Recently I had the chance to read My Golden Horse for review. Ellen Sanz has gone through a lot for a 17-year-old. Ellen is used to travelling around from horse show to horse show with her talented equestrian mother. That is, until they find their life turned upside down by a horse accident.

Suddenly her accomplished rider of a mother is unable to ride horses any more. Although she escaped with her life, Ellen finds herself the caretaker for her mother who cannot come to grips with the turn her life has taken.

Unable to afford their town house anymore and not able to ride horses for a living, Linda decides to return to her parents’ farmhouse in a small country town. Ellen is upended from the few friends she has, the touring lifestyle and everything she knows and holds dear.

My Golden Horse

It is easy for the teen to feel resentful toward her mother. To top things off, Linda is in an incredible amount of pain and addicted to medication that helps her to numb it all. Ellen cannot see how being banished to a small country town to live with her out of it mother and kind but overbearing grandparents is going to fix anything.

To make things worse, there is a horse living at her grandparents’ place. Why would they have a horse on the property after the horse riding accident that her mother had? Ellen is amazed that they would consider such a thing.

The wild palomino mare inadvertently calls to Ellen. She is drawn to the unusual colour, so different to the bays, browns and chestnuts that her mother used to ride.

Unsure what to do with herself, it’s Ellen’s grandfather who suggests a change of focus – getting a part time job. It doesn’t take Ellen long to warm to this idea – although the job on offer is working with horses. As the teenager steps into this new role, she finds herself challenged with hard work, pursuing a passion she didn’t want to admit to and ultimately, with some new friends.

My Golden Horse is an entertaining, horse filled story with a small amount of romance thrown in. An interesting and educational read that is well worth the time invested to read it.

Author: Caroline Akervik
Fiction – young adult
In My Library? As an ebook copy, that it is!

In Search Of is a book written combined by Mara Dabrishus and Tudor Robins. I’ve read Mara’s Stay the Distance and some of her other novels, and many of Tudor’s stories including Appaloosa Summer, and Stolen Saddles. So I was curious to see what these two women would do together in the form of a novel.

I’m used to young adult novels by Mara and teen, maybe young adult novels also by Tudor. The story In Search Of actually has a look at some adults probably in their 20s, but a little bit older than what I’m used to from these two and their main characters. In Search Of has a look at two people, a young man named Cam and young woman Lynsey. Both are competing in a triathlon event.

It tells the story from each of their point of views, interchanging between the male and the female. It’s very interesting how the two are thrown together in the race, and then the events that unfurl when they assist a gentleman in the race who’s taken a tumble.

It takes a little while for the story actually to introduce the idea of horses. And at first I thought it wasn’t going to be a horse related novel at all. But they were woven throughout the novel with reference to them.

And in time they became quite the main focus point. In Search Of was a really interesting, quirky, amusing novel of two young adults finding their way and learning what they really want. Although they had been going through life, getting educated and dealing with family members pushing their desires for their lives, Cam and Lynsey finally settle on what they want in life, and discover it together.

This was an interesting read and quite amusing, but definitely for adult readers, rather than teens. It’s got quite a bit of swearing and adult scenes in it. The horse focus later in the novel becomes a lovely highlight.

Author: Mara Dabrishus and Tudor Robins
Fiction – adult
In My Library? As an ebook copy, that it is!

Impelled is book one in this new series by Sarah Welk Baynum. In this novel, young Emma is currently in the process of finishing an equine related degree. Whilst she is still considering what she wants to do with her qualification, she’s passionate about horses and knows whatever she does, she wants it to be with the equine species.

Towards the end of her studies, Emma acquires a horse. This is a big step after she lost her last horse tragically. She’s excited to pursue options with this mare, whilst also continuing her studies. When a spanner is thrown in the works, and she’s not able to continue her studies, Emma questions what she can be doing with her life.

Emma finds herself considering frantically what she should do. An epiphany moment with her beautiful mare impels her to search for work as a trainee student. In time Emma is able to be a student on a top performance farm in Ocala. This allows her to work with excellent calibre warmbloods that are competing in show jumping.

Through this position Emma is able to show off her horse handling skills, her riding capabilities, and her management of time as she helps this top performing barn to be able to prepare the horses and compete them.

Throughout this story readers are introduced to exercising classes, warming horses up for events, cooling them down, Grand Prix events and travelling with horses. In this new work environment, Emma is introduced to a handyman who knows horses and another staff member who helps the farm to run smoothly. Together they work as a close knit group on this prestigious property.

Emma finds she is drawn to the handy man, Michael even though he appears aloof. She wonders why it is that she can’t break through to him and they can become friends. In time she discovers the truth of why he’s so standoffish and their friendship develops. At the same time she pursues a potential love interest with a university acquaintance who turns up unexpectedly at some horse events in Wellington.

In amongst all of this, there is a male who seems to be out to get it Emma. She can’t think of who it may be or why. But she keeps getting threats and this throws her otherwise blissful working student experience. As a story, Impelled builds nicely. It has an interesting amount of suspense in it, in regard to the stalker, but also in regard to the two males that she’s closest to. And although it seems she’s chosen one over the other, I’ve got to say I want Emma to be leaning towards the other male love interest! It’ll be interesting to see how book number two plays out.

Author: Sarah Welk Baynum
Fiction – young adult
In My Library? As an eBook, it is.

La Duquesa is the second book in the wonder horse series. It looks at the story of an incredibly beautiful grey Arabian mare, known as La Duquesa (The Duchess). It also explores the life of a young girl. She is growing up having what she needs, but not necessarily what she wants.

Maryann has had a passion for horses all her life, and she wrote an English piece that explored her desire of riding a horse. It explained how she and the horse were one – the beautiful grey mare that comes to her in her dreams.

This piece opens the door for Maryann to have riding lessons in exchange for work at a nearby riding facility and boarding barn.

La Duquesa by Victoria Hardesty and Nancy Perez

Maryann is absolutely rapt at the idea of being able to horse ride. She doesn’t have the appropriate clothing. She’s never been on a horse in her life, but she knows she loves them and she’s keen to learn. To the surprise of the boarding property owner, Ginny, she naturally knows how to ride as soon as she’s on a horse.

She has the correct seat, the correct hands, the correct positioning of her legs and her head, and she just seems to flow with the movement of the horse. Straight away Ginny knows that she’s found the next horse riding superstar; one that’s just an absolute natural with horses.

At a similar time, Ginny acquires a horse that has been badly neglected almost at the point of death and is looking to nurse her back to health. As she does so it becomes apparent that this grey skinny, ribby horse is actually a beautiful Arabian mare.

I love how the authors of this story, weave in a little bit of mystery about the identification of this horse and how she came to be in such a malnourished state. And then how she is paired up with this young girl who’s desperate to have a horse of her own.

I also love the focus on the name which you’ll find as you read the novel. La Duquesa is a really enjoyable read. It teaches some stuff about horses for a young girl coming into the horse side of things, teaches a lot about the Arabian showing side of the world and ultimately explores the bond between a girl and a horse that she so desperately loves and wants to look after. Well worth the read.

Author: Nancy Perez and Victoria Hardesty
Fiction – teen/young adult
In My Library? As an eBook, it is.