Fiction mixes with reality in Pegasus (AuthorHouse, $15) by Marilyn Holdsworth. When journalist Hannah Bradley and lawyer Winston Caughfield III rescue an injured horse, they discover a web of black-marketeering and international intrigue. The book offers mystery, adventure and romance blended with the real-life issues of animal abuse and exploitation. Holdsworth is a supporter of Horse Rescue and a contributor to Wild Horse Preservation. She lives with her husband in the Greater Los Angeles area. — Michelle Mills,  San Gabriel Valley Newspaper Group

Combine steamy romance and money with a social conscience and horses, and what do you have? You have Marilyn Holdsworth’s book “Pegasus,” about a ranch and a horse of the same name. When I first started reading “Pegasus,” I thought it was going to be like those Harlequin bodice-ripper tales. But the story did settle down and became an interesting read.
Its the story of Hannah, a young widowed journalist with a focus on animal abuse issues, and a handsome attorney, Winston, who comes from a long line of horse people. Together they become involved with a rescued “Mustang” who turns out not to be a mustang at all.
The horse Pegasus leads them into the world of racing and unethical trainers. Eventually, the true identity of the horse is revealed, but not without danger and intrigue. Through Winston’s dealings with a client, Hannah and Win are inadvertently drawn into a tangled connection with the exploitative black market of illegal horse slaughter. International travel and adventure spice up the couple’s efforts to set things right and bring some unsavory characters to justice.
For a good escapist read full of romance, mystery and adventure, “Pegasus” can keep you propped up in front of the fireplace on a cold winter day. Or on a cozy porch on warm fall days.  —Leigh Ballard of Mid-South Horse Review

If you’re a fan of romance novels as well as horse stories, you may find Marilyn Holdsworth’s Pegasus to your liking.
Hannah, a young, attractive widow, is a journalist whose forte is exposing animal abuse. When she meets widowed attorney Winston Caulfield III, she discovers that they share much more in common than the loss of their spouses.
Win decides to help Hannah in her efforts to save wild horses from slaughter. This results in a visit to a BLM wild horse adoption center where the actions of the workers rouse the couple’s suspicions. Told to return the next day to adopt several horses, they do so, only to find the office locked and the wranglers hostile and abusive to the horses they’re driving off the range into pens.
Win and Hannah manage to stop the killing of one badly injured horse, load it into their trailer and haul it back to Win’s ranch. This is Pegasus, who becomes the focus of the story.
Hannah balances her writing about puppy mills with nursing the injured horse back to health, unraveling the mystery of his identity, and finding out what’s really going on at the wild horse adoption center. In the process, the relationship between her and Win deepens.
The bad guy of the tale, Vince Rossi, is predictably despicable-and the people who work for him are sniveling creatures who fear the boss’s violent temper and see horses as nothing more than a way to turn a quick, illegal profit.
“I wrote the book because I am deeply concerned about the exploitation and abuse of horses,” says Holdsworth, who lives with her husband in Southern California. “I wanted to make people aware and gain their support in the fight against this maltreatment.”
Pegasus, paperback self-published through AuthorHouse, is available online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Also available as hardback or e-book. —Dale Ann Leatherman of Discoverhorses.com

Pegasus a novel, written by Marilyn Holdsworth, is a pleasurable horse story. It kept my interest all the way to the exciting climax.
In the novel, Holdsworth’s main character, Hannah Bradley, fights to save wild mustangs from slaughter. After Hannah rescues Pegasus, she begins to realize that the horse is not a mustang but a Thoroughbred that was horribly abused. Hannah’s journey to solve the mystery of the horse’s identity takes the reader into the world of animal abuse, international intrigue and black-marketeering. Along the way, the reader is treated to romance and adventure.
In “Pegasus,” the horse moments are tender. The adventure is fast paced. Holdsworth does an expert job of changing the tone to depict the bad-mannered and dirty-tongued evil characters that constantly mistreat horses. The author quickly brings you back to the good side and the perfect people who love horses.  — Jane Myhra of Wisconsin Horsemen’s News

