Publisher: Montlake Romance
Publication date: 06 Nov 2013
ISBN13: 9781612186030
First Line - "Breathing in the scent of fresh hay and saddle soap, Claire felt the knots of tension loosen their grip on her shoulders."
"When Claire Parker left Sanctuary, West Virginia, she thought it was for good. But now she’s back, reeling from an ugly divorce. Readjusting to small-town life is harder than Claire expected, so she’s surprised, and grateful, to find companionship in Willow, an abused Thoroughbred mare. Willow is Claire’s “whisper horse,” and they share a special, rare bond. Except Willow isn’t the only one helping Claire heal; Willow’s ruggedly handsome veterinarian, Dr. Tim Arbuckle, is sympathetic…and secretive.
Devastated by his wife’s death, Tim thought he’d never find love again. The stoic, sexy doctor was sure he’d left his heart behind when he came to Sanctuary. But Claire stirs up emotions he thought he’d buried long ago. For the first time, the doctor can see past his grief…until Willow falls gravely ill. Tim and Claire must save Willow’s life and, surrounded by the majestic mountains of West Virginia, believe in a love so encompassing, so intimately intense, their lives will never be the same again."
Small town romance with horses. That's what I thought I was getting. I didn't get that.
It's book one of The Whisper Horse series so I expected a Whisper Horse to be pretty prominent in the story. Again, wrong.
There is a horse, and Claire does actually whisper to it two or three times but blink and you might miss it.
The cover is a bit misleading, actually. It looks like a cosy romance but it actually covers some dark territory. Spousal abuse, suicide, divorce...animal mistreatment, it's got a lot going on. All the elements together have the potential for a good read but it just didn't 'do it' for me. The sex scenes seem a bit heavy too. Not in general, just in context of the story.
The first chapter left me with a bit of a lump in my throat for the poor horse (Wilow) but Willow the Whisper Horse just seems to be in there as a vehicle for Claire to meet (and fall into insta-lust) with Dr Tim the local vet and luckily he insta-lusts right back at her.
The side stories are what kept it interesting for me but even those were mostly glossed over, once mentioned. Claire's sister Holly is having marriage trouble and her story took up a big chunk of plot but her side story wasn't explored as much as it could have been. Paul, Claire's guy pal from her youth just pops in every few chapters to make it seem like there might be a triangle thing going on but his part in the proceedings were pretty weak. Sharon, the stable owner of the 'Whisper Horse' gets even less page time. It all just seems like they're in there as a conveyance for Claire and Dr Tim to meet up, get together, have sex, fall out a bit, make up, have sex....
I probably won't bother with the rest of the series.
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