The Sweetheart Horse

Ocala Horse Girls #2

by Natalie Keller Reinert

Kayla Moore came to Ocala in search of Mr. Right. Horse, that is. But following her dreams to the Horse Capital of the World hasn’t quite turned out the way she hoped. No accolades, no achievements, and even her job farm-sitting at a posh equestrian center is coming to an end with no prospects for the future. When she tries grooming for a show jumping hopeful, the last thing she needs is an insult from some handsome up-and-comer on a gorgeous horse. Scratch that, the last thing she needs is to share a house and a barn with him. Kayla is thrilled when her farm-sitting job gets an unexpected extension, and she can’t believe her luck when the owners offer her the ride on a new horse as partial payment. Feather is exactly the kind of talented jumper she needs to make it to the next level. But when they also present her with a house-mate — the attractive and arrogant Basil Han — she realizes this sweetheart deal comes with serious strings. Stick out six months with Basil in the house and concentrate on training her new horse? Should be a cinch . . . but it turns out Basil isn’t going to be easy to ignore. This elegant equestrian has a soft touch in the saddle that makes Kayla feel swoony, and when it turns out he’s harboring a strange secret, she’s too intrigued to stay on her side of the house. The Sweetheart Horse is a light-hearted and fun-loving enemies-to-lovers romp through Ocala’s equestrian scene, with some unexpected characters along the way! The perfect read for beach days, rainy evenings, or when you just want to escape reality for a while. The Sweetheart Horse is part of the Florida Equestrian Collection, which These novels include overlapping characters, events, and locales which create a community of equestrians you'll love recognizing and catching up with in each book!

Praise for Natalie Keller Reinert
"Natalie Keller Reinert is the author that readers looking for adult equestrian fiction are looking for ... the dialogue is snappy and right on, and the horses and their personalities jump off the page." - Megan D., Grabbing Mane review on Amazon

"Strong women are Ms. Reinert's stock in trade and I love it." - Lori, Grabbing Mane review on Amazon

"I highly recommend all Natalie Keller Reinert's books." - appychicken, Christmas at Catoctin Creek review on Amazon

"You know it's going to be a great day when you can download a new Natalie Keller Reinert book to your tablet!" - LifewithRen, Christmas at Catoctin Creek review on Amazon

Genres: Horses

354 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 18, 2022

About the author

Natalie Keller Reinert is the award-winning author of more than twenty books, including the Eventing series and Briar Hill Farm series. Drawing on her professional experience in three-day eventing, working with Thoroughbred racehorses and mounted patrol horses, therapeutic riding, and many other equine pursuits, Natalie brings her love of equestrian life into each of her titles. She also cohosts the award-winning equestrian humor podcast Adulting With Horses.

Natalie lives in north Florida with her family, horses, and cat.

Reviews

[W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enemies to lovers has never been horse-ier

Ms.Reinert provides us a new and excellent book highlighting another interesting aspect of the north-central Florida horsey community. If you see her name on the cover, I can guarantee you can be assured of an excellent read with accurate equine information.

Kayla has been barn-sitting the Ocala estate of wealthy horse enthusiasts Max & Stephen Slidell since the beginning of 'The Project Horse' almost a year ago. She cares for their retired horses while they are out of town showing horses in the southern part of Florida. It is a nice gig for a horse-girl, if you can get it; feed, water and turn out horses to pasture, muck out stalls, and generally maintain the property in exchange for room and board for her and her horse Crabby.

Kayla's comfortable routine is turned on its head when Max and Steven return with a new horse, (whose papers proclaim her as a 'Celestial Being') for Kayla and a professional Grand Prix show rider, Basil Han, to train and show the working horses in Ocala's winter show season.

Kayla is attracted to Basil, but is concerned that he will try to undermine her position with Max and Steven. And the "Celestial Being" paperwork raises a lot of questions that need answered. All the pull and tug of personal and professional growth is so true to the twenty-something young adult, as is the taking ownership of your choices and decisions, and learning to be intentional about your path through life.

