Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Drive By Book Review: Teach Me to Ride by Rachel Leigh

Author Rachel Leigh did an author interview with the Snarkology on 8/25/13.

 
Caroline James wants to be the best investigative journalist London has ever seen. But until she has the money to leave the small town of Fayre Mead, she's stuck and her resentment is building. So when she’s assigned to cover the Lakeland Horse Trials and meets sexy, dark-haired, and astoundingly fit horse trainer, Michael Canton, she is happy to vent some sexual and emotional frustration…and write the story of her career. But after getting personal with Michael, can she remain impersonal with the article?
Michael Canton will do anything in his power to silence his tyrannical father once and for all. Under extreme pressure to compete in the countries show jumper trials and prove his worth, Michael’s fiery emotions are running high. Caroline’s beauty and sexual confidence stokes an inner strength and determination he never knew he had. But can he trust her to know the difference between fact and fiction? Together, they are a formidable team…but will their burning ambitions ultimately blow them apart?
Excerpt:
Still sitting in his lap, she reached behind her and lowered the zipper of her dress. It fell down over her shoulders, revealing naked breasts. His erection ached at the sight of her creamy white, perfect tits with nipples big and dark. He licked his lips and moved forward to suck one hard tip into his mouth. Her gasp sounded above him.
Her skin smelled of something sweet and sexy, innocence mixed with danger. He inhaled deeply as he grazed her pebbled nipple with his teeth before reclaiming her mouth. Her tongue was rigid and demanding against his as they fought for supremacy.
Rolling her over, he shimmied the dress down her body and tossed it to the floor. Naked, but for tiny satin panties, darkened by juices at her clit, Michael didn’t think he had ever seen a woman look more beautiful. He drank in every inch of her, knowing deep inside that this might be the only moment he’d ever see her like this. The only chance to take her, to watch her enjoy unadulterated pleasure. God, he wanted to give her pleasure.
“Michael…”
He snapped his gaze to hers. She watched him. Her eyes were heavy lidded, screaming for him, wanting him. Male pride surged like a fireball behind his ribcage. He crawled up beside her and kissed her, his fingers trailing over her breasts, lower over her torso before diving into her panties.
She was wet. Soaking wet.
His hand glided over her narrow strip of pubic hair to her rigid clit. He circled, stretched, and teased, then moved lower until his fingers found her slit, his blood roaring in his ears. He felt alive, masculine and powerful. Her legs opened and he thrust two fingers deep inside.
Buy Link:
Amazon

Review:

This is a drive by review, which means it is an impulse review on my part. The author didn't request a review and I downloaded the story from Amazon during a free day. 

Cover:
Oh My God. This cover is climatically good. If I were a man, I'd be happy just looking at the picture!

Story:
TEACH ME TO RIDE is a contemporary erotic romance set in England. The story offers up instant sparks between the hero and heroine along with sizzling sexual tension. Right from the get go, some unintentional Tom-peepery  kicks the heat levels to meteor levels.

The prose is solid with smooth flow. There are a couple editing issues that bugged me.  Dialogue is often intense and the emotional conflict gut wrenching. The sex scenes are HOT.  HOT.  I liked the protagonists, and disliked the antagonist. In other words, all was as it should be with the fundamental storytelling elements.

Caroline James is an aspiring investigative reporter who has been assigned to cover a horse jumping event by her editor. The heroine is a city gal and it is immediately clear that she is unhappy with her assignment. She pretty quickly perceives an opportunity to turn the hero's conflict with his famous father into a story and proceeds to pursue the angle, which means pursuing Michael.

Michael Canton is tall, dark and handsome. He trains horses to jump, but seems to harbor professional unhappiness about not being a rider. He's a hard fellow with some daddy issues.  Caroline wants a story. Michael wants to be rid of his father. Together, they team up with the goal of achieving a mutually beneficial outcome, the whole while engaging in the age old courtship dance of our species.

OK, on the horse knowledge issue. The author may be an expert on horses or may be self-educated. I don't know enough to say or judge.  Point blank, what I know about horses is this:
  1. They stink and I'm allergic.
  2. They look great on calendars.

That said, if I wanted to read a horse-torically accurate book, I'd pick up Thunderhead or My Friend Flicka. When it comes to erotic romance, the only stud I care about the heroine mounting is the hero. (I confess, I was hoping for some in-the-saddle sex but it didn't happen. English saddles. Eh.)

Anyway, TEACH ME TO RIDE isn't a horse story. It's about the conflict between fathers and sons, balancing personal ambition against self-sacrifice, and how attraction can become a foundation for trust and then the beginning of love.  The ending is more Happily For Now than HEA but I found it an appropriate conclusion to this erotic novella.   


Author Bio:
Rachel Leigh lives in the UK and has been married to her own sexy hero for fifteen years.
With four novellas contracted with The Wild Rose Press, Rachel is busy plotting her fifth, sixth and seventh. She plans to venture into the historical genre for the first time and write a trio of novellas set in a small English village in the early1900s. The characters we meet aren’t quite as prim and proper as they seem…
When Rachel isn't writing, she's reading, watching TV, running around after her two daughters....or playing with her husband.

Where you can find Rachel Leigh on the Internet:
Email: rachelleighwriter at googlemail.com

4 comments:

  1. Okay, my day job involves my first love, horses, so I guess I'm going to have to check this one out. ;-) Thanks for the review. I'm looking forward to seeing what the horsie angle is, although I know the main stud will be two legged.

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    1. Laura, I went through the typical teen girl horse phase but it ended pretty quickly. The reality of riding didn't live up to The Black Stallion. :-D

      Thanks for dropping in and commenting. I hope you enjoy the story. :)

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  2. Horses are more trouble than men. I didn't know squat about horses when I got a painted pony for my 13th birthday. I just knew they were fun to ride. Stockings stayed on my grandparents farm until I was 16. By then, I had a car and thought I could just ride Stockings when I wanted to and he'd be there waiting for me. I thought he could just eat the same grass and feed as the cows and I didn't have to feed him. I thought I only needed to groom him after I rode him. I was so angry at my grandfather when he sold him, but it taught me a lesson. You have to take care of the things you own if you want to keep them. I guess the same goes for relationships. You both have to invest time and care into them for them to work. Sounds to me like this book is more about relationship than horses. Great review, Melissa.

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    1. Lilly, pets are a huge responsibility. I've never had a horse and I'm not a horse inclined person but I've kept fish and some exotic aquarium creatures. (You wouldn't believe how much work healthy hermit crabs require. :D) I've had dogs to walk and play with. Ultimately, my perfect pet is a cat. :D

      The descriptions of the horses and riding were a nice component of the story, but yeah, it was definitely about relationships (between peoples). Thanks for dropping by and commenting! :-)

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