The Secrets of Emberwild by Stephenia H. McGee ~ Book Review

 

About the Book 

Book: The Secrets of Emberwild

Author: Stephenia H. McGee

Genre: Historical Christian Romance

Publisher: REvell

Release Date: October 4, 2022

A gifted trainer in a time women are not allowed to race, Nora Fenton prefers horses to men. They're easier to handle, they're more reliable, and they never tell her what to do. After her father's passing, Nora is determined to save her struggling horse farm, starting with entering her prize colt into the harness races at the 1905 Mississippi Fair. If she wins, she may have a chance at independence. But when a stranger arrives and starts asking disconcerting questions, she suspects he may have other motives than unseating her in the training job that is rightfully hers.

Silas Cavallero will do whatever it takes to solve the mystery of his father's death--even if it means training an unwieldy colt for Nora, who wants nothing more than to see him gone. But when mysterious accidents threaten their safety and circumstances shrouded in secrets begin unlocking clues to his past, Silas will have to decide if the truth is worth risking ruining everything for the feisty woman he's come to admire.

My Thoughts 

If you are a horse lover then this book will be right up your alley. This is a new to me author and I thought it was a pretty good book. Although I do love horses, usually I tend to not be captivated by books that solely revolve around animals but this storyline had me intrigued and so did the characters.

Immediately we meet Nora who is the only child in the Emberwild estate and as her father dies he leaves her with a secret and a lot of unanswered questions regarding how the estate came to be theirs. Nora is very feisty and independent. Being that she is a woman at this time period she is expected to act and be a certain way and that is just not something that she is happy about. Her dream is to run the estate and be with the horses and she is constantly pushing her boundaries. 

Silas is on the search for the truth on what happened with his fathers death. He truly doesn’t believe that it was just an accident that caused his death. As he goes in search for answers he ends up working at Emberwild and meeting Nora. 

Overall I thought it was a good story. The storyline mainly revolves around the namesake of the book “ The Secrets of Emberwild” but as we figure out who is the culprit there are some twists that I wasn’t expecting so definitely there was mystery. The bad guy truly is a huge jerk. There was some romance but it was very light and the faith thread was present as we see Nora come to terms that God works all things for the good. 

My Rating: 4 Stars/Really Liked it!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

About the Author

Stephenia H. McGee is a multi-published author of stories of faith, hope, and healing set in the Deep South. She lives in Mississippi, where she is a mom of two rambunctious boys, writer, dreamer, and husband spoiler. Her novel The Cedar Key was a 2021 Faith, Hope, and Love Readers’ Choice award winner. A member of the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) and the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution), she loves all things books and history. Stephenia also loves connecting with readers and can often be found having fun with her Faithful Readers Team on Facebook. For more on books and upcoming events and to connect with Stephenia, visit her at www.StepheniaMcGee.com.