FROM THE PUBLISHER

In this edge-of-the-seat finale to the trilogy that has reunited the Coleman and Thornton families, New York Times bestselling author Fern Michaels sets our pulses pounding as horsewoman Nealy Coleman faces her greatest challenge -- to produce another Derby winner and show the world that a determined woman never quits...

Kentucky Sunrise

When it comes to men, Nealy is very content with her new husband, lawyer Hatch Littletree. When it comes to horses, she is never satisfied. Nobody can measure up to her standards as a trainer, not even her daughter Emmie, who now runs the family's famous stables, Blue Diamond Farms.

But returning to Blue Diamond Farms for a family reunion sends Nealy reeling. Emmie has let the farm slide, and she has picked a small, gutsy colt to send to the Derby -- a nice horse, but clearly the wrong one. Suddenly Nealy is back in the game, ready to prove she's not too old to back a winner -- even if means taking on another colt as her own personal project. Nealy's determined not to let Emmie's poor judgment undermine the reputation of the business she worked so hard to build. But the damage to her relationship with her daughter may be irreparable, as Emmie fights a secret battle with a crippling illness and fears of losing custody of her child.

Now, with the ghosts of the past haunting them both, Emmie and Nealy engage in an unstoppable rivalry, two headstrong women engaged in a battle of wills, each determined to win -- no matter what the dangers, no matter what the cost.

In Kentucky Sunrise Fern Michaels captures the adrenaline rush of the sport of kings while sending a family toward a shattering climax, where the difference between winning and losing in all aspects of life lies in the choices of the heart.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Prolific novelist Michaels completes the saga of the Coleman and Thornton families with this follow-up to Kentucky Rich and Kentucky Heat. She focuses on the relationship between Nealy Coleman, a one-time runaway unwed mother who became the indomitable horsewoman-proprietor of Blue Diamond Farms, and her daughter, Emmie. Nealy's prestigious stables were run with a perfectionist's firm hand until her recent marriage to lawyer Hatch Littletree left Emmie in charge. Emmie not only fails to keep up appearances at the farm but also chooses the wrong horse to train for the Derby, where there'll be a mammoth family reunion. Mother and daughter's lifelong rivalry suddenly becomes a struggle for control of the family estate. Emmie, who inherited her mother's strong will, is battling an undiagnosed illness and a secret fear of losing custody of her own child. When she finds out she has rheumatoid arthritis, she goes for an extended stay at the Rehabilitation Center in Las Vegas, founded by her aunt Fanny. Nealy abandons retirement to try and reestablish the reputation of her beloved stables. Another familial crisis surfaces when Willow, Nealy's ex-daughter-in-law, is wanted on a murder charge and demands that Hatch's law firm represent her. When Emmie returns to Kentucky, the power struggle turns ugly. There is, of course, a stunning Derby day climax. Long on action, colorful dialogue and coincidence but short on subtle characterizations and sense of place, the book will satisfy Michaels's many fans, if not win her new ones. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

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