I received an ARC copy of this story from the author via BookFunnel and voluntarily chose to share my review.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy of this book but received no compensation for my unbiased review. I love being part of the Arc team so I can “get my grubby little hands” on the author’s Ocala Girls books a little early to assuage my curiosity surrounding what has happened in the lives of the characters who I have began to care about.

In this second book we get a closer look at the next chapter in Kayla’s life as she strives to stand alone financially and advance her riding career without using her parents as a financial safety net. She is relieved to find out that her house and horse sitting gig is going to be extended after the owners of the mansion and horses announce that they are going on an extended vacation. Instead of paying her for her barn manager chores and cleaning up after a larger string of horses, the owners give her a 5 year old green broken horse in lieu of wages. Kayla is faced with finding a second job to support herself and the owners spring on her that she will now be sharing their home with Basil - an attractive, arrogant Grand Prix level Eventing rider who has been hired to exercise the owners Grand Prix level dressage horses.

Kayla has to decide wether to trust Basil as she suspects him of being a part of a pyramid horse selling scam. Basil may have secrets that drive him away from making friends and allowing himself to connect with people on a deeper level… but he has never met someone like Kayla!

[Dale Leatherman · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've become a fan of Natalie's books over the years, you're probably confident that The Sweetheart Horse will be a good read, one that is accurate in all aspects of the horse industry, and has a bit of romance mixed in. Hey, we want our horse girls to have fun outside of horses, too, right? Well, Natalie delivers . . . and this one has an adorable grandprix rider who steals Kayla's heart (even though she tries to resist) after an unlikely start. Their first meeting is inauspicious. Having been knocked down by her bitchy employer (who's a crap rider), Kayla's sitting on muddy ground outside the entrance to the jumper ring, looking up at this snooty guy with a British accent. He's attractive, for sure, but she really dislikes his attitude toward her, and hopes their paths will never cross again. No such luck. They are thrown together at the farm where Kayla has been manager for some time. Kayla's emotions are now on a roller coaster: she's been given a green-broke mare as partial payment for managing the farm--but the horse is a handful, maybe too much for her. And Basil, the British heartthrob who becomes her housemate--and, it turns out, is really into her--has a problem with a family cult that could tank his career in horses and implicate Kayla. Say what, a cult? That's a new twist, and troubling, considering how serious cults have been in real life. This is a good read, but please, no more cults!

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading The Sweetheart Horse and really enjoyed it! This is the second book in The Ocala Girls series. Natalie Keller Reinert doesn't disappoint her fans with this addition to the series. This book can be read as a stand-alone but is enriched if you've read the first book. I love how Natalie pulls in characters from her other series and introduces the reader to new characters as well.

This book stars Kayla as she continues to find her correct path in the horse world. She knows riding baby racehorses works for her but she's not comfortable continuing to start them as they get older. She's also decided that her path isn't going to be accomplished by finding and marrying a rich horse man. So for now, she's hoping she can continue to farm sit for Max and Stephen. The only problem is, Max and Stephen have introduced another rider into the equation - Basil Han, an arrogant rider Kayla meets earlier in the book. Max also gifts her with a horse, Feather, who she can train and sell as payment for her work as a farm sitter. How will Kayla deal with all of these new changes in her life?

I highly recommend this book and am now waiting for the next book in the series to come out!

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was even better than the first in the series! I love Kayla. She's very relatable, from the clumsiness to the second guessing her choices, even the inner monologue makes it feel like a chat with a good friend.

Love that Jules, Posey, and Alex make a small appearance. The enemies to lovers romance is a predictable premise in books, but this one takes so many twists and turns, it keeps the story intriguing and makes you want to stay up and read ahead.

My only critique would be that the details of the uncle's business (I don't want to spoil too much) were a bit unclear and I would love to know what happened to Max in the end. Maybe in the next book?

I love all of Natalie's books, it's always refreshing to read horse books from an author that really knows her stuff and is accurate with all the horse related details. This will make the book appeal to all horse lovers. That being said, I do think that the intrigue and romance aspect could appeal to any reader.
I love the new series and cannot wait to read the next book, which will tell Evie's story. Hopefully the few loose ends here will be wrapped up in the that book.

