This was my first book by Theresa Romain, and I was pleasantly surprised at her different take on historical romance. With a great friends-to-lovers trope, a delicious hero, and different settings than most historicals, this one is definitely worth checking out.

The Story-
Evan and Kate are old friends whose relationship ended at the sudden death of her husband a few years ago. Kate has been struggling to put the pieces of her life back together, and Evan has been desperately trying to move forward…and forget about his feelings for Kate. When she seeks him out, they have to figure out who they are to each other now.

My Thoughts-
I loved how different this book was from all of the cookie-cutter historical romances I (admittedly) love to read. First, the backdrops of the horse racing and Anglesey in Wales provided interesting interactions for the characters. Secondly, I have never been a horse person, but I really enjoyed reading about the horses in this book. It’s obvious that the author loves them and can transmit that appeal to the reader. Don’t get me wrong: this book isn’t all about horses or anything, it just effortlessly connects them to the story through the couple’s affinity for them. Lastly, I thought the grown-up approach to this romance was refreshing. These are two adults who have figured some things out and can move forward with eyes wide open.
The best thing about this book, however, is the hero. I loved Evan so much that at some points, I disliked the heroine based on her idiocity with regards to him. Hello!?! Here is a hot, amazing guy who adores you. There was also a bit of a disjointedness with the plot once they got to Ireland and started a murder investigation. It almost felt like two separate books.

The Bottom Line-
The overarching mystery which continues from this book, while interesting, has me less intrigued to come back to the series than Romain’s character development and welcome take on historical romance. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and highly recommend it, especially to fans of horses and well-developed characters and relationships (not instalove). 4 stars