Wednesday, August 23, 2023

About the Book

Book: Robbing the Races

Author: Tabitha Bouldin

Genre: ChristianHistorical Mystery, Fairytale retelling

Release Date: July 4, 2023

The Legend of Locksley might just get Robin and Marian killed.

Robin Locke’s career as a jockey is far more successful than he ever expected. When a groom is found dead in the stables, Robin sets out to right the wrongs of Locksley. Unfortunately, Robin’s rival is dead set on proving him guilty!

Marian Silvers sets out to find a once in a lifetime story that will ensure her career as a reporter withstands the masochistic attitudes of the paper where she works. As she and Robin dig into the groom’s murder, she finds another side to the legend of Locksley…a side he would prefer stay hidden forever.

While the murderer wreaks havoc in their small town, Marian and Robin find that all is not as it seems. And then they become the next targets. They just need to evade the killer long enough to bring him to justice… and perhaps find love along the way.

This 1940s Robin Hood retelling features swapped character roles and a race against the clock

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Tabitha Bouldin is a student at Southern New Hampshire University, where she is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s in Creative Writing. As a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), she works with critique groups and provides endorsements for other authors. Tabitha’s genre of choice is Contemporary Christian Romance which she describes as: Adventure with heart. Tabitha spent ten years working as a Medical Assistant before God opened the door which allowed her to become a stay-at-home-homeschooling-mom and author.

More from Tabitha

As a kid who grew up with Disney films, the Robin Hood cartoon fascinated me. I wanted to know what made Robin Hood such a cavalier thief. I understood his mindset of “steal from the rich and give to the poor” but why did he need to steal?

My uncle David had a saying for years. He’d say, “Steal from Peter to pay Paul and David stays broke.” What he meant was, no matter how hard he tried, he never managed to get ahead in life. Uncle David had a saying for everything and they always made sense in a convoluted sort of way.

In Robbing the Races, I didn’t want to try and persuade Robin that he had a right to steal, I wanted him to have a reason to think it was okay, then show him otherwise. I love heroes who need a little nudge back onto the straight and narrow. Robin sees families suffering, and when he can’t provide for them himself and he sees others who have an excess of money, he decides to take it to help the less fortunate.

Kind of like the two wrongs don’t make a right, Robin learns that his version of justice might help for a moment but that does not excuse his actions. He’s still wrong.

Robin is not the most forgiving character, but he was certainly fun to work with.

MY REVIEW

This was a fun book to read where the author takes us into the world of horse racing. It is a time when war was going on in the 1940s. I loved having a behind the scenes look at what takes place to get the horses ready. It is cutthroat business for some as winning is everything to those who will do anything to achieve the winners circle.

I did like Marian and how determined she is to prove that a woman deserves to work as a reporter for the newspaper. She is not taken seriously by everyone and when a murder happens she finds that certain people won’t share information with her. Her fierce desire to solve the case can lead to danger if she is not careful.

Robin grabbed my attention instantly. He is struggling trying to support his mother and siblings as a jockey. When the horse he is suppose to ride turns up missing, he sees his dream slipping away. When he stumbles upon someone who was murdered he knows that there are whispers of him being guilty. I liked how humble he is and how he reaches out to his uncle that he hasn’t talked to in a very long time. As he explains to Marian, gambling can destroy lives. Marian knows very well about gambling and the evil that follows it.

With a take on the story of Robin Hood we are treated to how Robin tries to do the right thing and help those who are in need. It didn’t get past me the names used in the story. I laughed half way through the story when I realized the significance of our main characters names. Very clever indeed , Tabitha. The adventure was fun and the mystery kept me guessing.

The author does an amazing job of retelling Robin Hood and showing us how greed can lead to jealousy. “The love of money is the root of all evil,” and this beautifully written story illustrates how that love can turn friends into friends enemies. The ending is not without a lesson in forgiveness and finding peace when you allow God in your life.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.