by Andrea Kane
First published 1996
Nicole Aldridge helps her father Nick escape blackmailers who want him to lose races. The famous jockey refuses their demands, so they threaten his life. Nicole hides him away from London, but money runs short. She cuts her hair, binds her chest, and pretends to be a young man seeking work. The Marquis of Tyreham, Dustin Kingsley, needs a jockey for the Epsom Derby. He hires Nicole, thinking she's her father's male apprentice. Dustin breeds the finest thoroughbreds in England and draws attention from every matchmaking mother in society. But he feels hollow until he meets a mysterious woman by the Thames. He doesn't realize she's the same person who rides his horses each morning. Nicole struggles to keep her identity secret while training for the most important race in England. Dustin pursues the woman he met by the river, unaware he's falling for his own jockey. The blackmailers close in as Derby day approaches. Nicole must choose between protecting her father and trusting Dustin with the truth.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction, adventure, 19th-century
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: England, Epsom, London, Thames
Period: 19th-century
335 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Pocket Books