If she isn't the top rider at River Green Farm, who is she? Horses have been Isabel Martin's whole life. As the daughter of top show jumping trainer Rodger Martin, she's been expected to be a champion for as long as she can remember. But lately, she can barely get around a course without feeling sick to her stomach and she's earning more last places than blue ribbons.With an abysmal summer show season, Isabel has more questions than answers about her future, and on top of that, her beloved mare, Cadence, is dealing with more lameness issues than Isabel can count. Rodger wants her to get rid of the mare and focus her attention on her career, but Isabel does something even worse. Not only does she keep Cadence, she takes on another down-on-his-luck jumper, Kaspar. She's hopeful that with a little time and patience, she can get Kaspar performing again, but the young horse has other ideas.The training program at River Green leaves Isabel with nothing but dead ends when it comes to helping Kaspar and Cadence, and she finds herself feeling more and more desperate. Selling the horses isn't an option, so she turns to outside help instead, despite Rodger's disapproval. And that outside help includes bringing in local equine veterinarian, Derrick Thompson. Isabel is desperate for him to help her horses, but she might get more than she bargained for. Derrick might be just as good at healing broken hearts as he is at healing horses. And when Isabel finds herself the target of a personal vendetta, she discovers she needs Derrick more than she ever imagined. Heart of Hope features all the horses, small town vibes, a touch of suspense, and a closed door romance.
