Ruby - the vet has a physical scar that she keeps hidden from everyone with makeup. Kern, the horse trainer has mental and deeply emotional scars from his childhood. Kern has taken over the horse stables which he grew up around, and which his father has seriously neglected.
When Ruby and Kern meet they have an instant spark between them, and as both of them are far from perfect, it was so great to follow their journeys as they helped one another overcome their many scars.

An enjoyable read. The gentle beginnings of a romance between the emotionally scarred horse trainer and the physically scarred vet. The development of the romance and characters was gentle and enjoyable

A book that makes you look under the surface
Ruby is a vet but she is also a goth which have put a lot of vet practices off but she gets a chance at a job in Dorset and whist she is there she meets Kern who used to train racehorses but who is now back on his families farm
I liked Ruby, she doesn’t look like the traditional vet but every time she is with a patient she completely focuses on them and understanding the problem. She has been hurt badly in the past and this has a huge bearing on her. I enjoyed learning more about her and understanding her story which made me love her quite quickly
Kern has left the racing world in disgrace and has come back to Dorset as it’s the only place he has left. It was harder for me to get to know Kern as more of the book was set from Ruby’s perspective but it also helped me to like him when seeing him through Ruby’s eyes
Both Kern and Ruby have been hurt in the past and this brings them closer together. Unsurprisingly a lot of the book is linked to horses and I think this really works as it gives the reader a better understanding of what is important to Ruby and Kern and why, it also helps force them together when they otherwise might have avoided each other
I would recommend this book to those who enjoy a vet romance with characters who develop so much into the people that they can be and whose journey you will love being on

The main characters in this book were both very well written. Both had flaws from their past. Ruby, the vet, has a physical scar she keeps well concealed with make up, whereas Kern, the horse trainer, has mental and emotional scars from his childhood and recent work life to contend with. Kern has returned to the horse training stables he was brought up on to bring it back up to scratch from his stepfather's neglect whilst he tries to decide what to do with his future.. It was inevitable that these two characters would meet, and heal each other,. It was very well written and an enjoyable read.

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

Enjoyed this
Great characters - really well written

A gentle read which I found great

This is an engaging romantic story. The two main characters are easy to like, and you feel their angst. Their emotional pain diminishes as their relationship develops into friends and something more. The animals and Ruby and Kern's affinity for them give the story its unique quality. There's a relatable cast of supporting characters most likeable, one notably not.

This is an emotional story with great characters and gentle healing romance.

I received a copy of this book from Mills and Boon via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Two people are harbouring a heavy load of hurtful secrets when they roll into town looking for new beginnings. One is a lady and the other is a man. They are both unmarried: Ruby by choice but Kern is returning to his family home after years of absence. He is widowed and determined to make amends with his aunt, his mother’s sister. His business has failed and truth told he has nowhere to go. He part owns his mother’s farm with her husband.
Ruby Day is a vet with very special and handy skills for her profession. She is looking for new challenges in her life. She has landed an interview in town because of a glowing reference from her tutor. The owner of the practice has recently become a new father who needs an employee so that he can be a ‘hands on’ Dad and spend more quality time with his wife and new daughter. Ruby does not need a live-in job as she travels with her best friend, her dog, in a cosy caravan. She is running out of options and this interview is her last hope. She is surprised when her prospective boss sends her out to a rural farm to examine and treat a sick horse as her ‘interview’. He is not going with her either. His attitude is ‘we’ll see’.
Unexpectedly Kern MacKinley has returned to the family farm with his treasured horse. But his mother’s husband, a mean-spirited alcoholic, had hoped the farm would be his alone when his wife died and he is incandescent with rage. He will not cooperate at all and is a really nasty drunk. Nevertheless his aunt is delighted to hear that he has returned home at last. She hopes Kern will regenerate the business which has been sadly neglected since his mother’s death. Kern will have to be resilient if he decides to stay and there will be many long days full of hard graft to get the farm back to its usual glory. There will be bitter arguments too.
Ruby pulls up at the farm to examine Kern’s thoroughbred. Will she be able to help the horse who is unsettled and looking sorrowful and dejected? They both feel a fizz of attraction when they meet, but are determined to keep the relationship as a friendly customer and a working vet who will do her best to help his animals. They both walk away. This is their story.
This is the first novel I have read by Shelley Rivers and I really enjoyed it. Shelly has a great talent for storytelling, and her writing is full of quality. I loved the way she constructed and executed her storyboard and her character development was absorbing and detailed with diverse characters that I immediately liked (except the selfish and cantankerous alcoholic!) I liked the fact that the two storylines were different although similar in many ways. I enjoyed the banter and the growing trust between the two friends. It felt like butterflies were emerging from their cocoon of safety. I liked both of the main characters but Ruby best of all. She was decisive yet tortured by the ‘What-ifs’ in life. I think the hurt inside Kern took a long time to trust what his heart was telling him. I thought the ending rounded off the story very well.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from publisher Harlequin through my membership of NetGalley. It was sent in return for an honest and unbiased review and I would like to thank them for my copy of the novel. This is a feel good, easy and satisfying read. It’s a well-deserved 4.5* review from me.