Monday, February 2, 2015

Share and Share Alike: Book Review


I feel really bad because I was asked to review this book Share and Share Alike by Hannah Hooton (author website) a long time ago and I only just recently finished reading it.  This book is the third in the Aspen Valley series.  I have not read the first two books, but I'm fairly certain they are stand alone, so it's okay.

Here is the author's description of the book:

Tessa thought buying a share in the dysfunctional Ta' Qali Racehorse Syndicate would be the perfect distraction from a life best forgotten. Some are willing to distract her with words of woo, while others are able to distract her with just a nonchalant look.

But neither Hugh's flirtations nor Sin's disregard are diversion enough when their horse, Ta’ Qali, is found deliberately injured. Someone close is responsible and Tessa finds herself questioning the innocence of everyone around her.

With his nobbler still at large, the race is on to get Ta’ Qali fit for the Punchestown Champion Hurdle where Tessa hopes he will prove himself the champion she’s always believed him to be. But he isn’t the only one up against the clock. Love is threatening to leave without her; and win, lose or draw, Tessa’s in for the ride of her life...

I have never done a book review before, so I hope this is satisfactory.  The one thing I can promise is that I'll be completely honest.

I started reading this book back in July of 2014 when I was first asked to review it.  At the time I was reading two other mystery series, one base in Britain but set back in the eighties and one in America that I think was also in the eighties.  So when I started reading Share & Share Alike I was completely thrown for a loop when things like Facebook and Twitter were mentioned.  I had been reading books with no technology in them for so long, that it really just pulled me out of the story.  This is no fault of the author at all, it was just bad timing.  So I put the book down and finished my series I was already reading.

When 2015 rolled around and I decided to do the 2015 Reading Challenge one of the books I had to read is something I started, but never finished.  I thought this book would be perfect!!  So I started reading it and this time the setting didn't bother me at all because I had been reading more current stuff.  It's still kind of weird to read books that mention current social media though because I've always read older stuff.  I guess it's time to broaden my horizons!!

The first time I started reading this book I really felt like the main character was extremely immature.  She didn't act her age at all and seemed obsessed with checking out men.  It's been a while since I've read a romance book too so that's probably just me again lol.

The second time I read it and finished it I actually really enjoyed it.  I knew what to expect and although it started a little slow, once I got to the mystery part of it I could barely put it down!  In the end I really liked the main character.  She did a lot of growing in the story, recognized her flaws and learned from her mistakes.  I love a story with real character growth in it.

I don't know that I would consider this one of my favorite books, but it was definitely interesting and entertaining.  For a quick, relaxing read I would recommend it.  :)  I really enjoyed the setting with the syndicate and the jump racing.  I had just gotten through reading all of the Dick Francis books so
it was really cool to read another book about steeplechasing and hurdle racing.

Anyway, like I mentioned, I've never done a book review before, so I hope this isn't horrible.  I hope I'm not being too harsh either.  I really did enjoy the book the second time around.  If you would like to purchase the book you can visit the author website at the link above or click below to buy it from Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Share-Alike-Racing-Romance-Valley-ebook/dp/B00LEL48YI
Barnes and Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/share-and-share-alike-hannah-hooton/1119886793?ean=9781501415746&itm=1&usri=9781501415746

2 comments:

  1. You are like me in that you read multiple books at the same time. Wouldn't it be awesome if people actually had the time to read one whole book in one sitting?

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    1. Hehe I actually just finished reading a book in one sitting for my 2015 Reading Challenge LOL!! It had less than 200 pages though so it was easy. :D My problem now is making myself stop reading the rest of the series instead of working on the challenge list. It's a mystery series from the fifties I think about a little girl named Trixie Beldon that my mom told me about. It's meant for teen girls, but I LOVE them!! Books written back then were so much more interesting and the language isn't dumbed down like it is these days. :)

      Oh and I have a really hard time reading multiple books at the same time. I used to absolutely hate it, but recently I've started doing it because I didn't have a choice and it's actually really cool. I'm finding I have to remember things more so that I can switch back and forth without getting lost so it's good for improving my brain power hehe. It makes the reading challenge even more challenging and fun!! :D

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