Customer Reviews

The Horsemaster's Daughter (Calhoun Chronicles, Book 2)

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Picked this one up from a big display bec. it had a nice picture on the cover. Then suddenly found myself in the middle of this wonderful story, biting off all myh nails wondering if they would have to put down the horse, if Blue would ever talk again, what the big secret about Eliza was and if HUnter would ever get his priorities straight! Why did I care so much? I was there, I felt everything, I laughed and cried. Definately a great read-I will tell all my friends about this one.

What a wonderful story! But I would have enjoyed it so much more if I was able to fall for Hunter the way Eliza did. I found myself unable to sympathize with an alcoholic. He was lacking in warmth and charisma. Eliza, along with Hunter's children, Blue and Belinda, were strong, enchanting characters who made the story an enjoyable read.

I grew up reading and rereading Marguerite Henry's wonderful stories of wild ponies off the coast of Virginia. When I read Susan Wiggs's THE HORSEMASTER'S DAUGHTER, I was transported there all over again, and in the throes of a wonderful Romance to boot. This book is a TRUE keeper!

I stumbled on Susan Wiggs by accident when I read the Drifter...I wish all accidents were this wonderful...now a couple of years later having read all her books, I still find her a refreshing writer. Writing stories with substance and love. You will be surprised at the "surprise" find in this book. This book contains all the qualities of a good romance; comedy, passion, suspense and style.

When you least expect it, love will find you no matter where you are, even on an island all alone. And even when you think you can love no more, love will slap you right up side the head. This is what happens to the characters in this book. The Horsemaster's Daughter is a book to truly enjoy and keep in your collection.

But before you read this, you must read "The Charm School."

When Hunter Calhoun brings a damaged horse to Elyza Flyte to cure, little does he know she will heal the deep wounds in his soul as well. I think this is Susan Wiggs' best book yet. It is a beautifully written romance, and she does a dance with words which I, frankly, covet.

Eliza Flyte wouldn't know this though. She's barely been around people. All of her life has been spent in seclusion with her reclusive father, a horsemaster renown for his uncanny ability to tame wild horses, who retired from England to Flyte Island to raise his daughter. When he was unexpectedly killed, presumably for his witch-like talent, his daughter, Eliza continued on alone on the island, saddened by her loss but soothed by the memories of her father, which she associates with the island. But her isolation is intruded upon when plantation owner, Hunter Calhoun, arrives on the island in search for her father.

Hunter Calhoun's last hope is the horsemaster, Henry Flyte. The horse he purchased from Ireland, to save his family from financial ruin, arrived in a maddened state and has been deemed a menace. The horse has already killed a mare and maimed a man. But when he hears of Henry Flyte, he decides to give the horse one last chance. When he arrives on Flyte Island only to discover the Horsemaster's daughter, Hunter is fully prepared to kill the horse. But Eliza prevents him from doing so and eventually teaches him what her father taught her: the secret to healing a broken horse.

The Horsemaster's Daughter is a wonderful story about a girl who, unaffected by society's narrow-mindedness, infuses a man with hope even while she frustrates him with her self-confidence. Susan Wiggs has done a terrific job of illustrating how Eliza's power to heal horses can also be used to heal people. As Eliza demonstrates, the key is patience and understanding. Eliza displays these traits in spades when she is forced to leave Flyte Island and travel to Albion with Hunter. Eliza is a simple girl and she doesn't understand the malice of Hunter's society friends who are amazed by her and cruel when it comes to her ignorance of their ways. Even Hunter is at times impatient when it comes to her unsophisticated way of thinking. But Hunter has problems of his own. His children haven't been the same since his wife's death and he is resentful of his father who gave him a life full of high expectations but left him with nothing but a bitter reality. But with Eliza's help, Hunter and his children reconnect and learn to embrace life and love once again.

In 1854 Virginia, Hunter Calhoun wonders why his dreams lay shattered. Only whiskey keeps him from remembering what a failure he is. The former planter turned horse trainer cannot stop his business from sliding towards bankruptcy. When he switched businesses, his wife failed to adjust to a new role and ultimately died. He raises two young children, but his son Blue still suffers from traumas that keep him from speaking. In a last ditch effort to save Albion Plantation, he imported an Irish thoroughbred, Sir Finnegan. However, Hunter believes Finn is evil as he crippled a worker and killed a mare. Ready to kill the steed, a relative talks him into taking the horse to Flyte Island, home of renowned horsemaster Henry Flyte.

