope Ed was a player and a jerk.  Now Ed has grown up and become the man he had been hiding from the world.  He's not a sweetheart but he has become humble and sees the world from the bottom of the pile.  He decides he can, and will, change.  He misses the racing world.  He misses the track.  He knows even though he is helping Maggie build a stable and teaching her and her children that he still cannot go to the track.  But he will do his best by her.  He makes a commitment to her and keeps it.

I like Maggie.  She is strong and often gets her way.  Her children, Carolyn and Johnny, are good kids.  They are starting their teen years and need a man around.  Johnny worships Ed and takes the lessons Ed teaches to heart.  When he gets hurt, he is so afraid that Ed will no longer allow him around the horses.  Carolyn also tries to use her feminine wiles on Ed and he acts just like a father.  I love how it leads to a mother-daughter talk between Carolyn and Maggie.  There is an openness and honesty between them that is wonderful. 

Maggie does not hide her attraction to Ed.  He is freaked by it and runs away but eventually remembers his commitment to the stable and returns where they have a talk and a truce.  The heat between them still simmers though. 

When troubles arise on the farm Maggie is ready to let Ed go so he is not injured by the troubles.  Ed will not go.  He plays the protector whether Maggie wants it or not.  There are times when I wanted to smack Maggie up along side her head.  Her trust in Ed is low.  His trust isn't much higher but he does trust her more than she trusts him.  Fortunately she had her daughter and her brother to point out the error of her ways. 

Heat Wave is an excellent continuation of the series.  I loved Ed and Maggie.  I loved what they built with the farm and their love.  Cannot wait for book 3.