Review: BREAKING THE REINS by Juliana Haygert {& Giveaway Opportunity}

Title: BREAKING THE REINS

Author: Juliana Haygert

Source: eARC from author for review

Estimated Release Date: Aug 19th

GOODREADS

goodreads...

Horses, mansions, tea parties, and lies are twenty-year-old Hannah Taylor’s life. To others, her family and her relationship with Eric is perfect. But she knows the truth. She lives it.

After a fire takes her grandma's life and kills her horse, Hannah's immaculate life spirals out of control. Her father disapproves of her decision to run her grandma’s ranch instead of focusing solely on learning the family business; Animal Control brings her Argus, a mistreated horse that she can't turn away even though she's not ready for another horse; and her boyfriend, Eric Bennett, a world famous polo player, becomes possessive and authoritarian. Despite her best efforts to disguise it, Hannah grows wary of him.

Then, Leonardo Fernandes struts onto the polo scene. A cocky rookie with a messy life of his own, he’s drawn to Hannah and isn’t afraid of showing it, even when Eric makes it clear she is his and he’ll do whatever it takes to keep it that way. Hannah suffers for Eric’s jealousy. The abuse only gets worse when Leo steals the title of best polo player in the world from Eric.

But the title isn’t enough for Leo. He wants Hannah too, and she can’t deny her attraction to him either. Somehow, she must find a way to break free from abusive Eric before he breaks every bone in her body.

**New Adult Contemporary Romance Novel**

**Contains scene of domestic violence**

My take...

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book when I started it. I had tried Haygert's DESTINY'S GIFT and realized it just wasn't for me. And I have read her short story, HER HEART’S SECRET WISH, and adored it.  So I knew, even though one book didn’t, click this one would. I was so right. BREAKING THE REINS is a whole other genre and I think that helped. Maybe I am getting burnt out on paranormal/fantasy reads. And I will tell you this...this book hit the spot! I really enjoyed this Contemporary Romance so much. And it wasn't what I was expecting at all. Let me explain…

I really enjoyed Hannah's character and enjoyed seeing her differ from her rich, uptight family. I am glad that she was finding herself breaking away from what they wanted out of her and her life. Even though it was hard to do (and at times she felt as if she was talking to a brick wall) Hannah was able to reclaim parts of her life back that she didn't realize had slipped out of her control. For instance, she moves out to her grandmother's ranch to help continue to run it. That is something her family was absolutely against.

But there are still some things that Hannah has no control over. Like her boyfriend Eric. After 2 years of being together as a couple you'd think you would know someone. Not true. When a Brazilian Polo opponent wiggles his way into her life, Eric soon becomes someone Hannah no longer recognizes. And it scares Hannah. But the truth is she should be scared. And this story is beyond what I thought it would be. This is where it gets going. And boy did it get going. Some parts are not for the faint of heart. It will be grueling to read at times and I am sure it will trigger emotions some readers may not be ready for. I think my heart may have stopped a few times.

I cannot get over this book though. Here I am hours after finishing it and still thinking on it. I was thrown off guard and I found I liked that very much. You see things building but then you realize you had no idea the quality of crazy you are dealing with until it is right on top of you. Bam! It strikes out of nowhere and you are left stunned and amazed that there are really people out there just like him. (Unless of course you have dealt with crazy, then you will understand.) I was scared for her and actually got to thinking that I might have acted just like her when certain situations were presented to Hannah. People will do anything to protect their loved ones, and even with the riff in her family, Hannah is do different. She wants to protect them at all cost...even sacrificing herself, her safety, and her happiness in the meantime.

When I think of books that would be worthy of being a Lifetime movie...this is definitely one of them. With each scene and every printed word, I imagined the story playing in my head as if it was. Great story build up and wonderful characters...BREAKING THE REINS is a great story I recommend to anyone looking for a romance that is a little on the forbidden side. Although I am not a huge fan of cheating, I will say that the author handled this carefully and wonderfully. Once you read it you will understand. So pick it up as soon as it releases. 

And over on GOODREADS you can enter to win one of 2 copies of BREAKING THE REINS