Patty got up to peer into the refrigerator. “Honey, don’t look so guilty,” she said. “Men are like horses. If they’re even-tempered and sweet, you stay on for the ride. If they buck and run around, you get off before you get hurt.” She slammed the refrigerator door. “Damn, we’re out of cake.” --from Horseplay: A Novel A debut novel full of sparkle and wit, Horseplay is a story of the animals that touch our hearts… and the men who try our souls. When Judy Van Brunt finally decides to leave her cheating husband, she makes immediate plans to quit her teaching job, take the money she inherited from her mother, and run off, leaving a note on her husband's pillow. There is only one problem: Where is she going? During her weekly riding lesson, her instructor makes a suggestion just crazy enough to work—and before she knows it, Judy has a position as a groom at an exclusive North Carolina horse farm. There, she shares an apartment with three remarkable women who also work at the farm, and she puts in long hours caring for the horses in addition to learning the demanding sport of dressage from the farm’s owner, a former Olympic champion. Exhausted but fulfilled, she learns for herself that a horse in the barn is worth far more than a husband at home. Her housemates gladly supplement her education with lessons not found in the riding ring, such as how to avoid the farm’s snootier patrons and weed out unsavory suitors. Her devotion to horses is far more rewarding than her marriage ever was—after all, horses never lie or cheat, and even the most hot-blooded stallion won't kick her when she's down. Nevertheless, her new life doesn't keep her away from men entirely. She finds her early vow of chastity and cheeseburgers weakening as she is drawn to one especially eligible bachelor. But after a few escapades with studs of the two-legged variety, is she really ready to be with someone? Set against the alternately glamorous and grimy world of competitive horse shows, Horseplay is a jubilant ride. When Judy Van Brunt catches her husband, Marshall, in his third infidelity, she decides she has had enough. But she does more than just leave him; she quits her teaching job and heads south to a North Carolina farm owned by a horse trainer named Katarina, for whom Judy hopes to work. Soon she is living in an apartment above the barn with three other women and an unruly teenager, and slaving away as a groom during the daytime. The work is hard, but Judy loves riding (even if she has to try to manage the ornery Ivan) and soon finds herself being courted by Speed Easton, the most eligible bachelor in town. And though she is plagued by both her husband and a snotty socialite who might have designs on Speed, the happiness Judy gets from working with horses and her friends on the farm far outweighs any problems. Some of the secondary characters are cliched to the point of caricature, but readers who love horses and light, funny reads will enjoy this debut. Kristine Huntley Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Patty got up to peer into the refrigerator. Honey, don t look so guilty, she said. Men are like horses. If they re even-tempered and sweet, you stay on for the ride. If they buck and run around, you get off before you get hurt. She slammed the refrigerator door. Damn, we re out of cake. --from Horseplay: A Novel A debut novel full of sparkle and wit, Horseplay is a story of the animals that touch our hearts and the men who try our souls. When Judy Van Brunt finally decides to leave her cheating husband, she makes immediate plans to quit her teaching job, take the money she inherited from her mother, and run off, leaving a note on her husband's pillow. There is only one problem: Where is she going? During her weekly riding lesson, her instructor makes a suggestion just crazy enough to work and before she knows it, Judy has a position as a groom at an exclusive North Carolina horse farm. There, she shares an apartment with three remarkable women who also work at the farm, and she puts in long hours caring for the horses in addition to learning the demanding sport of dressage from the farm s owner, a former Olympic champion. Exhausted but fulfilled, she learns for herself that a horse in the barn is worth far more than a husband at home. Her housemates gladly supplement her education with lessons not found in the riding ring, such as how to avoid the farm s snootier patrons and weed out unsavory suitors. Her devotion to horses is far more rewarding than her marriage ever was after all, horses never lie or cheat, and even the most hot-blooded stallion won't kick her when she's down. Nevertheless, her new life doesn't keep her away from men entirely. She finds her early vow of chastity and cheeseburgers weakening as she is drawn to one especially eligible bachelor. But after a few escapades with studs of the two-legged variety, is she really ready to be with someone? Set against the alternatel