Ambition

Eventing #1

by Natalie Keller Reinert

Jules Thornton didn’t come to Ocala to make friends. She came to make a name for herself. Young, determined, and tough as nails, she’s been swapping stable-work for saddle-time since she was a little kid - and it hasn’t always been a fun ride. Forever the struggling rider in a sport for the wealthy, all Jules has on her side is talent and ambition. She’s certain all she needs to succeed are good horses, but will the eventing world agree?

On her own at last, Jules is positive she’s poised to become eventing’s newest star, but soon finds she’s making more enemies than friends in the close-knit equestrian community. Little mistakes cost big -- her students are losing faith in her; her owners are starting to pull their horses. And then there’s the small matter of Peter Morrison, the handsome, on-the-rise event rider who keeps showing up when she least expects him.

Jules is convinced that all she needs is good horses -- not friends, not romance, not anyone’s nose in her business. But it’s just the beginning of the long, hot, Ocala summer, and as Jules tumbles through the highs and lows of a life with horses, she might find she’ll need help after all to weather the coming storm.

Genres: Horses, Romance, Fiction, Animals, Contemporary, Young Adult, Audiobook

368 pages, Paperback

First published May 18, 2014

About the author

Natalie Keller Reinert is the award-winning author of more than twenty books, including the Eventing series and Briar Hill Farm series. Drawing on her professional experience in three-day eventing, working with Thoroughbred racehorses and mounted patrol horses, therapeutic riding, and many other equine pursuits, Natalie brings her love of equestrian life into each of her titles. She also cohosts the award-winning equestrian humor podcast Adulting With Horses.

Natalie lives in north Florida with her family, horses, and cat.

Reviews

[J. L. Linn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am avid reader and read everything from horse books to young adult books to training manuals. There isn’t much I won’t give a try, but when adult horse fiction gets into my hands, I’m pretty ecstatic. Natalie Keller Reinert recently released her newest novel called Ambition, and once I found out it was about eventing I was even more intrigued! If you haven’t read anything by Natalie yet, it is time!

Ambition is about a young woman, Jules Thornton, who has spent her life as a working student and trying everything she can to make it to the top. Growing up, that meant riding any horse that came through her barn and cleaning up after the more privileged girls she went to school with. Instead of attending college, she broke out on her own, bought an old farm in Ocala, and began her training business. She had rescued an off the track Thoroughbred from an auction who slowly became her eventing star but didn’t quite have what it took to make it to the Advanced level in eventing. Would she push him too far?

The story follows Jules’ experiences as she slaves trying to reach the top in the eventing world as both a rider and a new trainer. She is extremely ambitious and the underlying theme throughout the whole book is “will it get the best of her?” I completely identified with her character, and Natalie has written this character in such a way that you feel for her, get irritated with her, want to shake her, and want to jump up and down when she achieves something. There is a love interest in this story that might make you want to swoon, but I don’t want to give anything away here (read the book)! You will have clear feelings about the other key characters (ie Becky-don’t care for her, Lacey-like her, Eileen-I know this type of owner). I was also completely sold on the story with the Thoroughbreds playing a key role. They are such special beings, and Natalie has a gift in portraying them and their wonderful little quirks. You will feel as though you know the horses as well as the humans in this book!

This is definitely a must read for equestrians. It’s a fabulous work of horse fiction that could easily translate to real life, and I am really hoping there is a sequel in the future. I would love to continue Jule’s story and see where life takes her and the horses next.

[Zoe Lipman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my god, FINALLY! A book about horses where it is obvious that the author has been around horses and ridden them and knows all about the sport (eventing) and its nuances! This may sound like I'm praising the bare minimum, but I have only ever once before read a book where it was clear that the author knew what they were talking about when it came to horses. This is truly amazing!

This was so much fun and I really got to enjoy it because of all the accurate horse information.

I was also so happy to see that this was about eventing. I love eventing! I think that every rider, no matter their discipline, needs to train some dressage and cross country (it is so much fun and so good for you and your skills). I loved that we got to see detailed moments of the main character training and competing in each of the three categories of eventing. And I especially loved that we got to see her doing regular chores around the barn. This felt like such a real and relatable portrayal of being an equestrian/horse person, especially a competing one that has big goals.

This was also a super quick read for me and I attribute that to me being so happy about the accuracy that I just had to keep reading. I probably finished this is less than three hours, probably more like two.

I'd recommend this to all the horse girlies! This reminded me of the grown up and eventing version of The A Circuit series (by Georgina Bloomberg), so if you've been looking for another book series like that, I would HIGHLY recommend this to you. And yes, this is a series. And yes, I will be reading the next books.

