I have continued my random grab trend at the library and this time it was not filly I mean fully in my favour. I have to admit a bias… I have never been one of those little girls who wanted a pony. A library in my own home, a couple cats, a collection of roses… these are all things I had an invested interest in growing up (though I have since ditched the rose cliche with my middle name). So this story was a bit of a rough start for me. Fresh-Start Ranch by Leann Harris is a definite horse lover’s dream.
Tessa is a tiny spitfire with a good relationship with God, a deep love of horses and a degree as veterinarian. She has come out to New Mexico from Kentucky to start fresh and prove that she is an able bodied large animal veterinarian. With a hard past and an open future she is ready to face the world. Tessa’s backstory includes, well… horse, an alcoholic gambler of a father and the constant experience of being underestimated due to her height.
She meets Ethan (who apparently is in previous books by this author about this area in New Mexico) who is also a huge fan of horses and helps with a horse rescue… do you see my dilemma? There is a great faith element to this story, an overcoming of past mistakes and feelings of guilt which I did enjoy. BUT there is a huge emphasis on horses.
The characters around these two are endearing though only a few are really developed in this story. The main focus is really the internal conflict of our two main characters and the horse rescue operation. There is a tiny bit of a mystery and a nice romance. I find the resolution a tiny bit rushed but that happens occasionally with these Love Inspired stories. Definitely a good book for the horse lover. So do check it out. Be aware it does discuss gambling issues and an abusive parent though.
