White Horses - Softcover

An arrogant aristocrat learns what it’s like to live with a traveling circus—and the circus’s strikingly beautiful equestrian—in Wolf’s newest romance (after High Meadow), which takes place during the Napoleonic wars. Headstrong Gabrielle Robichon, leader of the Cirque Equestre, has agreed to help the English transport a vast amount of gold, desperately needed by Wellington, across France to Spain. But she’s less than thrilled to learn that the English want handsome Col. Leo Standish, the earl of Bradford, to pose as her husband and accompany her. Tension simmers between Leo, who considers the assignment beneath him, and the fiercely independent Gabrielle, but when personal enmities erupt within the little circus family and French surveillance intensifies, the two are forced to play their roles with greater enthusiasm. Naturally, their playacting gives way to real passion, but their relationship too often takes a backseat to the goings-on within the troupe. Wolf has obviously done her research on circuses and Lipizzan horses, but her expository writing style and inclusion of unnecessary detail dampens the story’s intensity. Although this is far from Wolf’s best effort, it is a serviceable romance with a refreshing setting and well-drawn protagonists.
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It's 1813, and the Marquess of Wellington is about to mount another campaign to depose Napoleon. Colonel Leo Standish, severely wounded but now ready to return to his regiment, has been assigned instead to escort captivating young Gabrielle Rochon and her traveling Cirque Equestre from Holland, throughout the length of France, to Wellington in Portugal. The object of his mission: British troops have not been paid for months, and local shopkeepers and bankers will only accept gold coin. Gabrielle has agreed to convey the gold for the British, as her late father did, but she is an unknown quantity and bears watching. Posing as her husband, Leo becomes embroiled in circus life, and this unlikely couple--she is a trained equestrienne with a stable of Lipizzaners, and he is an earl--find mutual respect as well as attraction leading to love. Wolf's historical romance is especially appealing thanks to its dramatic setting and justly famed horses. Lynne Welch
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