Maddie McCleery is an intelligent and savvy businesswoman. Having the Thoroughbred business, McCleery Racing, passed down to her, she will do anything to keep it successful as it has been throughout the years. One way for her to accomplish this is to never involve herself with a man who works in the industry. That theory never proved wrong until it was put to the test when Riley Jennings entered the picture.

Riley, a fellow Thoroughbred business owner, has had his sights set on Maddie for some time. He would do anything to have her in his life, but he knows that she vowed never to involve herself with anyone in the horse racing industry. He loves being her competition at the races because it allows him to be close to her. He wishes that she would make an exception to her rule and finally go out with him. Time will only tell though if he could win her trust.

As time passes and more races are won, she can’t believe the lengths she’ll go to because she has her eye on one of Riley’s two-year-old colts. She tries everything within her means to get Riley to sell her the colt, but Riley isn’t going to make it easy for her. He comes up with a wager and hopes if she wants the colt that badly, she’ll accept the challenge he proposes.

What is the wager that Riley comes up with? Does Maddie decide to accept the proposition? Do they ever get to know each other outside of racing? Could this be a match made in heaven or just a trip through hell to win her over?

I absolutely adored this story. I was immediately drawn into it not only because of the horse storyline, but also how well each of the characters played off each other. Ms. Ashgrove is a very talented storyteller and I loved the fact that this was a supersized novel. All along I was hoping that Maddie would make an exception to her rule and allow Riley to get close to her. I was hoping that he would do the right thing for her and make her see that he was worth taking a shot with. I’m new to Ms. Ashgrove’s work, but after reading this story I’m a definite fan now!