A Year of Horse Books: Unbridled by K L McKain - reviewed by Katherine Roberts

This month, we saddle up for some racy teenage fiction set in the glamorous world of polo.

Unbridled by K L McKain

"Three couples. Two rival stables. One unforgettable season." claims the hot pink cover, and this book delivers on all three.

Social media princess Bex keeps her string of four polo ponies at Lord Langdon's stables, where they enjoy the best of everything - including, if Bex gets her own way (and she usually does), the handsome Langdon heir Freddie. Her friend Luella is a faithful cheerleader to Bex's enviable lifestyle, until Luella begins a secret romance of her own with a talented groom at the rival Balfour estate. Into this den of equestrian rivalry comes horse-crazy Carrie, who lands her dream job at the Langdon stables and quickly draws the attentions of Freddie. Their romance blossoms, however snogging the boss's son means jeopardising her position and making an enemy of jealous Bex.

With a big match for the Guillards Cup approaching, rivalry between the two stables reaches a new high when foul play is suspected. Family financial issues force Bex to sell two of her beloved ponies and defect to the Balfours, while Carrie and Luella seek to uncover the truth to help their friends before it is too late.

Unbridled could be described as a 'young Jilly Cooper', with the ponies as accessories to the characters' lives rather than being central to the plot as they might be with younger fiction. Despite its team game background, this book is firmly aimed at the romance market - but it's not all snogging behind the barn! The plot gallops along at a good pace, both on the polo field and in the hay, and author K L McKain delivers a tightly-plotted story that should appeal to its teen/YA readership, expertly weaving the three girls' viewpoints to a satisfying conclusion.

Recently published (2026) so in the shops now.

*

Katherine Roberts writes fantasy and historical fiction, often involving horses. So far she hasn't written a steamy romance like this one, but horse lovers might enjoy her novels featuring famous equines from history: I am the Great Horse (about Alexander the Great's warhorse, Bucephalas) and The Horse Who Would be Emperor (about Roman Emperor Caligula's favourite racehorse Incitatus). 

Find out more at www.katherineroberts.co.uk