Toni Shiloh's books are always a welcome read for me. A Run at Love is book 2 in her latest series, Love in the Spotlight, and I loved it just as much as The Love Script (plus it was great to see Neveah and Lamont again!). I grew up with a dad who trained horses so it was fun to read about Tuck and his training horses for Piper. Watching them move from friendship to more was sweet and I was totally engrossed in their story for a wonderful afternoon.

I read/listened to the audio book and really enjoyed the narrator, Dioni Michelle Collins, very much!

When I'm in the mood for a contemporary Christian romance, I turn to Toni Shiloh's books!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 7 May 2024

This was such a good blend of fun and tough issues to work through. I love it when an author can mix both the light-hearted moments and the really difficult things because that’s so relatable to real life!

Piper and Tucker both had some insecurities and ‘control’ issues to work through. I love the gentle way their different types of ‘control’ issues are addressed and how that’s not preached, but offered as food for thought in our own lives.

The guys group text chat is awesome, too, to have that support network and friendship that’s typically portrayed as a ladies thing, but the guys need that connection just as much, and it’s a beautiful connection for the heroes of this particular trilogy.

And of course, my favorite aspect of a good romance is it’s not rushed. The timeline is reasonable.

But then, you add in horses and humor, and it just levels up the whole story!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and chose to review it here. All thoughts are my own.

I've been a fan of Toni Shiloh since her indie publishing days. I've loved many of her books. I really enjoyed the first book in the series but, for some reason, this book didn't resonate with me as much. I still enjoyed it and loved getting to know Piper and Tucker. Piper and her spunk, independence, and love for horses came through in all of her interactions. Her first person voice was fun, tender, and down to earth. Tucker and his undying devotion to Piper was so sweet. His third person voice was quirky, funny, and a solid rock for Piper in her life storms. I did enjoy learning about horseracing and seeing Nevaeh and Lamont progress in their relationship was quite gratifying.

Perhaps Piper and Tucker's best friend to more was a little forced and artificial - they both loved each other but had a hard time figuring out the other person's feelings and the process felt a bit overdone and drawn out. I also felt like I stepped into the middle of the book when I started it and kept thinking I had missed something between book 1 and book 2. Still, the characters were pretty awesome and the author addressed topics like inter-racial relationship and trans-racial adoption, which are rarely talked about.

I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Bethany House via Interviews & Reviews and was under no obligation to post a positive comment. All opinions are my own.

This second book in Toni Shiloh's Love in the Spotlight series is fantastic! Fun and an adorably sweet romance!
I loved reading about Piper and Tuck. It was great watching their romance blossom and spring into full bloom.
But...they had a few bumps along the road, and all in all, these characters are well written.
I enjoyed getting to know a little bit more about the horse racing world, and horses in general.

I found this a fascinating and intriguing story, and look forward to reading more by this author!

Disclaimer: I receive complimentary books from various sources, including, publishers, publicists, authors, and/or NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review, and have not received any compensation. The opinions shared here are my own entirely. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

Tuck and Piper were such wonderful characters! I loved the way they had grown up together as best friends and then both began caring about each other as more than friends. Yet they were scared to risk that friendship and admit to their deeper feelings. But, wow! The moment it came to light that they were interested in each other romantically…one of my favorite scenes for sure!

These two had to deal with a lot emotionally in this story, as Piper’s parents were suddenly in the spotlight for potentially engaging in illegal activities with their racing horses. And this also put a lot of pressure and a negative spotlight on Piper and her own horse who was racing, as well.

There were many important topics covered in this story, including both the difficulties and the blessings that Piper faced as a black woman adopted into a wealthy white family in a white community, the importance of trusting God with the future, the need for forgiveness, and the importance of honesty between a couple. There were also many fun and lighthearted moments between Tuck and Piper, and some great group texts between Tuck and his two best friends from the first book of the series, The Love Script. You do not, however, have to read book one to enjoy book two.

This was a great story and I am looking forward to Chris finding his happily ever after in book three.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I liked this book, especially the second half! The first half took me a bit to get through but I think it was because I’m not into horse racing! Also, I felt like Piper was not sure about her feelings for Tuck, thinking it was more attraction, then was all of the sudden so sure it was love! The romance was a bit sudden for me, but what I really loved about this book was the faith!!! Toni can write some amazing faith! I didn’t read the first one in the series, but I want to!! I think it would be better to read that one first but can be read as a standalone! Overall, the faith is what made this book for me! 3 1/2 stars rounded up to 4!

Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced copy, all thoughts and opinions are my own!

I enjoyed reading A Run at Love, the second book in Toni Shiloh’s Love in the Spotlight series. The story is set in Kentucky in the horse racing world.

