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Sea Horse Ranch #1
Sea Horse Ranch: Sea Horse Ranch - Book 1
It's the perfect island escape.
When Katie hitchhiked her way out of Key West, she was looking for a fresh start. Kicked out of the small-time band where she'd been a back-up singer, and not sure what was coming next, she accepted a truck ride from a Conch native - and found herself on a tiny island inhabited by eccentrics and a herd of charming horses. Oh, and Lou.
Lou's a mystery Katie would love to unravel - the son of Sea Horse Ranch's owner, with a past he's keeping secret and a gorgeous smile she can't get enough of. But her stay in the Keys isn't just about a fling with the handsome local. Sea Horse Ranch's future is in jeopardy, and the longer Katie stays, the more committed she'll become to keeping this magical little island safe from harm. As she falls deeper in love with the Florida Keys, Katie might just find that her past is the key to saving her future.
Pull up a lounger, pour yourself a boat drink, and get ready for a beach read in the sun-splashed and utterly unique Florida Keys!
When Katie hitchhiked her way out of Key West, she was looking for a fresh start. Kicked out of the small-time band where she'd been a back-up singer, and not sure what was coming next, she accepted a truck ride from a Conch native - and found herself on a tiny island inhabited by eccentrics and a herd of charming horses. Oh, and Lou.
Lou's a mystery Katie would love to unravel - the son of Sea Horse Ranch's owner, with a past he's keeping secret and a gorgeous smile she can't get enough of. But her stay in the Keys isn't just about a fling with the handsome local. Sea Horse Ranch's future is in jeopardy, and the longer Katie stays, the more committed she'll become to keeping this magical little island safe from harm. As she falls deeper in love with the Florida Keys, Katie might just find that her past is the key to saving her future.
Pull up a lounger, pour yourself a boat drink, and get ready for a beach read in the sun-splashed and utterly unique Florida Keys!
303 pages, Paperback
Published January 17, 2022
About the author
Natalie Keller Reinert
51 books632 followersNatalie Keller Reinert is the award-winning author of more than twenty books, including the Eventing series and Briar Hill Farm series. Drawing on her professional experience in three-day eventing, working with Thoroughbred racehorses and mounted patrol horses, therapeutic riding, and many other equine pursuits, Natalie brings her love of equestrian life into each of her titles. She also cohosts the award-winning equestrian humor podcast Adulting With Horses.
Natalie lives in north Florida with her family, horses, and cat.
Natalie lives in north Florida with her family, horses, and cat.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 2, 2023
Rating: 5 Stars
⭐️ This was fun, unique, and different and I absolutely loved it 🥰😍
⭐️ I felt like I connected with Katie right off the bat. It felt like she had a really strong voice in this story and I really enjoyed it.
⭐️ And of course, I also loved Lou. He and Katie were great together and I’d definitely love to see more of them.
⭐️ And of course, I was totally here for the horses. Such a unique setting for a horse book and so much fun.
⭐️ The community Natalie built in Hell & Dammit Cay added so much to the book, loved the secondary characters.
⭐️ And I knew thought I’d write this about an iguana, but yes, I adored Rodger and Rogerina and I hope we see more of them too 😆🦎
⭐️ This was fun, unique, and different and I absolutely loved it 🥰😍
⭐️ I felt like I connected with Katie right off the bat. It felt like she had a really strong voice in this story and I really enjoyed it.
⭐️ And of course, I also loved Lou. He and Katie were great together and I’d definitely love to see more of them.
⭐️ And of course, I was totally here for the horses. Such a unique setting for a horse book and so much fun.
⭐️ The community Natalie built in Hell & Dammit Cay added so much to the book, loved the secondary characters.
⭐️ And I knew thought I’d write this about an iguana, but yes, I adored Rodger and Rogerina and I hope we see more of them too 😆🦎
January 18, 2022
I recieved an advanced reader copy of Sea Horse Ranch. I'm not going to lie, I was a bit skeptical of the topic. However, this turned out to be one of my favorite books from Reinert yet. I devoured it in a cabin on our after Christmas holiday and was sad each time I had to put it down. While the focus is less on the horses, the characters are incredibly well developed and engaging. I loved how quirky they are and could just picture the ridiculousness and shenanigans. There's a little bit of everything here and it engages right up to the last page. I'm really looking forward to more of this series,
February 2, 2022
As an avid equestrian and lover of all things horses, I was thrilled to discover Natalie Keller Reinert’s books about a year ago. I was provided an ARC of Sea Horse Ranch to review.
Sea Horse Ranch is different from the other books I’ve read by this author in that it really isn’t a horse book. There are horses in the book, and the plot ostensibly revolves on saving a woman’s small farm of mustangs, but the horses play a minor role in the story overall.
