JUMPED – Colette Auclair
The Aspen Valley Series , Book 2
Pocket Star eBooks
ISBN: 978-1-4767-4581-7
August 2014
Contemporary Romance

Present Day Colorado

Bethany Finelli has come to the beautiful Rocky Mountain area to attend a wedding and also to spend time with her good friends Amanda and Grady Brunswick in their summer home in Aspen Creek. Grady is an action movie superstar, while Amanda is an award winning horse show rider, trainer, and instructor. Beth brought her much loved horse, Brooke, with her for more help from Amanda. Beth has been teaching children to ride, but has lately begun another career in designing clothes for the horse riding world. She's really looking forward to the wedding celebration and the weeks to follow. Her happy frame of mind is given a serious jolt at the reception, however, when she sees sitting at their assigned table none other than her ex-husband.

A lot has changed in the five years since Finn McNabb and Bethany split up after their brief, one-year marriage. He's not just a guy on a construction crew any more; he's now an architect starting his own firm. Unlike Beth, he knew they would meet this weekend. He wonders if there is any chance they could recapture what they once had and let slip away.

In JUMPED, the author returns to the Aspen area with many of the same characters that were in her well–received debut novel, THROWN (December 2013). The story still has horses, though the tale concentrates mostly on the interaction between Finn and Beth. It's a rocky road they travel with scenes ranging from fun to moving with both tension and lively banter. The original attraction still lingers, but there is much hurt that needs to be overcome between them.

Major and minor characters are interesting and likable, and the friendships add to the primary romance. There will be at least one more book in the series. Look for BRANDED to release in December. If you like horses, a tangled relationship, and a series that flows from one book to the next, check out these titles.

Jane Bowers