Leaping Hearts

I really liked this story. It was so... nice! Don't pull that face. I happen to like nice things.

Leaping Hearts tells us the story of A.J. Sutherland and Devlin McCloud. A.J. is a talented young equestrian who has just bought herself a horse named Sabbath. Now, this wouldn't have been a problem if this horse didn't have such a bad attitude. Sabbath throws his riders, won't let blacksmiths anywhere near him, and he hates the water. For obvious reasons, this is the last horse anyone with a lick of sense would buy to compete with. But A.J. sees a whole lot of potential in Sabbath and she wants to take him to the Qualifier, a really big deal in the equestrian world, in two months time. 

But A.J hits a speed bump. She lives at home, involved in the racing aspect of the family-run stables. A.J.'s stepbrother runs the financial side of Sutherland Stables and he refuses to let her bring that crazy horse onto the premises. A.J. then decides that if her horse isn't welcome then she isn't staying at home either. Sabbath isn't an impulse buy for A.J.; he's her chance to prove herself. But it's going to be kinda hard to do that with nowhere to live and nowhere to train.

Enter Devlin McCloud. Devlin is a hugely reclusive former equestrian champion. After his nasty fall and his horse having to be put down as a result, he's been avoiding the equestrian scene entirely. He and A.J. had met at the auction where A.J. bought Sabbath so, after leaving home, A.J. turns to Devlin for help. Initially, Devlin is not so keen on the idea. He is totally jonesing for A.J. and given the temperamental nature of the horse, this can prove dangerous if he's going to be training her. But A.J. won't take no for an answer, which is how she ends up sleeping on Devlin's couch at night and him being her trainer during the day. 

This book is written by Jessica Bird who is otherwise known as the magnificent, awe-inspiring J.R Ward. Those of you who are familiar with the WARDen will probably have read her Black Dagger Brotherhood series, or her more recent Fallen Angels series. This book is nothing like either of these series. There is next to no swearing, the sex is the fade to black type, and there is no actual action. But it was still really good! After having read Shadowfever, this book acted like a palate cleanser. It was light, there were no major twists and turns, and the couple knew that they liked each other right from the start. So long as you don't expect any of the stuff typical of J.R Ward's better known works, you won't be disappointed with this book. 

So if you're looking for a light read that won't give you a headache trying to keep up, give Leaping Hearts a try.