Review: Chasing the Wind

 
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When tragedy strikes Aspen Valley Stables, racehorse trainer Jack Carmichael is in danger of losing everything – his wife, his reputation, his sanity… then in walks Lucy Kendrick, a young reporter, all set to shadow him.
Every journalist has an agenda and Lucy is no different. Can she uphold her cover when charismatic jockey Finn O’Donaghue makes her want to be no one but herself?
The Grand National beckons once more, but when the yard’s runners start to fall foul of the authorities, the future of Aspen Valley Stables is threatened. Is the wreckage that is his personal life compromising Jack’s ability to train or is there something more sinister going on?

Genre: contemporary romance

Publishing date: January 2016

Mature content: not really, but there are several dramatic events, one involving a child,so it may not be for all audiences

Review: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I can truly say that I loved reading it, but Chasing the Wind is book 5 in the Aspen Valley series and it is not an easy story to get into if you haven't read the previous books (I haven't). I felt lost on those first few pages because there is no foreword, no background description. You jump right into the middle of the story, with the characters interacting between themselves, and I had serious trouble in understanding who was who. Also, in those first pages I really disliked Jack and his attitude towards his baby daughter, It was almost as if he resented her and her interference with his work, and I hated him for that. Then tragedy strikes and I blamed him for it, and kept on blaming him until I understood him a bit more and realized the extend of his love for his wife and the way he was trying to deal with his own guilt. But the beginning of the book was so intense there were a couple of times I wanted to put in down and give up reading. I'm glad  didn't, though. 

After a while I got hooked into the story and I wanted to know who Lucy really was (no spoilers, you have to read it to find out), I wanted to know who was messing up with Jack's horses and I was rooting for Jack and Pippa (Jack's wife). I loved how the story ended and now I'm a bit curious about the previous books in the series. Oh, and I also loved the cover of Chasing the Wind, something which doesn't happen often.

And since everything in this book (and, I'm assuming in the whole series) revolves around the world of race horses and the Grand National, a horse race held annually in England since the 19th century, and the 2016 Grand National is tomorrow, April 9th, it is only appropriate to post this review today. Still, my recommendation would be to start with book one and if you like it, them move on in the series, in order to avoid all the frustration I felt at the beginning of Chasing the Wind. 

Have a wonderful weekend,