So whilst uni is on a semester break and I have more time on my hands than I’m used to, I’m managing to get a lot of reading time! The latest novel is loaned by a workmate.

Heart of the Valley is a great Australian novel that follows a very realistic tale of a young woman who is born into horses. Whilst her family focuses on racing thoroughbreds, Brooke Kingston finds her joy in bringing on young horses and developing them as competent show jumpers.

A freak accident leaves Brooke questioning how she can pick up the pieces, especially when her family seems to want to take away the one thing that is holding her together. Losing her job as the manager of one of the family’s farms, Brooke stubbornly refuses to leave the one place that feels like home.

Heart of the Valley is a great story of determination, understanding and love. Best of all, it delves deep into the life of competing and looking after horses, as well as the responsibility of running an agricultural property. The characters are likeable and the twists and turns that the story takes are explained well by the conclusion. A great read.

The novel is written for an adult audience and does contain mild language. There is also an adult scene that parents may not like their children reading.

Author – Cathryn Hein
http://www.cathrynhein.com/
Fiction – adult
In my library? Sadly no! Loaned from a friend but I’ll be on the lookout for other books by this author.
Want it? Get it now at Amazon.

“Hast thou given the horse strength? Hast thou clothed his neck with thunder?
Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? The glory of his nostrils is terrible.
He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength: he goeth on to meet the armed men.
He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted, neither turneth he back from the sword.” – JOB 39: 19-22

So this novel’s due to be released July 15th and I’m rapt to have been able to read it before then and offer a review for potential buyers! Now I haven’t really read fantasy/adventure novels before, so I’m glad such a unique horse filled tale was the first offered to me to read in this genre!

Campbell writes the tale of Sabaska, a bay Arabian mare who has a little more to offer than one would usually expect from an equine. Caught in a battle against good and evil, Sabaska is a Traveler, an intelligent being in the body of a horse.

The Travelers have partnered with humans to fight against an evil source that is seeking to destroy worlds.

After the event of her grandmother’s death, 16 year old Anna is devastated at the idea that her grandmother’s beloved horses may be sold off to random people. Determined to find them good homes, she puts forward an argument to her parents that she can spend the summer advertising and looking after the horses.

This starts Anna on an incredible journey of discovering why her grandmother loved her bay Arabian mare Sabaska so much.

Anna finds herself unintentionally caught up in the battle that was being fought well before she was born.

Sabaska’s Tale is an imaginative and entertaining read that looks at horses from a different angle. Although they are mythical creatures, the author’s horse knowledge is factual and put to good use in describing events that occur.

The book has some mild language and fighting scenes feature in it, but otherwise is friendly to the younger reader and will no doubt be enjoyed for its story line. When it comes out July 15, why not grab a copy?

Before then, you can add it to your ‘to be read’ list on Goodreads.

Author: J. A. Campbell
http://writerjacampbell.wordpress.com/
Fiction – fantasy
In my library? As an eBook it is!
Want it? Get it now on Amazon.

“Since the dawn of civilization, the horse and the Muses have been boon companions in all the heroics of mythology and history.” – Robert Frothingham

A couple of weeks ago I was asked if I would be willing to read and review a horse book that has just been released. Of course I said yes!

So Catch Rider is the second novel that I’ve been given to read on an eReader. It was made available to me via NetGalley and I had to download a (free) reader called Blue Fire. That was easy enough to do and then I was able to get reading!

Lyne writes this great story that follows the unfortunate life of Sidney, a 14 year old girl that loves her horses and loves to ride. Having ridden from a young age, Sid is an accomplished rider. It’s the one thing that she has to cling to in a town where teens finish school and gain work at the paper mill, or they drop out of school and start at the mill earlier.

The people in the town aren’t educated, don’t speak well and don’t aim high. Sid has a dream though – she’s going to be a catch rider. A catch rider is someone who can ride any horse thrown at them and perform well.

Whilst avoiding her mother’s abusive boyfriend, Sid clings to her uncle Wayne and through him gains a position as a stable hand at a posh riding barn. The kids here ride horses that are worth more than Sid could ever dream of earning in a lifetime. In spite of her low stature in society, she knows she can out ride any of them, she just needs to be given a chance.

Catch Rider has some mild language in it, but otherwise is a great read. The author portrays the horse industry realistically, whilst also helping the reader to learn about horse terms and the jumping scene.

This book so far is perhaps one of the most informative horse novels I’ve read and for that reason, it get’s high marks in my books! I love a read that’ll enlighten and entertain you, leaving you a more informed horse person once you’ve finished it.

The main character is someone with a hot temper and a lot of guts. Although appearing a bit brash at the start, it was easy to warm to her and to be rooting for the underdog as the story progressed. A great read.

Seeing as this is a new release, purchases are available in eBook and Hard copy:

• Catch Rider at IndieBound
• Catch Rider at Amazon

Author: Jennifer H. Lyne
http://www.jenniferhlyne.com/
Fiction
In my library? As an eBook it is!  I’ll have to look into a hard copy to add to my collection!
Want it? Get it now on Amazon.

“A good rider can hear his horse speak to him.
A great rider can hear his horse whisper.
But a bad rider won’t hear his horse even if it screams at him!”

Tags: horse story, equine book review, equine author, horse library, horse writing, Jennifer H. Lyne