I downloaded this book of Tudor Robin’s recently for free on Kindle. It’s been on my to read list for awhile! So it was great to be able to finally get stuck into the young adult novel, Appaloosa Summer.

Meg Traherne finds her life suddenly takes an unexpected turn. The summer she is planning to compete on her promising off the track thoroughbred is suddenly made impossible. And with a change to her usually horse driven life, Meg feels numb. Even once she has recovered from a fall, she finds that her excitement for showing is just not there.

And so an unexpected job offer over the summer holidays seems the perfect answer. Except for the fact that Meg’s mother has already made that decision for her. But with the assistance of her father, Meg finds she’s suddenly staying at their family holiday cottage and working with grandparent-like friends.

Appaloosa Summer does a great job of exploring the drive and focus of a sixteen year old, near the end of her schooling. I appreciated the realistic attitude issues between Meg and her mother but also love how it was resolved over time.

Throw in a good looking young cowboy on a tractor, an unexpected horse to ride over summer and the story has real appeal. How it played out and was all wrapped up made it such an enjoyable read. This novel is very horse focused, has a delightful romance and is also a wonderful start to this series. Highly recommended.

Author: Tudor Robins
Fiction – young adult
In My Library? It is as an ebook.

I loved the horse aspect of The Grulla Paint Murders as I read this book by David Huebner. Evan Coleman is in law enforcement. A call from a concerned wife about her husband not returning home has him out on a ride into the mountains. It seems that Ben Pike’s horse returned home without him. What Evan discovers on his ride up into the mountains is far from what he expected.

And so starts the case of solving a rather unusual murder.

As Evan and his partner Buster work with the attractive Dr. Nicoletti and her team to piece together what has happened, Evan is amazed to find that a rare coloured Grulla horse was used in the murder scenario. Huebner explores what must be a passion of his, as Evan’s character explains the differences in paint horse colouring to Dr. Nicoletti. It was an interesting conversation in the story!

Ben Pike’s life left him with few friends. The number of enemies who could have wanted him dead is many. Evan works with Buster to sort through the mess that is Ben’s family situation. Even the strongest suspects don’t seem to quite sit well with Evan. Something isn’t right, but what?

The Grulla Paint Murders was an interesting murder mystery with plenty of twists. There were plenty of horse scenes in the story and a lot of amusing dialogue. Add in the hint of a romance and this novel by David Huebner was a really enjoyable read.

Author: David Huebner
Fiction – adult mystery
In My Library? It is as an ebook.

“When I hear somebody talk about a horse or cow being stupid; I figure it’s a sure sign that the animal has somehow outfoxed them.” – Tom Dorrance

I have recently been able to download some more horse books in a group author giveaway. This was shared with me by Hilary Walker, a recent Christian horse book author I have become aware of. Amongst the books up for free download was Three Turns to Home by Meg Gossett. I’m always up for discovering new horse book authors! And when they write Christian horse books, it’s of even more appeal to me.

Three Turns to Home features young adult, Alice Montgomerey after an horrific accident. In that one accident, almost all that was dear to her was taken away. And to Alice, it truly feels like she did lose it all. The promising young barrel racer is left crippled, badly burned and without a horse. Oh, and her take on the accident and her resulting life has left her bitter and no longer believing in God.

Three Turns to Home by Meg Gossett

Alice’s life is one tedious, tiring, painful day after another. She has no interest in life and is angry and also irritated by her mother’s consistent attempts to raise her spirits.

Although each day appears the same as the last, things suddenly change for Alice. Local veterinarian and high school acquaintance Matthew Weller makes a request of her that she never expected. Suddenly life is taking a very different turn.

Three Turns to Home is a delightful young adult romance. It features horses heavily, has a Christian faith focus and also looks at someone trying to adjust to a drastic change in their life. I love how this story played out.  I especially enjoyed the way that someone’s passion for horses and their faith – as well as one persistent, encouraging friend – could turn things around in a positive light. Well worth the read.

Author: Meg Gossett
Fiction – young adult Christian
In My Library? It is as an ebook.

Cora’s latest release, Brave Love came right in time for the Kentucky Derby. I was able to read a review copy of this racing into romance novella. Jenny has her life on track for an eighteen year old. Having a gap year or two, she is investing her time and energy into working at the racetrack. Jenny’s desire is to gain experience and work her way up in a racing stable.

She already has a good chance of doing so. Her skills have been noticed by Wyatt Lane and through this, she is working under an up and coming trainer. On top of this, she is the strapper to Brave Wind, a grade one performing colt.

On one of Brave’s racing days, Jenny meets Brian, an eager racing fan. He asks for her autograph and she laughingly indicates he can find her after she has dealt with her winning racehorse. It’s not until a few days later that Brian is actually able to catch up with Jenny. And on that same day, the two find themselves on an adventure, trying to find Brave Wind. It seems the colt has been swapped with another plain bay colt and the top performing horse is nowhere in sight.

Brave Love is a fast paced, entertaining read. Horses feature prominently and there are some rather catchy and amusing lines. A light read worth the investment for racing and romance fans.

Also, if you’re up for a free book, then head along to secure a copy of another of her racing into romance novellas, Racing and Breaking.

Author: Cora Marie Colt
Fiction – adult contemporary romance, novella
In My Library? It is as an ebook.