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Mysteries of Blackberry Valley #6
Run for the Roses
Run for the Roses is the sixth book in the Mysteries of Blackberry Valley fiction series.
An unexpected discovery at an estate sale sends Hannah Prentiss and her best friend, Lacy Minyard, on a search for a champion horse and her jockey who disappeared on the eve of the greatest race of the filly’s life. Trophies, a photo album, and other racing memorabilia bring back memories of Hannah’s childhood love of horses, and she resolves to find out more.
Hannah already has her hands full running the Hot Spot, but soon she and Lacy become consumed with curiosity about the fate of the missing horse, Kentucky’s Angel, and her rider, Mickey. As Hannah and Lacy dig into the past, they find themselves exploring the legendary racetracks and horse farms at the heart of the Kentucky Bluegrass region. But the longer the list of suspects grows, the more Hannah fears the answer lies closer to home.
Can the two best friends locate a missing person who may not want to be found?
An unexpected discovery at an estate sale sends Hannah Prentiss and her best friend, Lacy Minyard, on a search for a champion horse and her jockey who disappeared on the eve of the greatest race of the filly’s life. Trophies, a photo album, and other racing memorabilia bring back memories of Hannah’s childhood love of horses, and she resolves to find out more.
Hannah already has her hands full running the Hot Spot, but soon she and Lacy become consumed with curiosity about the fate of the missing horse, Kentucky’s Angel, and her rider, Mickey. As Hannah and Lacy dig into the past, they find themselves exploring the legendary racetracks and horse farms at the heart of the Kentucky Bluegrass region. But the longer the list of suspects grows, the more Hannah fears the answer lies closer to home.
Can the two best friends locate a missing person who may not want to be found?
253 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 4, 2025
About the author
Cate Nolan
20 books27 followersCate Nolan lives in New York City, but she escapes to the ocean any chance she gets. A devoted mom, wife and teacher, Cate loves to leave her real life behind and play with the characters in her imagination. She’s got that suspense writer gene that sees danger and a story in everyday occurrences. Cate particularly loves to write stories of faith enabling ordinary people to overcome extraordinary danger. To learn more about Cate, visit her website at www.catenolanauthor.com
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 30, 2025
3.5 stars, personally ⭐️ Christian Fiction - Cozy Mystery
About this book:
“An unexpected discovery at an estate sale sends Hannah Prentiss and her best friend, Lacy Minyard, on a search for a champion horse and her jockey who disappeared on the eve of the greatest race of the filly’s life. Trophies, a photo album, and other racing memorabilia bring back memories of Hannah’s childhood love of horses, and she resolves to find out more.
Hannah already has her hands full running the Hot Spot, but soon she and Lacy become consumed with curiosity about the fate of the missing horse, Kentucky’s Angel, and her rider, Mickey. As Hannah and Lacy dig into the past, they find themselves exploring the legendary racetracks and horse farms at the heart of the Kentucky Bluegrass region. But the longer the list of suspects grows, the more Hannah fears the answer lies closer to home.
Can the two best friends locate a missing person who may not want to be found?”
Series: Book #6 in the “Mysteries of Blackberry Valley” series. Reviews of Book #1, Book #2, Book #3, Book #4, and Book #5!
Spiritual Content- Philippians 3:13-14 at the beginning; A few Scriptures are read, mentioned, & thought over; Prayers & Blessings over food; Church going & a sermon; Talks about God; ’H’s are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God, Jesus, His will, & trusting Him; Mentions of prayers, praying, blessings over food, & praising the Lord; Mentions of churches, church going, services, sermons, pastors, & hymns; Mentions of morning devotional/quiet time; Mentions of blessings & being blessed;
*Note: Mentions of luck.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: Some eye rolling; Avoiding hitting a dog in the road (the dog is okay, barely-above-not-detailed); All about & many mentions of a missing horse and her jockey (including theories of possible foul play, a kidnapping, the horse being stolen, or throwing the race); Mentions of deaths & grief (including Hannah for her mother); Mentions of a father yelling often (including to his child) & not being a good father after his wife died (due to blaming the child for the wife’s death); Mentions of blackmail, threats, & betrayal/manipulation from family members; Mentions of fires & arson; Mentions of gossip & rumors; A few mentions of accidents & injuries; A couple mentions of alcohol; A couple mentions of hatred; A mention of jealousy; A mention of a man drinking often;
*Note: Mentions of a young woman running off with a man her father disapproved of; Mentions of the controversy of allowing women to become jockeys (including women being mistreated and being told to stay in the kitchen & races boycotted because of women jockeys); Mentions of authors, books, & fictional characters (‘The Black Stallion’ by Walter Farley, ‘Black Beauty’, and ‘Seabiscuit’); Mentions of car brands; Mentions of football teams; A couple mentions of the controversy about horse racing & animals being treated as assets rather than living creatures; A couple mentions of Halloween.
Sexual Content- A cheek kiss; A few touches, butterflies, noticing, & staring (not-detailed); Blushes; A date; Hannah thinks about her feelings for Liam & if she wants there to be more between them; Seeing two couples share a kiss; Mentions of falling in love & being in love; Mentions of boyfriends/girlfriends, liking someone, dates, & dating; A few mentions of blushes;
*Note: Seeing a difficult foaling & concern for the mom and foal (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a woman hiding her gender because of her career; A few mentions of a mother dying in childbirth & the father blaming the baby for her mother’s death.
-Hannah Prentiss
P.O.V. of Hannah & a couple others
8 chapters set in the 1950s-1960s
253 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- Three Stars
Early High School Teens- Four Stars
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Three Stars (and a half)
Despite not ever being a horse girl growing up, I found myself more interested in this mystery than I expected. I’ll admit it might be mostly because of the very light romance brewing between Hannah and Liam that really caught my attention, hahaha. :)
I did get confused a few times because of all the names and how some of them were similar to other names mentioned. The ending was a bit bittersweet, but was overall an interesting mystery.
For those wanting a Thanksgiving or fall themed mystery, this one would be a great option! You do not have to read the prior books in the series—I’ll always recommend to read those first personally, but it’s not necessary—this book can be read as a standalone as it only mentions prior mysteries, but does not give away the end of those mysteries. It definitely felt like a fall-ish book with the importance of community, reaching out to others, and family.
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
About this book:
“An unexpected discovery at an estate sale sends Hannah Prentiss and her best friend, Lacy Minyard, on a search for a champion horse and her jockey who disappeared on the eve of the greatest race of the filly’s life. Trophies, a photo album, and other racing memorabilia bring back memories of Hannah’s childhood love of horses, and she resolves to find out more.
Hannah already has her hands full running the Hot Spot, but soon she and Lacy become consumed with curiosity about the fate of the missing horse, Kentucky’s Angel, and her rider, Mickey. As Hannah and Lacy dig into the past, they find themselves exploring the legendary racetracks and horse farms at the heart of the Kentucky Bluegrass region. But the longer the list of suspects grows, the more Hannah fears the answer lies closer to home.
Can the two best friends locate a missing person who may not want to be found?”
Series: Book #6 in the “Mysteries of Blackberry Valley” series. Reviews of Book #1, Book #2, Book #3, Book #4, and Book #5!
Spiritual Content- Philippians 3:13-14 at the beginning; A few Scriptures are read, mentioned, & thought over; Prayers & Blessings over food; Church going & a sermon; Talks about God; ’H’s are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God, Jesus, His will, & trusting Him; Mentions of prayers, praying, blessings over food, & praising the Lord; Mentions of churches, church going, services, sermons, pastors, & hymns; Mentions of morning devotional/quiet time; Mentions of blessings & being blessed;
*Note: Mentions of luck.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: Some eye rolling; Avoiding hitting a dog in the road (the dog is okay, barely-above-not-detailed); All about & many mentions of a missing horse and her jockey (including theories of possible foul play, a kidnapping, the horse being stolen, or throwing the race); Mentions of deaths & grief (including Hannah for her mother); Mentions of a father yelling often (including to his child) & not being a good father after his wife died (due to blaming the child for the wife’s death); Mentions of blackmail, threats, & betrayal/manipulation from family members; Mentions of fires & arson; Mentions of gossip & rumors; A few mentions of accidents & injuries; A couple mentions of alcohol; A couple mentions of hatred; A mention of jealousy; A mention of a man drinking often;
*Note: Mentions of a young woman running off with a man her father disapproved of; Mentions of the controversy of allowing women to become jockeys (including women being mistreated and being told to stay in the kitchen & races boycotted because of women jockeys); Mentions of authors, books, & fictional characters (‘The Black Stallion’ by Walter Farley, ‘Black Beauty’, and ‘Seabiscuit’); Mentions of car brands; Mentions of football teams; A couple mentions of the controversy about horse racing & animals being treated as assets rather than living creatures; A couple mentions of Halloween.
