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Murphy's Law (Damaged Heroes #1)

by Sandy James (Goodreads Author)

4.33 of 5 stars 4.33 · rating details · 33 ratings · 11 reviews

Seth Remington had a fortune at his fingertips, but something was missing in his life. Purpose.

Knowing he has one last chance to redeem his son, terminally ill Sterling Remington rewrites his will. To earn his inheritance, his son Seth must labor as a groom for a horse trainer.

Katie Murphy's orderly existence is turned upside down by Sterling Remington's will. Raised on ha...more

ebook, 325 pages

Published February 1st 2009 by BookStrand

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Jul 15, 2011 Judith rated it 4 of 5 stars

4.5 out of 5. The situation in which Seth Remington, heir to a vast fortune, finds himself should probably come under the tough love efforts of his dad, a man who belatedly realized that his grown son was out of control with a set of personal priorities and values that were seriously skewed. Now this tarnished playboy finds himself reduced to living on a meager salary, doing ordinary work in work clothes, under an assumed name. Kate Murphy is the law now, and what she says goes. Seth has an oppo...more 4.5 out of 5. The situation in which Seth Remington, heir to a vast fortune, finds himself should probably come under the tough love efforts of his dad, a man who belatedly realized that his grown son was out of control with a set of personal priorities and values that were seriously skewed. Now this tarnished playboy finds himself reduced to living on a meager salary, doing ordinary work in work clothes, under an assumed name. Kate Murphy is the law now, and what she says goes. Seth has an opportunity to learn "how the other half lives" and to begin to recognize authentic living rather than the "fool's gold" that occupies the attention of his society pals. Dad's will, however, puts a significant "speed bump" in the road of true love, as any relationship between Seth and Kate essentially violates the terms of the will. The attraction becomes stronger and stronger between these two and they skate closer and closer to disaster--I got the sense almost all the way through the book that they were "caught between a rock and a hard place." It seems to me that the core of this story is a dad who has wrapped his son in some iron-clad boundaries the like of which he has never encountered and forcing him to develop the character needed to meet the challenges. He also was challenged to use some of his abilities and natural talents he has never known he had, and he began to realize that there were relationships to be cherished with other people--ordinary people--as well as with the horses his dad loved, a loved he failed to share with his dad and one he belatedly grieved over having missed. Perhaps this novel could come under the category of being a chapter in the well-known "school of hard knocks"--real life complete with its joys and disappointments. There are times of contentment, the "highs" of achievement, the tears of a love which seems to have evaporated almost before it could become a reality, and the anger and frustration over small-minded people whose envy precipitates hurt and tragedy in the lives of others. Another novel that brings the reader into real life, set in the context of harness racing. All in all, a splendid read and one that is one of those books that engenders a deep sense of satisfaction. It's been around a while but it was new for me and I'm so glad I got to read it. It is already on my favorites list.(less)

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Aug 08, 2010 Marissa Dobson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2010

Though Murphy's Law is not my normal read I found it to be intriguing and well written.

Seth Remington was a man about thrills and speed. His father had expectations of him, a corporate life mainly, but that isn't the life he wanted for himself. I enjoyed how Seth thought he could get around these expectations and live his life as a playboy, but reality hits him in a number of ways.

Originally I didn't care for Seth as a character. He was twenty nine, and thanks to his father's wealth he has neve...more

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Jul 17, 2010 LynnMarie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Kris’ Review

Sandy James is off to the races, in the first book of her Damaged Heroes series, entitled “Murphy’s Law.” The setting of the story is the racing industry and Sandy gets a chance to really shine, as she shows readers her first hand knowledge of all things racing. If the rest of the books in the series are as good as this one, then Sandy James will quickly become a well-known author in this genre. Right from the gate, this book starts off fast and the excitement never stops until the...more Kris’ Review

Sandy James is off to the races, in the first book of her Damaged Heroes series, entitled “Murphy’s Law.” The setting of the story is the racing industry and Sandy gets a chance to really shine, as she shows readers her first hand knowledge of all things racing. If the rest of the books in the series are as good as this one, then Sandy James will quickly become a well-known author in this genre. Right from the gate, this book starts off fast and the excitement never stops until the finish line. The epilogue is the equivalence of Sandy’s ride around the winner’s circle.

Katie Murphy is hoping to one day own her own farm. In the meantime, she’s barely making ends meat, renting stalls and sleeping in her office, at somebody else’s farm. Seth Remington is a twenty-nine year old, rich playboy with no incentive to settle down and grow up. He’s never worked a day in his life and doesn’t ever intend to. His father, Sterling Remington’s dying wishes will change Katie and Seth’s lives forever.

