The Makeover Horse (Ocala Horse Girls: Book Five) Ebook

Once again, Natalie Reinert takes readers into the horse world in her unique way. I especially loved the "Thoroughbred Makeover" competition aspect of this novel. This was a fun read and I enjoyed it from cover to cover.

Mackenzie isn't just giving a fresh start to her retired race horse, she is giving a fresh start to her life as well. The fifth book in the Ocala Girls series is an enjoyable book of a thirty something, newly divorced woman starting a new career as a barn manage. She finds new friends along the way in achieving her goal to make it to Kentucky for the retired racehorse horse show. A definite must read.

No need to love horses to enjoy this closed-door romance, but there’s extra pleasure in reading it if you do. The characters are well-developed: MacKenzie, who’s starting over in her thirties and struggling to find the middle ground between taking care of everyone else and doing everything by herself and Landon, the gentle farrier who has a secret in his past. As a Reinert fan it was fun to see Pete Morrison’s cameo and Casey from Grabbing Mane makes a good bestie. I enjoyed the glimpses into designing riding apparel and from now on will be putting wraps in a laundry bag to wash (genius!). Highest points go to the evocatively described Florida setting and the loving depicted Thoroughbred Makeover. Although part of the Ocala Horse Girls series this title can stand alone. Another winner and highly recommended.

Thanks to the author for an ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Book Five in Natalie Keller Reinert's Ocala Horse Girls series brings back old friends and introduces new ones, including Mackenzie, whose life needs a complete makeover just like her retired racehorse.

"With the glitter of West Palm Beach and the debris of a failed marriage in her truck's rear-view mirror, she's heading to North Florida to start over as a groom for show-jumper Basil Han and his girlfriend, Kayla Moore (The Sweetheart Horse). With her, she brings a retired racehorse she loves with all her heart, and her hope of taking him to the Thoroughbred Makeover competition in Kentucky. Oh, and a lot of emotional baggage about controlling men. She's looking forward to healing and personal growth on a quiet farm."

But what happens when a gentle giant of a man, a red-headed Viking who not only rehabs racehorses with lameness issues, but brings his gentle loving energy everywhere he goes, rents stalls and an apartment in the same barn where Mackenzie will be living and working?

Natalie knows people and, more importantly for those of us who are horse lovers, she knows horses. She gets the details right, down to the smallest behaviors. And that sets her apart in my book! I love her characters and stories, but I truly love reading about horses with hearts and behaviors just like the ones I used to own. This was another of Natalie's books that I just couldn't put down until the last page was savored.

I love the idea of a second career for Thoroughbreds being retired from the racetrack, or even those that didn't show well enough there. It takes a lot of dedicated training to teach a young adult racer new tricks, when all he has ever known is to run as fast as he can.

Oh, yes... There are people in this book as well! Kayla Moore and Badil Han (The Sweetheart Horse) are back. They have their own farm and training facility now, and have recruited a friend of Basil from his south Florida equestrian days to be their barn manager. Mackenzie is fresh out of a disastrous trophy wife marriage, and to say she is feeling disillusioned about the male of the human species is a bit of an understatement. Landon had a tough obstacle to overcome to even build a friendship with Mackenzie. He was as patient with her as he is with the horses he is trying to rehab their hooves.

I was so proud of Mackenzie for setting a goal to accomplish -- to get her off-track Thoroughbred to the big show for re-trained racehorses, the Retired Racehorse Project -- and for working systematically on all the intermediate steps to actually accomplish her goal. I also appreciated the lesson that achieving a goal is good. But doing so with others is even more satisfying for having someone to cheer you along and feed the emotions back at you.

I received a free advance copy of this story from the author via BookFunnel and voluntarily chose to share my review.

Once again, Natalie Reinert takes readers into the horse world in her unique way. I especially loved the "Thoroughbred Makeover" competition aspect of this novel. This was a fun read and I enjoyed it from cover to cover.

Mackenzie isn't just giving a fresh start to her retired race horse, she is giving a fresh start to her life as well. The fifth book in the Ocala Girls series is an enjoyable book of a thirty something, newly divorced woman starting a new career as a barn manage. She finds new friends along the way in achieving her goal to make it to Kentucky for the retired racehorse horse show. A definite must read.

No need to love horses to enjoy this closed-door romance, but there’s extra pleasure in reading it if you do. The characters are well-developed: MacKenzie, who’s starting over in her thirties and struggling to find the middle ground between taking care of everyone else and doing everything by herself and Landon, the gentle farrier who has a secret in his past. As a Reinert fan it was fun to see Pete Morrison’s cameo and Casey from Grabbing Mane makes a good bestie. I enjoyed the glimpses into designing riding apparel and from now on will be putting wraps in a laundry bag to wash (genius!). Highest points go to the evocatively described Florida setting and the loving depicted Thoroughbred Makeover. Although part of the Ocala Horse Girls series this title can stand alone. Another winner and highly recommended.

Thanks to the author for an ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Book Five in Natalie Keller Reinert's Ocala Horse Girls series brings back old friends and introduces new ones, including Mackenzie, whose life needs a complete makeover just like her retired racehorse.

"With the glitter of West Palm Beach and the debris of a failed marriage in her truck's rear-view mirror, she's heading to North Florida to start over as a groom for show-jumper Basil Han and his girlfriend, Kayla Moore (The Sweetheart Horse). With her, she brings a retired racehorse she loves with all her heart, and her hope of taking him to the Thoroughbred Makeover competition in Kentucky. Oh, and a lot of emotional baggage about controlling men. She's looking forward to healing and personal growth on a quiet farm."

But what happens when a gentle giant of a man, a red-headed Viking who not only rehabs racehorses with lameness issues, but brings his gentle loving energy everywhere he goes, rents stalls and an apartment in the same barn where Mackenzie will be living and working?

Natalie knows people and, more importantly for those of us who are horse lovers, she knows horses. She gets the details right, down to the smallest behaviors. And that sets her apart in my book! I love her characters and stories, but I truly love reading about horses with hearts and behaviors just like the ones I used to own. This was another of Natalie's books that I just couldn't put down until the last page was savored.

I love the idea of a second career for Thoroughbreds being retired from the racetrack, or even those that didn't show well enough there. It takes a lot of dedicated training to teach a young adult racer new tricks, when all he has ever known is to run as fast as he can.

Oh, yes... There are people in this book as well! Kayla Moore and Badil Han (The Sweetheart Horse) are back. They have their own farm and training facility now, and have recruited a friend of Basil from his south Florida equestrian days to be their barn manager. Mackenzie is fresh out of a disastrous trophy wife marriage, and to say she is feeling disillusioned about the male of the human species is a bit of an understatement. Landon had a tough obstacle to overcome to even build a friendship with Mackenzie. He was as patient with her as he is with the horses he is trying to rehab their hooves.

I was so proud of Mackenzie for setting a goal to accomplish -- to get her off-track Thoroughbred to the big show for re-trained racehorses, the Retired Racehorse Project -- and for working systematically on all the intermediate steps to actually accomplish her goal. I also appreciated the lesson that achieving a goal is good. But doing so with others is even more satisfying for having someone to cheer you along and feed the emotions back at you.

I received a free advance copy of this story from the author via BookFunnel and voluntarily chose to share my review.