Racing Savannah (Hundred Oaks Series #4)

by Miranda Kenneally

Overview

They're from two different worlds.

He lives in the estate house, and she spends most of her time in the stables helping her father train horses. In fact, Savannah has always been much more comfortable around horses than boys. Especially boys like Jack Goodwin—cocky, popular and completely out of her league. She knows the rules: no mixing between the staff and the Goodwin family. But Jack has no such boundaries.

With her dream of becoming a jockey, Savannah isn't exactly one to follow the rules either. She's not going to let someone tell her a girl isn't tough enough to race. Sure, it's dangerous. Then again, so is dating Jack..

Praise for Miranda Kenneally:

"Kenneally's books have quickly become must-reads."—VOYA

"Fresh, fearless, and totally romantic."—Sarah Ockler, bestselling author of Twenty Boy Summer and Bittersweet on Stealing Parker

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781402284762
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	12/03/2013
Series:	Hundred Oaks Series , #4
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	290,475
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.00(d)
Lexile:	HL730L (what's this?)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Growing up in Tennessee, MIRANDA KENNEALLY dreamed of becoming an Atlanta Brave, a country singer (cliché!), or a UN interpreter. Instead she writes and works for the State Department in Washington, D.C., where George W. Bush once used her shoulder as an armrest. Miranda loves Twitter, Star Trek and her husband. Visit mirandakenneally.com

Editorial Reviews

10/14/2013
Kenneally’s (Things I Can’t Forget) equestrian-themed romance is energized by another winning heroine: pragmatic and hardworking Savannah Barrow. The 17-year-old keeps her spirits up even though she’s been forced to move with her father and pregnant stepmother from West Virginia to ritzy Cedar Hill Farms in Tennessee, where her father is the new head groom for horses entered in the Kentucky Derby and other prestigious races. Savannah is immediately attracted to the farm owner’s son, Jack, but also intimidated by the class divide between them. She focuses her attention on saving money for a future that includes college and training Tennessee Star, a willful thoroughbred who will be sold unless he starts winning races. Savannah’s relationship with Star, her steamy but clandestine romance with Jack, and her budding career as a jockey help her confront her fears and recover from her mother’s death years earlier. Kenneally’s story about considering the importance of one’s own happiness should appeal to a wide audience; despite some bumps in the road, there’s never any doubt that all will end well. Ages 13–up. Agent: Sara Megibow, Nelson Literary Agency. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

"Kenneally has established herself as a writer of romances with some interesting complexity along with the swooning, and there’s certainly plenty of swooning and steamy pleasure here. Additionally, Savannah herself is genuinely brash and not just saucy, and the Tennessee milieu is vividly evoked." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"Kenneally’s equestrian-themed romance is energized by another winning heroine . . . Kenneally’s story about considering the importance of one’s own happiness should appeal to a wide audience; despite some bumps in the road, there’s never any doubt that all will end well." — Publishers Weekly

"The author’s knack for weaving forbidden romance, breezy dialogue, and details of this lesser-known sports venue places it in the winner’s circle for reluctant readers and chick-lit fans." — Booklist

From the Publisher

12/01/2013
Gr 9 Up—This predictable teen romance set on a horse ranch in contemporary Tennessee will engage readers with a strong female protagonist and accessible writing. Spunky Savannah falls for the ranch owner's son while helping an underperforming horse live up to his prestigious bloodline. The characters are complicated with a bit of backstory and the writing keeps things moving with everyday dialogue and abbreviated descriptions. The plot conflicts seem too easily resolved, although interpersonal conflicts like parental disagreements and Savannah's resentment of her father's pregnant girlfriend take more twists and turns than the equine problems. Regrettably, the portions of the book on horse racing are too vague and brief to satisfy any particular interest in horses. The novel contains sex and sexual situations appropriate for teen audiences. The author's obvious endorsement of college-level education will appease those who would like fun stories to contain some sort of moral and the tacked-on theme of taking the "road less traveled" gives the book somewhat illusory depth. Nonetheless, fans of the author's previous titles will probably appreciate this entertaining if formulaic read. —Erin Reilly-Sanders, Ohio State University, Columbus

School Library Journal