Heart of Hope (Hooves & Hearts #2) by Hannah E. Carey

Merissa
24 minutes ago
6 min read

@hannahecareyauthor

@authorhannahecarey

#Contemporary, #Romance,

If she isn't the top rider at River Green farm, who is she?

Horses have been Isabel Martin's whole life. As the daughter of top show jumping trainer Rodger Martin, she's been expected to be a champion for as long as she can remember. But lately, she can barely get around a course without feeling sick to her stomach and she's earning more last places than blue ribbons.

With an abysmal summer show season, Isabel has more questions than answers about her future, and on top of that, her beloved mare, Cadence, is dealing with more lameness issues than Isabel can count. Rodger wants her to get rid of the mare and focus her attention on her career, but Isabel does something even worse. Not only does she keep Cadence, she takes on another down-on-his-luck jumper, Kaspar. She's hopeful that with a little time and patience, she can get Kaspar performing again, but the young horse has other ideas.

The training program at River Green leaves Isabel with nothing but dead ends when it comes to helping Kaspar and Cadence, and she finds herself feeling more and more desperate. Selling the horses isn't an option, so she turns to outside help instead, despite Rodger's disapproval. And that outside help includes bringing in local equine veterinarian, Derrick Thompson. Isabel is desperate for him to help her horses, but she might get more than she bargained for. Derrick might be just as good at healing broken hearts as he is at healing horses. And when Isabel finds herself the target of a personal vendetta, she discovers she needs Derrick more than she ever imagined.

Heart of Hope features all the horses, small town vibes, a touch of suspense, and a closed door romance.

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4 out of 5 (very good)

HEART OF HOPE is the second book in the Hooves & Hearts series, and features Isabel and Derrick, along with Cadence, Kaspar, and Knight.

Isabel is a rider at her dad's place, River Green Farm. From what I understand, she competes in horse shows and events on behalf of the horse owners. Her dad (and I use that word loosely) is an antagonistic character with plenty of sharp edges that he usually uses on Isabel. She is lucky enough to have a trust fund, but lives frugally, which is how she can buy two horses (Kaspar and Knight) to go with Cadence when they are up for sale. Unfortunately, Knight is quite old, and Kaspar is having issues. That, coupled with Cadence's problems, is where Derrick comes into play. Rodger (dad) doesn't like Derrick, but his own vets have missed problems in both Cadence and Kaspar.

I'm going to be probably controversial here, and I apologise to the author, but I connected more with the horses than with Isabel and Derrick. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading about the two of them, and I was rooting for them to get together. What really held my attention, though, and had me turning every page, was Kaspar, Cadence, and Knight. I desperately wanted Kaspar's issues to be found so he could be helped, along with Cadence getting better, and Knight getting the retirement he'd earned.

Meg and Carter make an appearance here, which was wonderful to read. There are also a host of other characters to help bring the story alive. Some I liked, Sierra, for example, while others I really didn't, like Sara and Trevor. I mean, I know I'm not supposed to, but I didn't enjoy any of the scenes they were in. There was too much unknown - like why did Sara's attitude change even before Isabel left - that I just didn't care about.

A good, solid read and I was happy to return to their world. You don't need to have read book one to get the full enjoyment from this one. Definitely recommended by me.

** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa

Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!

Personal

Tell us a little about yourself beyond your writing.

I spent many years working in the horse industry as a barn worker, groom, barn manager, trainer, and riding instructor. I also spent a number of years volunteering in both equine rescue and in therapeutic riding. While I’ve had to take a step back from a lot of that work in recent years due to chronic health conditions, I am lucky enough to still live on my farm and be the caretaker of my last remaining senior personal horse and his two goat besties.

What was one of your favourite books as a child?

I absolutely loved Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry. I also live fairly close to Chincoteague, where the book takes place, and was able to go to Pony Penning as a kid, as well as take a couple of other trips to visit the island and see the wild ponies.

When did you realise writing could become more than a dream?

For me, it was back in 2019 when I joined my local romance writers group. I was super inspired by the amazing women there who were writing & publishing and it really encouraged me to pursue that path myself.

Writing

Why did you choose the genre you write in?

I initially began writing purely fantasy, but with my background in horses and my love of animals, I decided to dip my toes into contemporary fiction as well back in 2021 with writing a holiday romance novella that featured a dog. After getting that book written and published, I decided I didn’t want to write just fantasy, but I wanted to write contemporary fiction as well that is loosely based off of all my years around animals.

Do you outline (plan) or discover the story as you go (pantser)?

I do both! I typically have an outline I’m working off of, but I also leave space for that outline to change as the story progresses. Sometimes the story and characters take twists and turns as I’m writing and I want to be able to be open to that.

What part of your book was the most fun to write?

I think my most fun scene for this one was the scene of Isabel at the dressage show. I got to take a lot of my own personal experience and put it into that scene, which was super fun.

Characters & Fun

Which of your characters “speaks” the loudest to you?

For this book, it was definitely Isabel. The opening scene with her was the first thing that came to live so vividly for me when I was writing this book and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know her along the way.

If your book became a film, who would you cast in the lead role?

For Isabel, I think I’d go with Kiera Knightly.

Reflections

What’s the best compliment you’ve received from a reader?

With the Hooves & Hearts books, it’s been fun to see a couple reviews where readers talk about recognizing Centered Riding imagery and concepts in the story. I was a certified Centered Riding instructor for years, and it’s definitely something I still carry with me, and it’s super fun to see readers catching that.

What advice would you give aspiring writers?

Keep writing! I didn’t publish my first book until I was 30, and it’s never too late to pursue a dream.

Hannah E. Carey began telling stories as soon as she was old enough to talk and she hasn’t stopped since. As a Dysautonomia and HSD warrior, writing and her love of stories allow her to explore new places & worlds, no matter what her body throws at her. She writes epic fantasy with fierce heroines and strong romantic elements that is inspired by her love of mythology, along with women’s fiction that stars loveable four-legged companions and is inspired by her life as a horse & dog mom, her background in animal rescue, and her years of working as a certified Centered Riding Instructor. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her reading and spending time with her husband, horses, and dog on her small hobby farm.

Archaeolibrarian
I Dig Good Books!