Sexual Content- A cheek kiss; A few touches, butterflies, noticing, & staring (not-detailed); Blushes; A date; Hannah thinks about her feelings for Liam & if she wants there to be more between them; Seeing two couples share a kiss; Mentions of falling in love & being in love; Mentions of boyfriends/girlfriends, liking someone, dates, & dating; A few mentions of blushes;
*Note: Seeing a difficult foaling & concern for the mom and foal (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a woman hiding her gender because of her career; A few mentions of a mother dying in childbirth & the father blaming the baby for her mother’s death.
-Hannah Prentiss
P.O.V. of Hannah & a couple others
8 chapters set in the 1950s-1960s
253 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- Three Stars
Early High School Teens- Four Stars
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Three Stars (and a half)
Despite not ever being a horse girl growing up, I found myself more interested in this mystery than I expected. I’ll admit it might be mostly because of the very light romance brewing between Hannah and Liam that really caught my attention, hahaha. :)
I did get confused a few times because of all the names and how some of them were similar to other names mentioned. The ending was a bit bittersweet, but was overall an interesting mystery.
For those wanting a Thanksgiving or fall themed mystery, this one would be a great option! You do not have to read the prior books in the series—I’ll always recommend to read those first personally, but it’s not necessary—this book can be read as a standalone as it only mentions prior mysteries, but does not give away the end of those mysteries. It definitely felt like a fall-ish book with the importance of community, reaching out to others, and family.
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
November 30, 2025
I think this was one of my favorites so far —probably because I love horses! What I have really enjoyed about this series is the way the different authors–and I’m sure the editors—have kept the continuity going so well. I caught one error, where Hannah called Raquel her hostess instead of her lead server. But that was minor otherwise the continuity has been very good.
The characters are believable; the mysteries are intriguing, the dialogue true to life. I’ve read several Guideposts cozy mystery series, and I think this one is my favorite. I love how there are little Easter eggs for the Cobble Hills Farm series. Makes me chuckle every time.
The characters are believable; the mysteries are intriguing, the dialogue true to life. I’ve read several Guideposts cozy mystery series, and I think this one is my favorite. I love how there are little Easter eggs for the Cobble Hills Farm series. Makes me chuckle every time.
September 1, 2026
such a Satisfying Read!
I am loving the mysteries of BlackBerry Valley! Seeing the characters develop more through each book is so much fun. In this story Hannah Prentiss and her best friend are at it again with a new mystery to solve. Bringing the horse racing world into the story makes sense for Kentucky. I am not saying more for fear of giving something away. If you have enjoyed the other books in this series you will love this one as well!
I am loving the mysteries of BlackBerry Valley! Seeing the characters develop more through each book is so much fun. In this story Hannah Prentiss and her best friend are at it again with a new mystery to solve. Bringing the horse racing world into the story makes sense for Kentucky. I am not saying more for fear of giving something away. If you have enjoyed the other books in this series you will love this one as well!
September 9, 2025
I have really been enjoying the Mysteries of Blackberry Valley, and this one is one of my favorites! The various plot threads are woven together just right, and the revealing of clues is done with such good timing. I was glad I could read it all in one day! It's also fun to see Hannah and Liam's relationship start to heat up :-) Can't wait for the next book!
March 11, 2026
All I can say is Ahh, finally!! The date I’ve been waiting for hehe between Liam and Hannah.
On the mystery side of things, as a horse lover, I enjoyed that horses were a big part of it. Definitely had a bit of a sad yet sweet ending at the same time.
On the mystery side of things, as a horse lover, I enjoyed that horses were a big part of it. Definitely had a bit of a sad yet sweet ending at the same time.
October 30, 2025
One of the best books in this series. If you like mysteries but have had enough of blood and gore, check these out on Guideposts.
December 23, 2025
Great book!
February 20, 2026
Absolutely wonderful!
March 29, 2026
Another great book in the Blackberry Valley series!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews