Missing By a Heartbeat: A Chandler County Novel

Chandler County

by Lizbeth Selvig

Dr. Victoria Sterling knows her way around race horse injuries better than vets with twice her experience, and she’s used to defending her scrupulously honest reputation in a world where rule-bending beats honesty. Tori has also learned the hard way that her demanding, animal-focused life is too hard for any man to understand much less share—so she wastes no energy looking for love. Trainer Winton Crosby has finally made it to his dream the venerable Churchill Downs. With a gift for getting the best from his horses, his goal is a big stakes race. Getting there is no easy task, however, since every member of his staff is young and has a record. When a Derby-bound colt is targeted by a saboteur, Winn and his stable of misfits are prime suspects. From the moment they met, Winn wanted Tori Sterling on his side. Straight-talking, funny and brilliant, she makes his ever-restless spirit feel as if it’s found home. Winn teams with Tori to save his own reputation and their partnership blossoms into unexpected passion, but they’re soon racing against time. Someone is desperate to eliminate them and their investigating, and the two have to find out who it is before they lose their careers, their lives or, worse, their chance at love.

287 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 15, 2017

About the author

Award-winning and No.1 Bestselling author Lizbeth Selvig writes heartwarming contemporary romance. Whether set in the Scottish Highlands, a huge ranch in Wyoming, a small town in Minnesota, or a Kentucky racetrack, her strong, fun and funny characters will never do the expected while finding their ways home to family and love.

Lizbeth turned to fiction writing after working as a newspaper journalist and magazine editor, raising an equine veterinarian daughter (handy, since there are usually too many horses in her stories) and a talented musician son (also handy because she’s been known to write about rock stars). She shares life in Minnesota, where her first book series is set, with her best friend (aka her husband, Jan), her two pretty horses, Jedi and Largo, three human grandchildren, and her four-legged grandbabies of which there are nearly thirty (including two alpacas, a couple of small goats, a mammoth-eared donkey, two miniature horses, a pig, and many many dogs, cats and regular-sized horses). In her spare time, she loves to hike, quilt, read, and ride horses. An incorrigible extrovert, she also loves connecting with readers—so contact her any time.

Reviews

[Susan Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charming romance that touched my heart! Missing by a Heartbeat is the kind of romance novel that I love; two main characters whose attraction is instantly palpable, but with enough tension and mystery around them that it builds slowly and sweetly. Along with a delightful love story, there is also a mystery in this book; Tori, a veterinarian, and Winn, a horse trainer, become allies when strange, dangerous things occur at the race track, and Winn and his young employees become the chief suspects. The race track provides an interesting setting as readers get a behind the scenes look at all that goes on before, during and after a race, learning about the treachery that can occur as well as the care that is provided for these beautiful animals. Tori and Winn themselves bring so much heart to this story. I loved watching their relationship build with trust, humor and affection. With this book, Lizbeth Selvig has cemented herself as one of my favorite romance novelists!

[Norma Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll have to admit that when I started this book I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did. I am an animal lover, but my knowledge and interest in race horses was not very strong. That was before I read this book. Ms. Selvig taught me a lot about horse racing ethical practices and some not-so-ethical practices. I love contemporary romances . . . and now I love horse racing. Along with a wonderful story, Ms. Selvig has included a wealth of information about the sport of horse racing.

Tori is an equine veterinarian who specializes in treating race horses. Winn is a trainer who is training an especially promising race horse. Happenings at the tract cast a shadow over both Tori and Winn. They must have find a way to clear their names. The added element of suspense in this book kept me turning pages well into the night. I couldn’t wait to see what happened next.

I would definitely recommend this book. I am looking forward to reading more books in this series.

[ErinMickC · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not sure I’d categorize this book as romantic suspense, it’s more like Selvig dropped a cozy mystery in the middle of a romance. What I would categorize Missing by a Heartbeat as is delightful, truly delightful.

I may not have known a lot about Churchill Downs, horse racing or horse training before beginning this book, but I certainly have more knowledge after finishing Missing by a Heartbeat! Even more importantly I have an appreciation for the sport in a way that I didn’t before. Selvig has added little tidbits of her research about horses, trainer ethics and race track regulations into each and every page of this book, her love for the animals shining through continuously. It was hard not to fall immediately in love with both Tori and Winn, their horses, and Winn’s bunch of misfit employees as they all sussed out the mystery together. Of course, I did fall in love with the whole group, though, anxiously hoping for a favorable outcome to their dilemma.

