This book as it turns out is the fifth in a series from this author and I didn’t realise this until I came towards the end of the book. Clearly some of the characters are mentioned have a back story but none of this did not detract from my enjoyment of the book and the story of Hazel and Gus.
Hazel and Gus meet in extraordinary circumstances and they think there paths will never cross again. That is until Gus turns up at the stables Hazel runs with her brother, looking for somewhere to stable his daughter’s horse. Plus Gus is also to be the new vet in Heritage Cove as well, it seems there will be no escape.
Hazel’s life is horses, rising and teaching riding but a past incident has dented her confidence and using the cliché she has ‘yet to get back in the saddle’. This is tested even more when Gus and his delightful daughter Abigail are frequent visitors to the stables and are rather insistent that it is Hazel who will trach Abigail to gain more confidence.
With Hazel’s secrets as well as Gus who seems to have come a long way to escape a marriage and an accident, the book is full of misunderstandings and assumptions. However it is the love of the horses, the way of life and the scenery that seems to bring Hazel and Gus within each others orbit.
The plot is rather at a slow sedate pace, but perhaps it reflects the way Hazel is dealing with her past experience and it did remind me of plodding away on a horse ride. Perhaps in some places it was too slow and I was at some points wishing that we would get to the dénouement even if it was somewhat predictable. That aside, I was fascinated by the workings of the stable and the absolute dedication that had been taken by Hazel and her brother to live in this world.
The perfect book to distract you from the real world for a while.
Thank you to the publisher via netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.
Finding Happiness at Heritage View is out now.
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