Scan barcode
fangslibris's review against another edition
4.0
I was wary going into this book (author I'm unfamiliar with, romances aren't usually my thing, and so forth) but I ended up really enjoying it. The story even beyond the romance was really engaging, and I ended up devouring it in basically one night. The romance was good, if a little drawn out at the end. I don't feel the need to understand every detail of how they made their relationship last, I think it's okay to just go with Happily Ever After sometimes.
My biggest complaint is that some of the verbiage really threw me off. There's a lot of "she folded her arms over her breasts," "she straightened her back and pushed her breasts out." Like... we can just say chest. It's a weird vibe to me.
I will say this book is thoroughly about horses. So if you're not going to enjoy incredibly detailed passages about how Caitlyn got her horse (Dewey!) to execute a perfect piaffe, or how Addie treats bee stings, etc. you'll probably want to skip this one.
My biggest complaint is that some of the verbiage really threw me off. There's a lot of "she folded her arms over her breasts," "she straightened her back and pushed her breasts out." Like... we can just say chest. It's a weird vibe to me.
I will say this book is thoroughly about horses. So if you're not going to enjoy incredibly detailed passages about how Caitlyn got her horse (Dewey!) to execute a perfect piaffe, or how Addie treats bee stings, etc. you'll probably want to skip this one.
lurker_stalker's review
4.0
I had just finished Turbulence by E. J. Noyes and wanted more of her stories so I pulled out my trusty Kobo Libra 2 and hit the review collection to see what else I had by her that I was insanely late on reading. Pas de Deux jumped out at me and I dug in immediately. And then couldn't stop reading.
When you read books by the same author back-to-back, you notice some similarities in language of course and some similar situations probably. Those things definitely happened but what also happened was it solidified my love for this author and her characters. I guess I'll be mentioning both books in this review because I liked them both a lot. Both Turbulence and Pas de Deux feature couples who, for whichever reason, didn't think their relationships would work out. Turbulence dealt with some class issues and workplace stuff and just not seeing or admitting what's in front of you. Pas de Deux was more about making it work with seemingly incompatible occupations and locations. As the reader, it was easy to see how they could work it out but I didn't find it maddening that the characters took a while to solve the problems.
What really made Pas de Deux stand out for me was all of the dressage stuff. I've seen it on TV once or twice for a few minutes - long enough to know it's pronounced "dressahge" but that's about it. The entire time I was reading, I had to fight the urge to go down a rabbit hole on YouTube to find videos of all the things I was reading about. And I totally fell in love with Dewey. He was my favorite character, to be honest. But Addie and Caitlyn were a close second and third favorite.
A big thanks to Bella Books and NetGalley for the ARC that is being reviewed nearly three years late.
When you read books by the same author back-to-back, you notice some similarities in language of course and some similar situations probably. Those things definitely happened but what also happened was it solidified my love for this author and her characters. I guess I'll be mentioning both books in this review because I liked them both a lot. Both Turbulence and Pas de Deux feature couples who, for whichever reason, didn't think their relationships would work out. Turbulence dealt with some class issues and workplace stuff and just not seeing or admitting what's in front of you. Pas de Deux was more about making it work with seemingly incompatible occupations and locations. As the reader, it was easy to see how they could work it out but I didn't find it maddening that the characters took a while to solve the problems.
What really made Pas de Deux stand out for me was all of the dressage stuff. I've seen it on TV once or twice for a few minutes - long enough to know it's pronounced "dressahge" but that's about it. The entire time I was reading, I had to fight the urge to go down a rabbit hole on YouTube to find videos of all the things I was reading about. And I totally fell in love with Dewey. He was my favorite character, to be honest. But Addie and Caitlyn were a close second and third favorite.
A big thanks to Bella Books and NetGalley for the ARC that is being reviewed nearly three years late.
sarahduensing's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
actuallyahorsereads's review
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mischievous_monkey's review
4.0
This audiobook was every bit as lovely as dressage itself. Abby Craden nails all the emotion E.J. Noyes puts on the page. The first person narrative, with alternating point of view chapters really worked here. As if all that wasn’t enough, this book has one of the sexiest and the most realistic first sex scenes I’ve ever read (heard).
Already a big fan of horses, I fell for Dewey hard. I'm not surprised to find that the author is a horse person herself. She really communicates well how much of a reciprocal relationship riding is and how much personality an animal can have.
I have a soft spot for second chance stories and anticipate listening to this one again.
Already a big fan of horses, I fell for Dewey hard. I'm not surprised to find that the author is a horse person herself. She really communicates well how much of a reciprocal relationship riding is and how much personality an animal can have.
I have a soft spot for second chance stories and anticipate listening to this one again.
banrions's review
4.0
i am not a horse girl.
frankly, i'm not an animal person, on the whole. i like them! i just have no real desire to have them around me all the time or live with them/i am afraid of some of them. that said, despite having a healthy respect/fear of horses, i would hang out (briefly) with dewy, the very charming cat loving, hoof painting, horse at the center of this tale.
i am also not a sports girl.
that said, the olympics is my single exception to that, and i found the whole horse dressage (sp?) competition stuff much more interesting than i thought i would. but the real draw of this story are the main characters, caitlyn and addie. i loved them both a lot, and i really enjoyed their dynamic together. i've been on a good streak of e.j. noyes books lately and i'm delighted by it. the first two or three that i read i enjoyed but didn't love, but the last two i've really had fun (and way too many feelings) with and i'm so happy to finally get on the e.j. noyes love bandwagon. i think part of my earlier disconnect with her books have been the single pov, first person narration. that is... not my preference when it comes to romance stories--i much prefer to get into the pov of all parties involved in the romance. there are definitely times where it works really well (alone, for instance, was perfect like that) but usually it's not my fav way to tell a romance tale. i LOVED that this had dual povs of both caitlyn and addie, because it really helped me fall in love with both of them.
i thought the pacing of this was great. abby craden was nearly perfection as always (accents aren't perhaps her strong suit, but i still loved it). i love me a longer book. and it was a great one to listen to while having hardly any energy and recovering from a cold. it was also a lovely, pretty low angst refresher after the intensity of emotions that blasting through the seven husbands of evelyn hugo in basically a day gave me before this.
frankly, i'm not an animal person, on the whole. i like them! i just have no real desire to have them around me all the time or live with them/i am afraid of some of them. that said, despite having a healthy respect/fear of horses, i would hang out (briefly) with dewy, the very charming cat loving, hoof painting, horse at the center of this tale.
i am also not a sports girl.
that said, the olympics is my single exception to that, and i found the whole horse dressage (sp?) competition stuff much more interesting than i thought i would. but the real draw of this story are the main characters, caitlyn and addie. i loved them both a lot, and i really enjoyed their dynamic together. i've been on a good streak of e.j. noyes books lately and i'm delighted by it. the first two or three that i read i enjoyed but didn't love, but the last two i've really had fun (and way too many feelings) with and i'm so happy to finally get on the e.j. noyes love bandwagon. i think part of my earlier disconnect with her books have been the single pov, first person narration. that is... not my preference when it comes to romance stories--i much prefer to get into the pov of all parties involved in the romance. there are definitely times where it works really well (alone, for instance, was perfect like that) but usually it's not my fav way to tell a romance tale. i LOVED that this had dual povs of both caitlyn and addie, because it really helped me fall in love with both of them.
i thought the pacing of this was great. abby craden was nearly perfection as always (accents aren't perhaps her strong suit, but i still loved it). i love me a longer book. and it was a great one to listen to while having hardly any energy and recovering from a cold. it was also a lovely, pretty low angst refresher after the intensity of emotions that blasting through the seven husbands of evelyn hugo in basically a day gave me before this.
hammer0761's review
emotional
funny
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jennabeebs79's review
5.0
Once again, EJ Noyes has written another fantastic book! This book takes places in the high profile world of dressage, of which I knew next to nothing about prior to reading. I have to thank our author for teaching me a lot about this very interesting sport! Our main characters, Caitlyn and Addie, were frenemies back in their younger days and were put back in each other’s orbit when Addie took a position as the veterinarian for the US dressage team. Fortunately, they were able to communicate like adults and clear up all of the misconceptions from the past. I always love how EJ can weave a take using descriptive details and witty dialogue. The added benefit of Dewey and all of his quirks made this a really unforgettable book for me! Thank you Ms. Noyes for continuing to write such amazing and original tales!
I received an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I received an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
imarini's review
5.0
As an equestrian and romance lover I absolutely adored this book. The some of competition chapters made me cry because the emotions were so well described.