The capable, competitive and independent, Jessica Harrington had the world at her feet until she got injured doing a water jump with her horse, Prince. This accident sets off a series of events that causes her to re-evaluate her perspectives on things. “Leap of Faith” is ultimately a character-driven drama/romance which shows how one woman can confront her past and present demons in order to discover true love.

The novel is the seventh one by Australian writer, Fiona McCallum. Like the author’s other books, it is again set in the Adelaide Hills in South Australia. The prose is simple and easy to read but the plot is a little slow at times and there are moments where Jessica (the lead character/heroine) engages in far too much over-analysis and navel-gazing.

Harrington is very much a product of her late father, an elitist, competitive and overly-ambitious man who lived his life through his daughter. He was his daughter’s coach and mentor and he had big dreams for her. But when Jessica has an accident during the cross country, she loses her nerve. Shortly after this she makes a snap decision to get out of horses permanently. That is until her saintly husband, Steve, brings home an injured and malnourished horse named Faith. Jessica initially rejects the horse but she eventually softens over time.

“Leap of Faith” is a pleasant book and it is one that can appeal to people who aren’t natural horse lovers. The story is quite sweet at times as it takes in the themes of: love; courage; the power of second chances; and the importance of learning about yourself as an individual. Overall, this is a nice and engaging book that will enable you to while away a day or two ( )