Amalia Carosella presents an excellent narrative that mixes just the right ingredients of mythology, fantasy, and romance that kept me engaged from beginning to end. The chapters are alternating told through the eyes of King Pirithous, King of the Laipths and Hippodamia, a young woman who was raised by the centaurs. Their marriage is promised to keep the peace between their people. Of course, the two don't see eye to eye at first sight, but slowly they each come to love each other quite deeply.

Great battles, sizzling romance, and sacrifices to the gods make for a perfectly standout book. Highly recommend!

Before I started this book I had no idea what to expect. What I did know was that it was a historical fantasy romance book that sounded amazing to me. Plus the cover is AMAZING. It's beautiful and different than what I am used to seeing. I loved this story from start to end. Tamer of Horses is based on Greek mythology and I loved that so much. I love anything history related but mythologies are even more intriguing to me. It isn't easy to find a fantasy book that can keep me intrigued throughout to book without having me want to skip parts, but I really took my time to read slowly so I wouldn't miss anything.

Tamer of Horses is about Hippodamia who must marry the future king of the Lapiths, Pirithous, son of Zeus, and forge a lasting peace between their peoples by giving him an heir. I love arranged marriages in books especially historical/fantasy books. Amalia created such a beautiful story with very interesting characters. I was living this book, I was experiencing everything they were. I just couldn't get enough. I loved that this book was long and that the author took her time to really tell the story of Hippodamia and Pirithous. I loved how their relationship developed and how they worked through their ups and downs. There were a couple of scenes very emotional that had me crying my eyes out. Difficult decisions were made that were so heartbreaking and hard to read but necessary.

In the beginning it took me a couple of chapters to get used to the unqiue names and remembering who was who but thankfully that didn't last long. I loved the secondary characters, Theseus and Antiope, and hope their story will be told in the future. The author has opened up a new world to me and I can't wait to read more books based on Greek mythology. Tamer of Horses was a strong book that had the right amount of romance, action, emotion and mythology. The author found the right balance between them and made me enjoy the book even more. I can't wait to read her other books and find myself get lost in Greek mythology again.

Tamer of Horses has been on my list since I hosted a Character Conversation with Polypoetes. It was mentioned that he’d appear in a forthcoming novel and I set myself to keeping an eye out for Carosella’s next release. Lucky for me, I didn’t have to wait long. Three months later I was granted an ARC of the novel and I jumped straight in.

As far as heroines go, Hippodamia is a breath of fresh air. She has tomboyish mannerisms and a great love of horses, but her real motivation is a simple desire to be loved. She wants a husband and a family and I found her modest ambitions both endearing and relatable, especially in a world where glory and immorality reign supreme. She was a very genuine woman in my mind’s eye and I loved how Carosella managed to keep that fundamental element of her character at the forefront of her arc.

Much like his immortal father, Pirithous is an intensely sexual being and it would have been very easy to tire of his appetites, but Carosella plays his prowess against his insecurities and the end result is surprisingly charming. The jealousy he feels towards Eurytion and Antiope soften him and I enjoyed the dimension his flaws afforded. I also appreciated the idea that those same failings eventually drive him to become a better version of himself, but you’ll have to read to book to fully understand what I mean.

The politics of war for the Lapiths fascinated me from the start and I loved how the cultural struggle between the Lapiths and the centaurs heightened the tension throughout the narrative. I was impressed with the role the Gods played in the lives of Carosella's mortal cast and I fell head over heels in love with Antiope, but the moment that stands out in my mind is the final scene. Hippodamia’s sacrifice is profound, but the fact that her worth is truly understood in that moment bring the novel full circle and cuts straight to the heart.

Long story short, I loved every minute I spent with Tamer of Horses and highly recommend it to fellow readers of myth based fiction.