Winning the Gentleman ~ Review

Winning the Gentleman

Hearts on the Heath #2

By Kristi Ann Hunter

Aaron Whitworth doesn't belong - he is the living proof of his father's indiscretion and all of Society knows it. But he can claim two things as his own - his skill with horses and his honor. But when one of the owners he manages accepts a challenge race Aaron's carefully crafted world is threatened. In desperate need of a jockey who can handle a spirited horse he rashly offers the temporary position to a traveling-through-town-trainer of circus horses. He's guaranteed one month of work, food, and board to this stranger he's never met. But Aaron is desperate and about to make either the worst decision of his life or the best - it all depends on just how skilled this horse trainer is when seated on the back of a horse.

Sophia Fitzroy has been on the back of a horse most of her life and has spent hours training them until her father's untimely death, which shook her world. Working for just a mere pittance as the star performance for the traveling circus has left her with little means and even fewer opportunities to return to the world she once knew. When she is offered a rare chance to leave the circus behind and earn decent wages she isn't about to let it slip away from her - even if the man hiring her doesn't have all the pertinent facts about her.

Aaron and Sophia couldn't be more different but for one thing their love of horses. But can this be enough to overcome the scandal that is about to surround them? A female jockey is unheard of and both their reputations are about to be tested.  

This is the second book in Hearts on the Heath and continues the story that was started in Vying for the Viscount but that doesn't mean that if you haven't yet read book one you won't enjoy this book. Sophia is new to the series but characters from the previous book and even from the author's previous series make appearances that are fun to read. In a word, this is a lovely book in which dreams are followed. But dreams have a way of changing as one changes but sometimes we don't realize that we have grown into a new dream. I love getting to know Kristi Ann Hunter's characters they are all so different and not cookie-cutter characters who have been decorated with a different sprinkle. So if you are looking for a new author and are not familiar with the author's work you need to add Kristi Ann Hunter to the top of your tbr list. So sit back with your favorite cup of tea and a cookie or two and get ready to slip away for a few hours into the English countryside.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are my own.

About the Book:

Aaron Whitworth hasn't had control over most aspects of his life, but he's always taken pride in being an honorable businessman and better-than-average horseman. When both of those claims are threatened, he makes the desperate decision to hire the horse trainer of a traveling circus as a temporary jockey for his racehorses.

Sophia Fitzroy knows that most horsemen don't take her seriously because she's a woman, but she can't pass up the opportunity to get away from the tumultuous world of travel and performing. As she fights for the right to do the work she was hired for, she learns the fight for Aaron's guarded heart might be an even more worthwhile challenge.

As secrets come to light and past vulnerabilities are confronted, will Aaron and Sophia sacrifice their former dreams and forge a new one together--against all odds?