I did receive an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Kersten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Might contain spoilers. Enjoyed the horses and the characters and the romance. Also enjoyed the drop ins from characters in other series. However, I don't fully understand the scam and found the last minute save from mom to be a bit of a stretch. Also, I'm not sure how much family money Basil has, but they just casually bought a farm at the end? And no matter how much this guy says he has changed, I'm not trusting him enough to share a farm, at least not for a bit. What did i find totally believable? Kayla getting knocked out by her horse. My mare has dropped me before and then casually walked away. Omg the pain!

Looking forward to next book!

[Kathy Swanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book by Natalie Keller Reinert! The Sweetheart Horse is the second book in this series and I think I loved it more than the first book. Kayla is a fun and relatable character trying to find her place to the horse world. Mixing in a little romance and a bit of mystery and some of the characters we already know kept me wanting to read just one more chapter and then one more chapter. I can't wait for the next book.

[Barbara Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good story with lots of horse information and an inside look into Florida barns. I like that the author doesn't gloss over the troubles in the horse show world and the difficulty a single person has making it to the top. Also, I love that the author stresses several times that with a horseman (or woman) the horses come first (even when they aren't out their winning ribbons.) And now I'll look underneath all my horse statues!

[Morgan Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot get enough of this twisting, winding world that Natalie has built. Following the lives, loves, and of course, horses, of these Ocala girls just does not get old. There is a trope for everyone, old flames, friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, there isn't anything that Natalie writes that I don't want to read! I'm looking forward to the next installment!!

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great installment!

I love Natalie’s equestrian universe. Characters from one series may pop up as supporting characters in another series, may be mentioned in passing, or may have large roles in advancing the plot. The books are well written, and Natalie’s equestrian background is evident in every paragraph. Her books are well worth your money, and well worth your time.

[Jackie Redish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked the Sweetheart Horse as with all of Natalie's books, I usually can't wait for the next one to come out. Since I am a Florida native I love all the references to Florida, so much of it is so familiar to me. I also like how she entwines the characters in all of her books. You never know where a favorite familiar character is going to show up!

[Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

From farmsitter to rider, Kayla can count on her friends and extended friends like Jules and Pete. The sweetheart horse is full of mystery and romance. It's about achieving goals, to grow as a rider but also as a person. Thank you Natalie for an other epic story !

[Haylee VanCuran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hate to love him

Horsey cults and celestial beings...need I say more. Kayla's story and love life and story had me laughing out loud. While this maybe an enmies to lovers story it is also a romcom and one you won't want to put down.

[Sherri Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has more humor than I imagined. Maybe it because I was a horsewoman and can relate to the circumstances, but I enjoyed it more for the laughs.

My only issue with these books continues to be the lax proofreading. But, well worth the price for the story.

[sol · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was pretty good and i love that horses were involved. i find that there’s not many accurate horse books and this one was great! it just felt a little slow at times and the cult part was a little wierd.

[Rachelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

The magic of working with horses that I liked so much in the first book was completely absent in this and the climax of the plot was absolutely fucking ridiculous (they seriously left a horse in a trailer during a HURRICANE???? That they were trying to outrun once it made landfall????).

[Cristina Brogdon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sweetheart Horse takes off at a gallop through the first chapter and does some sharp turns and twists throughout the book. It's a fun, enjoyable read with a lot of surprises!

[Rebecca Nicholls · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good holiday read

A great holiday read which kept me entertained. Great to get to know another of the Ocala girls, hope to hear more about Kayla and Feather in the future.

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

This lady writes some good horse based books.

[JW Dillingham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clean romance

Clean romance and horse world story about maturing and becoming an adult in attitude and knowledge as well as age.

[megomyeggo · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Alannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was so bad that it was good!

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun and easy read with an author who knows the horse world and Ocala especially.
Enjoyed the slow burn romance that simmers in all that Florida heat.