Winning the Gentleman was my first experience with a Kristi Ann Hunter novel, and I truly ended up adoring it. I loved how it's equal parts charming and witty; while still diving into more serious topics like how your past doesn't need to define you, and that anything is possible through faith in our Heavenly Father.

I've long adored books that feature the circus, and I thought it added an extra fun element to this story that Sophia comes to the racing circuit from first being a circus performer. Her over willingness to share, and determination to make a better living for herself and her brother really endeared her character to me. I thought the reader gets to see quite a change in Aaron over the course of the story, and his and Sophia's romance was sweet, hysterically funny and swoon worthy.

I do have to say, however, that I did find the start of this one really slow moving. It took me quite awhile to get into it, but once I got to the halfway point I really found the story picked up, and could barely bring myself to want to put it down. I did actually enjoy the side characters (especially Jonas and Rigsby) more than I did the main characters, but I still enjoyed them nonetheless.

Overall, my first experience with a Kristi Ann Hunter novel was a positive one, and I'm looking forward to reading more of her books in the future. I loved how strong the faith element was, and I loved how strong the friendship is between Aaron and his friends, despite their drastically different upbringings and circumstances.

Final Rating: 4/5.

Definitely pick this one up if you're a fan of Regency type Christian historical fiction novels.

Thanks so much to Bethany House for allowing me to advance read and review this.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary advance reader copy of this novel from the publisher (Bethany House) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

***HAPPY TO RECOMMEND***
England, Sept 1817, Aaron Whitworth and Sophia Fitzroy are forced to work together when he accidentally hires her as a jockey. "Either God thought Aaron needed another lesson in perseverance, or the world wanted him to remember his proper place - or rather his lack of one."
Sophia is a talented rider, but she longs for more than the life of a circus performer. "Pressing her mouth into a stern line, Sophia adjusted her hold on the reins until they were taut enough to create a proper connection with her horse and pasted a smile on her face. One more show. One more evening. Then they would make their escape, running into the dark to find a new life that suited them all."
I particularly enjoyed Sophia's twin brother, Jonas, who was strong and wise, keeping them grounded in God's word, even when times were difficult or seemed hopeless. I do hope he gets his own story. "It's going to be all right, Soph. God promised to never fail us nor forsake us." He gave a twisted grin and a one-sided shrug. "Since Israel got that promise, besmirched though it was, what we're doing isn't going to send Him running."
Aaron is very reclusive and has built a protective shell around his heart. As I read "Was he getting lazy about keeping the parts of his life separate, or were people simply hammering their way in?" a jackhammer was literally hammering outside in my driveway. Ha!
The support system Aaron finds actually surrounds him is touching: "There were varied qualities of clothing, varied levels of stable grime, and an absurd conglomeration of pasts that never should have brought them together, yet here they were. With him."
Tea Quote: "Moving around the small space, shucking the trappings of polite society, and making himself a truly awful cup of tea, Aaron's muscles relaxed one by one." (smile)
The love story of Aaron and Sophia is very sweet and the setting of horses and stables in England is a lovely backdrop.
I am happy to recommend "Winning the Gentleman" with thanks to the publisher for a gifted copy. All opinions are mine alone without expectation or compensation.

Also posted to Christian Book, B&N, pinterest, my blog, & Goodreads. Amazon & Kobo will have to wait until release date.

Aaron Whitworth has little but his honor and pride to recommend him. From a young age, when his father acknowledged him and sent him off to gain a proper education, Aaron has endured the smirks, glares, and turned shoulders from London’s polite society. He doesn’t blame them.

But in Newmarket, he builds a life for himself as a stable manager. First for his school chum Oliver and then for the new Lord Stildon. When Oliver’s rash decision leaves Aaron scheduled for a challenge race with no jockey to ride the horse, Aaron makes a rash decision.

A decision he’ll come to regret when the horse trainer he thought he hired turns out to be nothing more than a wisp of a young lady. If he refuses to stand by his contract, he will have broken his word as a gentleman. If he allows her to ride, all his hard work to build a reputation for himself as a horse trainer will crumble at his feet.

Sophia Fitzroy wants nothing more than to escape the circus act she and her twin Jonas joined two years earlier. After a near-fatal fall, Jonas needs time to recover and Sophia hates performing in front of crowds. Despite her brother’s words of assurance that God will make a way, Sophia decides to take matters into her own hands.

When a gentleman requests the ‘horse trainer’ ride as his jockey for one month, Sophia knows the man thinks Jonas trains the horses in their circus act. With the help of a fellow performer, Sophia signs the contract instead.

The wages the gentleman offers will help her a Jonas get back on their feet again and make their dream of opening a riding school a reality. Sophia can only pray the man will honor his word. When she shows up on Newmarket Heath to ride in the challenge race, she never expects her life to change forever.

