Ride Free, the original title is published with a smooth, silk-like feeling when you touch it and in a very elegant optic style. Feels great. And with the knowledge in mind, that this is a novel you can just enjoy without having to think that much, this third and last book promises nothing but some reading pleasure. Good, I am not that enthusiastic about it, as I was when I read the other two books. And this one turned out to be something different than a reading pleasure. But judge for yourself.
Die Wellington Saga-Verlangen*
by Nacho Figueras & Jessica WhitmanDie Wellington Saga #3
Original Title Ride Free (The Polo Season)**
Publisher Blanvalet on September 18, 2017
Genre Novel
Pages 319
Format Softcover
Source Publisher
✶✶✶½
Antonia Black has always known her place with the Del Campo family – a bastard daughter. And it will take a lot more than her skill with horses to truly belong within the wealthy polo dynasty. In fact, she´s been shuttled around so much in her life, she doesn´t even know what “home” means. Until one man shows her exactly how it feels to be safe, to be free, to be loved. Enzo Rivas knows Noni is way out of his league. After all, he´s the stablemaster and she´s the boss´s sister. But he can´t see the hurt in her eyes and not want to protect her. And he can no longer deny the electric tension jumping between them. Yet just when he´s ready to risk it all and change their relationship forever, a secret from her past makes him question everything he thought he knew about her …
Story
Antonia, or Noni, as the family is calling her, is working like all the other employees at the polo estate the Del Campo family is running. Well, not quite. She is the half-sister of the boss and with that status a rich woman and not for every man the right one. But Antonia thinks otherwise. Money is great if you have it, but it´s not a guarantee for happiness or a happy family. Enzo is the man she wants, but he isn´t sure if he can fulfill all her needs and desires. Especially not after all he has been through.
Style
The tone has changed again. This time the novel is written in a soft, but still very melodic way and the authors give the reader a nice insight into Antonia´s former and current life. Okay, some scenes and dialogues are a bit kitschy and while reading some pages I thought that isn´t very round when it comes to style, romance, or the past previously told in the other books. But I can live with those imperfections as long as I can relax while reading such a novel and still having a somehow good time. Average doesn´t mean that it must be boring entirely.
Characters
I was missing some figures and those scenes in which the main figures of the other two books had small appearances were not as amusing or thrilling as before. But the fact, that Pilar shows her evil face, demonstrating her aversion to treating Antonia as a part of her family – that had something. Sure, it wasn´t nice but it gave this novel somehow sense and a touch of bitterness. And though you can´t speak of deep profoundness in general, a bit of it was shining through the pages at some point.
Antonia is a young woman who will inherit in a couple of weeks more money than she will ever be able to spend. She doesn´t need expensive shoes or clothes, a fancy house or a big lifestyle. That´s not her thing. All she wants and needs is to be loved and to feel accepted. She has very low self-esteem and is more willing to go back to the man who dumped her years ago because of his son than to tell him to go to hell. "Poor girl" was all I could think while reading the ongoing story.
Conclusion
It wasn´t as much fun to read as the other two have been. Sorry, but even though it is a nice to read a novel with a touch of crime in it, I still think that it is the weakest book of this saga. I am not saying that it isn´t a good book, but compared to the other two of this saga, it was – at least in my eyes – only a bit above average. Oh yes, I am well aware that this saga is perfect for all those who just want to relax and who don´t want to have to think while reading. I like those books from time to time, too. But even with that criminal touch in it, it couldn´t catch me as much as the others were able to. A wonderful birthday gift was it anyways *smile*
Happy reading
*This book was kindly provided to me by Blanvalet in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Thank you for it. Therefore, the cover of the German edition is shown first in this review.
**The original book was published with the title Nacho Figueras presents: Ride Free by Forever on July 26, 2016
Ignacio Figueras
Ignacio “Nacho” Figueras is one of the best-known men in the world and the international advertising face of Polo Ralph Lauren. Celebrated by CNN as “David Beckham of the riding sports”, Figueras is beside his work as model captain and co-owner of the award-winning Argentinian polo team Black Watch. In 2009, he was named the second most beautiful man in the world by the readers of Vanity Fair. He teamed up with Jessica Whitman, to write a series about his passion polo. Figueras began playing polo as a child and has become one of the most recognizable and talented polo players in the world. Currently, he splits his time between Miami and Argentina with his wife, Delfina and their four children, Hilario, Aurora, Artemio and Alba.
It's a shame that you didn't love this book as much as the previous but at least you didn't hate it, right? I hope your next read is better!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing,
~Brittany @ Brittany's Book Rambles
Hi Brittany, right, I didn´t hate it. It was a nice read, but compared to the other two not with the same atmosphere. But I don´t regret reading it. Thanks for stopping by.
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