Meg has never known loss. Until her heart-horse drops dead underneath her in the show ring.

Jared has been living with loss ever since his father died in a tragic farming accident.

Meg escapes her grief by changing everything about her life; moving away to spend the summer on an island in the St. Lawrence River. New place. New job. No horses.

Once there, she meets Jared; working hard to keep anything else in his life from changing.

When Jared offers Meg a scruffy appaloosa mare out of a friend’s back field, it’s the beginning of a journey that will change them both by summer’s end. ( )

Love this series, love the author.

great for horse lovers of all ages. Written with sensitivity, highly emotional situations, but realistic characters and plot. Evident that the author has tons of experience as a rider, which makes reading this even better. ( )

Love this series, love the author.

great for horse lovers of all ages. Written with sensitivity, highly emotional situations, but realistic characters and plot. Evident that the author has tons of experience as a rider, which makes reading this even better. ( )

Love this series, love the author.

great for horse lovers of all ages. Written with sensitivity, highly emotional situations, but realistic characters and plot. Evident that the author has tons of experience as a rider, which makes reading this even better. ( )

Sixteen-year-old Meg Traherne’s thoroughbred, Major, died in the middle of a jump. Meg had trained him herself. He was only seven. Even after recovering from her own injuries, she grieved for her horse. It was summer and she needed something to which to draw her attention off the disaster. Her parent’s friends, Carl and Betsy, were requesting Meg’s help at their B&B on the island in the St. Lawrence River. It was just the distraction Meg needed.

There she meets Jared Strickland who lived just down the road. Even though he’s older than Meg, they fell into an easy conversation with each other. Knowing almost nothing about horses, Jared finds a way to obtain an Appaloosa for Meg as he knows she is still grieving for Major. He had no idea that an Appaloosa was the last type of horse she would have selected. Nevertheless, she falls for Salem and they form quite a bond. She finds out quite by accident that Salem is a jumper too and considers entering her in a horse show. She discovers that Jared has also been living with a serious loss in his own life.

If you love horses and clean romance, I have no doubt you’d fall in love with the story and the characters. I feel it is suitable for middle-grade and young adult readers. It’s not a historical novel, but it feels like they are residing in a simpler time. The scenic description included in the story is just enough for the reader to get an idea of the place, yet it does not overtake the story. The pace of the story is great. The only imperfection is too much perfection in the character’s lives and not enough conflict. Overall, it was very enjoyable. Rating: 4 out of 5. ( )