Why I Loved This Book

Kristi Ann Hunter created two of my favorite characters in her second installment in the Hearts on the Heath series. Readers who’ve read Vying for the Viscount will already know Aaron and parts of his tangled past. The talkative Sophia and her brother Jonas bring a new element to Hunter’s cast of characters.

Unlike heroines from many Regency-period romances, Sophia comes from the lower gentry class of Ireland. For five years she and her brother have struggled to make their own way in the world and stay together. And for five years things have gotten worse and worse. Only their faith in God has kept hope alive. And sometimes Sophia wonders how much hope she has remaining.

Although part of a series, readers can easily start with this book (but why not read the first one?). Characters from Hunter’s other series, Haven Manor and Hawthorne House. If you love clean, heartwarming Regency romances, Winning the Gentleman is a sure bet.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I didn't read Kristi Ann Hunter's Haven Manor series and it had been a while since I read Vying for the Viscount so I was confused by the grand scope of characters at the beginning of the novel. I realized quickly it was because some characters I didn't remember and others I had never encountered previously. For that reason, I found the beginning a bit frustrating as I struggled to keep everyone straight and would recommend going back and reading the Haven Manor series first.

Much like the first book in this series, the focus is on horses and the sport of racing, but in a scandalous turn of events this story features a serious blow to societal norms in the form of one female jockey who was previously a circus performer! As you can imagine this causes all sorts of drama because this is "simply not done". The main characters of this story are not members of the aristocracy, like most Regency reads, although there are plenty of them making up the supporting cast so there is still plenty of the prim and proper to delight Regency readers. If you've read the previous book, Vying for the Viscount, you will likely remember the stable manager Aaron. This is mainly his story as he continues to find his place within society and within himself as an illegitimate first born son and navigates his relationship with his father and younger half brother. I admired Sophia's strength, determination and courage in the face of adversity and her fierce devotion to her family and her horse. Overall, a good clean read that I would recommend. If you love horses or horse racing it is likely you will enjoy this book!

Winning the Gentleman provides humor and heartwarming moments fans of Regency romance will enjoy.

This is Hunter’s best yet. And I admit I may have said the same for Vying for the Viscount, but hey, I can’t help it if she just gets better and better.

If you’ve read A Defense of Honor or Vying for the Viscount (or better yet, both), you may have been just as intrigued by Aaron as I was. Knowing he was the hero of Winning the Gentleman filled me with anticipation. And that paid off the moment I read the first line.

Aaron is not your typical hero. He’s basically a loner with friends. Except for Oliver and Graham, he handles these relationships with reluctance and distance. Until a rambling horsewoman with fiery red head steps into his life.

Cue complications.

As Sophia begins to push Aaron out of his comfort zone, you see the side of Aaron he tries to hide and deny. Hunter does such a great job developing their relationship and using their distinct personalities to not only provide realistic conflict but also propel these characters through a delightful arc.

In addition to plenty of moments of humor, several propelled by awkwardness and Sophia’s tendency to blurt out her thoughts, there’s also a profound message about our identity in Christ and living our lives by God’s standards.

I’m going to stop while I’m ahead or I’ll take a page from Sophia and begin rambling on and on because I loved this book so much.

Let’s just say that Winning the Gentleman is a beautiful romance Regency fans don’t want to miss.

(Note: Review goes live on the blog April 16.)

Winning the Gentleman , by Kristi Ann Hunter, is a tale set in the countryside of England in the early 1800's. Aaron Whitworth is working hard managing the care and the racing of his wealthy friends/clients horses. His latest task is to find a jockey to race in a challenge his friend Oliver has accepted. After Aaron hires a horse tainer at a traveling circus, he is surprised to discover that this trainer is not a man, but rather a woman!

Sophia Fitzroy has been looking for a means to escape her life traveling with the circus, so there is no way she is passing up on the job offer that has come her way. Aaron has no idea what to do with a woman jockey, especially one who wears pants under her riding skirts to make racing the horse much easier!

This is a fun tale to follow, as both Aaron and Sophia learn how to handle the great differences in their personalities. Hang on to see the grand conclusion to this tale!

It was time for another change up! So I headed back to Regency romances and of course I’m going to read the one that involves horses - lol! This is the second book in Kristi Ann Hunter’s Hearts on the Heath series. It comes out in about a month...

And I liked this one even better than Vying for the Viscount. Aaron and Sophia were such complex characters & so unique for the genre! I really liked them. And I loved the change up from the usual Lord and Lady characters that typically dominate the Regency genre.

Also, I have to say, having a female jockey in a Regency context was such a fun avenue to take! And yes, it creates exactly as much scandal as you’re probably thinking it would, which provides plenty of scope for both drama and humour! I laughed out loud multiple times!

