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I'm on tour with Juliana Haygert, celebrating the release of her new novel, BREAKING FENCES.
Both books feature characters from Brazil and have Portuguese peppered throughout the novel, which is especially appropriate this week with the World Cup going on in Brazil! Juliana Haygert brings us all there in this little way. ^.~
I'll be reviewing both books today for the tour, so they'll both be shorties. ^_^
(Plus, I had no power last night, so I have limited time to write something up today...!)
You can read them out of order, too. You don't need to read BREAKING THE REINS in order to read BREAKING FENCES!
(Although there will be a couple of allusions to things that occurred in the first book, so if you plan to eventually read both and don't want to be spoiled, you may as well read them in order. But nothing bad will happen if you don't!)
These are companion novels, and the stories of two twins and their own adventures in life away from one another.
Both books feature characters from Brazil and have Portuguese peppered throughout the novel, which is especially appropriate this week with the World Cup going on in Brazil! Juliana Haygert brings us all there in this little way. ^.~
I'll be reviewing both books today for the tour, so they'll both be shorties. ^_^
(Plus, I had no power last night, so I have limited time to write something up today...!)
You can read them out of order, too. You don't need to read BREAKING THE REINS in order to read BREAKING FENCES!
(Although there will be a couple of allusions to things that occurred in the first book, so if you plan to eventually read both and don't want to be spoiled, you may as well read them in order. But nothing bad will happen if you don't!)
These are companion novels, and the stories of two twins and their own adventures in life away from one another.
BREAKING THE REINS and BREAKING FENCES are both New Adult titles and may not be appropriate for younger blog followers!
Author: Juliana Haygert
Release Date: Aug. 14, 2013
Publisher: Juliana Haygert
Received: For Review
SUMMARY:
Horses, mansions, tea parties, and lies are twenty-year-old Hannah Taylor’s life. To others, her family and her relationship with Eric is perfect. But she knows the truth. She lives it.
After a fire takes her grandma's life and kills her horse, Hannah's immaculate life spirals out of control. Her father disapproves of her decision to run her grandma’s ranch instead of focusing solely on learning the family business; Animal Control brings her Argus, a mistreated horse that she can't turn away even though she's not ready for another horse; and her boyfriend, Eric Bennett, a world famous polo player, becomes possessive and authoritarian. Despite her best efforts to disguise it, Hannah grows wary of him.
Then, Leonardo Fernandes struts onto the polo scene. A cocky rookie with a messy life of his own, he’s drawn to Hannah and isn’t afraid of showing it, even when Eric makes it clear she is his and he’ll do whatever it takes to keep it that way. Hannah suffers for Eric’s jealousy. The abuse only gets worse when Leo steals the title of best polo player in the world from Eric.
But the title isn’t enough for Leo. He wants Hannah too, and she can’t deny her attraction to him either. Somehow, she must find a way to break free from abusive Eric before he breaks every bone in her body.
After a fire takes her grandma's life and kills her horse, Hannah's immaculate life spirals out of control. Her father disapproves of her decision to run her grandma’s ranch instead of focusing solely on learning the family business; Animal Control brings her Argus, a mistreated horse that she can't turn away even though she's not ready for another horse; and her boyfriend, Eric Bennett, a world famous polo player, becomes possessive and authoritarian. Despite her best efforts to disguise it, Hannah grows wary of him.
Then, Leonardo Fernandes struts onto the polo scene. A cocky rookie with a messy life of his own, he’s drawn to Hannah and isn’t afraid of showing it, even when Eric makes it clear she is his and he’ll do whatever it takes to keep it that way. Hannah suffers for Eric’s jealousy. The abuse only gets worse when Leo steals the title of best polo player in the world from Eric.
But the title isn’t enough for Leo. He wants Hannah too, and she can’t deny her attraction to him either. Somehow, she must find a way to break free from abusive Eric before he breaks every bone in her body.
Hannah comes from the perfect world. Wealthy and beautiful, she has everything she could ever want in life. She's all but engaged to the perfect man. When her grandmother dies in a tragic housefire, Hannah's life changes in an instant. She's now in charge of running her grandmother's ranch while taking college classes and helping her dad with the family business. Her boyfriend Eric is changing, too, becoming more possessive of her and her activities. He wants her to sell the ranch, quit school, and let him handle her father's business. All she has to do is marry him and take care of the house and their future children. Hannah, however, wants more. She also begins questioning her feelings for Eric and their seemingly-perfect relationship after meeting Leo. But Leo is Eric's competition: The guys are ranked one and two in the world for Polo. Eric doesn't want Leo on his turf--or near Hannah. Will Hannah stay with what her family wants and do what's expected of her, or will she take a chance on something new and see where the journey leads her?
If you like novels centered around a lifestyle involving horses, definitely check this one out. All the guys play polo, and Hannah owns a horse ranch. There's a seriously abused horse named Argus that she works to bring back and rehabilitate, the first horse she's cared about since her own died in the fire that took her grandmother. There's also a lot of romance. And with romance, and especially a love triangle, there's a lot of drama! This book isn't all light-hearted, though, as it also takes a serious look at what goes on behind the scenes of a relationship that turns abusive. I also really liked the fact that the book was entirely from Hannah's POV and didn't flip flop, so you only know what she does and see her own insecurities!
COVER FLASH:
There is a horse on the cover. A horse, a horse!
...I haven't outgrown my Saddle Club/Thoroughbred days, nosiree. I blame My Little Pony. It apparently did a number on me because HORSES!!!!
If there is a horse on a cover, I am interested. That's enough for me!
Author: Juliana Haygert
Release Date: June 13, 2014
Publisher: Juliana Haygert
Received: For Review
SUMMARY:
College life away from home is perfect until the people she believes to be her friends turn on her. With lies and rumors threatening to suffocate her, Bia turns to her only freedom. Riding.
But one thing gets in the way of her escape. Garrett Blackwell and his bad cowboy attitude. Working at the ranch is his obligation, bugging Bia is his newfound hobby. His thick skin and easy grin don’t hide what Bia already knows—this misunderstood and lonely cowboy fights his own demons. Brushing horses’ coats and mucking out stalls shouldn’t be this sexy, and it isn’t long before he becomes a part of her distraction.
However, escaping won’t solve her problems, and it’s up to Bia to break down the fences around her and prove her strength—not to her family and friends, but to herself … and for Garrett. Because standing on her own doesn’t have to mean standing alone.
** Companion novel of BREAKING THE REINS. Can be read out of order.
BREAKING FENCES follows Bia, Leo's twin sister, as she breaks away from her polo playing fathers and forges her own path in life. Bia is sick of being in the shadow of her brothers and her father, their coach. She doesn't want to be the rich girl with no goal in life except to laze around the farm playing with horses all day. She wants to go to school and be a vet, to help others. So she heads across the USA to college. College isn't all she dreamed it would be, though. A sorority girl's ex is all over Bia, and she's jealous, so she spreads rumors that because Bia is from Brazil, she of course plays fast and loose. So all the boys are now after Bia, and none for the right reasons. Bia retreats into herself, wanting to be left alone, and doesn't let her personality shine, lest others say the rumors are true. She can only be herself at a nearby ranch owned by Jonah, the guy who started his ex Audrey's rumor mill, and his half-brother Garrett. Bia tries to stay away from Jonah, who doesn't care about her as anything other a conquest. But Garrett is just the sort of guy he likes. But does he care for her as anything more than an extra pair of hands capable of helping around the ranch and taming an unruly horse? With all the rumors surrounding her, Bia's afraid to find out.
I actually liked BREAKING FENCES more than BREAKING THE REINS. There's still a lot of drama going on, but a different sort and not with the same level of intensity. I thought Bia was more vulnerable and easier to relate to. I think it's so cool that both books feature Brazilian characters and that Portuguese is used throughout the novels. I wasn't surprised to read the author's acknowledgements and see that she was from Brazil herself. Everything felt very natural, and with Bia, I truly saw the world through her eyes in her new, adopted country. I really liked the diversity of her character and it truly made BREAKING FENCES the breakout of the two books for me!
COVER FLASH:
There is a horse on the cover. A horse, a horse!
...I haven't outgrown my Saddle Club/Thoroughbred days, nosiree. I blame My Little Pony. It apparently did a number on me because HORSES!!!!
If there is a horse on a cover, I am interested. That's enough for me!
...I haven't outgrown my Saddle Club/Thoroughbred days, nosiree. I blame My Little Pony. It apparently did a number on me because HORSES!!!!
If there is a horse on a cover, I am interested. That's enough for me!
~*~
While Juliana Haygert dreams of being Wonder Woman, Buffy, or a blood elf shadow priest, she settles for the less exciting—but equally gratifying—life of a wife, mother, and author. Thousands of miles away from her former home in Brazil, she now resides in Connecticut and spends her days writing about kick-ass heroines and the heroes who drive them crazy.
~*~
C O N T E N T R A T I N G S
Content Ratings: highlight between ( ) for details
Romance: R ( sexual situations )
Language: PG15 ( sexual language, foul language )
Violence: PG15 ( domestic abuse, bullying)
Other: ( racial and sexual slurs in both books due to bullying )
~*~
While Juliana Haygert dreams of being Wonder Woman, Buffy, or a blood elf shadow priest, she settles for the less exciting—but equally gratifying—life of a wife, mother, and author. Thousands of miles away from her former home in Brazil, she now resides in Connecticut and spends her days writing about kick-ass heroines and the heroes who drive them crazy.
~*~
****Giveaway*****
Enter to win...
--Signed copy of BREAKING THE REINS (US only)
--2x eBook copy of BREAKING THE REINS (INT)
--2x 10$ Kindle/Nook gift card (INT)
--Signed copy of BREAKING THE REINS (US only)
--2x eBook copy of BREAKING THE REINS (INT)
--2x 10$ Kindle/Nook gift card (INT)
Great reviews, Bonnie! I only read one book that had to do with horses and I really liked it. I love that they seem to kind of become characters themselves. I especially like how character driven this whole series sounds, too! Glad you liked it! :)
ReplyDeleteI was in love with Saddle Club and Thoroughbred when I was a kid, and I still flip through some of my favorite books for fun every now and then. The only non children's horse book that I've read is The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (horses and monsters, it doesn't get much better than that!), but I've been wanting to find others as well. I'll have to check these books out.
ReplyDeleteBetween Bookends
Thanks for participating of my blog tour :)
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