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Fortune's Fool by Mary Pagones #2
Quick Bright Things Come to Confusion
"I've always said if you can't pick a stall with one hand while eating a slice of pizza, you're not a real horse person."
Simon has never shied away from hard labor. But being a working student at a German eventing barn has meant more time behind a wheelbarrow with a pitchfork than in the saddle. Simon's desperation to make it in the horse world is tempting him to leave his position altogether and ride for a trainer with questionable ethics...and a very talented horse named Milton. How much will Simon have to sacrifice to get ahead in this business and realize his dreams?
Simon has never shied away from hard labor. But being a working student at a German eventing barn has meant more time behind a wheelbarrow with a pitchfork than in the saddle. Simon's desperation to make it in the horse world is tempting him to leave his position altogether and ride for a trainer with questionable ethics...and a very talented horse named Milton. How much will Simon have to sacrifice to get ahead in this business and realize his dreams?
- GenresHorsesContemporary
323 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 27, 2016
45 people are currently reading
194 people want to read
About the author
Mary Pagones
17 books104 followersAuthor of The Fortune's Fool series
Author of A Study in Scarlet Marquis: Sherlock Holmes and the Trials of Oscar Wilde
Author of Pride, Prejudice, and Personal Statements
Also writes m/m romance under the pen name of Quinn Wilde
Author of A Study in Scarlet Marquis: Sherlock Holmes and the Trials of Oscar Wilde
Author of Pride, Prejudice, and Personal Statements
Also writes m/m romance under the pen name of Quinn Wilde
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 12, 2021
This series reminds me a bit of Daron's Guitar Chronicles: Volume One - a gay young man making his way in a deeply detailed and insular world (in this case eventing, not music) with a somewhat episodic structure, a love interest (or two) that's a side note, not the central focus, and a lot of growing up to do. Given that I binged the 12 or more volumes worth of Daron, it's no surprise finding myself doing the same here.
One difference is that Simon is less clearly a good guy one can always empathize with. He is deeply good to horses, and his fundamental instincts are worthwhile ones. But he's still self-centered, he's careless of other people and their feelings, occasionally even in dishonest ways. He's not above harsh judgements, fat-shaming, or deriding people for not having the same goals and single-minded persistence he does, and his competitive streak is so strong that he can't stand to lose at anything. Yet he has little or no empathy with the folk he beats, when he does win.
His flaws make him very real as a young man of his age and experiences, and the story is fascinating - more believable than some MCs whose goodness and maturity seem unrealistically beyond their years. And yet those flaws held me at just a little reserve, where I wasn't always cheering for him to come out on top. But I did empathize with him when things go really wrong. I do hope that he keeps his head above water and does some maturing along the way (and I wonder if he will ever try to apologize for some of the hurts he deals out) and I am caught up in seeing where his life is going to go.
On to book 3.
One difference is that Simon is less clearly a good guy one can always empathize with. He is deeply good to horses, and his fundamental instincts are worthwhile ones. But he's still self-centered, he's careless of other people and their feelings, occasionally even in dishonest ways. He's not above harsh judgements, fat-shaming, or deriding people for not having the same goals and single-minded persistence he does, and his competitive streak is so strong that he can't stand to lose at anything. Yet he has little or no empathy with the folk he beats, when he does win.
His flaws make him very real as a young man of his age and experiences, and the story is fascinating - more believable than some MCs whose goodness and maturity seem unrealistically beyond their years. And yet those flaws held me at just a little reserve, where I wasn't always cheering for him to come out on top. But I did empathize with him when things go really wrong. I do hope that he keeps his head above water and does some maturing along the way (and I wonder if he will ever try to apologize for some of the hurts he deals out) and I am caught up in seeing where his life is going to go.
On to book 3.
June 7, 2021
CW: slight homophobia, bi-erasure
The second book in the Fortune's Fool series, we follow Simon as he attempts to take on the German eventing world as a working student but is left disappointed by his experience, and his much to be desired mentor. Moving to a new yard, and back home to the US, Simon begins to even Milton but learns that his new boss is tough in more ways than one and his ideas on how to treat problem horses are a lot different to Simon's.
This was a fun horse book, and a real palate cleanser after my last read which was a bit shocking and violent. So to be in a world that is purely driven by the love of horses and the need to win in eventing was fun, fun, fun. I do love Simon's endless determination and his competitive drive and I love that in this series, the reader is thrown into the horse world, nothing held back. You don't read these books if you are a complete novice when it comes to horses, you have to have some idea how things work or you'd be completely lost.
Simon as a character can be a strange one - on one hand, I love his grit and determination, and I love that you see the softer side of him come out with how he treats horses (always carrying treats or sharing his goodies with them) and some of his relationships like with Ben and Max. But he's also incredibly arrogant to the point he can sometimes be insufferable to read - like he really is good at everything without even trying too hard, and he will remind the reader of it constantly - and he is often demeaning when it comes to how he views people who can't commit 100% of their time to horses which is just wrong, and i hated reading that. There's also a point in this book that shocked me a little bit and it's Simon's statement that he didn't believe in bisexuality - the complete bi-erasure is just a huge no no and it was a bit more disappointing as I read this during Pride month and for a Queer Lit Readathon!
There are some parts of this book that go by really fast, and sometimes I wish the story was a bit tighter and didn't span so long so fast. I'm pretty sure this spanned about three years. Sometimes Simon would start somewhere new and the next chapter, it would be nine months later. A lot of things sometimes seem to happen off page as well or there is not a lot of time spent on them such as Max and Simon suddenly completely shacking up when they moved to Freddie's.
There are a few things in this book that I often see in self-published works which personally, I don't enjoy and that's name dropping books and music that exist in the real world. For me, it tends to date the story and honestly I really don't care that Simon loves Brandon Flowers and The Clash so much. I also don't need descriptions of every piece of clothing he wears and if it's somehow connected to the band. You can just say 'band tee'. The same with if he was reading The Scorpio Races (which I admit was fun because it's fantasy horse focused) or Divergent.
While I enjoy Simon's relationships aren't the main focus in the book, they are often let to build up off page as well and it can be jarring to return to them and it to go so deep suddenly - such as Ben and Simon suddenly saying the L-word. I also think that Simon often doesn't deserve the people he is with aka Max. I wish some of the scenes in here to do with lovemaking didn't feel so seedy at times. While they aren't descriptive, there's something secretive and almost shameful of Simon and Ben going to have sex in a part. I'm also hyper-vigilant that this is a gay couple being written by a woman but would like to stress that I don't feel there's any fetishisation going on here as the romances tend to be such a side story, they really are not the focus of the book at all.
I enjoy this world and Simon's journey as an eventing rider. I'm still waiting for the deep horse-rider relationship that we didn't have with Fortune, and again didn't seem to have with Milton. Looking forward to reading the next book!
The second book in the Fortune's Fool series, we follow Simon as he attempts to take on the German eventing world as a working student but is left disappointed by his experience, and his much to be desired mentor. Moving to a new yard, and back home to the US, Simon begins to even Milton but learns that his new boss is tough in more ways than one and his ideas on how to treat problem horses are a lot different to Simon's.
This was a fun horse book, and a real palate cleanser after my last read which was a bit shocking and violent. So to be in a world that is purely driven by the love of horses and the need to win in eventing was fun, fun, fun. I do love Simon's endless determination and his competitive drive and I love that in this series, the reader is thrown into the horse world, nothing held back. You don't read these books if you are a complete novice when it comes to horses, you have to have some idea how things work or you'd be completely lost.
Simon as a character can be a strange one - on one hand, I love his grit and determination, and I love that you see the softer side of him come out with how he treats horses (always carrying treats or sharing his goodies with them) and some of his relationships like with Ben and Max. But he's also incredibly arrogant to the point he can sometimes be insufferable to read - like he really is good at everything without even trying too hard, and he will remind the reader of it constantly - and he is often demeaning when it comes to how he views people who can't commit 100% of their time to horses which is just wrong, and i hated reading that. There's also a point in this book that shocked me a little bit and it's Simon's statement that he didn't believe in bisexuality - the complete bi-erasure is just a huge no no and it was a bit more disappointing as I read this during Pride month and for a Queer Lit Readathon!
There are some parts of this book that go by really fast, and sometimes I wish the story was a bit tighter and didn't span so long so fast. I'm pretty sure this spanned about three years. Sometimes Simon would start somewhere new and the next chapter, it would be nine months later. A lot of things sometimes seem to happen off page as well or there is not a lot of time spent on them such as Max and Simon suddenly completely shacking up when they moved to Freddie's.
There are a few things in this book that I often see in self-published works which personally, I don't enjoy and that's name dropping books and music that exist in the real world. For me, it tends to date the story and honestly I really don't care that Simon loves Brandon Flowers and The Clash so much. I also don't need descriptions of every piece of clothing he wears and if it's somehow connected to the band. You can just say 'band tee'. The same with if he was reading The Scorpio Races (which I admit was fun because it's fantasy horse focused) or Divergent.
While I enjoy Simon's relationships aren't the main focus in the book, they are often let to build up off page as well and it can be jarring to return to them and it to go so deep suddenly - such as Ben and Simon suddenly saying the L-word. I also think that Simon often doesn't deserve the people he is with aka Max. I wish some of the scenes in here to do with lovemaking didn't feel so seedy at times. While they aren't descriptive, there's something secretive and almost shameful of Simon and Ben going to have sex in a part. I'm also hyper-vigilant that this is a gay couple being written by a woman but would like to stress that I don't feel there's any fetishisation going on here as the romances tend to be such a side story, they really are not the focus of the book at all.
I enjoy this world and Simon's journey as an eventing rider. I'm still waiting for the deep horse-rider relationship that we didn't have with Fortune, and again didn't seem to have with Milton. Looking forward to reading the next book!
March 12, 2020
A heartfelt horseback ride
I’ve always loved horses, and reading about Simon’s adventures allows me to feel connected to the horse world. Although I’m what Simon would call a mere civilian, I can live vicariously through his adventures on horseback. As a character, something about Simon deeply resonates with me. He’s not always likeable— but he’s raw and real. I can’t help but root for him. I’m happy I got the chance to know Milton the horse and I can’t wait to see what is in store for Simon’s future. Highly recommended for animal lovers and horse fans!
I’ve always loved horses, and reading about Simon’s adventures allows me to feel connected to the horse world. Although I’m what Simon would call a mere civilian, I can live vicariously through his adventures on horseback. As a character, something about Simon deeply resonates with me. He’s not always likeable— but he’s raw and real. I can’t help but root for him. I’m happy I got the chance to know Milton the horse and I can’t wait to see what is in store for Simon’s future. Highly recommended for animal lovers and horse fans!
November 2, 2017
I have no idea why the photo is sideways, but it's the same on Goodreads and Amazon.
The sequel to Fortune's Fool, it tells the story of Simon, who has accepted a job as a working student at a German eventing barn. Hoping to get more riding time, Simon finds himself spending more time pushing a wheebarrow than riding. Fed up, he quits and returns to America. To make up for lost time, he takes a job with a well-known rider. Simon soon clashes with his boss's ethics, and that, added to the fact that Simon is nearly as good a rider, soon leads to unemployment.
In this second book Simon struggles with the reality of the eventing world, complicated by the fact that his father left him enough money to live on, but not enough to set up his own barn.
All this is complicated by Simon's own personality faults. He's not arrogant exactly, he just knows he's always right. Like many high-achieving people, his focus on one thing make him pretty hard to be around. In spite of his flaws, I wish him well, and on to the third book, hoping he'll find his happy ending.
My blog:
The Interstitial Reader
https://theinterstitialreader.wordpre...
The sequel to Fortune's Fool, it tells the story of Simon, who has accepted a job as a working student at a German eventing barn. Hoping to get more riding time, Simon finds himself spending more time pushing a wheebarrow than riding. Fed up, he quits and returns to America. To make up for lost time, he takes a job with a well-known rider. Simon soon clashes with his boss's ethics, and that, added to the fact that Simon is nearly as good a rider, soon leads to unemployment.
In this second book Simon struggles with the reality of the eventing world, complicated by the fact that his father left him enough money to live on, but not enough to set up his own barn.
All this is complicated by Simon's own personality faults. He's not arrogant exactly, he just knows he's always right. Like many high-achieving people, his focus on one thing make him pretty hard to be around. In spite of his flaws, I wish him well, and on to the third book, hoping he'll find his happy ending.
My blog:
The Interstitial Reader
https://theinterstitialreader.wordpre...
October 18, 2016
Loved this book! I could not put it down. Simon is such a unique, interesting character, I couldn't help but fall in love with him (although I admit in the beginning of Fortune's Fool I wasn't entirely sure I liked him lol). Really good description of the Eventing world and of course I recognized the Denny Emerson in Simon's mentor Daniel - that was lots of fun! I really hope there is a third (and 4th book) on its way.
Simon's journey through his personal life and thoughts on relationships was really well written. The sexuality was also dealt with directly, but with lots of understanding - I found it rather poignant to see things through the eyes of a young gay man. Really glad I tried this book after seeing it recommended by Natalie Reinert.
Oh, and The Killers is one of my all-time favourite bands. I know Hot Fuss off by heart....
Simon's journey through his personal life and thoughts on relationships was really well written. The sexuality was also dealt with directly, but with lots of understanding - I found it rather poignant to see things through the eyes of a young gay man. Really glad I tried this book after seeing it recommended by Natalie Reinert.
Oh, and The Killers is one of my all-time favourite bands. I know Hot Fuss off by heart....
April 17, 2017
Not so simple Simon
The continuing Eventing adventure of Simon and his horses, combined with his journey through life and love make for a good read in the first two books of this series. Nice young adult and older equestrian fiction in the key of real life. I look forward to the next book!
The continuing Eventing adventure of Simon and his horses, combined with his journey through life and love make for a good read in the first two books of this series. Nice young adult and older equestrian fiction in the key of real life. I look forward to the next book!
August 10, 2016
Excellent!! I think I liked it even better than the first - I hope we hear more from Simon!
January 8, 2019
Love these books! [Although I do think Simon should buy Lexi--just a thought]
October 9, 2017
I enjoyed this more than the first book in the series (although both are good). I'm excited to read #3.
January 18, 2019
👍 Great read! Too bad it's not a trilogy, cause it was over too soon for me.
Some sexual content so not a book for pre teen readers, but a good fit for most young adults. Horse !overs will devour it!
Some sexual content so not a book for pre teen readers, but a good fit for most young adults. Horse !overs will devour it!
October 25, 2021
Really enjoying this series, not my usual read but it surprisingly has me totally hooked! I don’t think you need to be ‘horsey’ to read it as I’ve understood the lingo just fine despite never having ridden a horse!
March 18, 2022
The writing is better in this one (or at least less distracting). There are still some issues, like aggressive time jumps. For example, character A asks character B to move with them. Smash-cut to them living together in a house that they found, bought and did up together and character B found a new job to boot. It's quite disorientating.
There's something compelling about these books though, I can't put them down even when I don't like Simon very much .
There's something compelling about these books though, I can't put them down even when I don't like Simon very much .
September 16, 2016
I love Pagones' books. I do. I love their style and their bluntness and their utter lack of shame. Simon isn't afraid of anything (except being ordinary) and neither is Pagones' writing. If there are occasional moments where I wish Simon would stop thinking and start doing, they're not enough to detract from my utter fascination with his brash, hard-headed, full-hearted approach to life. I can't wait to see what he does next.
December 22, 2017
I find these books both entertaining and educational, but I do find myself asking why Simon won’t spend time with his horses in the round pen or do a lot of desensitizing exercises??? Maybe actually improve the horse’s issues rather than just control them? Maybe he does that stuff and the author doesn’t mention it... or maybe I am overthinking this :)
March 27, 2017
Lovely, thoroughly enjoyed
Lovely!!! Read both in three days and thoroughly enjoyed this tale, with an oh so real look inside the world of upper level eventing. Satisfying and tremendously entertaining - and truly educational for wannabe eventers!
Lovely!!! Read both in three days and thoroughly enjoyed this tale, with an oh so real look inside the world of upper level eventing. Satisfying and tremendously entertaining - and truly educational for wannabe eventers!
June 28, 2025
This is an unfortunate grade for this book because I really liked, and zoomed, through the first one "Fortune's Fool". I still am not fond of the main character Simon, I actually find him a bit of a jerk. (bit... more like a lot). I like the horse content within the Mary Pagones books, however there was a large chunk in this book that had no real horse content. Simon is 'finding himself,' whatever that may look like. This book had so many opportunities but it was just flat. Not sure whether I will try Mary Pagones again. 50/50 chance!
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March 11, 2025I don't know how a person who knows nothing about horses and quite frankly would be scared to ride one can enjoy this series, but I am. I also don't know how I can root for a protagonist who is as self-centered and oftentimes a complete jerk as Simon is, but I do. I think it's the strength of the writing; Mary Pagones knows her subject, and the drama behind the scenes is what keeps "civilians" like me interested. On to book #3.
April 19, 2017
I'll be interested to see where Simon goes next...
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews