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Fairmont Riding Academy #3
Perfect Harmony
Book 3 in the Fairmont Riding Academy series
Vivienne embarks upon the summer of her dreams as one of the few students selected for a training program back east at Liberty Farms. But as focused as she is on her riding, Vivvie also has a secret agenda: to investigate the death of Joel Parker, her friend who she believes was tragically murdered.
Vivvie has hardly set foot in the state-of-the-art barns before things start to go amiss. Her gift for communicating with horses reveals that some of the creatures are harboring dark secrets. When people turn up from Vivvie’s past who she’d rather avoid, including one trainer she suspects of drugging ponies, Vivvie struggles to keep her focus. Meanwhile, ex-boyfriend drama threatens to interfere with her growing feelings for Austen, a handsome rider who wants nothing more than to keep Vivvie safe.
The mystery surrounding Joel’s death deepens and as Vivvie edges closer to the truth, unexpected revelations threaten her future. Will Vivvie play it safe or will she risk it all to protect those she loves while staying in the ring?
276 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 30, 2014
34 people are currently reading
385 people want to read
About the author
Michele Scott
49 books350 followersMichele Scott is an American author and the CEO/owner of equestrian sports medicine company Professional’s Choice, Inc. She has written over forty novels in various genres including thrillers, mysteries, young adult mysteries, fantasy, and women’s fiction. Her thriller Daddy’s Home from her Holly Jennings’ series written under her pen name of AK Alexander has sold over one million copies and was the #1 bestselling book in the UK Amazon. Her thriller Mommy, May I? and was number 2 on the Amazon list.
Subsequently, Daddy’s Home hit #4 in the US Amazon store (over all books). She was a featured author in Jeff Bezos letter to the shareholders and one of fifteen authors invited to the reveal of Kindle Fire. Amazon also produced a short documentary about her and her writing story and featured her in a book on bestselling Amazon writers. Daddy’s Home was also a top ten bestseller on The Wall Street Journal bestseller list.
Michele’s bestselling mystery series (The Wine Lover’s Mysteries) has gone into multiple printings and has been optioned by a Los Angeles based producer and production company.
Michele is a lifelong equestrian, having horses since she was five-years-old. If you don’t find her at her desk writing, you’re sure to find her at the barn!
Subsequently, Daddy’s Home hit #4 in the US Amazon store (over all books). She was a featured author in Jeff Bezos letter to the shareholders and one of fifteen authors invited to the reveal of Kindle Fire. Amazon also produced a short documentary about her and her writing story and featured her in a book on bestselling Amazon writers. Daddy’s Home was also a top ten bestseller on The Wall Street Journal bestseller list.
Michele’s bestselling mystery series (The Wine Lover’s Mysteries) has gone into multiple printings and has been optioned by a Los Angeles based producer and production company.
Michele is a lifelong equestrian, having horses since she was five-years-old. If you don’t find her at her desk writing, you’re sure to find her at the barn!
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
December 14, 2014
Michele Scott's "Perfect Harmony: A Vivienne Taylor Horse Lover's Mystery" is a quick, engrossing read. The protagonist of the story is Vivvie, the daughter of a veterinarian, who is trying to solve the mystery behind her friend, Joel Parker's murder. I greatly enjoyed the writing style as well as the character development. Whereas many works in this genre come up a little short in terms of character development, this one did quite well at it. I like the combination of mystery, romance, humour, and horses! The only problem is that now I have to go buy the rest of the books in the series.
I would recommend this novel to YA and mystery fans. This book was won from the Goodreads.com website in exchange for a review.
I would recommend this novel to YA and mystery fans. This book was won from the Goodreads.com website in exchange for a review.
March 13, 2015
I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway. I absolutely couldn't put it down! If you like horses, mysteries, and a tiny bit of romance, you definitely need to check it out. It's the third one in the series, but can be read as a stand-alone because the author does a great job of filling you in on past events that are relevant to this story. I'll be going back and reading the first two though! Can't wait for the next one in line.
June 22, 2018
Great little page turner mystery! This book brought the series to a nice close. I couldn’t put this book down & kept wanting to read just one more page! I was definitely surprised at how Vivienne’s relationships change from the end of the second book & carrying throughout this one. I was only slightly disappointed in who she ended the novel with as I thought the book was carrying us towards a different conclusion. It felt like this book could have used a few more pages near the end to wrap up some loose ends in more detail, but all in all this was a satisfying end.
