You know how once you start reading a series, you kind of want to keep going? This happened to me with Toni Shiloh’s “Love in the Spotlight” series. We interviewed Toni over at StoryChats podcast when the first title, The Love Script, released. So then I got to know the other two guys who would be heroes in their own stories coming up. Clever! 😉
Okay, as an author, I just might be guilty of the same maneuver. Ahem.
Now, where were we? Right. A Run at Love.
When Elizabeth, Narelle, and I were podcasting through the American states, we talked about the fact that we couldn’t find any CCR centered around the Kentucky Derby. Maybe Toni was snickering behind her hand already when she watched that episode, because I’m sure this story was in the works by the time that episode aired! But here it is, the FIRST, the ONLY (as far as I know) Kentucky Derby Christian contemporary romance!
A CONTENDER RUNNING FOR THE ROSES
As a Black woman in a field with little diversity, Piper McKinney is determined to make her mark on the horse-racing world. Raised on a Thoroughbred farm in Kentucky, Piper’s dream is for her horse to win the prestigious Kentucky Derby. With the help of her best friend and trainer, Tucker Hale, she gains national attention but must grapple with the complications that arise when a journalist delves into her past as a transracial adoptee.
A BEST FRIEND RACING FOR LOVE
In an effort to win Piper’s heart, Tucker formulates a plan to train Piper’s horse to victory, hoping to prove himself to her, her parents, and his own self-doubts. Then a shocking scandal hits the media, implicating both Piper and her parents, and she and Tucker will have to survive the onslaught to find their way to the winner’s circle–and each other.
A ROMANCE WORTH THE CHALLENGE
There are a few different angles in here. The first is friends-to-more. Piper and Tucker have been close friends since they were little kids. His dad used to work for her dad. Now Tucker works for Piper while also owning the farm next to hers. Both of them are convinced that the other one only wants to be friends and nothing more. This is a staple of the friends-to-more trope, and (in my personal opinion both as an author and as a reader) it’s hard to pull off believably. (In fact, I’ve only ever tried it once myself for that reason!) Here, Piper is sure Tucker wouldn’t want to be with a Black woman, while Tucker is sure Piper wouldn’t want to be with someone not of her social standing. I don’t love this combo, but it mostly works.
Secondly, we have transracial adoption. I love the nod Shiloh gives back to the world of Ọlọrọ Ilé, an African island kingdom she created for a different series. I’ve seen so many people struggling with adoption at all in the past few years, whether mixed-race or same-race, from the adopter and the adoptee point-of-view. This is a super tough subject, I think, and Shiloh gives it a fair hearing. The heroine, Piper, is adopted from an African orphanage by a wealthy white couple and given every privilege money can buy. At the beginning of the story, their family dynamics seem pretty darn solid, but cracks soon appear. I won’t give away the details on that — you’ll have to read it for yourself! — but the struggles are very relevant to the entire story plot.
There’s also the whole Kentucky Derby aspect, and how horses are picked and trained for this prestigious race. Fascinating insights into this whole new world! While I write a lot of cowboy romance, Thoroughbred racing is a whole ‘nother thing.
Toni Shiloh got her start in independent publishing and now has multiple books out with traditional publishers. I’ve read and enjoyed many of her stories, and I don’t think you can go wrong with them. All of her stories are unabashedly Christian, with characters who live out their faith while grappling with big issues.
You’ll want to start with The Love Script, in my opinion, but if you’re more interested in the issues named above than in celebrity culture, you’ll find A Run at Love to be a solid standalone as well.
I received a copy of this story from the publisher via NetGalley and was not required to leave a positive review.