Leaping Hearts

I loved this book - couldn't put it down and have read it 3 times over the last few years. Highly recommended!

This book was a fantastic escape! Not customarily a romance reader, I dipped my toe in with curiosity -- and then read it all the way through immediately. It grabs you from the beginning and keeps you enchanted. Jessica Bird is a fantastic new author! The writing in this book is of high caliber, and the characters are people you relate to and are rooting for as you whiz through the book. I can't wait for her next one to hit the stands! Courtney Dickinson

When I was in the book store picking up a few books for some summer reads, I noticed Leaping Heart sitting on a book stand as I was passing by to go up to the checkout. Being an avid horse person and horse owner, I backtracked back to the book when I saw the running horse on the cover. I picked up the book, read the back breifly and tossed in with my buys. It turned out to be a good buy. It was about A.J. Sutherland, a young women who buys a black stallion named Sabbath, for a small fortune, intending to train him for the Qualifier, which is a big show jumping event.Her stepbrother, Peter Conrad, who runs the financial records for Sutherland Stables argues with her that it was a bad buy. Everything is ok until she gets back to the stables. AJ learns that Peter is now the owner of the farm and he tells her that he as sold the stallion, and it was a good move for Aj to pay for the stallion with her own money and not out of the stables account. She tells him that he could not sell something the farm doesn't own and leaves her home and stable with Sabbath.Desperate to find a place to live, AJ comes to Devlin McCloud's doorstep. Devlin was a former showjumper who fell victim to a terrible accident which led to the end of his showjumping carrer, and the death of his horse, Mercy. He agree to let AJ and Sabbath stay for one night, but after some thought begins to train them for the Qualifier, and that leads to AJ and Devlin falling in love with each other.I loved the passion that devolped between them. I thought it would be more of a romance story than a horse story. But it had an even amount of horses and romance. It is an awesome romance novel to read. You could almost feel the characters emotions. I enjoyed it alot.If you liked this story, I also recommend Legends Lake by Joann Ross.

At a Virginia horse auction, A.J. Sutherland buys four-year-old thoroughbred Sabbath for thirty thousand dollars though the steed has a nasty reputation and her stepbrother, the family finance expert Peter Conrad, objected. Following her instincts, A.J. pays with her own personal money. When she returns to Sutherland Stables, Peter informs her that he sold the horse. An upset A.J. blithely says he cannot sell what the stable does not own and leaves with her horse though she has no place for Sabbath to stay.A desperate A.J. travels to the nearby home of Devlin McCloud to beg the once golden boy of horse jumping to allow her steed to stay in his stable. Devlin still uses a cane from the injury he suffered last year that led to the euthanasia killing of his beloved horse Mercy. He wants nothing to do with A.J. or Sabbath, but would never allow an animal to suffer because of human stupidity. Soon he finds himself training horse and woman. As A.J. and Devlin fall in love, both fear commitment with a human.Though readers will wonder how the father of A.J. could allow the cruelty of not stabling Sabbath for at least a night, fans will appreciate this warm contemporary romance. The story line is exciting as Devlin and A.J. leap from love even though the dangerous matchmaking skills of the key third character Sabbath pushes them together. LEAPING HEARTS combines a good horse jumping competition with a strong romance into a fine debut by newcomer Jessica Bird.Harriet Klausner

Sabbath was the name of the magnificent stallion that no one could seem to tame. A.J. Sutherland decided she would be the one to do it! She spent a small fortune to purchase him only to find out her family's stables refused to back her up! A.J. was forced to choose between her family and the horse she knew could be a champion. For various reasons, A.J. chose Sabbath. Since the horse was not welcome at the Sutherland Stables, A.J. and Sabbath left. Devlin McCloud was a former champion equestrian. Due to a horrible accident a year ago, he was unable to compete. A.J. managed to convince Devlin to help train Sabbath fro the Qualifier, only two months away. It was to be business only; however, A.J. and Sabbath began knocking down the wall Devlin had built around his heart. ***** This is one truly awesome story! The author has a few sub-plots to keep the readers on the edge of their seats, while managing to give each of the two main characters their own set of problems AND a shaky romance! Well done, Jessica Bird! Highly recommended reading here! *****