This is one of those books that I know I’ll reread over and over again. Despite its suspense elements, it felt cozy and comfortable the entire way through. The pacing was easy and I never felt rushed enough to skim or skip ahead. It was marvelous to just enjoy a romance that kept me guessing from start to finish while hooking me with it’s sweet, satisfying romance. I highly, highly recommend this book!

A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!!! I loved Missing by A Heartbeat by Lizbeth Selvig, one of the novels in the Candler County series. This book had me laughing out loud as well as caring deeply for the many characters that made up the cast of the story. This sweet love story had veterinarian Victoria Sterling and horse trainer Winton Crosby working together to solve a mystery at Churchill Downs that involved the two them. I just loved these two. Tori has learned to defend her reputation being honest in caring for animals, especially around the horse-racing world, where bending the rules surpasses honesty. Winn is finally in his dream destination. I so admired his approach to life and philosophy of giving back/pay it forward as he hired and trained his staff, many with records and unusual histories. From the moment these two met, it was as if they knew each other their entire lives.

I really loved reading this book and had trouble putting this book down. Ms. Selvig is a wonderful story teller drawing me into her books, making me forget the world around me and not letting me go until I turned the last page. I highly recommend this book to other readers. Although part of a series, it is a standalone story.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story! The main characters are an equine veterinarian and a horse trainer. Ms. Selvig's characterization is superb. Tori is a very strong female character. Winn is the horse trainer. His character is hot and very interesting. He's strong, but sensitive. He has taken on a crew of seemingly misfit at-risk younger people to be on his team and he has complete trust in them. There is a wide variety of secondary characters that were all captivating in their own right.
When the horses they are working with start appearing to have colic, one after the other, they must all band together to try to figure out what is going on.
This book has romance, mystery, corruption, danger, caring and love. It also has some pretty humorous animal scenes in it (imagine piglets named after the children in The Sound of Music. It was a great read and held my attention very well. I really couldn't turn the pages fast enough!

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Missing By A Heartbeat is Lizbeth Selvig’s latest novel and contribution to the multi-author Chandler County continuity series. Selvig deftly captures the racing community feeling necessary for a Kentucky horse country novel. Tori and Winn are the perfect horse couple thrown into circumstances beyond their control. The whodunit element brings them close together quickly and forces them to work towards a common goal. Winn’s kids add character and depth to the novel. Both casual and die-hard racing fans will enjoy this look into that exclusive world.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this novel.

[Tonya Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

My love for horses, as everyone who knows me, runs very deep.
Missing By A Heartbeat by Lizbeth Selvig certainly fueled my passion.
Dr. Tori Sterling loves her animals, all animals, but race horses have always been her true love. Tori knows more about them than her older more seasoned vets.
Winn Crosby has finally made it to his dream track. Churchill Downs, but as he begins his residency there, things begin happening and all fingers are pointing at him and his young staff.
Who really is sabotaging the horses, tack, and administrating illegal drugs?
Absolutely an amazing book every horse lover will love, plus a great mystery incorporated. Ms. Selvig wrote an amazing book.

[Shari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this sweet romance between Dr Tori and Winn. Tori is a veterinarian and Winn is a horse trainer. Neither are looking for a relationship but when they start working together to try and figure out the mystery of some of the race horses getting sick, they find out they have a strong chemistry between them.

Lizbeth Selvig does a wonderful job with her descriptive writing that brings the story alive. The love of animals is very strong. Clean romance along with the mystery (which I did not figure out until the end) makes for the perfect read.

[KimberlyDawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tori is focused on her career as a veterinarian. She doesn't have time for love. Winston is determined for one of his horses to win a big race. When things start happening to the horses, they team up to investigate and try to put a stop to it. Can they figure out who is to blame? Will they find more than just the culprit? This story kept me hooked throughout. I definitely recommend it.

[Wendy Keel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great quick read

This story is easy to follow and enjoy without having to read others in the series. I do now want to read more and keep up with everything happening with the whole County. A wonderfully written story with a mix of romance and a mystery to solve.

[Pauline Frost · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy this authors writing style. Love the way Winn and Tori interact at the race track and off. A well written and perfectly paced story pulling you in from the start.

[Tina Susedik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!!!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book with a little bit of everything. It had romance, a mystery, and animals. I also learned about horse racing.

[Cynthia Womble · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read

Love the veterinarian heroine and her menagerie of animals. And the hero definitely sounds like someone I would like to get to know better!

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

heartwarming mystery

Held my attention from start to finish! Characters were well written and relatable and the mystery held to the end. Will be looking for more books from this author

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by an author who lives in Minnesota and knows someone in my book club. This connection mad reading the book extra fun!