Katie and Seth meet under the weirdest of circumstances – in a law firm watching the dead man’s video outlining the terms of his will. In order to receive his inheritance, Seth must abandon his glamorous life in Chicago, move to Indiana and work for Katie Murphy for the next nine months. In return for a two-year Indiana-sired stakes colt, and a $200/month stipend, Katie Murphy is stuck taking Seth under her wing and training him to be ‘a groom’. At the end of the season, if Katie feels that Seth has earned his inheritance, he walks away a very rich man, and she gets a substantial monetary bonus. For the first time ever, Seth will have to work for his money. He’ll do everything for the horses from shoveling out their stalls, to feeding them hay, all for a measly ‘groom’s salary’. Knowing Seth’s playboy habits, Sterling puts in a stipulation that under no uncertain terms is Seth to attempt to seduce Katie to get his money. Furthermore, there is a no-contact clause for a period of five years after the season.

When sparks ignite into flames between Katie and Seth, their mutual attraction can no longer be denied. As they throw caution to the wind, neither is ready for the repercussions of their actions. Just like Murphy’s Law, everything that can go wrong, will go wrong, during the season as one obstacle after another is thrown in their path.

Sandy James eloquently writes a brilliant bittersweet love story of two people who seem destined to be together, yet are continuously forced apart by the reality of money. Is Seth willing to give up his inheritance for Katie? Would Katie allow him to, even if he offered?

The best part about the book for me is the character development. The transformation of Seth from a whiny rich boy to a man mature enough to realize that it means something to actually ‘earn’ money is beautifully written. Katie is also such a believable character. A woman scorned by a lover in the past, who is given a chance at love and something she never thought she could have.

What it all comes down to though, is what makes a person happier, money or love?

For me, this book by Sandy James is another winner. The book earns 5 Tea Cups and a heat rating of 3. Although it tips the scale at 325 pages, the story keeps you turning the pages at a steady pace, making it well worth the long ride to the finish line.

5 Tea Cups!(less)

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Aug 16, 2009 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

The plot is one that has been seen before. Not that uncommon of a love story. Honestly, I was a little put off by it and I waited over a week to get the book after it came in the mail (I won a free copy in a Goodreads giveaway). But I picked it up last night to read it, and I read the entire book in one sitting. Honestly, I hate Seth as a character. When the book starts, he's the biggest idiot on the planet. When he meets Katie, I think his personality changes way too quickly. However, I found K...more

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Aug 23, 2010 Kris Mcconville rated it 5 of 5 stars

I did a review of Murphy's Law for Happily Ever After Reviews:

Sandy James is off to the races, in the first book of her Damaged Heroes series, entitled “Murphy’s Law.” The setting of the story is the racing industry and
Sandy gets a chance to really shine, as she shows readers her first hand knowledge of all things racing. If the rest of the books in the series are as good as this one, then Sandy James will quickly become a well-known author in this genre. Right from the gate, this book starts...more I did a review of Murphy's Law for Happily Ever After Reviews:

Sandy James is off to the races, in the first book of her Damaged Heroes series, entitled “Murphy’s Law.” The setting of the story is the racing industry and
Sandy gets a chance to really shine, as she shows readers her first hand knowledge of all things racing. If the rest of the books in the series are as good as this one, then Sandy James will quickly become a well-known author in this genre. Right from the gate, this book starts off fast and the excitement never stops until the finish line. The epilogue is the equivalence of Sandy’s ride around the winner’s circle.
Katie Murphy is hoping to one day own her own farm. In the meantime, she’s barely making ends meat, renting stalls and sleeping in her office, at somebody else’s farm. Seth Remington is a twenty-nine year old, rich playboy with no incentive to settle down and grow up. He’s never worked a day in his life and doesn’t ever intend to. His father, Sterling Remington’s dying wishes will change Katie and Seth’s lives forever.
Katie and Seth meet under the weirdest of circumstances – in a law firm watching the dead man’s video outlining the terms of his will. In order to receive his inheritance, Seth must abandon his glamorous life in Chicago, move to Indiana and work for Katie Murphy for the next nine months. In return for a two-year Indiana-sired stakes colt, and a $200/month stipend, Katie Murphy is stuck taking Seth under her wing and training him to be ‘a groom’. At the end of the season, if Katie feels that Seth has earned his inheritance, he walks away a very rich man, and she gets a substantial monetary bonus. For the first time ever, Seth will have to work for his money. He’ll do everything for the horses from shoveling out their stalls, to feeding them hay, all for a measly ‘groom’s salary’. Knowing Seth’s playboy habits, Sterling puts in a stipulation that under no uncertain terms is Seth to attempt to seduce Katie to get his money. Furthermore, there is a no-contact clause for a period of five years after the season.
When sparks ignite into flames between Katie and Seth, their mutual attraction can no longer be denied. As they throw caution to the wind, neither is ready for the repercussions of their actions. Just like Murphy’s Law, everything that can go wrong, will go wrong, during the season as one obstacle after another is thrown in their path.
Sandy James eloquently writes a brilliant bittersweet love story of two people who seem destined to be together, yet are continuously forced apart by the reality of money. Is Seth willing to give up his inheritance for Katie? Would Katie allow him to, even if he offered?
The best part about the book for me is the character development. The transformation of Seth from a whiny rich boy to a man mature enough to realize that it means something to actually ‘earn’ money is beautifully written. Katie is also such a believable character. A woman scorned by a lover in the past, who is given a chance at love and something she never thought she could have.
What it all comes down to though, is what makes a person happier, money or love?
For me, this book by Sandy James is another winner. The book earns 5 teacups and a heat rating of 3. Although it tips the scale at 325 pages, the story keeps you turning the pages at a steady pace, making it well worth the long ride to the finish line.