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

[Erika · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am astonished that this book has the average rating that it does. I suppose that if you are aged 12-20, the reading experience is different. The purported heroine, Jules, is emotionally constipated and completely paralyzed by indecision (but not in a compelling way like Hamlet). She is completely self absorbed and unable to see beyond her own, extremely limited experience. But the reason I really disliked her was that her entire focus is on winning and not on her relationship with her horses. I am a rider and a dressage competitor, and I like horsey books. In fact, I love Jilly Cooper. This book did not focus enough on the interesting parts of riding and competing and drags the reader through page after page of shallow, adolescent feelings, petty jealousies, infantile failures to communicate and completely unbelievable and unlikely human relationships. In real life, Peter would have run the other way...and he and his quirking eyebrow would have been much happier for it. (By the way, that eyebrow quirked so much, I started to wonder if he had a tic disorder.)

[Brittney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I 100% understand why Reinert titled this book "Ambition." I couldn't think of a better word to describe the main character, Jules, who is a broke, insanely-hard-working horse trainer trying to make her mark on the eventing industry. Jules drinks Diet Coke like a fiend, has a working student that doesn't respect her, rides through lightning storms so she can get all her horses worked, and vows to never date a horse trainer because she's certain he'd just tell her how to ride her horses. Yet she's making it work. Well, kind of. Jules is hard-headed and set in her ways and sometimes I wanted to give her a little shake to let her know she was being an idiot, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching her story unfold (along with her antics). Actually, I loved watching her story unfold -- the good, the bad, and the ugly were highly entertaining.

Something that really surprised me about Ambition -- a major plot twist involves a hurricane and this was probably my favorite part of the story. Growing up in the Midwest and now living in the Northwest, I've never experienced a hurricane and, after reading Ambition, I hope I never have to. I cannot imagine the horrors of a hurricane as a horse owner, but Natalie does an amazing job of describing the preparations, the fears, the destruction, and the emotional rollercoaster before, during, and after the storm. I was choked up over and over, fearing for the characters (human & animal).

Furthermore, I thoroughly enjoyed the I-don't-want-to-like-him-but-I-really-do-like-him relationship between Jules and Peter and was delighted to have this weaved in as a major story line in the second half of the book. I was rooting for Peter all along. :)

By the end of the book, the stubborn Jules completely warmed my heart. She learned her lesson -- but you'll have to read the book to find out what that lesson is.

Looking forward to reading more of Natalie Keller Reinert’s books!

For more equestrian-fiction reviews, check out Brittney Joy's Blog at:
http://brittneyjoybooks.squarespace.c...

[Marilyn (not getting notifications) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ambition: A Novel by Natalie Keller Reinert was the first book in The Eventing Series. I was originally drawn to this book because of its attractive cover. Horses have never been a passion of mine but Ambition piqued my curiosity. It took place in Ocala, Florida which according to this book is considered “horse country “. I have never been to that part of Florida, nor knew anyone that was intent on training and riding horses for competition and shows. It seemed like a difficult yet rewarding experience. Ambition explored the paths, lives and challenges of two horse farm owners, Jules (Juliet) Thornton and Peter Morrison. Although from two completely different walks of life, they had more in common than they realized. Their love for horses, a devastating hurricane and an undeniable magnetism to each other was too much for them to resist. Ambition was the perfect driving force that described the journey both Jules and Peter were following. Will Jules allow herself to listen to her heart or will her mind, ambition and dreams interfere? If you have a love for horses or even if you don’t, I recommend Ambition by Natalie Keller Reinert highly.

I listened to the audiobook of Ambition that was narrated extremely well by one of my favorite narrators, Barrie Kreinik. She did a fabulous job narrating this audiobook. Thank you to Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to the audiobook of Ambition by Natalie Keller Reinert through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

[Stephanie Pereboom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read for horse lovers

This is a great book for the horse lover who grew up, but still loves to read about horses. It’s a great fiction story of a young female trainer trying to make it in the eventing world.

[Karen Vandenbosch · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main character made me crazy, her know it all attitude honestly almost made me stop reading but I hung with it due to the topic and the other characters. I hope the next book in this series makes her a more likable character.

[Brooke · Rating 1 out of 5]

I kept waiting for this book to get better, but it never did.

