God Almighty, I want to throw up. So this was my first experience with romance, and I am not impressed.
Brian was just insufferable. What a misogynistic ass! He was arrogant, pompous, full of himself. So many negative qualities. Everything I would hate in a man. And on top of that, he continually viewed Keeley as an object to be won, not a human being. Not to mention he's creepy! If you think about it, if a guy acted like this in real life, he is not the kind of person I would want to be alone with lest I disappear and show up five months later chopped up in a ditch. This is not romantic, people! And Keeley... Lord, bless her heart. She started off alright. I liked her at first. She stood up for herself and carried herself with dignity. But the farther she got into this "relationship," the more intolerable she became until we get to the end, and she's nothing more than a naive and silly little girl.
And while we're talking about the "relationship," I don't buy it at all! If two people acted like this in real life, the relationship would be doomed from the start. Brian would have never fallen in love. Keeley would be viewed as clingy. She'd be more into him than him into her, and it just wouldn't work. And since romance is the lion's share of the book, I don't buy the bulk of it. Just everything about this couple made me want to gag because it's just so...... fake.
However, I liked the plot. I liked the horses and the racing and the riding academy. I really enjoyed those parts of the book. Honestly, more than anything, the romance in this story just seemed forced and over-the-top ridiculous. It kinda ruined the real story, which is a bizarre reaction, I understand, since this is a romance novel. Romance should be the real story, but for me, it's like Nora tried to force a hot and steamy relationship when one didn't really want to exist.
But as much as I hated this couple and everything about them (I actually didn't really like any character to be frank), I'm not completely turned off to romance just yet. Maybe this Nora is just a dud. Maybe I just need to find another author. I'm willing to give the genre another chance, but for now, I'm not impressed.