Good Things Come Series

2020 Dr Tony Ryan Book Award finalist! “Shantz has written a fantastic debut novel set within the behind-the-scenes setting of the (Canadian) racing industry with backdrops of Woodbine and its Queen’s Plate, Churchill Downs…and Snowbird destinations like Gulfstream and Payson Park.” – Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. If Liv wasn’t such a control freak, it wouldn’t have rubbed her the wrong way when the farm’s new exercise rider stepped in to resuscitate newborn Chique, the first foal out of her father’s favourite mare. Nate’s equal parts good-looking and good with horses, and the kind of distraction she can’t afford as a woman trying to make it in a man’s world. When she drops out of vet school to get her jockey’s license in New York, intent on coming back to Ontario to ride Chique in the Queen’s Plate–Canada’s most prestigious race–Nate’s skill and dedication make him the obvious choice to keep an eye on the filly. He’s not supposed to become key to her plan. Tragedy brings her home prematurely, disrupting her career, and her life. Now if Chique’s going to become the racehorse she’s meant to be – and Liv’s going to find significance again – she’ll have to let go of her stubborn ideals and let Nate in, to her dream…and her heart.

This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice. Note: this audiobook is produced using a digital narrator. With the Canadian Triple Crown on the line, the quirky little filly, Chique is back to her old tricks. A failed bid leaves her with a loss to avenge, and Nate talks Liv into the Woodbine Mile — a Breeders’ Cup “Win and You're In” race. Go big or go home, right? Except his big might backfire on him, when it earns him an invite to ride in California for the winter — but an injury derails any Breeders’ Cup California dreaming for Chique. Worse yet, he’s left feeling he has to prove his worth to Liv by going — then doesn’t exactly set the world on fire at Santa Anita. Liv knows horses, not people. She’s new to this whole relationship thing. Pushing Nate to go seemed like the right thing to do — even though she’s taking Chique to Florida to rest and recuperate. If she and Nate are meant to be, spending the winter with a continent between them shouldn’t be a problem, should it? Surviving the winter from hell is only the first hurdle their fledgling relationship has to endure. Their passion for the sport of kings and the love of the horses at its heart might end up being what drives them apart.

This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice. Note: this audiobook is produced using a digital narrator. "A perfect balance between a horse story, romance and everyday life." – Amazon reviewer. "A perfect summer read - it can stand alone well and yet fits in with Good Things Come beautifully." – Amazon reviewer. Faye Taylor grew up in the world of Thoroughbred horse racing, though she’s afraid of the animals herself. She stays in the background, balancing the cost of feed against the horses’ earnings (or lack thereof) and couldn’t handicap a race to save her life. It’s provided her with a home, albeit not the most stable one, and a steady supply of non-relationships — just the kind she likes. Now she’s trying to get over the jockey she made the mistake of falling for, she’s losing her biggest client, and possibly her best friend — and the Thoroughbred farm she and her brother inherited isn’t having a stellar year. The racing world that’s given her the life she’s come to know is looking even less stable than usual. When the opportunity to take over a local café presents itself, Faye sees a chance to start something new. Then along comes Will Callaghan, a complete outsider to the racing game. He’s both too tall and too nice — but he’ll make a fine reset button for the disaster that is currently her life. While she clues him into her strange world, he starts breaking off pieces of the shield she’s created to protect herself from her past. Faye is sure she can keep Will where she wants him. She’ll enjoy his part-time band, his part-time cat, and his baking skills might come in handy at the café. She’s not looking to get attached. But all the little things are starting to add up into something more.Linda

Welcome to the world of Good Things Come in the heart of Canadian Thoroughbred horse country… He’s racing cross-country, looking for a safe place to land. She’s dreading a future that was never her choice. They both want the same thing: to leave the past behind. September means school, but this year, Nate’s not going back. He’s heading east, and while everyone at home thinks he’s pursuing a career as a jockey, he’s really just running away. After always being a student, he lands a job as a teacher — of young Thoroughbreds, starting yearlings on a small but classy farm in Ontario. It’s the perfect place to hide, until a jockey’s agent comes along promising to give him everything he thought he ever wanted. He’ll have to choose between honouring his commitment to the farm and a fast track to the career of his dreams. Liv likes the new guy she hired to start the babies, but she kind of hates him too. He’s doing what she wants to do herself — dropping out to chase a future on the front lines of horse racing. She wishes she could be content, accepting the path vet school has firmly set her on. But a filly named Claire has captured her heart and ignited her real passion: riding racehorses. But does everyone get to follow their heart? Meanwhile, a cherished mare on the farm carries a foal that will change both their lives and remind them… good things come to those who wait.