The man character is miserable. The author took the worst characteristics you could have as a horsewoman and out them all into one character. Honestly, who looks at their horse that they "love" and thinks that the horse isn't good enough? Dynamo deserve a better owner. And who in the world wouldn't call a vet immediately when a horse rips it's forelock off? Or the fact that she tries to push the vet bill for all of the horses off on Mickey's owner and then has the nerve to think about stealing supplements and using tack without permission. Throughout the entire book, she's always complaining about the rich people who are "always looking down on her", but that's exactly what she's doing to them. Jules acts like a pathetic spoiled brat. The whole world isn't out to get you. They're honestly probably not even giving you a second thought. Becky was the most relatable character in this book, even though she was supposed to be the enemy.

I have a horse but I'm in no way an experienced horsewoman. My horse is a Paint, so I was a bit offended by the random and unnecessary attack on Paint horses. I ride English, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with Western riding. From what I've seen in my short time of owning a horse, the people are nice and they want to chat and make friends. They're a bit psycho sometimes, but they generally have good intentions. I'm sure there are people like the main character in real life, but they're not the kind of people that we want around our barn. The main character isn't an "underdog". She's an entitled, hateful, arrogant bitch.

Is Coca-Cola a sponsor? Why does she drink SO MUCH Diet Coke. Maybe she'd be happier if she drank some water instead of constantly drinking poison. Moderation is key.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one grew into a page-turner for me, and I ignored chores and work of my own to find out what would happen. Why? Because I became so engrossed in the characters, both human and equine, that they felt very real to me, and I cared about them. Even Jules, the main character, whose behavior at the beginning of the story is less-than-stellar (and who we occasionally want to strangle)is a compelling character, because we want to see her grow, change, and learn to accept advice, criticism, love, and friendship.

Ms. Reinhert writes with a horsewoman's intimate knowledge of the barnyard, and it is these tiny details of her characters' day (which might perhaps be boring to some) that bring us along for the ride, and allow us to understand what makes them tick. Getting so thoroughly into a character's head and life was a delight to this reader. I not only adored the details, but felt as if each horse was brought to life, too, so that I really knew each one. I fell in love with Dynamo and Mickey also (the two major horses in Jules' life) and really cared about what happened to them.

Reinhert also writes with love, affection, and awe about the landscape of her home state of Florida, and this added to the believability of this novel.

A very good story about a talented, but flawed, young woman and the passion that drives her.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

How to quantify this book? It's like watching a train wreck.... only you can't look away because you KNOW this person. You've worked with them at a barn, they're your trainer, they're your best horsie friend... Jules is what half the horse world is made up of. Scrappy, arrogant, and just enough of a human to make you root like crazy until the very end of the book. The horse stuff is refreshingly spot on. This book exudes hours in the barn, hours cleaning tack, hours riding the young horses. Well done, one of the most solid barn books available to read.

[Rylynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jules is INSUFFERABLE. I kept waiting for her to turn her terrible attitude around but she just kept being the worst. And her “training philosophies” are very questionable, I’d pull any horses in training with her immediately lest they be overworked and whipped unreasonably.

[Meaghan Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Main character drove me nutssss

[Virginia Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review: Natalie Keller Reinert's Ambition
Juliet (Jules) wants most of all to beat the big riders in the dangerous and highly competitive world of eventing. Working herself nearly to death on a shoestring, she's furious to be shut out for a prestigious grant by rich-guy Peter Morrison. Life keeps getting worse as her working student abandons her, a promising horse turns out to be suffering from an apparent psychosis, and a disastrous show experience starts sucking her clients away—and sending them to Morrison. The major chip on Jules's shoulder doesn't help. The stage is set for a battle that doesn't turn out to be quite the one Jules has been training for.
It's with great relief that I can give Ambition three stars and wish I could give it three and a half. I was worried for a while. For the fact is, this book starts at Chapter 13.
I did need a lot of the information in the first 12 chapters: the source of Jules's maniacal drive for success, where she got the money for her farm, what her days were like. Obviously I needed to see the meeting with Peter and to learn about Jules's first disaster, and I needed to meet Mickey (the horse), of course. I didn't at all mind being taken back to some of the atmosphere of an outdoors working life in Central Florida, having ridden and taught riding in Tampa for 23 years. But by Chapter 13, I was skimming the text, muttering, "I know this already!" I was thinking, "When is something going to happen in this book?"
Fortunately, it did. Peter showed back up, Jules went to a show, we found out a little of the challenge she faced in Mickey, and we saw just how ferociously she sabotaged herself. I got caught up in Jules's struggles, even though I kept wanting to give her a body shake and shout, "Girl, get a read on yourself!"
Despite my impatience with her, I found Jules well-drawn, believable. I had a little more trouble with Peter, who comes across as flatter, more of the Good-Looking Guy Who Is Misunderstood requisite in romances than a flesh-and-blood person. I couldn't understand why he kept coming back to someone who treated him so brutally. He wasn't painted as a masochistic type.
The writing is lively, capturing the train wrecks so often characteristic of a life with horses with humor and insight. I know whereof Reinert speaks when she takes us through a horse person's learning curves: For example, like Jules, I somehow internalized the idea that it was my job to place the horse's feet at exactly the right take-off spot. The day the trainer I'd found late in life (too late) said to me, "Your job is to set the tempo, pace, and frame; it's his job to jump the fence" was the beginning of one of the most unsettling psychological leaps I could imagine. As a confirmed control freak, letting the horse make his own decisions? Really? Reinert knows her stuff; all the horse-handling in this book rings true.
I did raise an eyebrow once or twice. Two people taking full care of 13 horses, riding 9 a day? A trainer as far along as Jules not recognizing a bad shoeing job and a sore-footed horse? On the former point I'll have to cede to Reinert; she's been around a lot more than I have and maybe people can manage that schedule. The latter point I attribute to poetic license; it gives Peter a chance to show his stuff. But still. That said, the completion of Jules's character arc was fitting and worked well.
Anybody who has been where Jules and I have both been, watching other people ride while we clean stalls, trying to negotiate personal relations when differing views of what ought to be done with a horse intervene, hanging on to a precarious dream without the basic wherewithal it requires, will have a lot of fun with this book. As will those who dream of being rescued by Peter—not a bad fate.

[adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

sometimes your inner horse girl just needs some silly escapism, okay

[Rezzi Belle Beanz · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm DNFing this one. I made it to page 53, and I just can't handle how negative the FMC is.

She's mean to Dynamo, and somehow doesn't get that that's what Becky's problem seems to be. She's entitled as fuck, which is really annoying. The chip on her shoulder is mentioned but it's too big a chip for me.

The fact that she pushed Dynamo knowing he was so close to heat stroke? That's not someone who loves the animals under their care. She -only- cares about winning.

Dynamo gets hurt during their first event, and she could not care less about it. Becky takes care of him, at least. "It's only a little heat" I'm with Becky, it might be a little heat this time but if you keep treating him like that it could be worse!!

The audacity of her to say she "loves" Dynamo but then starts talking about how she deserves better horses. Ma'am you can't take care of the horse you have, please stfu.

And Pete. In every scene he seems like a nice dude. When she's first riding he smiles and gives her a thumbs up, cheering her on and she just gets pissed because she assumes he's got it made. He's being nice to you wtf is your problem?!?!

His initial interaction was sweet too, talking about their connection with their horses and out of nowhere she's wondering how come he can't take a hint?

You have to communicate things to people to get them to take a hint?!?!

So I came here to read reviews and I'm shocked at how many high ratings this got. If I hadn't gotten confirmation that she continued to be a POS, I would've kept trying.

I thought maybe we'd see some character development and shed become less insufferable, but I guess not. I did flip forward to verify, as well.

[Lauren Noelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two stars because the author did a great job at depicting the realism of owning, riding, showing, etc horses.

However everything else was painstakingly miserable. For how long the book was, how did basically NOTHING happen? And holy hell was Jules the most miserable main character ever. Self centered, insufferable, so far up her own ass it's a wonder she could see the jumps in front of her. I am genuinely shocked this book is rated so high, maybe the horse-girl rose colored glasses have been pulled down because it's so hard to find an adult centered horse book that's realistic? The way Jules gets mad at people for seeing horses THE SAME WAY she does!!! And to claim over and over again that she cares sooo much for Mickey and Dynamo, meanwhile she has no issues sacrificing their wellbeing over and over again. "Horsewoman" my ass, if she were real she would be the epitome of everything wrong with the world of upper level eventing.

[fay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kept going back and forth on this one. Sometimes I enjoyed reading it, and sometimes I didn't. I think I would have liked it more if I were into horses. The main character was also kind of annoying at times, and I felt like everyone was being a bit mean to the horses. Loved that it was set in the Gainesville/Ocala area though, it was fun reading about places I've been.

[Morgan Rachai]

DNFed. Two in one day - life’s too short for books you just aren’t vibing with!

[Angelique Simonsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the biggest surprise all year. Thought it was going to be trashy romance that I usually steer clear of. I really enjoyed reading this. Not sure exactly how or why it grabbed me but I was invested!