I’m pretty sure A Run at Love is the first Christian fiction book I’ve read that’s intricately connected to horse racing. Horse racing industry critics have expressed concerns regarding problem gambling and animal welfare. There’s no gambling in the story and I absolutely loved the way Piper and Tucker looked after the horses and animals in their care. Piper’s goats were both troublesome and hilarious.

Piper was adopted as a young child and moved to the USA with her wealthy adoptive parents who were successful and well known in Kentucky horse racing circles. Piper’s love for horses inspired her dream to own a colt that would go on to win the famous and prestigious Kentucky Derby. The story opens with Piper taking steps to fulfil her Derby dream.

Tucker is Piper’s lifelong best friend who has followed in his father’s footsteps and worked for Piper’s family as an assistant horse trainer. Tucker has loved Piper for years and has a list of reasons for why he’s not yet good enough to take a risk, step out of the friend zone, and ask Piper out on a date. His guy friends, who feature in other books in the series, are his Christian support network who keep him grounded.

Piper has loved Tucker for years and she’s afraid she’d lose him as her best friend if he didn’t reciprocate her feelings. She has grown up in a predominantly white community and experienced racism that has shaped the way she views the world. Her love for Jesus is her anchor as she navigates complex relationships with her adoptive parents.

Piper and Tucker’s romance is sweet and they make an adorable couple as they work together and begin to believe their hopes and dreams could come true. A family scandal puts Piper in the media spotlight and places multiple relationships in jeopardy. I recommend A Run at Love to contemporary romance readers who like best friends-to-more celebrity romances with depth that are set in the horse racing world and include a relevant faith element in the story.

Many thanks to Bethany House and Net Galley for the advanced reader copy.

The Queen of Romance Tropes has done it again!

In "A Run at Love," Toni Shiloh effortlessly combines southern charm, hilarious buddy banter, Kentucky Derby history, mischievous goats, unabashed faith themes, the highs and lows of horse racing, endearing characters, and a sigh-worthy friends-to-more romance into a book readers won't want to end. Like, seriously, can we spend another 300 pages with Piper and Tuck?! I miss them already!

If you love a good rom-com and a great hat, "A Run at Love" is sure to be your cup of mint julep!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. A favorable review was not required. All views expressed are my own honest opinion.

I adore what Toni Shiloh writes - she has tge ability to make a reader feel so good and cozy in a book.... Thankful to be able to experience A Run at Love - filled with hope, humor, and of course falling in love .💕

“Darlin’, no man wants any part of him to sparkle. Ms. Meyer has hoodwinked a generation of women.” I laughed out loud at this quote! A Run at Love is a new favorite from Toni Shiloh. From the first page I was drawn in to this delightful, thoughtful, funny, sweet, childhood friends to more romance! It’s also infused with faith and an inspirational, thought provoking look at race, interracial adoption, and interracial couples.

Paige was born in Africa and adopted by a wealthy white family who owns a horse racing empire. Paige has also developed a love of horses and horse racing and wants to be the first Black woman to win the Kentucky Derby. As she struggles with trying to find her own path in this competitive arena, she leans on her best friend and horse training partner Tucker whom she’s secretly in love with. As she navigates her feelings towards her biological parents, adoptive parents, and Tucker, she also has to deal with unwanted publicity and accusations against her father.

Tucker’s been in love with Paige since childhood. He wants to be worthy of her and make his business a success before he reveals his romantic feelings for her. He has a whole list of how he’s going to accomplish this. But as his carefully laid plans begin to crumble, he soon realizes that he needs to seek God’s plans for his life.

Paige and Tucker are such a cute couple! I loved the way they were both pining for each other for years and worried about what the other would think when they revealed their feelings. I loved how they easily transitioned from friendship to love. I enjoyed their 90’s romcoms and the fun humor they shared. Theirs is an interracial romance and I appreciated the way the author addressed race in such an inspirational, thoughtful way.

I honesty didn’t know much about horse racing going in to this book, but I soon came to appreciate the hard work that goes into choosing and caring for the right horse. I was cheering right along with Tucker and all Paige’s friends and supporters with each race Dream enters leading up to the Kentucky Derby. There’s also a darling little goat named Baby who plays an important role. Her father’s business comes under scrutiny as a nosey journalist investigates Paige’s past which brings a bit of suspense and drama to the story. I enjoyed how this offers a chance for change and growth. I also love Paige’s and Tucker’s friends and how they supported each another.

Defintely add this funny, romantic, well written, inspirational. romcom to your must read list! Though it’s part of a series, it can easily be read as a standalone. I recommend reading the first book though to really appreciate all the characters and group of friends. I can’t wait for Chris’ story! I received an advanced complimentary copy from the author and publisher. All opinions are my own and voluntarily provided.

