WhiskeyintheJar Romance

"Anyone who could manage impropriety beside a colicky pony is more determined than I am." 

He grinned. "Well put. This is hardly a spot for seduction."

Now, why had he said that? Because once he said that word, her thoughts took wing. Where could one pursue a seduction, if one were perfect and unmarred and blithe? Ought it to be in a bed draped with silks? On the velvet squabs of a bespoke carriage? Would there be perfume and rose petals?

Curled against Rosalind, Sheltie took another drink, then let out a low animal sigh--- and shuddering burst of flatulence.

Such was always the the fate of rose-petal dreams, was it not? 

Each time I read a book by this author I rate it a little higher than the last. I would call this a babbling brook read, the pace is slower and the tone is pretty gentle. I've seen others have complaints about too much "horse-y" things but I know absolutely nothing about horse racing and never felt overwhelmed (I do still harbor a little girl desire for a pony, so maybe that was helpful). I felt this was a book you sink into and the not overly intrusive, to me anyway, horse details added to the characters' world and thus to the atmosphere of the story. 

I will say thinking back on the story as a whole, I think I liked the tone I felt while reading it more than the actual storylines. I don't know if that makes sense, lol. Most of the storylines, Rosalind being a spy for her "Aunt Anne" and the mystery behind that and why Nathaniel's father was targeted, are suddenly ignored for most of the middle of the book. The Aunt Anne spy thread comes back at the end but the explanation (maybe some continuing story here?) was pretty lacking and felt like a big disjointed piece of the books puzzle. 

The best part of this book was our hero and heroine's relationship and their slow growth. I rarely say this, as I'm a perv, but their first sex scenes felt forced in and I would have rather done without or had an ending one. Their relationship forms from friendship and had a wonderful gentleness to it that felt rushed into unnecessary salaciousness to check a box on a list of things needed in a romance story. They felt more like an after marriage kind of couple.

I feel a little all over with this review but the relationship between the leads makes this a recommended read, especially if you like cute, charming, and good-natured heroes. I'll definitely be on the lookout for the next in the series.