by: Eliza Jane Brazier
Goodreads description:
Set in the glamorous, competitive world of showjumping, a novel about the girls who ride, their cutthroat mothers, and a suspicious death at a horse show…
When the nouveau riche Parker family moves to an exclusive community in the heart of Southern California, they believe it’s their chance at a fresh start. Heather Parker is determined to give her daughters the life she never had—starting with horses.
She signs them up for riding lessons at Rancho Santa Fe Equestrian, where horses are a lifestyle. Heather becomes a “Barn Mom,” part of a group of wealthy women who hang at the stables, drink wine, and prepare their daughters for competition.
It’s not long before the Parker family is fully enmeshed in the horse world—from mean girl cliques to barn romance and dark secrets. With the end of summer horse show fast approaching, the pressure is on, and these mothers will stop at nothing to give their daughters everything they deserve.
Before the summer is over, lies will turn lethal, accidents will happen, and someone will end up dead.
Helen says: 🤓🤓🤓 1/2
I was a little bit skeptical of this one because the cover art looked like a spoof. It was a really easy read and not a literary masterpiece at all. It was a great sociological case study on the nouveau riche and the people that grift and profit from them. My takeaway- Are people in the horse world really this psycho? Horseback riders will especially love this one despite the lifetime movie ending. I gave it to my equestrian friend, Margaret, and she read it in one sitting and said it was 100% spot on. Side note- she said to google Vic Russell. He may have been the inspiration for the Kieran character.
Holly says: 🤓🤓🤓1/2
Oh, read this one too – very entertaining, and a quick and easy read. Girls, boys, moms, dads, the wealthy, and those who envy the wealthy, and of course the thing that all of their lives revolve around…beautiful horses. There is a lot of drama here, some of it believable, and some a little far-fetched, but all of it entertaining. Things are never really quite what they seem, and everyone is self-absorbed. This one could be entitled The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (mostly Ugly) of Wealthy People with Horse Obsessions.
Helen and Holly Hit the Books 