The Secrets of Emberwild by Stephenia H. McGee

The Secrets of Emberwild
by Stephenia H. McGee

ISBN-13: 9780800740238
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Revell
Released: October 4, 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Nora Fenton desires to be a Standardbred horse trainer in a time women are not allowed to race. She distrusts men, who constantly stand in the way of the things she wants. 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 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 Review:
The Secrets of Emberwild is a romance set in 1905 in Mississippi. Silas was a skilled trainer and understood horse behavior. Despite growing up around horses, Nora was very ignorant about basic horse safety and was trying to train her first horse by learning from a book. Worse, the first horse that she wanted to train was a young stallion, which aren't easy to train because they're more unpredictable and prone to challenge you for dominance. The author showed all of this, but I just couldn't get passed Nora saying foolish things like the stallion would never hurt her. Especially as she often said this after the horse came very close to hurting her.

Silas saw the danger and kept saving her from harm. Nora didn't listen very well and had unrealistic expectations, so maybe she had been told horse and barn safety but thought she knew better than the despised men who kept trying to tell her what to do. She had no respect for men until Silas took the time to listen to her, explain why he did things, and tried to include her in safe ways. As an employee, Silas was respectful to the family, including Nora, so tried to gain her cooperation. He did his best to support Nora's ambitions even though she stubbornly took foolish risks that not only endangered her but the horse and others. I understand why she liked him, but I don't understand why he was attracted to her except maybe he liked that she suddenly kissed him.

There was no sex or bad language. While I appreciate that the author knows horses and worked that into the story, I just didn't like Nora and didn't feel like she grew up even if her skills increased.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.