Monday, September 14, 2009

Who Ever Heard of a Horse in the House?: Jacqueline Tresl

"Who ever heard of a Horse in the House?
"That's a question Jackie and Mark Tresl could answer. They've lived with Misha, a full-grown American Quarter Horse mare, for the last thirteen years.

"As a five-month-old filly, Misha suffered from pneumonia and malnutrition when the Tresls adopted her. Fearing that the cold Ohio winter would be deadly for the little horse, Jackie brought the foal inside the house and made a bed for her by the woodstove. Gradually, winter wore on and Misha grew stronger. She also grew more and more attached to Jackie and household living.

"Now, at nearly fourteen years old, Misha enjoys her own porch with a swinging door that enables her to help out in the kitchen, watch television in the living room, and slurp water from the bathtub. She is also fully housetrained. Her unconventional lifestyle and diet (spaghetti is one of her favorite foods) has prompted criticism from acquaintences, but Misha is a happy and healthy horse, defying those who believe her life is anything but perfect.

"Jackie Tresl's story of her life with a house-horse demonstrates that horses are just as capable and deserving of the capable and deserving of the emotional bond we share with our other animal companions."

I work in a library and I've shelved this book several times. Finally, I decided to pick it up and read it. Now, I'm not normally one for this type of book as anyone who has ever read any of my other blog posts will realize... However, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

It was unbelievably cute and the stories that Tresl had were so sweet and touching. From one animal-lover to the next, I believe that her story is one of undeniable love for our animal bretheren. The Tresl family is a strong one and I don't know how many people could keep a house-horse and show as much unconditional love as they did for Misha. I recommend this book for anyone who loves horses or animals in general!

Surrender: Amanda Quick (Jayne Ann Krentz)

“From the dazzling ballrooms of glittering London society to a magnificent, cursed estate in the distant wilds of Yorkshire, comes the deliciously wicked story of a thoroughly unconventional courtship—and a thrilling midnight rendezvous that could only lead to love….

“At four and twenty Victoria Hintington thought herself quite adept at fending off fortune hunters…until she came under siege from Lucas Colebrook, the darkly disturbing new Earl of Stonevale. Amidst the brightly plumed birds of the ton, Lucas was a hawk. And when he held out the lure of moonlight rides and wild, reckless midnight escapades, Victoria found herself powerless to resist.

“But becoming Stonevale’s companion in adventure was more dangerous that Victoria could ever imagine. For the attractive earl would use her ever weakness to woo her, to win her, and ultimately to wed her. And soon the amber-eyed lady would find herself ensconced in a crumbling mansion deep in the English countryside…where the real reason for her hasty marriage becomes all too apparent…and where the ghosts of her dark-stained past are waiting to rise up in a terrifying plot that will threaten her life, her honor, and the only man she could ever love.”

Sorry that it’s taken me forever to review this book… Anyway, this is another wonderful book by Amanda Quick. The characters are fun and the plot was interesting. I really enjoy her quick-witted writing style and how her characters have such strong personalities. The fact that she’s not afraid to make her male characters somewhat flawed means that she has confidence in her writing abilities and is not afraid to step out of the box for romance writing. I can really admire that.

Of course, I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more.