"Blood Sworn" by Scott Reintgen (Book 2)

Blood Sworn by Scott Reintgen is the follow-up book to Ashlords.  The race is over and now the war has begun.  The three main characters are back:  Pippa, Adrian and Imelda must now work together for the better good of the country.  Can they and will they save their country?  This book was better than the first with fast action and lots of twists and turns.  (Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

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"Ashlords" by Scott Reintgen (Book 1 in series)

Ashlords by Scott Reintgen is teen fantasy about horse racing.  It is time for the race with 11 horses and 11 riders.  Three riders (Imelda, Pippa and Adrian) have a lot at stake.  You will have to read the book to find out what that is.  This book gets off to a slow start, but once the race begins, it more than makes up for it!  It is easy to follow.  I really enjoyed the three main characters and liked it because it has lots of action.  Now it is on to Book 2.  (Gerard's review, 4.5 stars)

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"Dark Horses" by Susan Mihalic

In Dark Horses by Susan Mihalic, Roan, 15-yr-old girl, has a love for riding horses in shows.  She wants to be in the Olympics like her dad who won a bunch of medals and now oversees Roan's training.  However, when a boy moves into the picture, things get complicated!  If you enjoyed V. C. Andrews' old books, this is for you.  I did and got through this one quickly!  It has a good storyline, interesting characters and the ending was one for the books!  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"Joey--How a blind rescue horse helped others learn to see" by Jennifer Marshall Bleakley

Joey by Jennifer Marshall Bleakley is a true story which makes this so much better!  Kim believes in three things:  God, kids, horses.  She has a vision of putting hurting special needs kids with horses on a designated area, but that will take a lot of land and a lot of money!  Those are two things Kim is in short supply of so Kim puts her trust in God to provide. One horse she gets is Joey, a blind horse who was mistreated.  Can she take on a special needs horse too?

I thought this book was outstanding!  It is told very well and the women in this book are remarkable!  I fell in love with Joey!  Do not miss this one!   I'd recommend this for a book club.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Teaser from page 217:  Cindy's hand covered her mouth and tears streamed down her cheeks.  Sarah didn't notice her, not yet.  She was transfixed, basking in this sacred moment in which the little girl with no voice spoke up for the horse with no eyes.

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"The Perfect Horse" by Elizabeth Letts

The Perfect Horse by Elizabeth Letts is one of my favorite books to read.  This is a good non-fiction book on a subject that I knew nothing about.  In the last few days of World War II, some U.S. soldiers capture a German spy and he has pictures of beautiful horses with him.  Colonel Hank Reed and his men decide to save the horses from certain death.

I found the first 100 pages slow, but the action picked up soon enough.  It is interesting to follow the thinking of the men who played the big roles.  I enjoyed it!
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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"Messenger by Moonlight" by Stephanie Grace Whitson is fiction about The Pony Express

Messenger by Moonlight by Stephanie Grace Whitson tells the story of a young girl named Annie and her two brothers, Frank and Emmett.  When their dad dies, they are left broke and lose the farm.  The brothers decide to join the Pony Express and Annie comes along and becomes a cook at one of the stations.

I liked Annie, the main character, but this book had little action and there was nothing that took me by surprise.  It's an okay read that I read only because Karen recommended it.
(Gerard's review 7/18/16, 3.5 stars) 

Karen's review 7/13/16, 4 stars:
Messenger by Moonlight by Stephanie Grace Whitson is a very enjoyable read about two brothers (Frank and Emmett) who join up as pony express riders and sign up their sister as a cook for Clearwater, one of the remote home stations in Nebraska territory without even asking first!  Annie is at first put out by that, but doesn't want to be alone so agrees to go with them on this new money-making adventure. Emmett trusts in the Lord for courage and guidance and encourages Annie to as well, like their ma but Frank doesn't want anything to do with God and just complains about his rotten luck.  Annie tries to stay positive and look for the good things.  Annie has a dream of having her own nice white house with flower boxes and blue trim one day and Frank aims to make sure that happens for her.  When they get to the Clearwater station and meet the owner, George Morgan, he is not what any of them expected.