http://www.hea-reviews.blogspot.com/(less)

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Jul 11, 2010 Martha rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Martha by: First Reads win

Shelves: first-reads-win, fiction-contemporary, paperback, read-in-2010, romance, romance-contemporary, 5-star-reads

Seth Remington is the typical spoiled rich kid who believes Daddy's money will cover any mistake he might make. He frequently does outrageous, even dangerous, things to try to gain attention from his father, who he believes cares more for his business and his race horses than he does for Seth. Actually, Seth's father loves him deeply but is very disappointed that Seth is living a life of no purpose, so when the father learns that he has a terminal illness, he rewrites his will in such a way that...more

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Dec 01, 2010 TheBookVixen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2010, c-b

4 and 1/2 stars

Why I Read this Book: Had it not been for the author asking me to review Murphy’s Law, I might not have ever known about this book. It would have been a sad, sad thing to have missed out on reading this book. One thing that stood out for me when I read the blurb was the equestrian element. I am very fond of horses. I absolutely loved them growing up; we used to go horseback riding every year for my birthday.

What I Liked: The writing style came off naturally. It didn’t seemed force...more 4 and 1/2 stars

Why I Read this Book: Had it not been for the author asking me to review Murphy’s Law, I might not have ever known about this book. It would have been a sad, sad thing to have missed out on reading this book. One thing that stood out for me when I read the blurb was the equestrian element. I am very fond of horses. I absolutely loved them growing up; we used to go horseback riding every year for my birthday.

What I Liked: The writing style came off naturally. It didn’t seemed forced or like the author was trying too hard. It flowed fluidly and just felt natural. The author used her experience and expertise in harness racing and incorporated into the story. The characters were real and came to life right off the page, everyone from the main characters to the secondary characters. I hated Rachel! That woman really drove me crazy. I would love to get the back story on Samantha and Brian.

I loved the complexity of the will and the possible ramifications that would effect Seth and Katie should the will be breached. Sterling wanted his son to know what it was like to have purpose in life and he did everything he could to help make that happen. Sterling thought of everything when he re-wrote his will and there’s clause after clause in the will to prove it. In the end, Seth was in quite a predicament and there was a lot at stake for him. He had a life-altering decision to make and I was on edge waiting to see how things were going to play out!

What I Didn’t Like: Part of the storyline was a bit predicable but I still really enjoyed reading it to see for myself whether or not my intuition was right. Also, the people on the cover are not how I envisioned Seth and Katie. However, I do like the harnessed horse being included in the background.

Overall Impression: It’s been a little over a week since I’ve finished reading Murphy’s Law and I still can’t stop thinking about Seth and Katie! I could have (and would have liked to) finished this book in one sitting, if life’s little interruptions hadn’t gotten in the way. I got irked every time I had to put this book down. Murphy’s Law is a great contemporary romance read, one I enjoyed reading immensely. As soon as I’m all caught up with my review requests, I’m definitely going to read the rest of the Damaged Heroes series.

You can find this review, and many more, on my blog The Book Vixen.(less)

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Dec 27, 2009 Melinda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-in-2009, romance

I love a good love story and this was cute. I adored Katie and was really rooting for her. The relationship between Sam and Brian was also incredibly endearing.

A cute love story that's perfect for relaxing on a rainy day.

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Jun 25, 2010 Gina added it

Shelves: firstreads

Looks interesting!

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May 02, 2009 Val Pearson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Review Coming soon

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Jul 17, 2012 Tracy's Place rated it 4 of 5 stars

4.25 out of 5

1 like · like · see review

May 19, 2013 Tara Rose rated it 5 of 5 stars

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Shelves: to-buy

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Apr 30, 2013 Campbell marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: wish-list-amazon

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About Sandy James

Sandy lives in a quiet suburb of Indianapolis with her husband of thirty years. She is a high school social studies teacher.

Sandy and her husband own a small stable of harness racehorses and enjoy spending time at the two Indiana racetracks. Her romances often include the world of racing, Murphy's Law being the best book to introduce harness racing to new fans of the sport.

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