By Joanna Campbell
Rating: ☆☆☆.5
Race to the finish...
Wonder's Pride has just had the best year of his life! First he ran to a stunning victory in the Breeders' Cup race. Then he was named Horse of the Year. Pride's trainers, Samantha McLean and Ashleigh Griffen can't wait for the start of another spectacular year.
But on the verge of his five-year-old season Pride develops a deadly illness. Pride will never race again - he may even die! Everyone else says there's no hope for Pride, but Samantha refuses to give up on him. Can her determination save the famous horse?
This blurb ends with a rhetorical question. Its a Thoroughbred novel, of course Samantha can save Pride. It is also slightly inaccurate. He wasn't named Horse of the Year until after his illness, it was only Ashleigh and Samantha who were confident he had gotten it. And I honestly thought that for something as prestigious as Horse of the Year there would be more of a ceremony for it, but correct me if I'm wrong...
Since when was Samantha a trainer? Her official title is groom, but she is also Pride's one and only exercise rider. Why isn't her title bumped up to exercise rider? Wouldn't that give her more claim over Pride, but then I guess she wouldn't get to be in the walking ring before each of his races to give him encouraging words.
My honest opinion of this blurb is that it ruins the surprise of the rest of the book. Half way through I kept wondering when Pride was going to fall ill in time to make a spectacular recovery and win another race against Lord Ainsley. They could have focused the blurb on something earlier on in the book such as the rumour of Pride being retired:
Shortly after another fantastic win against Lord Ainsley in the Jockey Gold Cup Classic Samantha is disturbed to read a rumour of Brad and Lavinia retiring Pride. Distraught Samantha contacts Pride's co-owner Ashleigh and learns there may be more truth than lies as Mr. Townsend finds merit in this plan. Can Samantha and Ashleigh convince Mr. Townsend to keep Pride racing - as he so desperately wants to - before its too late?
Possibly not as dramatic considering he'd only be retired, not dead, but its not giving away as much of the storyline as the actual blurb. Where is the surprise in it? Especially since we all know Pride only loses every millionth race. I just feel sorry for Lord Ainsley. He should have just stayed in his own country so he could actually win a race once and a while.
This cover is ok. Ashleigh - I'm assuming its her even if the hair is light brown/blonde - looks beautiful in it. Samantha does not. She looks older than Ash, but definitely more attractive an Medusa hair Sammy in Samantha's Pride. I wish they would put a question mark after the title. At least that would still pose the question of whether or not its Pride's last race, instead of just coming out and telling us. I'm convinced the title would be better at Lord Ainsley & Pride's Last Standoff, and in italics at the bottom But we all know Pride always wins...
This book is a mixture of Lord Ainsley vs Pride, Brad & Lavinia vs Ashleigh & Samantha, illnesses, injuries & death, and the debate of what to do with the rest of Pride's life.
Pride is getting old! He's just finished his last races on peak and Clay wants to retire him. Ash & Sammy are of course horrified! Nothing could be worse than frolicking in a paddock all day and having the best choice of broodmares to join him. What an evil idea that could only have resulted from Brad and Lavinia. THEY ALWAYS STOP AT THE BEST SCENES BETWEEN LAVINIA & ASH. I really want Sammy to go with Ash into the mansion after Princess gets injured and witness why Lavinia thinks Ash was going to hit her.
So... after Pride keeps winning race after race and everyone is convinced they live on top of the world Clay wants to retire Pride, Princess gets injured and Wonder losses a foal. I half wish Wonder's foal was born alive with her deformities so the Thoroughbred characters would be forced to make an insanely hard decision to put the foal down instead of just waiting for the horse to make the decision for them A.K.A instantly get better.
Sierra is slowly pushed aside in this book. He runs a fantastic race against a higher level, but whilst in training for the next one Tor misjudges the jump and Sierra is hurt. That gives Samantha and Tor plenty of time to work with the Pony Commandos and Pride.
I don't really understand the Pony Commandos. I get that its a way for Sammy to get along with Beth, but couldn't they have just done that at the wheelchair sporting events?
Clay is made to realise that it would be stupid to retire Pride (even if he is entirely right on this subject) - again too quick a turn around - but they all agree on his decision (hint Lavinia's & Brad's not that Ash or Sammy would EVER admit it) when Pride gets colic and nearly dies.
I think his whole recovery is utter crap. I cringed with embarrassment as Tor proclaimed that it was Sammy's love that saved Pride. That somehow he understood that he'd been given a death sentence if he didn't eat by the morning. HORSES DON'T UNDERSTAND HUMAN WORDS. He could only understand the upset vibe they were giving off, which wouldn't have been able to tell him exactly the time and how he was going to die, and it sounded like he was too sick to even pick up on anything.
His "miracle" cure would have sounded better if the vet had just said he has no explanation and then Sammy privately thought in her own self loving judgement that it was because of her that he got better. The only person to have pulled off the love thing is J.K. Rowling as she explains why Harry survived the night his parents were killed. And then it only just works because Dumbledor says it.
The ending of this book needed much improvement and a solider ending. Maybe Samantha desperately searched the internet for a cure and found some new therapy the vet is sceptical about. That would have been more believable.