There are too few horse lover mysteries out there & I would love to see this author write more novels!
There are too few horse lover mysteries out there & I would love to see this author write more novels!
September 12, 2023
This novel started very strong with lots of 'puzzle pieces' coming into place to make a complex murder mystery. However, the climax fell way short and the conclusion overall made me wonder why we even bothered to travel along the story with Vivienne. The girl-on-girl conflict, in particular, seemed unnecessary and petty. The conclusion for each character's journeys was satisfying.
It's non-consequential, but I would describe this book as a young-YA mystery romance low-fantasy.
It's non-consequential, but I would describe this book as a young-YA mystery romance low-fantasy.
May 26, 2018
Murder, crime, and mayhem, oh my.
The plot thickens as Vivienne and her schoolmates head east for the summer. Some friendships grow stronger and some are torn. Vivienne learns more about her father and how to use her gift better. She and the other students spend the summer learning from some of the best equestrians in the country. And, deception seems ubiquitous.
The plot thickens as Vivienne and her schoolmates head east for the summer. Some friendships grow stronger and some are torn. Vivienne learns more about her father and how to use her gift better. She and the other students spend the summer learning from some of the best equestrians in the country. And, deception seems ubiquitous.
April 18, 2024
3 stars
Grudgingly given. I enjoyed the beginning of this series.
Very YA. Very teenage emotions main characters.
This book, well the boys all cry. The girls are mostly mean girls. Vivienne is even more psychic with the horses.
Drug deals. Killers. The Russians (!). Love triangles.
Vivienne’s parentage.
Goodness, Scott really jumped the shark on this one.
Grudgingly given. I enjoyed the beginning of this series.
Very YA. Very teenage emotions main characters.
This book, well the boys all cry. The girls are mostly mean girls. Vivienne is even more psychic with the horses.
Drug deals. Killers. The Russians (!). Love triangles.
Vivienne’s parentage.
Goodness, Scott really jumped the shark on this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 8, 2016
The main character was alright.
This was another okay read in the series, but just like the others, it couldn't fully gain my interest. I felt quite bored in places, and there were parts that dragged for me slightly because of it.
Quite glad this was the last one in the series.
This was another okay read in the series, but just like the others, it couldn't fully gain my interest. I felt quite bored in places, and there were parts that dragged for me slightly because of it.
Quite glad this was the last one in the series.
June 27, 2017
Great end to this trilogy
I loved reading this trilogy. It was one of those that I couldn't put down, but was sad when it was over. Can't wait to read more from this author!
I loved reading this trilogy. It was one of those that I couldn't put down, but was sad when it was over. Can't wait to read more from this author!
September 9, 2018
All's well that ends well
Somebody famous wrote that the first time 😉
Good series...will have to check to see if MS wrote other books...
Somebody famous wrote that the first time 😉
Good series...will have to check to see if MS wrote other books...
March 17, 2023
good series
This was a good series. Loved the uniqueness of Vivie’s gift. But I want more or at least to find out if she ever reached her dream of becoming an Olympic rider!
This was a good series. Loved the uniqueness of Vivie’s gift. But I want more or at least to find out if she ever reached her dream of becoming an Olympic rider!
May 15, 2025
I love Harmony.
I'm only upset that this is the last book. I'd definitely read more if the series were longer.
I'm only upset that this is the last book. I'd definitely read more if the series were longer.
December 31, 2014
I received this book for free from Goodreads First Reads to review.
Viv is now at Liberty Farms with all of the gang from school -Emily, Lydia, Tristan, Riley and some teachers as well. Also along for the ride are Austen as a working student and shady Chris. Viv is read for the summer of her life training with some greats. And she's also determined to solve Joel's murder, because she doesn't believe the suicide verdict. She's also broken up with Tristan and ready for more with Austen. However things don't go as planned both in the horse ring and in her love life - some kinks are in the mix including her long gone father.
I noticed that Vivvie's character started to really annoy me by book 3. I understood that she was a little sheltered so maybe that's why she seemed so immature much of the book. But she spent quite a bit of her time focused on kissing and loving Austen when some friends like Riley, Emily, and Tristan were all dealing with big things in their lives. Also, it felt like she wasn't as focused on solving the murder as much in this book.
It bugged me that Tristan had been such a huge focus as a love interest in books one and two and all of the sudden Vivvie is ready to move on based on one suspicious photo. She barely gives him the chance to explain himself and is ready to think the worst of him and Lydia almost every second. I felt like the few glimpses we did get of Tristan in this book weren't clear and I would have like more time spent on him.
Austen was an okay love interest but honestly I never got attached to him. He is supposed to be 2 years older than Vivvie but he never seems to act much older or wiser than her. I get that they were childhood buddies so maybe that's why he acts immature with her, but I would have liked to see more maturity and the matter of college and distance be talked about more.
I would have liked to see more time spent on interesting things going on in Lydia's, Emily's and Riley's lives as well. Big things happened for them and chances for expanding on character growth for all of them.
The mystery carried over from the last book -Joel's murder - was interesting and kept me guessing the whodunit. However I was sad that it felt like more of a sidelined story when I had hoped it would be the focus of this book. Instead Vivvie and her love life was more of the focus again. However it did have entertaining moments like Austen and Riley going undercover with Chris's crew.
Some great twists involving Vivvie's family that I never saw coming and of course, good twists with the mystery. I felt like this story could have been great but to me sidelining the mystery and making the romance too big of focus made it fall short at only 3 stars. I'm hoping if there's more in the series Vivvie will mature up a little and become a better sleuth.
Viv is now at Liberty Farms with all of the gang from school -Emily, Lydia, Tristan, Riley and some teachers as well. Also along for the ride are Austen as a working student and shady Chris. Viv is read for the summer of her life training with some greats. And she's also determined to solve Joel's murder, because she doesn't believe the suicide verdict. She's also broken up with Tristan and ready for more with Austen. However things don't go as planned both in the horse ring and in her love life - some kinks are in the mix including her long gone father.
I noticed that Vivvie's character started to really annoy me by book 3. I understood that she was a little sheltered so maybe that's why she seemed so immature much of the book. But she spent quite a bit of her time focused on kissing and loving Austen when some friends like Riley, Emily, and Tristan were all dealing with big things in their lives. Also, it felt like she wasn't as focused on solving the murder as much in this book.
It bugged me that Tristan had been such a huge focus as a love interest in books one and two and all of the sudden Vivvie is ready to move on based on one suspicious photo. She barely gives him the chance to explain himself and is ready to think the worst of him and Lydia almost every second. I felt like the few glimpses we did get of Tristan in this book weren't clear and I would have like more time spent on him.
Austen was an okay love interest but honestly I never got attached to him. He is supposed to be 2 years older than Vivvie but he never seems to act much older or wiser than her. I get that they were childhood buddies so maybe that's why he acts immature with her, but I would have liked to see more maturity and the matter of college and distance be talked about more.
I would have liked to see more time spent on interesting things going on in Lydia's, Emily's and Riley's lives as well. Big things happened for them and chances for expanding on character growth for all of them.
The mystery carried over from the last book -Joel's murder - was interesting and kept me guessing the whodunit. However I was sad that it felt like more of a sidelined story when I had hoped it would be the focus of this book. Instead Vivvie and her love life was more of the focus again. However it did have entertaining moments like Austen and Riley going undercover with Chris's crew.
Some great twists involving Vivvie's family that I never saw coming and of course, good twists with the mystery. I felt like this story could have been great but to me sidelining the mystery and making the romance too big of focus made it fall short at only 3 stars. I'm hoping if there's more in the series Vivvie will mature up a little and become a better sleuth.
February 7, 2015
I really enjoyed this easy-to-read book. While I have not read any of the previous books in this series, these already developed characters were easy to follow, with some brief expositional commentary. The book included all the elements of a good story – some mystery, some romance, some paranormal aspects, and of course loveable animals.
In addition, the human pathos factor relating to child abandonment issues was lightly addressed in the book. Although, this part actually seemed incomplete to me…
We see the main character, Vivienne demonstrate humility and self-reliance, characteristics that are considered “good” in our society. Vivvie shows respect for legitimate authority and consideration for those less fortunate. While she has achieve proficiency in riding, Viv is thrilled that she has been selected to attend a prestigious school to further her studies and improve her skills with trainers who have achieved success in the equestrian world.
At the same time, she is looking for justice for a close friend, who allegedly committed suicide. Vivienne shows her disdain for snobbery (demonstrated by Lydia) and dishonest behavior (Tristan) – obviously undesirable traits in a decent world – throughout the story.
Unfortunately, as with all good mystery stories, the seedier side of human nature is presented as well – Chris, James, Paisley. Tiffany. If there was no evil, how could we see the good?
While none of the characters are perfect (then what would be left to write about? ), Vivvie and several other characters develop and grow during the course of the story as well. A few of them – Emily, Riley, Tristan – also demonstrate their courage, initiative and intuition as the story progresses to the denouement.
All in all, an enjoyable read.
Disclosure: received this book as a free giveaway from Goodreads.
In addition, the human pathos factor relating to child abandonment issues was lightly addressed in the book. Although, this part actually seemed incomplete to me…
We see the main character, Vivienne demonstrate humility and self-reliance, characteristics that are considered “good” in our society. Vivvie shows respect for legitimate authority and consideration for those less fortunate. While she has achieve proficiency in riding, Viv is thrilled that she has been selected to attend a prestigious school to further her studies and improve her skills with trainers who have achieved success in the equestrian world.
At the same time, she is looking for justice for a close friend, who allegedly committed suicide. Vivienne shows her disdain for snobbery (demonstrated by Lydia) and dishonest behavior (Tristan) – obviously undesirable traits in a decent world – throughout the story.
Unfortunately, as with all good mystery stories, the seedier side of human nature is presented as well – Chris, James, Paisley. Tiffany. If there was no evil, how could we see the good?
While none of the characters are perfect (then what would be left to write about? ), Vivvie and several other characters develop and grow during the course of the story as well. A few of them – Emily, Riley, Tristan – also demonstrate their courage, initiative and intuition as the story progresses to the denouement.
All in all, an enjoyable read.
Disclosure: received this book as a free giveaway from Goodreads.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 4, 2015
Honestly I enjoyed the book. It was hard for me to stop reading. It was perfectly written! But there were a few things I really didn't like (among many things I loved.) I have decided on three big points.
1. (Negative) There were A LOT of characters. Sometimes it was hard for me to remember who was who. And I'm still not completely certain who James was after just finishing in the last five minutes.
2. (Positive) I ride horses myself, (I'm a hunter/jumper not an eventer, however) and everything seemed completely accurate to me horse wise. So many horse books aren't right at all. Like the authors do halfhearted research and make up the rest. But this book was different, I could relate as a horse person to it and that was nice.
3. (Negative) In my honest opinion, the Tristan/Vivvie relationship from book two was way better than Austen/Vivvie in this book. This one felt a lot more forced, and it was definitely more sexy. I just preferred the 'friends that make out' feel of Tristan and her, and I felt like she shut Tristan out after she got the picture. It was pretty obvious it was from Lydia, and Vivienne knew that. Also with his lies, I feel she should have been more forgiving. They really WERE to protect her. With Austen a lot of the time it was more like "I want to jump on top of you" and I didn't like it much.
All in all it was entertaining. This book was written fabulously and I liked Vivienne. I would have liked to see more of Martina, she was my favorite character in the first two, but that's okay. The plot was interesting, and I got really upset about the drugging, especially about them killing Anna's pony. I was stoked at the end when Harmony and Melody were given to Vivvie and Riley. This is definitely a favorite series of mine now!
1. (Negative) There were A LOT of characters. Sometimes it was hard for me to remember who was who. And I'm still not completely certain who James was after just finishing in the last five minutes.
2. (Positive) I ride horses myself, (I'm a hunter/jumper not an eventer, however) and everything seemed completely accurate to me horse wise. So many horse books aren't right at all. Like the authors do halfhearted research and make up the rest. But this book was different, I could relate as a horse person to it and that was nice.
