Show Barn Blues Paperback – September 15, 2015

When I first started this book, Grace struck me as so negative and cranky I wondered if I'd keep going. But then I realized this was her challenge, that she had every reason to feel this way. She had the bad experiences and the struggles to deal with, and she needed to learn to enjoy life and people more.Grace lives on what remains of her grandfather's ranch/farm in a rustic old house, but with a world-class show barn. The clients are wealthy women with expensive horses. While they're at work as corporate attorneys, etc., Grace is training their horses to compete at the highest levels. She also does classes. It's very sophisticated, but kind of cold.But as Grace fights developers and inept employees, she grows. She lightens up a bit, although she's always going to be hard-nosed, and some readers may not care for that. I enjoyed the rich descriptions of the weather and the land in her part of Florida, as well as the world of show horses, enough to buy the next book in the series, Horses in Wonderland. Reinert is a good writer.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and was up until the small hours reading it. Anyone who has tried to make their living from working with horses knows how hard it can be, but very few equestrian novels actually take the time to realise this. In "Show Barn Blues" we meet a woman who has dedicated her life to horses, and is starting to wonder whether it has really been worthwhile. She still loves horses and riding, but is starting to lose some of the pleasure and passion that she first discovered as a child.Like all of Natalie's heroines, Grace is sometimes cranky and opinionated, but unlike Jules in "Ambition" (who I absolutely could not stand), Grace is a likeable character who makes good decisions. I suppose she is what Jules might one day be, if she can ever get that almighty chip off her shoulder! I see that a cross-over is coming up, and I hope that Grace is going to whip Jules well and truly into shape when that comes to pass.I couldn't put this book down, and I really enjoyed the cast, especially Kennedy and Anna. The characters' genuine love for their horses was felt throughout, and I loved the debate about the merits of trail riding vs arena riding. I know I would go mad if I was arena-bound, and my horse would too. Horses are not machines, and this book makes this point in a variety of ways. And I loved the pony appreciation - ponies are amazing, yet so often in American horse books they are treated as just being malicious or evil or only suitable for tiny children. You only have to look at the incredible ponies competing around the world to see that isn't true!

I love Reinert’s ability to build characters who are both engaging and flawed. I’m not sure I would like the main character, Grace, but I certainly would respect her drive and knowledge. I thoroughly enjoyed the Eventing series, so I was happy to dive into Grace’s world in more detail.Reinhart writes compelling characters living through believable experiences; I find her books to be quick, fun reads for the horsey set. A perfect summer read, Show Barn Blues was a great companion to the Eventing series as well as the first book in its own series. I look forward to the second book!

A very good book, if you can get past the typos and bad grammar. You need a better proof reader.

I loved this book. The author knows how to write and knows horses and horse people. I also found the book inspiring. There are scenes where Grace is doing all she can to bring out the best in a horse or pony whether she is riding or someone else is. After reading I felt I could and should do better with my own horses, and I did. Thanks, Natalie.

Grace is a different sort of main character then you expect in horse or horse adjacent novels, shes mature and experienced which I find relatable. Having worked in the horse industry over twenty years I absolutely feel like I’ve known several women like Grace that realism makes the whole series enjoyable.

I enjoyed the book. I could tell the author was a horse woman. I would have liked a little more personal interaction of characters. Book one and two should just be one book.

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. I had it on my list for quite some time before finally buying it. What can I say about it? The characters were okay. The storyline was okay. It flowed fairly well. Really, there was no one part of the book that was better than the rest. It was all...okay...and that made it all fit together. There were times when I felt lost. That some details had been left out. There were gaps in the storyline. Especially at the end. The last few pages made little sense because I felt something was missing. Grace got a certified letter and then "later" an email. And stuff was referenced during the email time that hadn't been mentioned previously so it made no sense.

I wish I’d read this book first! I’m now going to have to re-read “Pride” and work through the rest of the Grace books, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all the Eventing books with Pete and Jules, but I’d only really met Grace in ‘Pride’!Anyway, I love a good catch-up and can thoroughly recommend all Natalie’s books!!