I enjoyed this historical western romance very much and liked all the characters.  The story line moved along and gave insight in what the pony express riders faced and the part women played during this time.  I loved the ending and recommend this for anyone who likes novels about the west around the time of the Civil War.  It had some funny parts that I actually laughed out loud at!


I also liked Key on the Quilt by this author.

Joining in Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop this week responding to the book review prompt.

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"Here Comes Exterminator!" by Eliza McRaw

Here Comes Exterminator--The Long-Shot Horse, the Great War, and the Making of an American Hero by Eliza McGraw is a non-fiction book is one of those books that tell about somebody or someone I have no knowledge about that I find very interesting.  These are some of my favorite books to read.

Exterminator was a fantastic race horse.  He won the most money of any race horse ever!  He won the Kentucky Derby in 1918 and from then on Americans had a love affair with this great horse.  Ms. McGraw tells the story really well and I got to know how it was back then.  I enjoyed this book very much!
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

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"Fallen Land" by Taylor Brown

Fallen Land by Taylor Brown takes place during the last year of the Civil War.  Due to the war, a young boy, Callum, and a young girl, Ava, band together with a horse named Reiver.  Bounty hunters are after Callum and will stop at nothing to find him. 

I enjoyed the relationship between Callum and Ava, two great characters.  The horse was awesome!  This book has action and a great ending!   My wife thought it started off too slow and gave up on it early on, but I liked it!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"Some Kind of Courage" by Dan Gemeinhart is a Gripping Read!

Some Kind of Courage by Dan Gemeinhart is about an 12-yr.-old orphan boy, Joseph Johnson. He has lost just about everything he loved, but the one thing he can get back is his horse, Sarah, that was sold without his knowledge. Joseph is a great character and his adventures had me holding my breath! I so wanted him to get his horse back. I loved this book! It goes fast because it’s hard to put down. We also loved this author’s first book, The Honest Truth.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Some Kind of Courage by Dan Gemeinhart is a gripping story about a boy who goes on his own to track down his horse that was sold without his knowledge to a crooked horse trader.  He has a strong sense to do his dead parents proud and do the right thing.  Even though his parents and sister died, he still keeps their memory alive.  The story is about how important family is.  Joseph is very likable and I couldn't help but pull for him.  He met a Chinese boy along the way so had a friend on part of his journey who was also on a mission.  Both boys were very brave!

I loved this book and was surprised it was just as good as the first book by this author.  It has lots of action and kept me turning pages.  The recurring theme in the book was what Joseph's papa always said and what drove Joseph:

But Papa had said that when there's something that's got to be done, the thing to do is just to buckle down and do it the best you can.

(Karen's review, 5 stars)


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"The Mare" by Mary Gaitskill

The Mare by Mary Gaitskill is for the most part, told by Velveteen, an 11-yr.-old girl and Ginger, a young woman who hosted Velveteen for two weeks.  The interaction between these two made this book.  It was not always good and they got to really see the differences between them.  Ginger's horses were also a part of the book that I enjoyed. 

Entertainment Weekly gave this book high praise and they were right!  The ending is fantastic!  They byplay with Velvet's real mom and her was very good too.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"The Black Stallion" by Walter Farley an Exciting Fun Read

The Black Stallion by Walter Farley is a fantastic book about a boy, his fight for survival after a shipwreck, his wild black stallion and racing.  There is a lot of action in this children’s book that made me want to keep reading.  It is refreshingly uncomplicated and full of adventure.  I enjoyed this book very much and plan to read more by this author! 

(Karen's review, 5 stars)

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Reading!

"Let The Tornado Come" by Rita Zoey Chin

In Let the Tornado Come by Rita Zoey Chin, we are told about Rita's childhood which was rough to say the least.  Now a married woman, she suffers panic attacks at every turn.  This read like a novel only it's true!  I loved this book and highly recommend it.  I was drawn into her stories and found myself rooting for her to get help.  Turns out an animal was a big help.  What kind?  You will have to read the book to find out (or Karen's review below)!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen read this too:
Let The Tornado Come by Rita Zoey Chin is a memoir about her dark childhood, her panic attacks and her journey to having a normal life she dreamed of with the help of horses. I almost quit on this book because her childhood was so awful! The abusive parents were bad, but the child prostitution and her life on the streets was horrible and disgusting. I felt bad for her and admired her courage to keep searching for a better life. The best part of the book was how she bonded with a horse named Claret. The thing that was most distracting to me was how the book kept jumping back and forth between the past and the present. Overall, it was pretty shocking to me and gave me some insight into a lifestyle that is very different from mine. (3 stars)

