To Win Her Favor #bookreview

To Win Her Favor (Zondervan, May 2015)

A gifted rider in a world where ladies never race, Maggie Linden is determined that her horse will become a champion. But the one man who could help her has vowed to stay away from thoroughbred racing forever.

An Irishman far from home, Cullen McGrath left a once prosperous life in England because of a horse racing scandal that nearly ruined him. He’s come to Nashville for a fresh start, hoping to buy land and begin farming, all while determined to stay as far away from thoroughbred racing as possible. But starting over proves harder than he’d wagered, especially when Maggie Linden’s father makes him an offer he shouldn’t accept yet cannot possibly refuse.

Maggie is certain that her mare, Bourbon Belle, can take the top purse in the inaugural Peyton Stakes, the richest race ever run in America. Maggie only needs the chance to prove it. To give her that chance—and to save Linden Downs from being sold to the highest bidder—Maggie’s father, aging, yet wily as ever, makes a barter. His agreement includes one tiny, troublesome detail—Maggie must marry a man she’s never met. A man she never would have chosen for herself.

Tamera Alexander is a best-selling novelist whose deeply drawn characters, thought-provoking plots, and poignant prose resonate with readers. Having lived in Colorado for seventeen years, she and her husband now make their home in Nashville Tennessee, along with their two adult children who live near by. And don’t forget Jack, their precious–and precocious–silky terrier.

My thoughts:

This book combines so many things that mean the world to me.  A love of history(specifically the Civil War time period), the Irish(umm it’s the Irish blood running through my veins and with the name Erin. . . ), and horses(we own more than I care to admit).  It’s no wonder I was spellbound by this book and just couldn’t put it down.  

Literally.  I couldn’t put it down.  I started reading it in the afternoon after the kids were done with school on a Friday.  I warmed up leftovers for them for supper.  My husband fixed supper for the two of us.  I held the book while giving kisses and hugs to my babies as they went off to bed(oh another thing in the book-babies!), and I read once my youngest had settled into almost sleepy-land while nursing.  Put her down in her toddler bed and then I finished the book.  All before bedtime!!!

Oh one more thing in the book that I love!  Doctoring!  I am a nurse and love learning new and weird things.  As a horse owner I was also interested to learn about this plant that is toxic to animals.  Poor Bourbon Belle.  And the book also speaks on the bond a person can have with their horse.  I had such a bond with a special horse once until she died of colic.  I loved my Miss Maggie and can definitely understand the pain that Margaret(Maggie) goes through when she finds her horse so very sick.

A wonderfully written book, To Win Her Favor will keep you reading.  You, like me, won’t want to put the book down.  It’s riveting and tells a tale that some still shy away from.  A tale of what life was like after the Civil War for not only the blacks, but also the Irish and the women and children who no longer had men to protect them.  Those same women and children also didn’t have a means to care for themselves or their homes.  Such a sad time and so many wrong things that happened. 

You need to read this book.  Go get your copy now, find a comfy chair, and read until you turn the last page.  You’re going to love Kizzy and I hope and pray that all of my children have her overcoming nature and love for life.