Caroline Fortune is a most unusual young lady, who gets up at the crack of dawn every morning, gets dressed in boy’s attire and heads off to the stables. Her dream is to be totally independent, and she's highly adept at the family business of running a stable. Her brother Harry is unfortunately keen on gambling and when he wagers her horse and loses it to Lord Alexander Rothwell she is incensed. Worse is to come when it is revealed that Harry has also bet that he can train Alexander’s horse and make it win a race. But why is this second son of an Earl hanging around Newmarket in the first place?

This is the first Regency by a new author, and reveals a bit of the world that is hinted at in just about every other Regency novel—the world of racing. Caroline is a delightfully spirited heroine who rises to the occasion—whatever it is—whether she is training a horse in boy’s attire or nursing an injured guest. It is easy enough to guess who is behind all the shenanigans, but this does not prevent the novel from being both entertaining and a bit different. There is a nice combination of romance, racing and a frisson of mystery that adds up to an enjoyable whole—a debut that left me wanting more from this new author.