A Champion's Heart Champion's Grove Book # 1
Contemporary Romance, Woman's Fiction
World Castle Publishing
Nov 6, 2023
Kindle
252
Amazon
Who wouldn't want to be the owner of a world-renowned Arabian horse farm? Darbi Brennan, that's who. So, in hopes of escaping her father's demands that she follow in his footsteps, she puts an ad on nannys dot com, a desire to leave Ireland far behind singing in her heart. And it's not like she doesn't have experience taking care of children…since her mother died, she's watched over her seven brothers and sisters. She dreams of a new, exciting life in the US, and if a handsome man happens to come along, so much the better.
Then fate steps in, bringing Connie Champion into her life. Connie, also a caretaker of her brother's triplets, is looking for a way to escape her boring life on another horse farm in Brooksville, FL—one that happens to be the primary competitor of Darbi's father's farm. Both women have spent too much time caring for children they love but didn't give birth to. So, they concoct a scheme to have Darbi come to Champions Grove to care for the triplets while Connie jets off on a tour with a USO troupe. Perfect solution, right? Wrong. Darbi is left behind to deal with Connie's overbearing, yet very handsome, brother who feels the last thing he needs is a beautiful and fiery yet nosey nanny.
Bishop Champion is a dedicated horseman who raises some of the best Arabians in the world. He travels the globe building demand for his horses and a legacy for his girls. Unfortunately, it leaves him very little time to spend with his family or pursue love. It's been ten years since his wife's death, leaving him with triplets he has no idea how to care for. When Darbi Brennan breezes into his life, she brings a whirlwind of change, something Bishop is totally unprepared for. Despite his resistance, she turns on a light in his soul he thought forever dead. But will her deception be the end of a beautiful romance? When Bishop discovers her true identity, will he be able to forgive Darbi for her misrepresentations, or will love so long denied the couple be lost forever?
Reviewed by: Linda Tonis
Member of the Paranormal Romance Review Team
I am a huge fan of Kelly Abell’s books and this one is no exception, a book filled with amazing characters, three adorable ten year old triplets, a man who lost his wife in child birth and has closed himself off to his kids and any chance of loving again and a redheaded Irish girl with a temper.
Darbi Brennan has given her life to her father and her six siblings since the death of their mother twelve years ago and now she longs for a life of her own. Darbi’s father owns one of the largest Arabian horse ranches in Europe and expects Darbi to take over the ranch when he retires, something she absolutely refuses to do. She registered with Nannies.com with the hope of landing a job in America and for the past year has been communicating with Connie Champion who like Darbi found herself raising her brother’s three girls. Now she wants to go to the USO and show off her singing talent and she is sure that Darbi is the perfect person for the job. Unfortunately Dabi’s dad and Connie’s brother Bishop hate each other. They are competitors one owns the largest Arabian ranch in Europe and Bishop owns the largest in America, what could go wrong.
When Darbi arrives she discovers that Connie has not said a word to her brother about her plans to leave and the fact that she hired a nanny to take over for her and Bishop is not a happy man. When he dares to yell at Connie, Darbi once again can’t keep her mouth shut and lets him have it. Bishop didn’t like her from the start and her interfering in his business just made his dislike more intense. Two woman each trying to have a life that doesn’t include family obligations and although Darbi will be responsible for three young girls they are not her siblings and there are much less of them.
Connie doesn’t let Bishop discourage her and when she leaves he has no choice but to accept that a stranger will be taking care of his kids, kids that since his wife’s death he spends as little time as possible with. He loves them but doesn’t know how to relate to them and the fact that they are the spitting image of their mother doesn’t help matters. It isn’t until one of Bishop’s champion horses is foaling and in trouble that he sees Darbi in a whole new light. With no one there it is Darbi that takes control and helps birth the foal who was breech. She also has the ability to calm the horses when they are in distress even a horse that no one can go near. It is Darbi that discovers he has a stone in his hoof and it is Darbi who rests her forehead against a horse and makes them calm. She is a horse whisper and although she admits to having worked in a small ranch in Ireland her expertise belie that fact.
Connie and Quinton try to make Bishop realize how important Darbi is to him and to the girls but someone with evil intentions does everything in her power to cause trouble. Whether Bishop discovers who Darbi really is and whether or not they find love is not for me to reveal. I will say that I loved the story, the main characters and the secondary characters such as Bishop’s childhood friend and partner Quinton who hopefully will have a story of his own.
