Six horses and Saratoga. It's a young trainer's dream come true, and it's happening for Alex at last: Alexander is entrusting the farm's racing string to her while he heads Down Under to help run his sick brother's farm.

But Saratoga isn't interested in Alex without Alexander. Unproven and decidedly female in a man's world, Alex finds herself the target of old-school racetrackers certain she married her way into training good horses. At the same time, her naï¿½ï¿½ve assistant, Kerri, is far too interested in the less-than-scrupulous trainer who shares their barn.

But running a racing stable doesn't leave much time for petty fights and stable rivalries. Horses need to be worked, races need to be run. And Alex has her eye on something besides the winner's circle: a funny-faced filly, a chestnut nobody with a spotty blaze and a decided lack of brakes. Saratoga thinks the filly has a screw loose. But Alex knows better.

From training track gossip to tack-room confidentials, OTHER PEOPLE'S HORSES is the perfect stand-alone novel for fans of horses, equestrian sport, and horse racing -- or enjoy it alongside the companion novels in the Alex & Alexander Series. ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Semi-Finalist, 2013 Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award

Natalie Keller Reinert