3. (Negative) In my honest opinion, the Tristan/Vivvie relationship from book two was way better than Austen/Vivvie in this book. This one felt a lot more forced, and it was definitely more sexy. I just preferred the 'friends that make out' feel of Tristan and her, and I felt like she shut Tristan out after she got the picture. It was pretty obvious it was from Lydia, and Vivienne knew that. Also with his lies, I feel she should have been more forgiving. They really WERE to protect her. With Austen a lot of the time it was more like "I want to jump on top of you" and I didn't like it much.
All in all it was entertaining. This book was written fabulously and I liked Vivienne. I would have liked to see more of Martina, she was my favorite character in the first two, but that's okay. The plot was interesting, and I got really upset about the drugging, especially about them killing Anna's pony. I was stoked at the end when Harmony and Melody were given to Vivvie and Riley. This is definitely a favorite series of mine now!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2016
I honestly loved this book series to death. It touched me in a way a series hasn't in a long time now. I learned so much about life in the 3 books. I don't want to spoiler anything but I will say I basically died multiple times when it came to Vivvie and her relationships...not entirely happy with who she ends up with but I guess I will have to live haha. Anyway I recommend these books to anyone who loves horses. It has mystery, romance, and reality. I also feel like it touched on the side of fantasy but in a real way. As said in the first book she has a gift to talk to horses and now I totally want to do that but it's not exactly likely so I don't know if that is real or not (hoping it is). Anyway this has become my new favorite series. You will not be disappointed if you read.
October 5, 2017
Perfect Harmony, by Michelle Scott, is a great book for young teens. The murder mystery book is appealing to horse lovers and drama and mystery enthusiasts. I gave this book a 4 star review because personally there wasn’t enough suspense for me. Spoiler Alert! For me, when Viven has recovered from the fire, she goes back to training and then the book ended :(. Personally, I think that the book could've ended differently and had more suspense, then It would've easily been 5 stars. Despite falling short on suspense, I still recommend this book to anyone who loves horses, romance, and mystery, because it has a perfect plot for young teens and an even amount of everything.
December 11, 2014
(reviewing all of trilogy)
THIS IS PERFECTION!!!!
It's not some clique love triangle or some again clique mystery; it's unique it's a fresh ideas and it's awesome!
I love the fact that Kayla ends up like this holy horse saint and as much as I wanted to know how Vivie and Tristan would have ended up I ship Austen and Viv.
Joel shouldn't have died to soon.. couldn't it be like Emily who died instead? JOEL WAS FREAKING AWESOME LIKE WHY YOU DO DIS MICHELE SCOTT????
anyway i suggest you read it if you have a strong love for horses, and mystery.
THIS IS PERFECTION!!!!
It's not some clique love triangle or some again clique mystery; it's unique it's a fresh ideas and it's awesome!
I love the fact that Kayla ends up like this holy horse saint and as much as I wanted to know how Vivie and Tristan would have ended up I ship Austen and Viv.
Joel shouldn't have died to soon.. couldn't it be like Emily who died instead? JOEL WAS FREAKING AWESOME LIKE WHY YOU DO DIS MICHELE SCOTT????
anyway i suggest you read it if you have a strong love for horses, and mystery.
October 6, 2014
I cannot express how fantastic this book and the series was! It had everything my ideal book would have: horses, mystery, magic and love.
I honestly recommend this series for anybody who loves any of those four things!
I honestly recommend this series for anybody who loves any of those four things!
February 25, 2015
I had a tougher time reading this last book in the series. Vivvie is too hell bent on discovering the truth without thinking of her own safety. That and she is only a 17 year old she should be asking for help. It was just a bit too much.
October 4, 2014
I love this series I know it is young adult reading but I never get over my craving for horse stories. I like this one.
November 2, 2014
there's a fourth right?
February 24, 2015
Changed my mind to read it
I am using a Kindle and I have decided that this book does not hold my interest and I would rather choose something out
I am using a Kindle and I have decided that this book does not hold my interest and I would rather choose something out
April 22, 2015
Read
Great little series. Excellent blend of horse care and riding action, plus character drama. Good plot twists. Hard to put down!
Great little series. Excellent blend of horse care and riding action, plus character drama. Good plot twists. Hard to put down!
August 14, 2015
I'm surprised how much I enjoyed this series. Who knew how twisted teenagers can be.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews