Legends Lake [Mass Market Paperback]

JoAnn Ross (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 31, 2001

"JoAnn Ross triumphs again!" said "Romantic Times" of Fair Haven. Now the talented author returns to the bewitching Irish countryside in this irresistible tale of love's extraordinary possibilities. Prepare to be spellbound by the magic of

In the exclusive world of horse racing, Alec MacKenna is known as a hardheaded trainer who cares more for an animal's welfare than the financial bottom line. After a public altercation with a callous owner leaves his career on the brink of ruin, Alec's only chance for redemption is Legends Lake, a thoroughbred with Triple Crown potential and a dangerous problem that could end both of their careers. Alec escorts the colt from the bluegrass hills of Kentucky to the emerald pastures of Ireland to meet the woman who bred him, in hopes that she may have the answers that will save them.

Kate O'Sullivan is happy to see her beloved horse come home, even under such disturbing circumstances. In spite of the irascible Yank who came with him, she has the feeling that something in her life is about to change forever. As Alec and Kate work to unravel the mystery of Legends Lake, they discover their shared concern for the troubled racehorse could turn into something extraordinary for each other.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

When horse trainer Alex MacKenna takes on the challenge of preparing Legends Lake, a Thoroughbred as fast as "lightning in a bottle", to race in the Kentucky Derby, he turns to Irish horse breeder Kate O'Sullivan to help him cure the horse's mysterious, dangerous spells of terror on the track. Alex packs up Legends Lake and his troubled teenaged stepdaughter and flies to Ireland. Together, Kate and Alex will work to unravel the mystery of Legends Lake's fears and to help Alex's traumatized stepdaughter while discovering, reluctantly, that they're falling head-over-heels in love with each other. Before Alex can hope for a happy future with Kate, he must first find a way to heal her emotional scars from her first marriage and convince Kate that he has plans for a future with her.

Legends Lake is a lovely blend of contemporary personal issues, Irish magic, and Kentucky horse racing. Ross is equally adept at describing the misty green fields of Ireland and the lush landscape of Kentucky paddocks and pastures, populating the settings with fascinating primary characters and an endearing supporting cast. Ross's fans and new readers alike will be delighted with Kate's story in this spinoff from A Woman's Heart. --Lois Faye Dyer

From Publishers Weekly

When horse-trainer Alec MacKenna rejects the instructions of an influential employer in the interests of an animal's health, his once-thriving business takes a turn for the worse. Then an old friend asks him to train Legends Lake, an awkward but lightning-fast stallion with a tendency to bolt off the racetrack. Alec's stepdaughter Zoe, daughter of his recently deceased ex-wife, is just as wild. In a desperate attempt to heal both horse and teenager, Alec takes Zoe and Legends Lake to Kate O'Sullivan's Irish stud farm, where the horse was bred. Kate is a successful businesswoman and a single mom who, thanks to Ireland's old-fashioned divorce laws, is still legally married to her violent husband. At first, Alec is befuddled by Kate's mix of horse sense, druid magic and feminine vulnerability, but sexual sparks fly between the two. Only Kate's marital status stands in the way. Covering terrain similar to that of Nora Roberts's Irish trilogies, Ross (Far Harbor, Legacy of Lies) spins a warm romance amid a setting loaded with charm. The horse-racing story line seems a bit implausible, but Ross's insight into both romantic attraction and family dynamics is striking.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books (July 31, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671786172
• ISBN-13: 978-0671786175
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #753,966 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I wrote my first story -- a tragic romance about two star-crossed Mallard ducks -- as a second grade writing assignment. The paper earned a gold star. And I kept writing.

I've since written around a hundred novels and have been published in twenty-six countries. Two of my titles have been excerpted in Cosmopolitan magazine and my books have also been published by the Doubleday, Rhapsody, Mystery Guild, and Literary Guild bookclubs. As a New York Times, U.S. Today, and Publishers Weekly bestseller, I'm also a member of the Romance Writers of America's Honor Roll of best-selling authors.