This story’s subtext involves the grim business of slaughtering horses, but the author, a Southern California horsewoman, balances that with romance and heroism on behalf of horses.
Hannah Bradley is a successful journalist specializing in animal abuse issues. Widowed at an early age, she crosses paths with an older, well-to-do lawyer, Winston Caughfield III. He shares her passion for horses, but their budding romance is threatened by Hannah’s determination to bust a ring of bad guys profiting from the sale of wild Mustangs and other horses for slaughter. “Win” is torn between his desire to help Hannah and his fears that she’ll get hurt.
Hannah and Win bond over the rehabilitation of Pegasus, who escaped a slaughterhouse fate by running away from a trailer crash site. In the process of tracing down his true identity, they discover the underground horse meat racket and the nasty characters who run it. They’ve saved the horse, but put their own lives at risk. This is a fun, quick read.   —Kim F. Miller, editor of California Riding Magazine

In “Pegasus”, Marilyn Holdsworth shines light on the issues of animal abuse and exploitation. The story centers around Hannah, a young, widowed journalist, fiercely dedicated to saving wild mustangs from slaughter. After rescuing a badly injured horse, she searches to discover his true identity and fights to save his life, all the time falling in love with a gentle rancher. “Pegasus” captures audiences with an eye-opening and adventurous tale of love and horses.   —Lisa Ross-Williams of Natural Horse Magazine

Holdsworth shines light on issues of animal abuse and exploitation and champions the cause of wild horse and mustang rescue. The story revolves around Hannah, a young widowed journalist dedicated to saving wild mustangs from slaughter.
The author has created great characters, a captivating story line and included enough horses to keep the pages turning. The plot twists and turns, leading readers into the worlds of horse racing, mustang rescue, equine rehab, shady international deals, and horse slaughter. As such, I highly recommend Pegasus as an enjoyable and satisfying read.  —Kelly Bowers of The Rider Magazine

Holdsworth shines light on the issues of animal abuse and exploitation. The story centers around Hannah a young widowed journalist fiercely dedicated to saving mustangs from slaughter. After rescuing a badly injured horse, she searches to discover the animal’s true identity and fights to save its life, all the while falling in love.
A former horse owner and trainer, as well as a supporter of Horse Rescue and Wild Horse Preservation, Holdsworth’s lifelong commitment to horses served as motivation for “Pegasus”.
“I wrote the book because I am deeply concerned about the exploitation and abuse of horses.” Holdsworth says. “I wanted to make people aware and gain their support in the fight against this maltreatment.” Pegasus captivates audiences with an eye-opening and adventurous tale of love and wild mustangs.  ——Albemarle Magazine 

Horse story with romance and reality, January 28, 2013

Pegasus started with a wild ride and ended with romance and happiness. Hannah Bradley(a journalist) and Winston Caughfield(a lawyer) come together to find love and save a horse. Along the way a story unfolds about “Man’s Inhumanity to Animals” and the author does a really good job of tieing the two lives of Hannah and Winston (journalist and lawyer) together on personal and professional paths that both intersect. I think I would also love to see a series about Dr. Ward and his life — seems like a very good veterinarian and especially if Black Hawk is part of that story.Well done and I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I am not the romance book type but this story is well told with accuracy and dignity.   —By Michael N. Guerini

Mystery Horse in Country. Five stars
“I really enjoyed “Pegasus.” The characters are very likable and well drawn out. Hannah is a true heroine who knows what she wants and how to get it even with potential harm in the way. Pegasus is also an enjoyable character, and his recovery scenes were endearing. The action moved the story along well, and the storyline kept my interest. When a story stays with me after I have put a book down and I look forward to picking it back up, I know it’s good. I recommend “Pegasus” to anyone who wants a good story to take them away for a few hours, whether a lover of horses or not. You will enjoy the ride, much like an easy canter through the field on a nice, spring day.”  –-By Marissa Libbit for Reader Views.

For information on where to buy Pegasus click here.