"Polo playing leads to love"

Juan Allistair left his fiancée behind in Argentina to come to Florida to play Polo. He felt there was nothing left there for him. Sure, his two brothers and their families were still there, but after the deaths of his mother and oldest brother things just weren't the same. His father returned to his home country of England soon after his mother's death. Juan seemed to be searching for something, but he wasn't sure what. Then one day on the way to the tack shop, he noticed a small wooden church. It reminded him of his mother, so he stopped and went inside. When he saw the young woman praying before a statue of St. John, his breath was taken away. She looked like the painting of the Madonna that always hung over his mother's bed. After she left, he noticed that she forgot her packages -- so he went to find her.

Renée Piccabea stopped in the small church on the way home to get out of the hot Florida sun. Her life was going nowhere, and she prayed that she wouldn't suffer the same fate as her mother, an Olympic silver medallist. Renée's father was thrown from a horse and killed before she was born, and her mother was unable to ride again after Renée's breech birth. Things were tough for her and her mother, and although she loved her mother dearly, she wanted a better life. She hoped her prayer would be answered. While walking home, she was stopped by Juan, who had her neglected packages. As they talked, she found out that they needed a groom at the stables, and Renée begged for the job. Maybe things were starting to turn around. And maybe she could explore this newfound attraction she felt for Juan.

This was an interesting read for me. I was unfamiliar with many Polo terms, but with the added glossary and picture, I had no trouble following the story. It was a hot read, but I found myself slightly upset with the heroine's naivety, although it was necessary for the continuity of the story. All in all, it was an enjoyable read.

Rated NC-17 by the publisher.

Reviewed by Maryellen Kunkel
Courtesy Sensual Romance
Posted February 16, 2003

Summary

It's not a sport, it's a religion.
Juan Allistair is a high goal polo player, one of the elite. Rennie Piccabéa is the daughter of an Olympic show jumping medallist who's now a beautician.

Juan's a cultured, educated Catholic with a bright future. Rennie's a small-town girl, a junior college student whose best friend has green hair.

A Prince of Polo and a futureless Floridian.
They shouldn't be together. They've got nothing in common. But they can't keep their hands off each other...

Sexual Content: Hard R/ borderline NC-17. Genre: contemporary.