Showdown
by Tilly Bradshawe
Narrated by Sonya Walger
To seventeen-year-old Milly, being the daughter of a wealthy thoroughbred breeder isn’t much of an advantage when
she’s not allowed to ride any of the horses. After a nearly fatal jumping accident when she was kid, her father
allowed her mother, an obvious socialite, to do everything in her power to make their daughter a true lady. Try as
she might, though, Milly’s mind is more focused on becoming known as a top jockey than on the importance of
attending the coming out ceremony known as the debutante ball. Unfortunately, the jockey in the family is Milly’s
older brother, Jasper, who is the most shallow, cocky person she has ever known. Just when things seemed to be at
their worst, Jasper begins dating Rachel, Milly’s arch nemesis, who lives to make her career as a jockey into as
much of a burning pain in Milly’s side as possible. To Milly, things couldn’t get any worse - then along comes Bobby.
Bobby Cameron is the son of a famous rancher and a hippie. After being left at his father’s ranch "just for the
summer" and never picked up by his mother again, Bobby used every minute of his day to enjoy the vast beauty of
Highwood, his father’s magnificent farm, and to hone his natural talents training and breaking horses. After his
father’s death, he finds himself faced with massive debts due to the declining profits in cattle farming. Using
his talents and trading on his name, which is well-known in the horse training world, Bobby begins chasing his
dream to turn Highwood into a horse training ranch as well as a cattle ranch. That’s when he gets asked to
Newmarket. He goes to train some of the more unruly of the beautiful horses there and ends up meeting the one
woman who would never allow his mind to be completely his own again.
In the world of crooked race horse owners, oversexed jockeys and undersexed widows-in-training, greedy businessmen,
and fickle "celebutantes," Milly and Bobby slowly find their way through the danger and corruption to the one place
they always dreamed of finding.
I like this audio. The language is some sections seems a bit too vulgar even though it does give the desired effect
by illustrating the sleaziness of several of the characters. My favorite characters, though, ended up being Amy, the
chunky daughter of a rich race horse owner, and Dylan, Bobby’s friend and ranch hand. It’s an interesting look at
the world of racing and very realistic in terms of what celebrity and bad choices can do to a person. I recommend
it to anyone who loves an intriguing twist on the old world of horse racing.
Sonya Walger narrates this interesting tale. She gives all the characters a voice of their own. Her reading style
will truly keep the listener engaged the whole way through. |
The Book |
Hachette Audio (formerly Time Warner) |
June 2006 |
Audiobook - abridged CD - 5 CDs/6hrs. |
13 digit ISBN: 9781594832109 |
Fiction/General |
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at Amazon.com |
Excerpt |
NOTE: |
The Reviewer |
Carisa Weeaks |
Reviewed 2006 |
NOTE: |
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