diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 0a94a6c..7293b13 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
 # the project itself is not installable, so we'll make sure nothing from composer gets into the repo
 vendor
 composer.lock
+build
diff --git a/composer.json b/composer.json
index 2cdc960..155dd71 100644
--- a/composer.json
+++ b/composer.json
@@ -29,10 +29,14 @@
         "illuminate/database": "~4.1",
         "illuminate/validation": "~4.1"
     },
+    "require-dev": {
+        "phpunit/phpunit": "~3.7",
+        "mockery/mockery": "~0.8"
+    },
     "autoload": {
         "psr-0": {
             "LaravelBook\\Ardent": "src/"
         }
     },
-    "minimum-stability": "dev"
+    "minimum-stability": "stable"
 }
diff --git a/phpunit.xml b/phpunit.xml
index e601408..96d69d5 100644
--- a/phpunit.xml
+++ b/phpunit.xml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
 <phpunit backupGlobals="false"
          backupStaticAttributes="false"
-         bootstrap="vendor/autoload.php"
+         bootstrap="tests/bootstrap.php"
          colors="true"
          convertErrorsToExceptions="true"
          convertNoticesToExceptions="true"
@@ -15,4 +15,18 @@
             <directory>./tests/</directory>
         </testsuite>
     </testsuites>
-</phpunit>
\ No newline at end of file
+
+    <logging>
+        <log type="coverage-html" target="build/coverage" title="Ardent" highlight="true"/>
+        <log type="coverage-clover" target="build/logs/clover.xml"/>
+    </logging>
+
+    <filter>
+        <whitelist processUncoveredFilesFromWhitelist="true">
+            <directory suffix=".php">src/LaravelBook/Ardent</directory>
+            <exclude>
+                <directory>vendor</directory>
+            </exclude>
+        </whitelist>
+    </filter>
+</phpunit>
diff --git a/tests/.gitkeep b/tests/.gitkeep
deleted file mode 100644
index e69de29..0000000
diff --git a/tests/LaravelBook/Ardent/Test/TestCase.php b/tests/LaravelBook/Ardent/Test/TestCase.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2a613a2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/LaravelBook/Ardent/Test/TestCase.php
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+<?php namespace LaravelBook\Ardent\Test;
+
+use PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Validator;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Input;
+use Mockery as m;
+
+class TestCase extends PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
+{
+    public function setup()
+    {
+        $this->validator = m::mock('Illuminate\Validation\Validator')
+            ->shouldIgnoreMissing();
+
+        Validator::shouldReceive('make')
+            ->andReturn($this->validator);
+
+        Input::shouldReceive('hasSessionStore')
+            ->andReturn(false);
+    }
+    
+    public function teardown()
+    {
+        Input::clearResolvedInstances();
+        Validator::clearResolvedInstances();
+
+        m::close();
+        parent::teardown();
+    }
+}
diff --git a/tests/LaravelBook/Ardent/Test/ValidationTest.php b/tests/LaravelBook/Ardent/Test/ValidationTest.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3cd6935
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/LaravelBook/Ardent/Test/ValidationTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,167 @@
+<?php namespace LaravelBook\Ardent\Test;
+
+use LaravelBook\Ardent\Ardent;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Input;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Validator;
+use Illuminate\Support\MessageBag;
+use Mockery as m;
+
+class ValidationTest extends TestCase
+{
+    public function testValidateCalledOnSave()
+    {
+        $model = m::mock('LaravelBook\Ardent\Test\ValidatingModel[validate]');
+
+        $model->shouldReceive('validate')->once()
+            ->andReturn(false);
+
+        $model->save();
+    }
+
+    public function testValidationFailurePreventsSave()
+    {
+        $model = m::mock('LaravelBook\Ardent\Test\ValidatingModel[validate]');
+
+        $model->shouldReceive('validate')
+            ->andReturn(false);
+
+        $model->save();
+
+        $this->assertEquals(0, $model->saveCalled);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @expectedException LaravelBook\Ardent\InvalidModelException
+     */
+    public function testValidationThrowsWhenConfigured()
+    {
+        $model = new ValidatingModel;
+        $model->throwOnValidation = true;
+
+        $this->validator->shouldReceive('passes')
+            ->andReturn(false);
+
+        $model->validate();
+    }
+
+    public function testValidationSuccessAllowsSave()
+    {
+        $model = m::mock('LaravelBook\Ardent\Test\ValidatingModel[validate]');
+
+        $model->shouldReceive('validate')
+            ->andReturn(true);
+
+        $model->save();
+
+        $this->assertEquals(1, $model->saveCalled);
+    }
+
+    public function testValidationUsesPassedRules()
+    {
+        Validator::clearResolvedInstances();
+
+        $model = new ValidatingModel;
+
+        $rules = array('hello' => uniqid());
+
+        Input::shouldReceive('hasSessionStore');
+
+        Validator::shouldReceive('make')->once()
+            ->with(m::any(), $rules, m::any())
+            ->andReturn($this->validator);
+
+        $model->validate($rules);
+    }
+
+    public function testValidationUsesStaticRules()
+    {
+        Validator::clearResolvedInstances();
+
+        $model = new ValidatingModel;
+
+        $rules = array('hello' => uniqid());
+
+        Input::shouldReceive('hasSessionStore');
+
+        Validator::shouldReceive('make')->once()
+            ->with(m::any(), ValidatingModel::$rules, m::any())
+            ->andReturn($this->validator);
+
+        $model->validate();
+    }
+
+    public function testErrorsAreAlwaysAvailable()
+    {
+        $model = new ValidatingModel;
+
+        $this->assertInstanceOf('Illuminate\Support\MessageBag', $model->errors());
+    }
+
+    public function testValidationProvidesErrors()
+    {
+        $model = new ValidatingModel;
+        $messages = new MessageBag;
+
+
+        $this->validator->shouldReceive('messages')
+            ->andReturn($messages);
+
+        $model->validate();
+
+        $this->assertSame($messages, $model->errors());
+        $this->assertSame($messages, $model->validationErrors);
+    }
+
+    public function testValidationOverridesOldErrors()
+    {
+        $model = new ValidatingModel;
+        $messages = new MessageBag;
+        $model->validationErrors = $messages;
+
+        $messages->add('hello', 'world');
+
+        $this->validator->shouldReceive('passes')->once()
+            ->andReturn(true);
+
+        $model->validate();
+
+        $this->assertInstanceOf('Illuminate\Support\MessageBag', $model->errors());
+        $this->assertNotSame($messages, $model->errors());
+        $this->assertCount(0, $model->errors());
+    }
+
+    public function testValidationFailureFlashesInputData()
+    {
+        // Reset Input mock
+        Input::clearResolvedInstances();
+
+        $model = new ValidatingModel;
+
+        $this->validator->shouldReceive('passes')
+            ->andReturn(false);
+
+        Validator::shouldReceive('make')
+            ->andReturn($this->validator);
+
+        Input::shouldReceive('hasSessionStore')
+            ->andReturn(true);
+
+        Input::shouldReceive('flash')->once();
+
+        $model->validate();
+    }
+}
+
+class ValidatingModel extends Ardent
+{
+    public static $rules = array(
+        'name' => array('required'),
+        'email' => array('email')
+    );
+
+    public $saveCalled = 0;
+
+    protected function performSave(array $options) {
+        $this->saveCalled++;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/tests/bootstrap.php b/tests/bootstrap.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4c6b442
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/bootstrap.php
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+<?php
+
+error_reporting(E_ALL);
+
+$loader = require __DIR__.'/../vendor/autoload.php';
+$loader->add('LaravelBook\Ardent\Test', __DIR__);