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"Coal Black Horse" by Robert Olmstead

Coal Black Horse by Robert Olmstead is about a young boy whose mom sends him on a journey to bring home his father.  Where is his dad?  He is off fighting the Civil War!  Does he find him?  Does he and his dad survive?  Where does the horse come in?  To find out the answers to these questions, you will have to read the book!  I liked it.  the writing was very descriptive and well worth reading.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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Wynne's War by Aaron Gwyn Starts Slow but Picks Up

Wynne’s War by Aaron Gwyn is a novel about a group of American soldiers and the captain who leads them who go on horseback to fight the Taliban.  It starts out a little slow but when it picks up, it gets really good so stick with it.  The ending is a twist that I did not see coming.  I enjoyed it and if you are into this kind of novel, I am sure you will enjoy it too!  
(Gerard's review, 4.5 stars)

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"The Winter Horses" by Philip Kerr (UPDATED)

Watch this video to see Gerard and I discuss this book:


The Winter Horses by Philip Kerr is based on a true story, or I would like to believe that it really happened.  Read the book, then you decide.  It is about an old man and a young girl who save two horses that might be the last of their kind.  It takes place during World War II.  I liked both the main characters, the old man and the young girl.  I also liked the animals in the story--both horses and especially the dog!

This is a real page turner that I loved!   Give it a chance.  If you liked War Horse, you will like this one too because it's similar.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review:
The Winter Horses by Philip Kerr is a moving historical novel about Kalinka, an Ukrainian Jewish orphan girl who saves a couple very special Przewalski’s (pronounced “shuh-VAHL-skeez”) horses during World War II with the help of an old man named Max, a loyal wolfhound named Taras, a kind German army Captain and a kind Russian Major.  The wild horses did their part in the struggle to survive as well.

This is an amazing story that made me cry three times!   It addresses the wide range of how low and how kind people can be.  Part of the book I especially enjoyed were the words of wisdom Kalinka remembered her grandfather saying.  It is a wonderful story about a girl’s special connection with a couple wild horses and a great dog too!  Although it had several very sad and disturbing parts, I loved it!  It is a page turner that I didn’t want to put down. 


Join in with Mama Kat's Vlogging prompt:  Book Review.

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"Daughter of Twin Oaks" by Lauraine Snelling

 Daughter of Twin Oaks by Lauraine Snelling is the first book in her Secret Refuge Series that I enjoyed.  It is at the time of the Civil War and Jesselynn is the daughter left to run the family's tobacco plantation called Twin Oaks.  Her brother is off at war, her parents are both dead and her two sisters are living with an Aunt in Virginia.  Twin Oakes is in Kentucky and she is trying to keep her few horses from being taken for use in the war.  After giving all her slaves their freedom, they decide to stay and keep working at Twin Oaks anyhow.  She proceeds to take the horses to her Uncle's farm in Missouri until the war is over, thinking they will be safe there.  She takes a few of her former slaves along, a wagon, a mule and her little brother Thaddeus.  Dressing like man, she and her group start their trek, trying to keep from soldiers seeing them along the way.  The other story line was about Jesselynn's sister in Virginia who volunteered at the wounded soldiers hospital.  The faith of the daughters is challenged by all the bad things that happen.

This book is full of action and adventure.  I was beginning to wonder if they ever would make it.  It is a quick read and left me wanting more.  Interesting characters and it made me more aware of the obstacles families in the south had to deal with during the Civil War.  I look forward to reading the next book in this series.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)     

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The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls by Anton Disclafani

The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls by Anton Disclafani is the story about a young girl who gets sent away to camp after an incident comes to light.  The camp is a riding camp for girls.  She learns a lot more than just horses.  There is not a lot of action, but I really enjoyed the main character's interaction with her family and the other girls at the camp.  It has a pretty good ending too.  (4 stars)

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