Trouble is going country…
Trouble in Summer Valley by Susan Y Tanner has the right amount of mystery, suspense and romance, not to mention Trouble and horses make it a brilliant read.
Avery/Ms. Gorgeous
Our female lead is Avery or Ms. Gorgeous as Trouble calls her. She is the owner and operator of the Summer Valley Ranch. I will tell you more about the ranch later. Avery is recently divorced, and when I say recently, I mean at the very beginning of the story. Avery has these grand plans for the ranch and now that her ex, Craig is finally gone things can move forward. Well, that is what you would think.
Avery is beautiful on the inside and the outside. She has such a huge heart and wants to help as many people and horses as she can. I love her compassion and the care that Avery takes with rescue horses. Oh, and what a hard worker, she even has a sound business plan. She is smart, responsible, and slightly vulnerable. The one thing that I think bothered me, not a dislike, is that at times she doesn’t trust her friends completely to take care of the horses. I do understand that they are her responsibility.
Dirks/Mr. Military
Our male lead is Dirks also known to Trouble as Mr. Military. Dirks has been assigned a desk job as he was recently wounded for the second time. Now he is trying to figure out how to do his new position. Dirks seeks Avery out to decide if her facility will be accepted to work with disabled veterans. Well, that is what he says at first.
Dirks still has his military mindset, and he is immediately attracted to Avery. However, he is trying to remain professional with the task that he has been assigned to him. I like the character Dirks; he is strong, physically and mentally, athletic, caring, he is good at investigations and has excellent contacts.
The one thing that I disliked about him was that he didn’t just come out and ask Avery if she did what he was investigating. I know then he wouldn’t know if she was lying or not.
Trouble
Trouble was magnificent. He came to help Avery because she is Tammy Lynn’s friend and Tammy Lynn is worried about her. He is so finicky about food.
Oh, and did you know that cats don’t understand/communicate with horses? Nope, that was not happening.
Mystery
The mystery is wonderful. There is a lot of suspense and some exciting parts. The culprit was sly and very good acting. Thank goodness for Trouble.
Equine Therapy
Summer Valley Ranch takes in rescue horses and then use them for equine therapy. I have seen this once in California, not at the level of Summer Valley Ranch though.
Definition: Equine-assisted psychotherapy, also called equestrian therapy or horse therapy, is a type of experiential mental health treatment that involves a person in therapy interacting with horses. Designed for people of all ages, equine therapy has been shown to treat a wide range of mental health issues, addressing both physical and psychological concerns associated with a diagnosis.
Individuals seeking help typically work with both a psychotherapist who specializes in equine therapy and a horse trainer who is familiar with their therapeutic application—though both roles may be filled by the same person.
(definition from https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/equine-assisted-therapy)
I think this is a wonderful way to connect with autistic children or help wounded veterans learn to deal with their injuries. If you are interested in equine therapy, search Google for ‘equine therapy near me’ or check out https://americanhippotherapyassociation.org/find-a-facility/.
5 Stars for Trouble in Summer Valley by Susan Y. Tanner
My rating Trouble in Summer Valley by Susan Y. Tanner is five stars. I loved this story; it is perfect. Seriously, Trouble, love, mystery, horses, and summer in Alabama.
Have you read any of these books? Well, if you like cats, mystery and romance these books are for you. I highly recommend it. I can’t wait to read the next book Small Town Trouble by Laura Benedict. Check out my reviews of the other Familiar Legacy books throughout the month of March.
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This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove