Horse Gods: The Dressage Rider’s Betrayal

Teens

synopsis

Synopsis

A half-wild horse, a Celtic legend, and a teen trying to escape… Regina Hamilton has three months to prove to the courts she can earn a living on her own and avoid going home to her abusive mother—a tall order for a teen with only her riding skills to rely on. Desperate to prove herself, Regina lands a job at an exclusive dressage barn. But when workers start to mysteriously disappear, she becomes ensnared in a web of lies and deceit. With time running out and unsure who to trust, Regina turns to an unlikely trio: an unusual boy who trains hawks, a reclusive professor of Celtic history, and a half-wild red mare. Together they form a bond that will be tested when a long-held secret exposes a much greater threat—and Regina’s the target. To save her horses and her life Regina may have to trust her enemies and betray her friends.

bio

Author Biography

Inspired by everyday miracles, L.R. Trovillion weaves magical stories of hurting people who find hope through horses in her Maryland Equestrian Novel series. Although she earned a degree in Russian and spent a career in government service, her real love has been caring for and working with horses. That love shines through in her series, focusing on the healing power of horses in the lives of teens facing complex and sometimes dangerous family situations. Believing there is more to this world than meets the eye, she adds a dash of the supernatural to each story. L. R. Trovillion lives on a small horse farm in Maryland with her husband, daughter, and several animals that really run the place. Her other works have appeared in Baltimore magazine, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and various poetry anthologies.

website

Author Insight

In a Crisis, Facing Fears

Regina is forced to face her fears head on in this scene where she must get within inches of the sharp beak and talons of a trapped red tail hawk. She has always been terrified of this bird, and now she is the only one in a position to save it. If she doesn't get close enough to cut the bird free, it will die of starvation for sure. In a crisis, we are often called on to do things that terrify us. We are expected to take steps we would never take given another option. What is that deep down reserve of courage, resolve, fortitude that gets us through? Is is faith? Love? The emotions greater than fear.

Book Excerpt

Horse Gods: The Dressage Rider’s Betrayal

Mr. Kendrick hands me a knife, sheathed in a leather case. I slide it out, gripping its bone handle. The blade is razor sharp. I catch his eye.

“What’s this for?”

“Freeing the bird.”

The zipper of my coat catches, and I have to tug to get it up to my chin. I jam the knife into a pocket and step out into the glow from the porch light. The snow has slowed down. Mr. Kendrick follows in my footsteps to the door but stays outside.

The mew is musty and reeks of decomposing flesh. Something moves in the shadows. A claw scratches against the perch. I pull the cord and the small room floods with light. Rosie blinks while I look around and scramble for a good idea. None come to mind. Mr. Kendrick, in his bulky dark overcoat, lurks in the doorway.

Rosie opens her beak and lifts a small pink tongue, like a worm resting in her mouth. No sound comes out. She hunches her wings, turns her head, and watches me out of one eye. A leather strap as wide as a pencil is wrapped around her feet and the perch. I can’t really see the beginning or the end of it and am not sure how she is caught there. I take one step and bend to get a closer look. She lifts her wings and screams.

A bolt of electrical energy shoots through my body and sends me backward.

“Okay.” I gulp in a deep breath. “Okay, we’re here to help you.” My hand slides into the pocket and fingers the point of the knife sheath.