Carson Reynolds would dispute that statement. A gift horse got him into this mess in the first place. His mission: transform a run-down horse farm into the premium facility in the Pacific Northwest and a disorganized horse trainer with a penchant for self-sabotage into a winner.
After six years, Samantha Macintyre has returned to the scene of a horrific barn fire allegedly caused by her carelessness. She accepts the head trainer position at that run-down facility to prove her innocence and to ride the talented, temperamental horse Carson received as a birthday gift. But first, she must pass the test: compete the horse for one season, impress Carson, and best his sister's preferred trainer.
As Sam and Carson get closer to the truth and mishaps escalate into serious accidents. With the help of an opinionated equine, they face a surprising reality--that love is more important than ambition, money, or blue ribbons.
Jami Davenport has been writing since she was old enough to know the alphabet. An advocate of happy endings, Jami writes sexy romantic comedy, sizzling suspense, and equestrian fiction. Jami lives on a small farm near Puget Sound with her husband, a former Green Beret turned plumber, a chocolate Lab with a tennis ball fetish, a prince disguised as an orange tabby cat, and an opinionated Hanoverian mare.
In her spare time, Jami rides and shows her dressage horse and grows roses. An avid boater, Jami has spent countless hours in the San Juan Islands, the setting for her first two books. In her opinion, it is the most beautiful place on earth.
Backlist
The Dance (Evergreen Dynasty Series #1)
Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? (Evergreen Dynasty Series #2)
An Interview with Jamie Davenport
By Holly Hewson for The Romance Studio
HH: Jami, thank you for talking with us at TRS. Please tell us about your featured book, The Gift Horse.
JD:The Gift Horse is my favorite book to date that I’ve written. If you love animals with personalities, you’ll love The Gift Horse. Tight-ass Carson is given a horse for his birthday and manipulated by his father into renovating a rundown horse farm. He doesn’t like horses or living in the country. He’s also saddled (LOL) with a disorganized horse trainer, who is a former murder suspect. She’s returned to the scene of the crime to clear her name. These two opposites combined with a massive horse with a crush on the hero make for a great read and a lot of laugh-out-load fun with a little edge-of-your-seat suspense.
HH: Where did you get the idea for this emotionally-charged story of love and redemption?
JD: I needed a heroine for tight-ass Carson, who is introduced as a bit of a villain in Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed? He’s the consummate finicky city boy who only cares about making the almighty dollar. What better match than the consummate country girl who even smells like a horse? Then I took it one step further and wondered what would happen to this city boy if his family gave him a show horse for his birthday to force him to reevaluate his priorities.
HH: So you are also an equestrian. What can you tell us about that and how it helped with your story? <g>
JD: Well, Gabbie, the horse character in the book, is really Gailey, my Hanoverian mare who’s brimming with personality. I’m also a long-time dressage rider so I used dressage as the heroine’s type of riding.
HH: What do you like best about Samantha and how do you relate to her?
JD: Actually Sam is a combination of two friends of mine. She’s messy and disorganized, which I am not. But she loves horses and has sacrificed a lot to have horses in her life, which I can certainly relate to. In a lot of ways, she's the rider I wish I was, so I got to live a little vicariously through her.
HH: What do you like best about Carson and why is he perfect for her?
JD: Carson is an organizer, a go-getter, a never-give-up and never-say-die type of guy. He doesn’t believe in defeat, and he gets what he wants, eventually. He's also thoroughly devoted to his family. He’s had a few setbacks lately, and he’s at odds with his family, which makes him vulnerable. Carson gave up his dream to fulfill his expectations. He doesn’t want Sam to do the same. He also needs to make a huge amount of money from the sale of his horse so he works to make Sam a winner by organizing her and teaching her to believe in herself.
HH: This is the third book in your Evergreen Dynasty series. What can you tell us about the first two stories?
JD: The Dance is the first book and set in the San Juan Islands. This is the beginning of the saga which involves the Reynolds family in the second book. It's the story of a sweet, naive heroine who gets hooked up with a former pop Latin pop star.
Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? is also set in the San Juans. It introduces the Reynolds siblings and stars the youngest brother and former family bad boy, Jake.
HH: Will there be more in this series?
JD: Yes, I still need to write Brad and Bridget’s story. They’re the middle siblings and twins.
HH: As a writer, how difficult is it to weave romance and suspense together?
JD: It just happens. Each book I've written was to be a straight romance, yet the suspense portion somehow sneaks in there.
HH: What are you working on now?
JD: First and Goal. A very hot reunion romance between an almost “has-been” professional football player and the woman he never forgot. When two mutual friends manipulate the situation to put the two of them together sparks fly, and they can’t resist each other. This book also has some sad moments involving the hero’s absentee mother's reappearance and a teenage high school football player dying of cancer.
HH: Why are the San Juan islands the most beautiful place on earth for you?
JD: As a third generation Washingtonian, I admit to be a teensy bit prejudice, but there isn’t a more beautiful state than Washington and the San Juans are one reason why. The best way to find out what I'm talking about is to read either The Dance or Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed?