[emma hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars 👍

[Katie Chignell · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ Entertaining, author clearly knows horses, but the main character is just not very likeable… She got a little better towards the end but she was kind of annoying me a lot

[Mary Pagones · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I'm not a professional equestrian, I do ride and one of the things I liked best about this book was the fact that the heroine Jules was such a tough broad and not afraid to be unlikable at times. This reflected the reality I've seen in the horse world: to survive you need to have a very tough skin. All too often in horse-themed books, the woman or girl has a very emotional and sentimental attitude towards animals in a way that I never see in real life among professional horsewomen. I also liked the fact that her romantic interest supported her love of horses and she didn't have to give up that part of herself in any way to find love.

I hope this isn't a huge spoiler but there is also a very evocative description of preparing for a major hurricane in the book. This is also something seldom seen in horse books or appreciated by non-horsey people. While storms are awful for all of us, there is always an added dimension of terror for people who have farms, to the point that actually taking care of themselves (versus their animals and property, who have priority) is put on the back burner. I am a survivor of Hurricane Sandy and the description of the preparations and aftermath before major storm is eerily accurate to what I experienced!

[Wagrobanite · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ug, I'm so disappointed with this book. As someone who grew up on Joanne Campbell's Thoroughbred series, I was so stoked when I heard about this series and it was pushed to me as an adult version of that but with Eventing and romance. But no. The romance was absolutely non-existent, and the eventing was there but the treatment of the horses was AWFUL. I don't care, you don't hit animals! And to think the author claims to be a horse person. The main female character was an absolute nightmare and after she repeatedly hit her horses, the only reason I kept reading (and why this book got more than one star) was because I wanted to see if she'd change. That change came WAY too late in the book of this length for my liking. She's not a good person, she needs a massive amount of therapy; she needs training on how to be a boss (your employees ARE NOT YOUR FRIENDS!). Just so disappointed. Will not be reading the rest of the series.

[Linda Shantz · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s so refreshing to read a book tackling the misconception that people with horses are rich. Ambition fills a gaping void in traditional publishing of realistic stories about those intimately involved in horse sport, such a fascinating and unexplored subculture. Time to set aside the stigma that “horse books” are trite and only meant for teenage girls. Horse girls grow to be horsewomen, and they kick butt.

But this is more than a “horse book.” The setting is portrayed with such affectionate detail, it reads like a love letter to Florida. I was rapt throughout the hurricane — those scenes were some of the best writing I have read all year. Bravo.

I received an ARC as a giveaway prize from Flatiron Books.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audio version of this book while driving my daughter cross country for a working student job. This was my first book by this author and we loved it. Immediately started the second book.

[Allison ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I liked it. I loved the writing style. I felt like I was actually in the barn with Jules. I could practically feel the Florida humidity and smell the horses and the hay. There were several moments that had me on the edge of my seat.

Downside: I struggled to relate to Jules. I have always been annoyed by characters who are like “people suck, I prefer animals” because I find them cringe and unnecessarily standoffish. Forging friendships and community would have taken Jules sooooo far in this novel, but she just throws up a middle finger to everyone. I mean really, I wanted to throttle her stubborn arse. OFTEN. She downplays serious things, and then freaks out at the slightest show of affection. But I know that’s the point. She is prideful and ambitious, sometimes to a fault. Also, young and impulsive. I am still thinking we are going to get some great character development. I can handle a flawed female character, and I love to see the layers unfold.

The main issue I had with the book was the character of Pete. He had no personality, and there’s no way he would care about Jules that much without ever really speaking to her. Also, he would not have kept pursuing her after she was rude to him, multiple times. I understand Jules being salty towards the person who she believes shows up and wins prize money although they don’t need it. But his character felt like a plot device more so than an actual character. I would like to see more of Pete’s personality.

The other issue I had was how Jules pushed her horses a bit too far. I don’t know anything about Eventing but there were a couple scenes where Jules would be given advice about her horse, or something she was doing, and instead of taking the advice she would go stiff and fly into a rage. Is your pride really so strong you would let your animal suffer? I brushed past this because I did think she genuinely cared about her horses, but it was difficult to read.

[Abbey Williamson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ read this in a day! a nice amount of horses and romance, kept me going despite the fact that the main character was absolutely infuriating for 99% of the book. hoping that she becomes more likeable as the series goes on 🤷‍♀️

[Amanda Geaney · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 34% - Loads of profanity, characters that take the Lord’s name in vain regularly, and an unsympathetic/unlikeable protagonist.

[Whitney Pake · Rating 2 out of 5]

Main character is insufferable. Vet tells her to check the horse’s feet and then chapters later she lies and says the vet said everything was fine. Also, what intermediate rider doesn’t ensure proper shoeing.

[Alexis Rivera · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy this, but my god is Jules annoying