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Aspen Valley #4
Making the Running
***WARNING*** Some characters in this novel use colourful language and engage in activities of a sexual nature which some readers might find offensive.
On the surface of things, life for stable lass, Kate Creswell, looks rosy. Wealthy boyfriend, Nicholas, is a text-book example of the perfect partner, and her ambition to lead up at Cheltenham Festival is set to come true with her favourite horse, d'Artagnan.
But dig a little deeper and thing aren’t quite so blissful. There’s the small task of keeping her mother's alcoholism a secret from Nicholas's well-to-do family. What about Nicholas’s dislike of d’Artagnan’s jockey, Ben de Jager? Could there be something more sinister to Ben's ability to be a good loser, and could their Gold Cup bid be in jeopardy?
A lot of things can change between flag fall and finish line. Nothing is a certainty. Not in life, not in racing, and not in love.
PRAISE FOR HANNAH HOOTON
"Blessed with a ready wit and astute comedy timing... reminiscent of a Tom Sharpe novel but funnier. An engaging romance and a joy to read." Racing Post
"A pleasure to turn the pages of this relaxing yet intriguing novel. This book's a winner!" Equestrian Trade News
"A female leading lady, horse racing, intrigue, and even a bit of romance! What more could a girl ask for?" Racing4Girls
"A well-crafted and engaging story that will take you on a roller coaster of emotions." A Drop of Romeo
On the surface of things, life for stable lass, Kate Creswell, looks rosy. Wealthy boyfriend, Nicholas, is a text-book example of the perfect partner, and her ambition to lead up at Cheltenham Festival is set to come true with her favourite horse, d'Artagnan.
But dig a little deeper and thing aren’t quite so blissful. There’s the small task of keeping her mother's alcoholism a secret from Nicholas's well-to-do family. What about Nicholas’s dislike of d’Artagnan’s jockey, Ben de Jager? Could there be something more sinister to Ben's ability to be a good loser, and could their Gold Cup bid be in jeopardy?
A lot of things can change between flag fall and finish line. Nothing is a certainty. Not in life, not in racing, and not in love.
PRAISE FOR HANNAH HOOTON
"Blessed with a ready wit and astute comedy timing... reminiscent of a Tom Sharpe novel but funnier. An engaging romance and a joy to read." Racing Post
"A pleasure to turn the pages of this relaxing yet intriguing novel. This book's a winner!" Equestrian Trade News
"A female leading lady, horse racing, intrigue, and even a bit of romance! What more could a girl ask for?" Racing4Girls
"A well-crafted and engaging story that will take you on a roller coaster of emotions." A Drop of Romeo
- GenresRomance
318 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 18, 2015
23 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
About the author
Hannah Hooton
24 books23 followersHannah Hooton burst onto the contemporary romance scene with the release of her debut novel, At Long Odds, in January 2012. This was followed by the multi-award winning, bestselling Aspen Valley series, so far consisting of the first three instalments, Keeping the Peace, Giving Chase, and Share and Share Alike.
The inspiration for these novels came while combining her wanderlust with her love of horse racing when travelling around Australia working from one racing stable to the next as a strapper (not to be confused with stripper).
She has now settled in East Anglia, UK, having recently completed a BA Honours degree in Writing and Film Studies.
Hannah's passion and mild obsession with horses has forced her to plan her own life around the racing calendar. Her family are well aware not to expect an appearance from her at functions during the likes of Royal Ascot and Cheltenham Festival weeks. Writing racing romances allows her to further research her passion and she is privileged to have made some firm friends in so doing.
Hannah is currently working on her fifth novel and the fourth in the Aspen Valley series.
The inspiration for these novels came while combining her wanderlust with her love of horse racing when travelling around Australia working from one racing stable to the next as a strapper (not to be confused with stripper).
She has now settled in East Anglia, UK, having recently completed a BA Honours degree in Writing and Film Studies.
Hannah's passion and mild obsession with horses has forced her to plan her own life around the racing calendar. Her family are well aware not to expect an appearance from her at functions during the likes of Royal Ascot and Cheltenham Festival weeks. Writing racing romances allows her to further research her passion and she is privileged to have made some firm friends in so doing.
Hannah is currently working on her fifth novel and the fourth in the Aspen Valley series.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 24, 2016
The book follows Kate, a worker at Aspen Valley. She ends up meeting brothers, Ben and Nicholas, who own some of the horses she cares for. I saw Making the Running as a toss-up as to who Kate really liked. It was hard to really know. While she was dating Nicholas, she seemed to be falling for the charms of Ben as well. I didn't really know what was going to happen.
I feel badly for Kate. While she loves her job, she has a really hard family life. Her mother is an alcoholic and her younger brother is getting into trouble at school. Her sister also works at Aspen Valley as the secretary and she has something up her sleeve that could potentially hurt both hers and Katie’s jobs. So throughout this book it’s hard not to feel for her and all she has on her plate. Along with that her love life between Ben and Nicholas has her confused and hurting more than feeling loved.
Kate's story is a sad one but, through all the pain she suffers, I have to admire her love and dedication to the horses. She wants so much for them and you can feel the love she has for them just from reading the story.
I loved this book, it was wonderful. It's a little more sorrowful and personal and that made it hard to put down. I can't wait to read the next one in the series....Stormi
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I feel badly for Kate. While she loves her job, she has a really hard family life. Her mother is an alcoholic and her younger brother is getting into trouble at school. Her sister also works at Aspen Valley as the secretary and she has something up her sleeve that could potentially hurt both hers and Katie’s jobs. So throughout this book it’s hard not to feel for her and all she has on her plate. Along with that her love life between Ben and Nicholas has her confused and hurting more than feeling loved.
Kate's story is a sad one but, through all the pain she suffers, I have to admire her love and dedication to the horses. She wants so much for them and you can feel the love she has for them just from reading the story.
I loved this book, it was wonderful. It's a little more sorrowful and personal and that made it hard to put down. I can't wait to read the next one in the series....Stormi
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June 5, 2016
Making the Running by Hannah Hooton is another great book of horse racing, from the Aspen Valley Series, by this wonderful author. This one focuses on Kate, a stable lass at Aspen Valley, and her, recently, complicated love life with two half-brothers, Nicholas and Ben. Kate has never really felt pretty or beautiful when she is standing or sitting next to her younger sister, Saskia, who she practically raised by herself because her mom was not really there and her dad was never around.
Kate’s life is pretty much complicated all the way around, between her complicated home life and dealing with two half-brothers’ that she might be in love with, but isn't sure which. Kate has tried to keep her personal life away from her work life and it has been going very well for her. Although working with her sister is extremely trying at times..
She has mostly been keeping the secret of her mom’s alcoholism to herself, along with trying to keep her youngest brother in school and whatnot. Mostly she didn’t want Nicholas and his parents to dislike her or her family just because of her mom’s drinking problem. Kate tried to fit herself into Nicholas’ life while disliking what he was doing to d’Artagnan, the horse she takes care of, so that The Whistler could win.
Ben, d’Artagnan’s jockey and half-brother to Nicholas, didn’t like what was going on with the horse either but that is what he does for his dad. Ben thought he liked Saskia at first, which is why Kate went after Nicholas, but after a while he realized around the same time as Kate that he liked her and she liked him. Kate and Ben have been on a rollercoaster of feelings since they first met to the very ending of the book.
Making the Running by Hannah Hooton is such a good book that I’m giving it a five butterflies rating because it is that good.
Overall I would recommend reading Making the Running by Hannah Hooton to everyone (at least adults to read it, it is a little much for the young adults).
Anyways until the next time enjoy this book review brought to you by
Baroness’ Book Trove.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE AUTHOR ASKED ME TO READ AND GIVE AN HONEST REVIEW FOR THIS BOOK!
To read more reviews like this one please go to my blog site: baronessbooktrove.com
Kate’s life is pretty much complicated all the way around, between her complicated home life and dealing with two half-brothers’ that she might be in love with, but isn't sure which. Kate has tried to keep her personal life away from her work life and it has been going very well for her. Although working with her sister is extremely trying at times..
She has mostly been keeping the secret of her mom’s alcoholism to herself, along with trying to keep her youngest brother in school and whatnot. Mostly she didn’t want Nicholas and his parents to dislike her or her family just because of her mom’s drinking problem. Kate tried to fit herself into Nicholas’ life while disliking what he was doing to d’Artagnan, the horse she takes care of, so that The Whistler could win.
Ben, d’Artagnan’s jockey and half-brother to Nicholas, didn’t like what was going on with the horse either but that is what he does for his dad. Ben thought he liked Saskia at first, which is why Kate went after Nicholas, but after a while he realized around the same time as Kate that he liked her and she liked him. Kate and Ben have been on a rollercoaster of feelings since they first met to the very ending of the book.
Making the Running by Hannah Hooton is such a good book that I’m giving it a five butterflies rating because it is that good.
Overall I would recommend reading Making the Running by Hannah Hooton to everyone (at least adults to read it, it is a little much for the young adults).
Anyways until the next time enjoy this book review brought to you by
Baroness’ Book Trove.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE AUTHOR ASKED ME TO READ AND GIVE AN HONEST REVIEW FOR THIS BOOK!
To read more reviews like this one please go to my blog site: baronessbooktrove.com
May 31, 2017
I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review
This story was a bit hard for me to read because it hit so close to home on certain topics. I could empathize with heroine a lot, and wished many times that her life could have been better. However, I didn’t necessarily agree with how she handled the situations, mainly the love triangle. I don’t do love triangle mainly because I think they are ridiculous. I am not saying that someone can’t be interested in more than one person. I firmly believe in polyamory and that people practice it. However, I feel that if you are monogamous and you develop feelings for someone else/question your current relationship, you shouldn’t be in said relationship.
You can disagree with but that is my opinion and you don’t have to agree with it.
What I have noticed about each story in these series is that they all have different feels to them. The only thing that remains the same is the horse aspect (location) and certain characters. Other than that, they each approach a romance story from different situations and genres. This one is more emotional than the rest.
❧ Arec
Rainy Thursdays
This story was a bit hard for me to read because it hit so close to home on certain topics. I could empathize with heroine a lot, and wished many times that her life could have been better. However, I didn’t necessarily agree with how she handled the situations, mainly the love triangle. I don’t do love triangle mainly because I think they are ridiculous. I am not saying that someone can’t be interested in more than one person. I firmly believe in polyamory and that people practice it. However, I feel that if you are monogamous and you develop feelings for someone else/question your current relationship, you shouldn’t be in said relationship.
You can disagree with but that is my opinion and you don’t have to agree with it.
What I have noticed about each story in these series is that they all have different feels to them. The only thing that remains the same is the horse aspect (location) and certain characters. Other than that, they each approach a romance story from different situations and genres. This one is more emotional than the rest.
❧ Arec
Rainy Thursdays
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March 17, 2015Enjoyable but not as good as her previous novels.
I can't quite say why that is - but the characters didn't charm me as much.
I can't quite say why that is - but the characters didn't charm me as much.
May 17, 2016
Excellent!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews