"The gunshot sounded. The horses on the racetrack below bolted from their marks, as did Bourbon Belle, and exhilaration fired through Maggie's veins."
The preface tells us that the Belle Meade Plantation in Nashville, Tennessee was the preeminent Stud farm in the nation and dominated the thoroughbred racing industry in the United States during the Nineteenth Century. Our author did a lot of background research into this specific plantation and its occupants during my this time. This book is based on real people who lived on and around Belle Meade in 1869.
I received To Win Her Favor in exchange for an honest review. The book opens on May 4, 1869, with our main character, Maggie, astride her horse, Bourbon Belle, seconds away from a race. You can literally feel the tension and anticipation coming through the first couple of pages.
It seems that the reason Maggie and Belle are racing is to afford to pay back taxes on Maggie's home land, Linden Downs. This novel revolves around keeping said property.
During this time, Irishmen like our other main character, Cullen, are not welcome in the South and are treated no better than "darkies." This only reinforces Cullen's belief that God has left him due to some event that cause him to leave his hometown and travel to America.
Our third person point of view focuses on Cullen and Maggie. Maggie struggles with the fact that Cullen is Irish, especially around others, and wonders about his purpose for being on and staying at Linden Downs. The story flows nicely with some overlap when switching between the characters, but this only adds depth the the book. This is a moderate to fast paced novel with some unexpected twists. We feel like we get to know our characters because our author does a great job of describing them without stating the information.
This book revolves around Christian principles and how the characters develop their relationships with God. While some scenes in the books give more than the idea of what is taking place between our married couple, nothing is explicitly stated; however, it may be more information than some would expect from a Christian author. I would recommend this book to adults. 4 out of 5 stars.
From the back cover:
A gifted rider in a world where ladies never race, Maggie Linden is determined that her horse will become a champion. But the one man who could help her has vowed to stay away from thoroughbred racing forever.
An Irishman far from home, Cullen McGrath left a once prosperous life in England because of a horse racing scandal that nearly ruined him. He's come to Nashville for a fresh start, hoping to buy land and begin farming, all while determined to stay as far away from thoroughbred racing as possible. But starting over proves harder than he'd wagered, especially when Maggie Linden's father makes him an offer he shouldn't accept yet cannot possibly refuse.
Maggie is certain that her mare, Bourbon Belle, can take the top purse in the inaugural Peyton Stakes, the richest race ever run in America. Maggie only needs the chance to prove it. To give her that chance—and to save Linden Downs from being sold to the highest bidder—Maggie's father, aging, yet wily as ever, makes a barter. His agreement includes one tiny, troublesome detail—Maggie must marry a man she's never met. A man she never would have chosen for herself.