The novel is set in the Florida Keys, on the tiny island of Hell and Dammit Cay, a place inhabited by delightfully quirky characters, the horses, and an iguana named Roger. The protagonist, Katie, is a young musician who has been kicked out of her boyfriend’s band. Abandoned by her boyfriend, and unsure of where to go and what to do next, she hitchhikes from Key West to… well, somewhere else…The middle-aged owner of the horses, Crystal, picks her up on the side of the road and brings her to Sea Horse Ranch. Katie decides to stay, and soon meets (and falls for) Crystal’s mysterious son, Lou. When developers threaten a neighboring island and their peaceful way of life, Katie searches for a way to save the island. The way she pulls this off is (in my opinion) the weakest part of the story. Things come together too easily and quickly to be believable, but the book is a lighthearted beach-read romance, so perhaps this is to be expected.
I enjoyed the book but would have liked to see more done with the horses and the ranch. Reading it during a bitterly cold snap in January provided a great escape to a tropical beach paradise.
Sea Horse Ranch is different from the other books I’ve read by this author in that it really isn’t a horse book. There are horses in the book, and the plot ostensibly revolves on saving a woman’s small farm of mustangs, but the horses play a minor role in the story overall.
The novel is set in the Florida Keys, on the tiny island of Hell and Dammit Cay, a place inhabited by delightfully quirky characters, the horses, and an iguana named Roger. The protagonist, Katie, is a young musician who has been kicked out of her boyfriend’s band. Abandoned by her boyfriend, and unsure of where to go and what to do next, she hitchhikes from Key West to… well, somewhere else…The middle-aged owner of the horses, Crystal, picks her up on the side of the road and brings her to Sea Horse Ranch. Katie decides to stay, and soon meets (and falls for) Crystal’s mysterious son, Lou. When developers threaten a neighboring island and their peaceful way of life, Katie searches for a way to save the island. The way she pulls this off is (in my opinion) the weakest part of the story. Things come together too easily and quickly to be believable, but the book is a lighthearted beach-read romance, so perhaps this is to be expected.
I enjoyed the book but would have liked to see more done with the horses and the ranch. Reading it during a bitterly cold snap in January provided a great escape to a tropical beach paradise.
January 13, 2022
This story starts out a bit slow as the author needs to introduce a lot of interesting, quirky, creative people and their relationships, as well as the issues that drive not only this story, but the entire series. Stick with it. It is well worth it; because once things start to move, they just FLY!
Katie is one of those creative people, a singer/songwriter, whose split with her ex-boyfriend equals a split with the band, and her hitchhiking to the mainland from Key West. That is how Crystal finds her, and offers her a job at Sea Horse Ranch in the southern Keys. That is where quirky characters come in the form of neighbors, and the local iguana, Rodger. Along comes Crystal's son Lou, who has everything in his grasp that Katie craves but is determined to refuse it all.
Somebody has to make Lou see what he has, and Katie decides she is just the woman to do that. Lou isn't the only person Katie needs to awaken. It is the newcomer Katie that thinks outside the traditional box to motivate all the neighbors to band together to save the character of their home. Her new home. I see a win-win-win situation for everybody involved.
As Katie and Lou bond through music and horses, the pace of the story accelerates right through the end of the book. Not every plot thread is neatly tied up at the end of the book, but that is making the wait for the sequel that much more exciting.
I received an ARC copy of this story from the author via BookFunnel and voluntarily chose to share my review.
Katie is one of those creative people, a singer/songwriter, whose split with her ex-boyfriend equals a split with the band, and her hitchhiking to the mainland from Key West. That is how Crystal finds her, and offers her a job at Sea Horse Ranch in the southern Keys. That is where quirky characters come in the form of neighbors, and the local iguana, Rodger. Along comes Crystal's son Lou, who has everything in his grasp that Katie craves but is determined to refuse it all.
Somebody has to make Lou see what he has, and Katie decides she is just the woman to do that. Lou isn't the only person Katie needs to awaken. It is the newcomer Katie that thinks outside the traditional box to motivate all the neighbors to band together to save the character of their home. Her new home. I see a win-win-win situation for everybody involved.
As Katie and Lou bond through music and horses, the pace of the story accelerates right through the end of the book. Not every plot thread is neatly tied up at the end of the book, but that is making the wait for the sequel that much more exciting.
I received an ARC copy of this story from the author via BookFunnel and voluntarily chose to share my review.
April 21, 2026
From the very first pages, I was transported to the charming shores of Hell and Dammit Cay, its cast of eccentric characters, and the island lifestyle. So it is hard not to find newcomer Katie LeBlanc’s desire to stay incredibly relatable. I did, too!
I love Sea Horse Ranch and its retinue of mustangs, especially Reggie the weather horse. I love Roger the iguana and his lady love, Rogerina. I love Stacy and her bright, colorful artist’s pad. I want to sit on Marchant’s deck and eat fried grouper with heaps of Dammit Salt. This book immerses you in its place - it made me very nostalgic for vacations on quiet stretches of Florida’s gulf coast and their amazing hidden gem dive eateries like The Slutty Mermaid on Little Bucket Key. How I love this world!
Katie’s chemistry with Crystal the ranch owner’s son, Lou, is electric from the moment they meet and I was invested in their relationship from the get-go. I was also very keen to see Katie find a way to save Sea Horse Ranch and her found family.
