4 Stars
Loved the ending.
I wanted to read this book because it’s set in North Carolina on the Outer Banks (OBX) and touches on the wild horses located around Corolla. After visiting the area, I am familiar with both the location and the horses. Both were treated accurately. Our two main characters are Aspen Lourde, a writer of one best selling fiction book that was based on her breakup with her boyfriend, and Brick Babel who has returned to the OBX to run a horse tours business he’s inherited from his grandfather. Side characters include Aspen’s sister Sierra who lives on the Outer Banks, and Brick’s best friend Kane who arrives late in the story, along with others who provide interest and color. Aspen is desperately trying to write a follow-up to her first book using the plot of a fake boyfriend, which turns into real feelings and then a break-up.
While the writing is excellent, the middle part of the book dragged for me. It seemed to repeatedly cover the same themes, with Aspen becoming more and more desperate to write the follow up to her first best seller. A plus is that Brick is also given a voice which I find lacking in other books. Knowing more about his history and his thoughts did add to this slow part. Once the plot has moved to the last quarter of the book the story picks up and brought me back into the story, and the ending is excellent.
Both main characters are well developed, maybe Aspen to much so, and the secondary characters detailed enough for the reader to care about them also. Along with a dog, who plays an important part, the parts about the horses ring true to their existence on the Outer Banks. This would have been a 5 Star read for me, except for the middle, which slowed down the story. I like Jennifer Probst’s writing and have already found the next book by her to read. And hopefully, she’ll write more set in the OBX.
I was given and ARC of this book through NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.
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