Cerian Hebert

Yeah! With a little ouch on the end. Novelspot reviewed Finally Home. All in all I’m pleased and I really can’t say she’s wrong on the editing comment. I have to admit that editing Finally Home was horrible, I mean editing it AFTER it had been accepted by Whiskey Creek Press. It was truly a lesson for me and I was shocked that I had missed so much before I submitted it to WCP. It wasn’t pretty and obviously I’d missed some stuff.

Well, anyway, here’s the review:

Author:
Ceri Hebert
Publisher:
Whiskey Creek Press
ISBN:
Electronic 978-1-59374-812-8
Rating:
8

Review:
Love sucks! It can be the most wonderful thing in the world when it’s right. When you find you love someone who loves someone else, though, well… love sucks! Ceri Hebert, in her debut novel with Whiskey Creek Press, takes this dilemma through all of its paces in Finally Home.

Victoria Barron, who prefers to be called “Torie,” is the poor little rich girl who adores horses, much to the displeasure of her high-class mother. Her father doesn’t seem to care, one way or the other, as long as Torie stays out of his way. He’s too busy making millions to be bothered by a daughter. Torie hates her life, except when she gets to go to the Carter Hills Stables to ride and care for her horse.

Another benefit of hanging around at the stable is getting to watch Alex Carmichael, the stable hand. Unfortunately, Alex is wrapped up in Gabriella Marino, the boss’s daughter, and he outwardly despises Torie for being rich. It doesn’t take long for Gabriella’s true nature to drive Alex away from the stable, and the state of New Hampshire. Torie continues to work with her horse and, over the coming years, yearns to fulfill her dream: owning Avalon Farm.

Alex Carmichael had nothing good to say to Torie in their younger years. He called her “Princess,” just to irritate her, and it worked famously. Now, nine years later, when his ailing aunt needs him, he returns from South Dakota to care for the woman who raised him after his parents died. Visiting a horse show, he watches Torie as she wins the blue ribbon and silver cup in her class. He has to admit she’s become a fine rider, and a better than fine looking woman.
Wanting a closer look, just as she stumbles and is about to fall into a mud puddle, Alex gets the chance to get his hands on her. She’s not exactly friendly when he keeps her from falling, but that one touch kindles the fire that will become a raging romance between the self-made man and the Princess.

Finally Home is the story of two people working together to overcome their past and their differences to realize a dream they both share. Misunderstandings along the way drive a wedge between the two short-fused, hardheaded lovers, but will their future be as bleak as they are making it? Alex and Torie create a lot of their own misery. Every time I thought they finally got their act together, another misunderstanding cropped up and one or the other of the hotheads went off on a tangent. When they kissed and made up, though, it was worth suffering the fight.

I was surprised by a lack of editing in a few places but the full-bodied story made it worthy of
finishing. This is the reason I was only able to give a rating of 8 quills.

Finally Home is a great read. If you love near misses at Paradise, some saucy love scenes under an open sky, or want to learn more about horses, I recommend you gallop on over and pick up a copy of Finally Home right now.

Reviewed By MargeAnna Conrad© August 2007

So, that wasn’t completely horrible and an 8 out of 10 is very good.

I didn’t get much done in the way of writing yesterday and I probably won’t today either. I had to take my younger DD to the doctor. She’s been feeling unwell for the past few weeks. They think its only a viral thing and should be okay for school tomorrow. I hope so. Today I have to visit my dad and SD wants to visit the school again. Oh, and then there’s all that pesky work I have to do. I’m supposed to get all kinds of overtime but yesterday was a wash. I hate it when all I want to do is write but I can’t. Then when I CAN write I have a block. It’s just cruel.

Speaking of cruel, it’s time to get ready for work. Maybe I’ll go in early.

Off I go.