All set in 1905 on a farm outside of Philadelphia, Mississippi. The daughter is training Arrow to race - something no woman it that time should be doing. After her father dies, and his brother, Amos arrives to "take care of the women" and the homestead, things start to unravel. Silas' mother has passed away in Texas, but something untoward caused his father's death in Philadelphia, Mississippi all those years ago and he is determined to find out the truth. ( )

Nora Fenton is determined to make her family's horse farm a success after the death of her father, but when horsetrainer Silas Cavallero comes to work with their horse he also brings questions that threaten the future of Emberwild.

An engaging read from the beginning, with an intriguing set up. I especially loved all the horses and Nora's bond with her colt Arrow.

This was a quick read, with steady pacing, and likable characters. This was a pleasant read, though a bit predictable. It was fun learning more about harness racing, and I liked how horses brought Silas and Nora together. Good elements of historical romance, mystery, and faith.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. ( )

I enjoyed this story. The characters were interesting and I was invested in them. I liked the location and the time period. The love story was sweet and I enjoyed seeing it unfold. It was a quick, easy, enjoyable read. There were some plot hoes that I had a hard time overlooking, but overall it was a nice story. ( )

When I was a tweenager (many, many years ago), I had an obsession with horses. My room was filled with horse posters and figurines, and anytime one of my friends who owned a horse invited me to ride, I was there. So, when I saw Stephania H. McGee’s first book with Revell was about a horse farm, I was interested. Add in the title: The Secrets of Emberwild, and I was going to read this book.

McGee writes wonderfully vivid descriptions. She was either raised around horses or did meticulous research to make those scenes authentic. I also appreciated that some of her minor characters didn’t turn out to be as cliché as other books usually make the characters in those roles.

I was, however, a bit disappointed in the story overall. I never really connected with Nora. In fact, sometimes she annoyed me. The romance was as well developed as I prefer (but I did appreciate the ending of this story).

In the end, this was an average read for me. Nothing to really make the book stand out in the sea of other options out there. But other readers may enjoy meeting Nora and Silas.

Disclosure statement: I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book and was not required to write a positive or negative review. All opinions are my own. ( )

The gorgeous cover piqued my interest in this novel and the back cover blub about horses confirmed my desire to read it. This is my first book by this author and I enjoyed the intriguing plot and twists and turns. I thought the action was a little slow to start, but once it picked up, I had a harder time putting the novel down. I thought the romance was well written and believable, and I enjoyed reading the perspectives of the two main characters, even though Nora’s naïveté annoyed me at times. The research the author did about horses is clear as the details are interwoven well into the plot. I thought the story wrapped up well. I did overall enjoy this novel and look forward to reading more by this author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell Publishing. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. ( )