This was a captivating, spellbinding read and I can’t wait to return to Sea Horse Ranch!
I love Sea Horse Ranch and its retinue of mustangs, especially Reggie the weather horse. I love Roger the iguana and his lady love, Rogerina. I love Stacy and her bright, colorful artist’s pad. I want to sit on Marchant’s deck and eat fried grouper with heaps of Dammit Salt. This book immerses you in its place - it made me very nostalgic for vacations on quiet stretches of Florida’s gulf coast and their amazing hidden gem dive eateries like The Slutty Mermaid on Little Bucket Key. How I love this world!
Katie’s chemistry with Crystal the ranch owner’s son, Lou, is electric from the moment they meet and I was invested in their relationship from the get-go. I was also very keen to see Katie find a way to save Sea Horse Ranch and her found family.
This was a captivating, spellbinding read and I can’t wait to return to Sea Horse Ranch!
January 25, 2022
I'm not a big fan of romance books, thus 4 stars instead of 5, based purely on my reading preferences. I read this because I like the author's three great series based on horse sports--racing, eventing and show jumping. Horses have a role in Sea Horse Ranch--rescued mustangs used for trail rides--but music, a budding romance and a quirky artists' colony are the driving forces. Reinert once again shows her ability to develop compelling characters, which makes this book a winner--and a good prelude to a popular series for romance readers. If you're looking for a good, clean (no sex, but plenty of steamy moments) beach read, you can't go wrong.
January 10, 2023
What a great second book. The characters are so well developed, and the scenery described in such a way that you feel like you are right there on Hell and Dammit Cay. This was a great development of the characters I came to love in the first book, and I can’t wait for the next one. I seriously want to move and be part of their island family- with the horses there too with clear blue water, great friends, what more could you need?!
January 15, 2022
Full disclosure: I received this book as an ARC and am so glad that I did. I'm an absolute horse "girl" and have enjoyed all the books by Natalie Keller Reinert that I've read. I highly recommed this book.
The story is set in the Florida Keys and features Katie, a former back up singer who was kicked out the band. Katie is trying to hitch a ride when she is picked up by a Crystal, who owns the Sea Horse Ranch. We are introduced to several multifaceted characters including Crystal's mysterious son, Lou. Sea Horse Ranch is in danger of going under and Katie is determined to save it.
The story is set in the Florida Keys and features Katie, a former back up singer who was kicked out the band. Katie is trying to hitch a ride when she is picked up by a Crystal, who owns the Sea Horse Ranch. We are introduced to several multifaceted characters including Crystal's mysterious son, Lou. Sea Horse Ranch is in danger of going under and Katie is determined to save it.
January 16, 2023
Take a Break
If you have ever hoped to find yourself on a small island with a handful of people, horses, and a rising music star this book is for you!
Natalie hooks me again with another series filled with horses, action, and romance! I love Katie and her love life both human and horsie in book one of this series!
If you have ever hoped to find yourself on a small island with a handful of people, horses, and a rising music star this book is for you!
Natalie hooks me again with another series filled with horses, action, and romance! I love Katie and her love life both human and horsie in book one of this series!
January 2, 2026
Horses and Music yes please
This was such a fun read. Musician finding herself at a life crossroads only to wind up helping an island from being sold to developers. Falls in love with a guy who is notoriously a runner when things get tough. Cannot wait to read book 2 to see where their story goes.
No spice
Closed door romance
This was such a fun read. Musician finding herself at a life crossroads only to wind up helping an island from being sold to developers. Falls in love with a guy who is notoriously a runner when things get tough. Cannot wait to read book 2 to see where their story goes.
No spice
Closed door romance
March 15, 2023
Once again, and always, Ms. Reinert does not, disappoint. A refreshing, completely new storyline, so well-written. Not a wasted word, great character builds, and a plot presented in a not able to put down draw. Thanks so much for a really good read.
July 20, 2023
I've enjoyed all of Natale Keller Reinert's books, and this one took on a fun and different flavor with its Florida Keys settings. Loved the characters, setting, and story, with enough plot twists to keep readers guessing. Highly recommended, and not just for horse lovers.
January 18, 2022
A girl trying to find her way and an Island in the Keys with horses. Add in a hot guy and what more could you want? I loved this book and can’t wait for round 2!
February 23, 2022
I love horse fiction or horse mysteries and put horses on the beach and you have a winner. Can’t wait for the sequel!
February 19, 2023
This novel is the perfect read for a mental getaway. I really enjoyed the setting and characters. It's just an easy, enjoyable read.
October 7, 2023
Kick Back in the Keys
Natalie's work never disappoints! This laid back, beachy novel was the perfect diversion in the bleak mode winter of Upstate NY during COVID. I might even read some of it to the horses!
Natalie's work never disappoints! This laid back, beachy novel was the perfect diversion in the bleak mode winter of Upstate NY during COVID. I might even read some of it to the horses!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews