If you are looking an intense romance of the forbidden kind and you love horses, this is the story for you. Tea and her twin brother Seth live with Dec, their stepfather, after the death of their mother. He has a heavy hand (bordering or maybe even tipping over the border in abuse) that they put up with because they have nowhere else to go and, for Tea, because it lets her be around horses. Her dream is to become a professional show jumper. When Dec's nephew Jaden shows up, he and Tea get off to a bad start. Tea is doing something dangerous to earn money to attend a prestigious horse show and Jaden rats her out to Dec which leads to a beating and being forbidden to attend the show.Jaden is around the farm a lot. He is a professional polo player who has played all over the world and who is now back in Canada to attend law school. He is boarding his horses at the farm and spending time helping out around the place. At first Tea hates him but gradually she warms to him. She develops a monster-sized crush on him - but they have been raised to think of each other as cousins. How can she help falling? He is beautiful, smart, loves horses and is kind to her. She tries to get over her feelings but when tragedy strikes, he is the one she turns to for support and comfort.Jaden is fighting the same sorts of feelings. He admires her outspoken, determined attitude even while he despairs over her recklessness and lack of a sense of self-preservation. And he is 23 while she is only 17. It doesn't help that she is small - 5' 2" and weighs 100 pounds fully dressed for riding - and looks young. Soon they are in a romance that they have to keep hidden. Luckily, he is an honorable man and won't let her push him into the intimacy that she wants.I loved the characters and loved the information about show jumping and polo. I even loved the plot thread about abuse which resolves itself in a realistic way. Horse lovers and fans of forbidden romance will love this one. I look forward to a second book to find out how their romance grows.