When he arrives he learns the famous Flyte, former trainer to Lord Derby, was murdered about a year ago. His daughter Eliza lives by herself on the remote island. A distraught Henry wants to kill Finn, but Eliza persuades him into giving her a chance to tame the stallion. As she works with Finn, she finds herself falling in love with his owner. When they are forced to flee the island, she quickly falls in love with his two children. Even if Hunter loves her, she realizes they can never be a permanent pair.

THE HORSEMASTER'S DAUGHTER is an interesting antebellum romance that will provide much pleasure to sub-genre readers. Though the story line contains one unnecessary subplot, the novel smoothly flows into a cohesive tale as expected from Susan Wiggs. The characters are an intriguing cast who makes the decade before the Civil War feels genuine. Ms. Wiggs has written another winning Americana romance that will leave fans clamoring for Blue's tale next.

As a long time romance reader, it is a breath of fresh air to read a novel like The Horsemaster's Daughter. It had substance laced with the romance. And it was refreshing to see to characters that were far from perfect who learned to compromise in the end. Both Hunter and Elisa are strong characters with secrets. I simply loved it.

I've enjoyed books by Susan Wiggs before (some have even made it onto my keeper shelf), but this one was one that I didn't even finish.

I liked Eliza, the heroine, immensely. Her ability to heal horses and connect with nature was a delight to read. Though she'd lived an extremely sheltered life, she never came across as stupid or immature. She was unique in a very intriguing way. It was easy to see why the hero would fall in love with her.

This wasn't the case with Hunter, the hero. He was quick to leap to conclusions, quick to get put out. At times, he came across as downright petulant. I also found him to be extremely self-centered. He lost his first wife by pretty much not giving a darn about her, and he didn't give a darn about his kids who were left motherless. And they might as well have been fatherless for all the time he spent with them. And he drank. A lot. All the time. I'd even go so far as to say he was an alcoholic, though not a violent one. Maybe this was dealt with later in the book, but I never got that far.

I couldn't really see why Eliza should fall in love with Hunter. I kind of felt that she was only attracted to him because he was the first man to spend lots of time with her since her father's death. As she'd lived pretty much isolated for her whole life, I felt like she only fell for Hunter because he happened to be around, not because of anything real.

Still, the romance was developing at a nice pace when the author suddenly had them start having sex. I felt cheated by this, as it was way too early in the book. They hardly knew each other, which made me feel kind of dirty. I couldn't muster up any desire to finish the book after that. I didn't like Hunter, and not liking the hero (or the heroine) is the kiss of death for a romance novel.

I will continue to read Wiggs' work, as I've enjoyed her books in the past. But I will no longer be shelling out full price for them. I would recommend this as a library read only, not a book you pay money for.

I count some of Susan Wiggs' novels among my favorites, such as "Passing Through Paradise," and, most especially, "The Lightkeeper," but I found myself mildly bored with this one. It began interestingly enough; Hunter, an embittered widower, seeks out a reclusive horsemaster to tame his crazed prize horse. Turns out, the horsemaster is dead, but his daughter, Eliza, claims to possess her father's skill and persuades Hunter to stay while she tames the horse.

Eliza is charming; a sheltered girl alone on a small island with a gift of healing. Hunter is a tortured alcoholic unable to connect with his children after the tragic death of their mother, and struggling to make a formerly successful tobacco farm into a sort of racehorse ranch.

Sparks fly between Hunter and Eliza near the beginning of the book, culminating in their making love on the island, but when Hunter persuades Eliza to return home with him to become governess to his troubled children, the story changes focus towards the children, Eliza, and horses, and Hunter strives, (rather too successfully), to keep Eliza at arm's length, certain of her unsuitability as a wife to him, though he apparently has feelings for her (which I found somewhat difficult to discern). Throughout the book, however, there are several references to his flouting the common convention of post-Civil-War southern plantation life, to the shock of friends and neighbors, so I found myself wondering why he'd give a fig what they would think were he to marry Eliza.

The characters of the two wisened, elderly black women who chose to stay on with Hunter's family, even after he freed all of his father's slaves, were scarcely ever mentioned after the first several pages of the book.

Worth a read, but not my favorite from this talented author.