As someone who grew up a Horse Girl(TM), I get SUPER irritated when people seem to think horses are internal combustion engines with legs. Details like galloping for hours (not possible!) throw me right out of a story.

Reader, I was so delighted with this book, I cannot even tell you how much. Despite the title, it's more of a Beauty and the Beast tale with two wounded protagonists and a horse that needs both of them so they can all heal. The other people who board their horses at the barn where this all takes place are quirky, wonderful individuals and reminded me a lot of the other people at the barn where I used to board my horse. All in all, a delightful love story with a richly developed cast of secondary characters and perfect details about keeping, riding, and training horses.

Love loved this story! I really liked the name Bronwen is an unusual name and one I definitely liked.
I read this one straight through because it was so good!! Anything with horses is awesome!
They do say that opposites attract! These two were kind of cute together and I loved in getting to know them.
I thought the romance was just the right amount of sweetness.
Me as a horse lover this book in many ways refreshed my memory in dressage and a few other things.
A great read that includes horses and the main reason why I chose this particular story.
This story brought back wonderful memories.
I didn't want the book to end. I hope there's more to come!
5 stars for an excellent read! I recommend this fun rom com. There are places that will make you smile and laugh and rooting for our characters.
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

This one is for the horse girls haha!

This had a nice blend of heart & humor. It reminded me a bit of Saddle Club but for adults. This is a workplace, dislike to lovers, slow burn romance. I liked the build up of the relationship. There was a lot of tension and emotional depth between Bronwen and Ian. I think these two had a lot of obstacles to overcome and I thought this added more to their romance. The romance was very sweet and heartwarming.

I think the plot could have been tighter. There seemed to be a lot of balls in the air but not all of them landed. The pacing also seemed a bit slow at times.

Katy James just proves that there are not enough books for us horse girlies around! Absolutely loved a romance with a barn setting and actual equine knowledge.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! All opinions are my own.

This book was such a lovely rom-com - I devoured it all in a day. As a former horse-girl who lived in the city, and also knows nothing about dressage or the show world, it felt like the author really knew details and explained them well to a lay-person. I appreciated that attention to detail! But this book is definitely for all of the Heartland lovers out there - we have a grumpy-sunshine trope with some recent sports trauma as Ian begins to emerge from this shell. I particularly loved that Bronwen was the one to push, multiple times, for their sexual relationship to start - and she never had this internal monologue of doubt or embarrassment over it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin-Afterglow for the chance to review this title.

I was totally charmed by this short and sweet Harlequin romance between a horse barn manager and show jumper, who both must overcome past traumas to get back on the horse (literal and figurative) and open themselves up to love and friendship. Would definitely recommend to horse girls (gender neutral) and those looking for a short, sweet, relatively low-angst contemporary.

4.25/5.

A barn manager and a former horse jumper are brought together by their love of horses to make ends meet. He is grumpy and she is full of sunshine so it's a rough start, but the pair bond over trauma. The Grump Whisperer is a romance full of emotions, horses, and obstacles that are meant to be overcome.

Bronwen is a barn manager and loves what she does. Things are getting tense when a new owner that no one has gotten the chance to meet is unable to be contacted, especially when bills and staff are unpaid. That's when she meets Ian. He is the brother of the owner, but isn't the easiest to get along with. He seems standoffish and is unwilling to help. But his love of horses makes him change his attitude and step in for his sister.

This is a cute romance that can easily be read in one sitting. I was a fan of the romance and emotional connection between Bronwen and Ian. The setting was beautiful to read and I could picture every detail.

Thanks for the ARC to the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Okay so I loved the horse aspect of this book. I did not love the romance. It was grumpy at first and then not grumpy very fast and if grump is going to be in the title, I feel like it should have been more slow burn. The characters got together around 45% and so their relationship didn't really progress or do anything until the end and the third act conflict. That's a big part of the book where if it was more slow burn and more tension, the relationship development could have been more spread out. But yeah, I am a horse girl and loved the horse training, horse community, etc.

This book was an absolute blast! The forced proximity trope is one of my favorites, and the farm and horse setting added such a charming touch. It made the story even more enjoyable to read.

this was such a sweet forced proximity romance. the farm element of this book was so interesting and their romance was so sweet! thank youfor the arc.

Horse barn manager Bronwen Jones is beyond stressed as she tries to save the barn from financial ruin. Then comes snarly Ian Kingston, once a star show jumper sidelined due to injuries. When they work together to train a splendid but anxious stallion, sparks fly. Can a grump and a horsewoman find true love together? Read on!