Believing In Horses Out West


Young Adult - Coming of Age
170 Pages
Reviewed on 07/29/2022
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

Author Biography

Valerie Ormond retired as a Navy Captain after a 25-year career as a Naval intelligence officer and began her second career as a writer. Valerie’s first two novels, Believing In Horses, and Believing In Horses, Too, won eight national and international awards including Gold Medals in the Military Writers Society of America book awards. Her most recent novel, Believing In Horses Out West, won first place in the National Federation of Press Women’s national 2022 Communications Contest, a gold medal from the 2022 Military Writers Society of America, second place in the 2022 BookFest™ Awards, was a finalist in the 2021 Wishing Shelf Book Awards.
The main character in Valerie’s book series is the daughter of a Naval officer, and she highlights military family experiences for readers. Believing In Horses Out West brings the author’s personal memories to a travel adventure on a dude ranch.
Valerie's fiction and non-fiction stories and poems have been published in books, and her articles have appeared internationally in magazines, newspapers, and blogs. For more information, please see www.believinginhorses.com and www.valerieormond.com.


    Book Review

Reviewed by Kimberlee J Benart for Readers' Favorite

Believing In Horses Out West is the third novel by Valerie Ormond featuring “horse crazy” teenager Sadie Navarro. Now 14 and living in Maryland, Sadie is the proud owner of a beautiful show horse and is active in horse rescue programs but worries that Sunny, a Palomino mare adopted by a dude ranch in Montana, isn’t in a good home. Her parents, brother, and grandmother agree to go on vacation there. Sadie is initially impressed with the ranch and its staff, including a 16-year-old hired hand named Justin, but suspicious happenings with his boss Luke begin to bother her. With her adventurous grandmother in tow, Sadie investigates only to find that danger threatens them and Sunny. Will they escape, and is Justin part of it?

In Believing In Horses Out West, Valerie Ormond gives us an engaging young adult novel that blends a love for horses and family into a coming-of-age adventure story lightly sprinkled with romance. Sadie is both accomplished and uncertain, often second-guessing her own instincts. Her military family is a source of strength, yet she often hesitates to confide in them. Her attraction to Justin and his shared love for horses is sincere, yet she comes to doubt him. The narrative is well-written and suitably paced for the young adult reader. Sadie’s courage and toughmindedness unfold as each chapter reveals her inner struggles and the developing relationships she shares with her family, horses, and friends. A great read for any teenager, boy or girl, horse lover or not.