This is definitely a fun read, but it has some depth too, these characters have some genuine struggles and I definitely learned something from it. So pick it up if you’re looking for a light read that’s not fluff.

Oh, and if you’ve read her others, there’s plenty of fun cameo returns from previous characters 😊

Thanks @bethanyhousefiction and @netgalley for the ARC. I was only required to provide an honest review in return - and here it is! 😊

I had some mixed feelings about this book.

Aaron's relationship with his father and brother and ultimately himself was interesting and so well done. Sometimes I was amazed that he could be so unaware of his toxic and masochistic behavior. But you always root for someone to have a break through, especially when their misery is self inflected. The growth and change that takes place regarding this issue alone make the story worth reading. Everything else is cherries.

I wasn't as crazy about his relationship with Sophia, our lead female. He was so high handed so much of the time. I felt my temper flaring half the time and was frustrated that the things I would have said were no where near how Sophia responded in a meek or pleading way. Even in the way he tries to care for her is done without communication, without consulting her. I resented it.

I think I may have mentioned it in my review of the previous novel in the series, but I was annoyed by the overwhelming presence of so many characters from all of the previous books. I think they had more reason to be there this time around but it was still just too much. There are so many players that there isn't enough room for the principle characters. It seems unlikely for any books in Hearts on the Heath, but I sure hope that future series / books have new characters and way way less crossover.

I should say that I thoroughly loved the very end (last 10%) of this story. I loved the turning and surrendering to God moments, the humor, Jonas' words and actions, and Harriet's character in general. I hope we have a future story featuring her.

Winning the gentleman is a fabulous Regency by Kristi Ann Hunter. Although this is Aaron and Sophia's story, I was delighted to visit with characters from Kristi's other books. Winning the Gentleman has witty dialogue and gorgeous settings. Sophia is delightful and I loved how Aaron grew throughout the book. Throw in horses and snarky aristocrats for a perfectly delightful book.
So brew a pot of Irish breakfast tea to go along with your raspberry scones. settle in and enjoy the ride!

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley.com with no expectations. All thoughts are my own.

This book. It prompted me to read back through all of the earlier books because so many characters make appearances. But Aaron's story is absolutely perfect. He's got issues from being the illegetimate yet recognized son of the aristocracy, leaving him in a hazy position where he doesn't belong anywhere. Yet he has friends who won't allow him to remain on the fringes. Then one of thos friends accepts a match race that could undo everything Aaron has worked to build. The heroine is equally wonderful and unaccepted. An Irish trick horse rider she just wants to find a place where she can recreate her father's horse school and allow her twin brother to heal. When their worlds collide, Aaron and Sophia him to confront their fears and rediscover what they really want. It's a wonderful story, one that I thoroughly enjoyed.

A Gentleman plagued by his illegitimacy and a circus performer find common ground in their love for horses

Winning the Gentleman is book #2 in the Hearts of the Heath series but can be read as a standalone.

Sophia and her twin brother Jonas lived and worked in the circus since their father died, and they lost his horse training business.

Aaron was the illegitimate son of a marquis and lived in the fringe of society, working as the manager of two of his titled school friends' racing stables.

When one of his friends agreed to a racing match without consulting him, he found himself in trouble, as he had just fired the only jockey available for showing up to work drunk.

Desperate for someone to run the race, he searched around a fair in Newmarket and offered the job to the circus horse trainer.

But Aaron ended up hiring someone else than who he had intended. Instead of the man he saw tending to the horses, he got himself the man's sister.

The whole hiring and keeping of Sophia as Aaron's jockey was a little confusing, but it kind of worked out in the end.

The romance was sweet. I enjoyed the couple's slow-burn connection and how they grew to love each other despite their many differences. My heart went to them whenever they struggled for acceptance.

The side characters were lovely. They brought a little family drama and a sense of friendship to the story.

I'm looking forward to reading the next installment in the series, as I'm intrigued by Sophia's brother's low-key attitude and curious to see how it will clash with the bigger-than-life personality of Harriet.

Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

*This review will be posted on https://lureviewsbooks.com on 04/2021*

I have read several of Kristi Ann Hunter’s books. My favorite of hers include The Hawthorne House series. Winning the Gentleman is the second book in The Hearts on the Heath series and is becoming another favorite series of mine. This story is set in England, September of 1817. Aaron Whitworth, manager of stables belonging to both Lord Farnsworth and Lord Stildon, has just fired his jockey. Ordinarily it wouldn’t be too much of a problem to just find another one. However, Lord Farnsworth, Oliver, the clueless heir to the Earl of Trenting, has just accepted a challenge and now has no jockey to ride in the challenge. Aaron, miffed at his friend and boss, goes into town to try to find a jockey for a race set to be in just a few days. While in town, Aaron comes across a traveling circus. He sees a horse show where the girl rider is doing tricks unlike anything he has ever seen. He wants to meet the trainer of this amazing horse. He sees a man taking care of the Andalusian and thinks him to be the horse’s trainer. Aaron decides, in a moment of desperation, that he will ask the trainer to be his jockey. When he sends a message to the horse trainer offering a job, who shows up the next day is not who Aaron thought he had hired! Enter Sophia Fitzroy. She is desperate to get out of the circus and start her own riding school. She realizes that this job just might be her chance to earn money and start afresh with her brother, Jonas. She knows that the gentleman who offered the job thinks that he is giving it to the man he saw caring for the horse. However, SHE is actually the trainer! Sophia shows up at the racetrack to take Aaron up on his offer and the chaos begins! Aaron tells Sophia that it is out of the question that a WOMAN be a jockey in any race. Afterall, horseracing is a gentleman’s sport and Sophia is definitely not a man! She pleads her case and Aaron reluctantly agrees a trial period. No one at the stables or in town, including Aaron himself, is happy about this arrangement. It is unseemly for a woman to have anything to do with racing a horse! Aaron’s decision to keep her on could cost him his job and reputation. However, he feels duty bound to let her race and then hopefully find her a more appropriate job somewhere else. Aaron refuses to let Sophia wiggle her way into his life and heart. After all, he has enough friends and likes his safe and orderly life. Sophia is everything opposite of what Aaron thinks that he wants. But perhaps there is room in his heart after all for this very unconventional lady. Both Aaron and Sophia are hiding something. Will the revelations of these secrets destroy them and those they love? Will Aaron finally let go of his past and find a future with Sophia? I truly enjoyed this often-lighthearted book. Courage, forgiveness, love, and redemption were themes woven skillfully throughout the book. The characters were very well developed, and I enjoyed watching the interactions between all of them. The historical detail was vivid and interesting. I learned quite a bit about equestrianism. I enjoyed watching Sophia come out of her shell. She seems to know what she wants- to open a riding school- and is willing to work hard to obtain her dream. But how do you do that when you have no real job, no money, and are a woman in 1800’s England? Aaron was a bit more of a multifaceted character. He wants to do the right thing, is willing to work hard, but his past seems to always be holding him back from truly being able to live life in the present. He also seems to have a bit of a martyr complex and sometimes I found that annoying. I know that he is struggling over how his past has apparently mangled his future (in his eyes), but sometimes the pity party that he had for himself was a bit too much. Also, it was challenging trying to remember what name and peerage title went with what person and what estate they owned. I found myself having to write them down so I wouldn’t get confused. However, none of this did detracted from my enjoyment of this book. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Hunter’s books in this series. Perhaps a book about Jonas or Miss Hancock? That would be delightful! I thank NetGalley and Bethany House Publishers for the ARC of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

This was an enjoyable and entertaining read filled with equestrian flair! Aaron Whitworth was an easy to like, man of few words! It was humorous to see him paired with a chatterbox like Sophia. These characters really tug at the heartstrings! Each had a unique history of hardship and loss that made it easy to understand their challenges and appreciate their growth throughout the story. Plenty of previous characters make appearances which is always fun! This book kept me rooting for these characters until the final pages!

Once again another win by kristi ann hunter!! At first I wasn't sure how I to this book I would be with all the horse details, but it very quickly sucked me in! I loved the romance between Aaron and Sophie and getting to see him open up. And I loved getting to visit with characters of earlier books and get to see what they were up to! I so hope Harriet is book 3 and Aaron's brother is book 4!!!!

WINNING THE GENTLEMAN by KRISTI ANN HUNTER is a delightful romantic novel which takes place near Newmarket in 1817. In it we come across Aaron Whitworth, the illegitimate son of the Marquis of Lindbury and his aristocratic friends that we met in Vying For The Viscount, but the book can easily be read as a standalone. We also meet the vivacious Sophia Fitzroy and her brother Jonas who, together with their beautiful horse Rhiannon, on which Sophia has been eking out a living performing trick riding, escape the circus. There is a misunderstanding and Aaron ends up with a female jockey which causes an uproar amongst the élite of the racing world.
I love the whole Newmarket and horsey scene, the colourful characters, the humour, friendships and of course the romance. It is great to see the social scene in Britain in the early 1800's.
There is a strong Christian message of forgiveness and freedom in Christ together with the importance of putting the past behind one and moving forward in life. I like to see the different characters being restored when they see themselves through God's eyes.
There is a great deal of action and intrigue and it is altogether a lovely read.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bethany House Publishers, The opinions in this review are completely my own.