I'm currently writing my Shelter Bay series, set on the magnificent Oregon coast where, when I was eighteen-years-old, my high school sweetheart bought me a bag of taffy, then proposed. The smartest thing I ever did was say yes!

My husband and I live in our beloved Pacific Northwest, with three rescued dogs who pretty much rule the house. (And, in case you're wondering, that taffy store is still there! )

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magic., August 30, 2001

By 

Affaire de Coeur - See all my reviews

This review is from: Legends Lake (Mass Market Paperback)

Magic. It's in the smile of a little girl and under the flying feet of a champion racehorse. It's in the hands of Kate O'Sullivan. And, readers, it's in this book.
Kate O'Sullivan is a practicing Druid, a horse breeder, and a mother of two. She has finally found peace and joy in life after too many years with an abusive drunk of a husband. But she senses change coming, and it blows into her life in the person of Alec MacKenna.
Alec trains horses for a living, but that living is in jeopardy after he left his last job and was blacklisted in the racing community as a result. His last chance is a tall, awkward-looking horse named Legends Lake. This horse can run like the wind, but something is spooking him with dangerous consequences. Alec takes the horse back to Ireland to Legends
Lake's breeder in hopes of getting to the bottom of his bad behavior.
In a memorable first encounter, he meets Kate as she is rescuing a hawthorn tree from a bulldozer. His beliefs change slowly as he watches her bond with the horse--and also with his troubled stepdaughter. At first, he's testy and contentious, but his abrasiveness softens, and he begins to believe in magic. Kate's husband may have left, but he is still her husband. Divorce takes years to
go through in Catholic Ireland. And one day, Kate's husband decides to come
back....
The magic of Ireland is on full display in this marvel of
exquisitely crafted prose. Two wonderful people are able to overcome deeply scarring events in their pasts to be together.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect Beach Book, June 29, 2002

By 

Wendy Kaplan (Houston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Legends Lake (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the type of luscious, non-taxing book you want to eat with a spoon. It is that good. It has everything: A black stallion. A rugged, sexy, troubled but ultra-honorable hunk of a horse-training hero. A beautiful, fey, Irish heroine who may or may not be a witch. A sulky teenaged girl who has to learn a few lessons about life. A vile ogre rapist of an ex-husband.

Are you still with me?

Add in gorgeous descriptions of the Ireland coast, incredibly erotic and tender love scenes, wonderful descriptions of horse racing, a supernatural sea creature, a crumbling castle, a love affair of legendary proportions...and you will forget all your troubles. The only problem I had while reading this divine book was having to stop to refill my iced tea. This is JoAnn Ross at her absolute best, and I thank her. The pleasure was all mine!!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another winner!, August 11, 2001

By 

Mary Beth Mcmanus "marybethmcm" (North Palm Beach, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Legends Lake (Mass Market Paperback)

I have been waiting for Kate's book ever since A WOMAN'S HEART. I am sorry I had to wait so long, but it was worth it.

Once again Ms. Ross takes us to rural Ireland, giving the backdrop of her story a richness and flavor of the Emerald Isle, as well as an acknowledgement that the area is changing, painfully at times, to "join" the modern world.

As is A WOMAN'S HEART and FAIR HAVEN, both set in the same locale, the story is about much more than the relationship between the hero and heroine. Alec and Kate are the center of the story but before they can live happily ever after they have to reconcile their own painful pasts, and help their children do the same. This is a story of becoming a family as much as it is finding new love.

Alec, Kate and the children are all multidimensional and real. By the end of the story, you not only understand the forces that have made them as human as they are, but you better appreciate their love by seeing what has been overcome.

A previous review claimed that the storyline was improbable and unbelievable because a horse can not be healed in the short amount of time the book takes place. In response, I have to say, this a romance that focuses on human relationships, not a treatise on Thoroughbred psychology. The story thread of the stallion healing from his abuse and emotional trauma complements and paces the healing taking place with all of the other characters.

All in all, this was a wonderful book, and well worth the time I took to read it. I can only wish it was longer....