Melissa has landed her dream job on a farm that trains horses for shows. She can’t believe her luck and that the farm seems to be turning out to be a home for her since she lost her mother recently.

David wants to show in the Grand Prix. He wants to use it as a way to get well-known enough to get his own farm. Trouble is, he wasn’t born into the money necessary to do so and so he works on Deer Creek Farm to make money both to show his horse and to put aside for his own farm, but is it safe on the farm? An attempted murder certainly makes it seem unsafe.

I didn’t know much about the world of horse showing when I started this book and I was afraid all the details would get boring quickly, but I was wrong. I learned a lot and none of it was boring. The details fed into the story and kept you reading, as did the excellent characterization Ms. Paine put into the story.

One thing I would have liked to have seen is Stephen be a stronger character. I thought he gave up too quickly and accepted defeat rather than fight for what he wanted. Perhaps that fits in with his character, you’ll have to read A Dangerous Dream and decide for yourself.

The other characters stand strong as themselves. They are three-dimensional and very interesting. The twist at the end surprised me completely and I congratulate Ms. Paine on a job well done. There is nothing like a good romantic suspense where the ending isn’t obvious halfway through the book. This story will keep you guessing until the end.

Reviewed by: Jordan