Sam's Fireside - Cosy Book Reviews & Recommendations

' "I have to get on you", I said. "So, you need to chill the hell out and let me get up." ' I listened to Courage right off the back of Pride. Jules and Pete need to try and make a spare bit of cash, and so for some of this book, the focus is on the pair of them exercising the ‘babies’ — the younger horses with no racetrack experience. It was fun to see a different side of the horsey world, and Jules in particular found herself with a new friend to boot. 🐴 She gets on well with Alex and they settle into an easy camaraderie, bantering off each other and sharing their experiences. 😊 Pete takes a bit of a backseat in this one, and it does seem to be more about Jules and how she can help and support him through all the money crap that’s happening at Briar Hill Farm. I love the honesty in these books. Natalie shows that the majority of people in the eventing world aren’t born into money. They work hard for their career and yep, living in trailers and eating wha...

“You don’t need a map, Jules. You got this. Keep the red flag on the right and the horse between your legs and you’ll be home in no time.” Pride is the second novel I've read (actually, listened to) by Natalie Keller Reinert and, as I said before, I'm addicted. 🐴❤️ It’s taken me so long to get around to this series. I used July’s #LetsEarItAudiobookChallenge for this one, but let’s be honest, the only challenge was actually getting around to listening! 😂 Jules has it tough! She catches a break and everything looks to be all rosy in horsey land, and then wham, it’s all called into question again. But Jules is a tough cookie, and this is what I like about her. She picks herself up and tries to be better, for herself and for her horses. 💪🐎 I enjoyed that, in this one, Jules went back to basics, working for another trainer for a few months and realising that actually, she might not know as much as she thinks she does — and that she can still be taught. It’s incredibly humbling ...

“Fine is a woman’s equivalent to a land mine because you have absolutely no idea when or where that shit will explode.” Throttled was the third choice for the July read for #thatbonkersbookclub and, unfortunately, my least favourite. Mainly because the author repeatedly uses ‘prix’ as a standalone term. It isn’t correct, it doesn’t make sense and I’ve never heard anyone in the history of F1 use it that way! Let me give you an example: “Pole position will always be the most ideal for the whole Prix, and pride fills me that I claimed it.” It’s a small thing, but when you’re reading a book so heavily centred around F1, the terminology really needs to be right. Now I’ve got that off my chest, I can say that the story was good, the characters were great and entertaining, and I did like it. But there were too many inaccuracies, and it really felt like not enough research had gone into the book. If you’re going to write about a sport, don’t just go on what you’ve seen on TV — it’s not going t...

“You are so full of rage for someone so small and cute.” 😂 Icebreaker was the second book choice for #thatbonkersbookclub for July and one I've been meaning to get around to for ages, so this was finally my chance! 📚🏒⛸️ I really enjoyed it — well, apart from Aaron, who is a narcissistic, gaslighting moron! 😤🙄 Honestly, I could have happily skated right over his arm! I loved the banter between Anastasia and Nate's teammates, once she finally realised that actually, yeah, she did like Nate just a little bit! 🥰 They opened their arms and gathered her into their little boy family with such affection, and it was so cute. 🥹💕 Icebreaker definitely focuses more on the figure skating than the hockey, which is a welcome breath of fresh air. Everything I seem to see these days is hockey, hockey, hockey! 🏒🏒🏒 Give me some figure skating! ⛸️✨ The spice — I can either take it or leave it, to be honest, but it will never not make me read a book! 😂🌶️ But yeah, it rarely leaves a l...

“There’s only so much oxygen on an airplane. I don’t want his ego to suffocate the rest of us. You know, safety and all that s**t.” #thatbonkersbookclub, for some reason, decided to read three books in July and Mile High was the first one I read. Now, I wouldn't consider myself a sports romance fanatic. I can take them or leave them, to be honest, and so I went into this one with no expectations or particular interest. It just goes to show that book clubs can open your eyes to things you wouldn't normally read! 📚 I enjoyed Mile High and listened to this rather than read it, which probably made it even more fun. The dual narration of the two main characters, Zanders and Stevie, was brilliantly portrayed and even though Zanders is initially an arrogant d**k, there's a reason for that. I guarantee that if you read the book, you'll come to love him, as of course, Stevie does. ❤️ While writing this review, I discovered that the author, Liz Tomforde, used to be a flight att...

 "I didn't trust anything anymore, except for Dynamo." I finally got around to listening to the first book for June's #LetsEarItAudiobookChallenge and I'm addicted! 🎧🐴 I was always a horsey person growing up and, instead of posters of pop stars and actors on my bedroom wall, I had posters of eventers, showjumpers and horses! Yep, I was one of those weird kids! 😂🐎 Ambition  threw me right back to the days when I would spend dawn to dusk at my grandparents' farm with the horses. 🥰 I am now thoroughly invested in Jules and Dynamo, along with the other horses in her stable. As I listened, I could hear every whinny, experience every nicker and imagine that soft, velvety muzzle just nestling on my shoulder. 🐴❤️ I was interested to read about the struggles of eventing life in Florida, how they manage the heat, the sudden changes in weather and the hurricanes. It's such a different scenario to the UK, where we can pretty much ride all year round and at most ...