Award-winning novelist Rusty Blackwood has announced that the hardcover version of her latest novel, Before The Grandeur: The Making of a Horsemaster, is now available. The book serves as the prequel to Blackwood's Autumn Trilogy, a series set in the world of professional horse racing, concealed secrets, and enduring love. The hardcover release matters to collectors and longtime readers of the series because the trilogy's individual titles are already offered in hardback, and the new edition allows the prequel to join that set.
"I am extremely pleased to offer, Before the Grandeur: The Making of a Horsemaster, in hardback edition," Blackwood stated. "As the prequel to my multi-award-winning Autumn Trilogy of books that are each available in hardback, having Grandeur join that select group finishes the collection perfectly, especially for the consummate collector, as well as all readers who prefer this choice of format." The book is available at Amazon through Blackwood's author store at https://www.amazon.com/stores/Rusty-Blackwood/author/B0092XLBRM.
The prequel follows Cyril Landon, a deprived young Englishman born into poverty in the village of South Wood Chester, Gloucestershire, England. The source describes a world in which opportunity appeared far removed from his grasp, yet Landon is characterized by determination, grit, and an endless drive to achieve more than his station in life offered. A labourer's situation at a local farm provides him a window into a possible future, and the choice he makes there sets in motion a path that would eventually lead him to become a horsemaster.
Reviewers have endorsed the character-driven approach. Richard Prause of Readers Favorite said the novel "doesn't depend on manufactured plot twists to drive the story," focusing instead on "the simple, powerful moments of a man earning the trust of a stallion." Prause called it "a perceptive exploration of ambition and loyalty" and said that readers who appreciate character-driven historical fiction will find it well worth their time. Another reviewer, Asher Syed, stated that the book "will be a boon for readers who are already fans of the series, and a brilliant introduction to fans-in-waiting."
Blackwood also said the prequel is being offered at no charge during this timeframe, a decision aimed at helping readers understand the difficult journey that precedes the events of The Perils of Autumn. "Born into extreme poverty with little hope of survival, Cyril Landon's difficult beginnings throughout England's horrific war years, will better assist readers in understanding the difficult journey that precedes the grandeur awaiting them in The Perils of Autumn," she stated, adding that the page-turner is a must-read for fans of historical fiction.
The broader series has received notable recognition. For The Perils Of Autumn, the first book in the series, Blackwood was named a finalist in the Fiction Romance category by the International Book Awards in its 2019 program, the 10th annual awards, and was also named a finalist in the American Book Fest's 2019 awards program in the same category. The first book additionally received a 5-star rating from Reader's Favorite. That novel, set primarily in the early 1970s, centers on Autumn Leeves, a young Kentucky woman born in 1946 to an unwed mother, and her later entanglement with Cyril Landon, owner of the Landon Lawns Stables Thoroughbred racing operation outside Lexington, Kentucky.
For readers seeking information on all of Blackwood's work, the author maintains a website at http://www.rusty-blackwood.com. The hardcover release extends a catalog that also includes the 5-star rated romantic fiction novel Willow's Walk, set in Ottawa in 2003, and Passions in Paris: Revelations of a Lost Diary, Blackwood's first romantic fiction novel, which has been compared to Erich Segal's Love Story and Nicholas Sparks' The Notebook.
