Earth to Toni Leland...?

I've just finished a book, and lord-knows how I got through it because I must admit I am quite relieved that it's over. The novel is Toni Leland's "Hearts Over Fences".



What a load of tripe. Expecting a novel peppered with horsey titbits and gutsy characters, I was rewarded with 249 pages of soppy drivel.

Toni - welcome to the 21st Century. In todays society, women are NOT pathetic heriones who pine over men and give up everything to be with "their one true love". VOMIT.

The main character of this novel - Beth Webb - is so unrelatable as a modern-day horsey woman, I found my self not only scoffing in disbelief at her pathetic-ness, but often wanting to shake her by the shoulders and slap her. Leland waxes lyrically (and continually) about her alleged "independant nature" which hasn't allowed her to 'find the love of her life' etc etc, but, in reality, Miss Webb has all the backbone of an invertibrate.

The icing on the cake for me was this little 'feminist' gem:

"I want to be like that, consumed by love, and eveything else be-damned!" p243. I think I actually dry-wretched, at that point. Yes apparently Beth's fatal flaw as a character is that she's an independant woman who has established her own business and managed to survive without a man. Wow. How does she sleep at night?

Finally, her new Beau manages to "rein-in" his little filly - pardon the pun - manages to convince her that his ambitions are MUCH more important than hers, and that she should dedicate her life to being his woman, and running his business. And they all live happily ever after *sigh*.

Excuse me, I just remembered I'd better put a ribbon in my hair and put the children to bed, so that I can have my husband's dinner on the table for him when he comes home from the office... Goodness, I'm perspiring! How un-lady like! *swoon*

Oh, and one more thing Toni: I dont know how many horses you've been around, but ACTUAL horses dont take care of themselves. Real-live horses - unlike Beth Webb's horses you allude to in your book but fail to ever describe - are usually cared for on a daily basis by their owners. Just a little pointer for the future.