Review: Colette Auclair's Thrown is a heart-warming, must-read romance!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 18, 2013
Every child dreams of having a horse, don't they? I know I did. So when the publisher offered an advance copy of Thrown by Colette Auclair, I couldn't resist reading it.The heroine, Amanda Vogel, is almost guaranteed a berth on the equestrian Olympic team, however a friend's fatal accident seems to have crippled her even more than her own injury. To earn money, after having to sell even her own horse to pay medical bills, she takes a summer job in Colorado to instruct two young girls in riding.Sounds easy right? Well the two girls are the very pampered daughters of a Hollywood A-lister, Grady. I laughed in commiseration with Amanda's character when she first encounters the Hollywood star and manages to drop (and break) his Oscar. He endeared himself to me by is non-reaction. Soon I began to root, not only for Amanda to recover her dream of Olympic stardom, but also for the two of them to, perhaps, find love with one another.It doesn't seem on the cards though, as Amanda begins dating someone else - then a woman from Grady's past pays a visit. Along the way, the two girls (absolute monsters when first encountered), begin to flourish under the love and attention Amanda pays them. I was quite jealous of them actually as they live every child's dream in having their own horse, private lessons, and fun. (This book should be read just for the over-the-top description of the barn Grady built for his girls.)I found this a true heart-warming novel with enough plot twists and turns to hold my interest through the end and which prevented the story from ever becoming predictable. I'd highly recommend that you add this book to your must-read list and I'm looking forward to reading more by Colette Auclair in the future.Fab Fantasy Fiction[...]I received an eARC from the publisher through NetGalley for use in this review.