This is the first time I've read a book by Toni Shiloh, and it brought back fond memories of my uncle and his horse-training days at the track. And so it was interesting to get a behind-the-scenes look at horse owners and trainers, as well as what they go through to achieve a winning horse.

I appreciated the author's handling of interracial relationships and her insights into that, as well as into white people who adopt black children. I loved Piper's thoughts on that. I also loved the faith element in this book. Trusting in God and forgiveness were strong throughout.

However, the story did seem to drag on, which had me frustrated and I think it was because of the romance. It was way too "Hallmark" for me. The constant back and forth with Piper and Tuck drove me crazy because it seemed like it was the same conversation (in their heads) over and over again.

Despite that, it is a good story with a nice side-scandal that kept me reading.

For my honest opinion, I received a complimentary copy from Bethany House via NetGalley.

A Run at Love is the second book in the Love in the Spotlight series. While characters from the previous book do make an appearance, I do think this could be enjoyed just fine as a standalone as well.

Before reading this book, my knowledge of horse racing was slim--- just little bits and pieces I'd picked up from the occasional movie on the topic, but my lack of knowledge didn't matter in the slightest. Toni Shiloh very quickly draws the readers into this world and kept me intrigued from start to finish! I enjoyed learning more about that topic, but it was far from the only thing this story had going for it. You also get a wonderfully done friends to more romance, family drama and scandal and great messages of faith all mixed in too. The relationship between Tucker and Piper was really great... friends to more is always fun because there's such a good, strong foundation there and that was certainly the case here. I couldn't help but love both of these characters and them together as a couple. I won't say too much about the scandal--- you'll have to read it to find out--- but it certainly kept me invested in the story. One of the things that I love about Toni Shiloh's books is that her characters truly live out their faith in a way that is apparent in their lives, and we see that here again... they have some lessons to learn, sure, but some of those lessons were reminders I needed myself too. It also took on the topics of interracial relationships and transracial adoptions, which I thought were done really well too. Really, there was so much to love in this book, and I found myself enjoying it even more than the first.

If you're looking for a great Christian romance, this is absolutely one to check out.

**I received a complimentary copy via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Once again Toni Shiloh has tugged on my heart strings with this wonderful story and romance. These characters have true emotional depth, which makes them more real to me as the reader. Piper McKinney was adopted by her parents when she was young. She is a black woman who knows she is loved by her parents, but she has felt a little rootless with so many unanswered questions in her life. She often wonders about her birth family and how different her life would have been if she had not been adopted. She grew up on a large, successful horse farm in Kentucky. It has always been her dream to own her own horse and have that horse win the Kentucky Derby. This is how she ends up with her foal, Dream. She knows this will not be an easy task, but she is willing to put it all on the line. I love that she does not dream small. She dreams big and believes in that dream. She is also a black woman in a white man's world with horse racing, but this girl does not let that deter her from making her dreams a reality.

She needs a trainer, and she knows there is no one better than her best friend, Tucker Hale. Tucker and Piper have been friends since elementary school. Tucker has been fighting his feelings for Piper for a long time.

When scandal rocks the McKinney family and their farm, Piper and Tucker get pulled into the fray as well. This is going to make this journey that much more difficult, if they can overcome this scandal and the bad press that goes along with it.

Piper and Tucker were made for one another. They just need to get out their own way. There were so many touching scenes in this book that I lost count. You know what I mean. Those scenes that make you sigh and maybe swoon a little. Strong faith and leaning on God are key ingredients in this story as well. There is definitely a moral to the story.

I was so excited to see my favorite three men on their text thread just like book #1. Tuck, Lamont and Chris are best friends, but they are also each other's cheerleaders and prayer warriors.

Thank you to Bethany House, NetGalley and the author for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

From the first page I fell in love with Piper and Tuck.

Piper and Tuck have been best friends since Piper came to America [no spoilers, but I love the connection]. They have also been in love with each other since before they understand the dynamics of love.

Piper faces some heated situations as she comes to grips with who she is as a person and pursuing who God called her to be. Of course, her best friend is there to comfort her.

Tuck is a man with a plan , but not Gods plan. He faces a battle that only God can win and finds that human timing sucks compared to what God has for us.

I loved following Tuck and Piper as they find out that they both are aligned in God’s timing.

This sweet romance will be a comfort read for me. I loved seeing the characters from The Love Script.

This series doesn’t have to be read in order but it’ll help understand the side characters more.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
A Run at Love is the second in Toni Shiloh’s Love in the Spotlight series. It can be read as a standalone, although I do recommend the first book as well. While I’ve read myriad celebrity romances at this point, the equestrian world, especially related to horse-racing and the Kentucky Derby, were much less familiar. But Shiloh conveys a knowledge for the sport in a way that is digestible for newbies to the sport, conveying the characters’ passion for it, while not going overboard with the technical aspects that could sometimes bog down the narrative.
Piper is an incredible female lead, and I particularly liked how she handled issues with her Black identity in both her professional and personal lives. She’s a Black woman in the horse-racing world, dominated by white men, but she’s also a Black transracial adoptee. I respect how her story highlights the complex feelings someone like her can have, being grateful for the opportunities she has due to the family who raised her, but also being unsettled by the situation, and especially the public’s perception of her.
Tucker is a generally solid guy, and I loved how his romance with Piper developed. They’ve known each other pretty much all their lives, and I love how he’s as passionate about her winning the Kentucky Derby as she is, even making elaborate plans in an attempt to make it happen. They had great chemistry and it was sweet seeing things develop from platonic to something more. I did feel like the marriage proposal came a little too soon, but given how long they knew each other, and how it came rather late in the story, I can accept that it makes sense. And the wedding isn’t necessarily something they’re rushing into by the end, anyway.
This was another heartfelt romance from Toni Shiloh, and I’d recommend it to readers interested in a Christian or sweet (no-sex) romance with a Black lead.

the story of piper and tuck was so stinkin sweet! piper was such a strong character who confidently went against the “normal” and tuck was such a supporting individual who i think is the true ‘underdog’ of the story, if you will! their friends-to-more romance story was very enjoyable 🥹 and i loved how they liked their agendas, to-do’s, and plans, but came to the realization that they must trust in their faith in God! this is a must read 🫶🏻 i also appreciate that this story touches on the topic and point of view of being adopted - it was executed so nice and appropriately i think 🥰

read if you like:
🐴friends-to-more
🏁horse races
🐴family dynamics/drama
🏁extremely likable characters
🐴scandal

#BookRevew : A RUN AT LOVE by Toni Shiloh

“Love is what makes you theirs. Nothing else matters.”

A romance with a heart. While the beginning was a bit slow, I’m glad I persisted since I have always enjoyed the author’s other books. Even if I’m not a fan of horses nor racing, I learned some and all the hard work it took for a horse to even be considered to run at any race.

The friends-to-more trope often features characters oblivious to their feelings for most of the book, but thankfully, that wasn't the case here. Tucker and Piper were clearly meant to be together. Tucker's unwavering support for Piper shone through. While he loved having a plan, the story beautifully portrays his growth as he learns to trust in God.

The story wasn't solely focused on their relationship, which was nice. The shocking scandal added depth and intrigue to the plot.Piper's personal journey of finding her place in society and family was a captivating element that kept me engaged.

The family dynamics were good. I enjoyed Piper’s conversations with her father. This book offered so many valuable lessons, even shedding some tears. The strong friendship among Lamont, Chris, Tuck, and Nevaeh and Piper was another highlight. It was wonderful to revisit them in this book. It’s such a heartwarming story of friendship and love. It’s filled with messages of forgiveness and faith, it reminds us to trust God's presence in every twist and turn of life.


Rating: 4.5 ⭐
Series: Love in the Spotlight Book 2
Pub date: 07 May 2024

Thank you Bethany House Publishers and #netgalley for the complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

I have to admit, this book started out very slow for me. I have read other Toni Shiloh books and enjoyed them greatly, but I was just not feeling this one after the first few chapters. I was not into the horse-racing concept, and the fact that both characters were romantically interested in each other but the other one didn't know it just seemed silly. I considered DNFing it, but because I had agreed to review it, I stuck with it and kept going. I'm really glad I did. I enjoyed seeing how God worked in each of the main characters' lives and how they found their way into a good relationship with God's help. In the end, I enjoyed the book a lot more than it seemed I would. Can't wait to see what happens with Chris in the next book!

There is so much to love about this book! As a Kentucky girl who resides in the heart of horse country, this book feels like home. Toni is the queen of faith and I loved the faith woven throughout. The prayers, the relying on God, the Godly friendships, so good!! I can't wait for book 3. Thank you, Toni Shiloh and Bethany House, for the opportunity to read and review this advanced copy.

When Piper buys a racehorse, Tuck agrees to train it for the Kentucky Derby. A Run at Love is a sweet friends-to-lovers romance that will tug at your heartstrings.

I love the way Tuck looked out for Piper and supported her when she needed help.

Piper and Tuck were a cute couple, and after reading  The Love Script, I was glad to see these two get their happy ending.

Readers of A Run at Love will be reminded that we all make mistakes and desire forgiveness. True repentance comes from the heart, and sometimes forgiveness requires a lot of effort.