Release: November 10, 2020
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Owl Hollow Press
Source: Netgalley
Find it at: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N
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Alex Nash dreams of being a soccer star. Or a graphic artist. Maybe both. But being a cowboy? Nope and no way. Not if it means being anything like his seldom seen father.
Then, out of nowhere, tragedy shatters Alex’s world, and when he thinks life couldn’t sucker-punch him again, it does. He’s forced to live with Roberto Nash, a man he barely knows. Or wants to know.
Until Alex finds out his dad has bought him a peace offering of a sort, one with a red coat, lightning speed, and a fighting spirit. A spitfire of a horse that just might heal Alex’s heart and reunite father and son.
About the Author:
Darby Karchut is an award-winning author, dreamer, and compulsive dawn greeter. A proud native of New Mexico, she now lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, where she runs in blizzards and bikes in lightning storms. When not dodging death by Colorado, Darby is busy wrangling words.
Her middle grade book, DEL TORO MOON (Owl Hollow Press) was a Colorado Book Award Winner, Reading the West Longlist Pick, and Moonbeam Children’s Silver Award Winner. Its sequel, THE RED CASKET, released January 2020. Darby’s other works include the ADVENTURES OF FINN MacCULLEN series. Best thing ever: her debut YA trilogy, GRIFFIN RISING, has been optioned for film. Visit Darby at www.darbykarchut.com
On A Good Horse Review:
In general, this was an emotionally beautiful story about a father-son relationship which I liked a lot.
The author did a beautiful job in writing the story. It is never easy changing your life unexpectedly and adjusting to new situations. To that end, the author nicely writes about how Alex adjusts to his new life with his father and develops a bond with the horses.
Also, the author’s strength is in developing the relationship between Rob and Alex. Altogether, she paces the story in a steady manner where you see both of them slowly breaking barriers to emotionally connect with one another. To be honest, there were times where I didn’t like Alex because of the way he used to lash out at Rob. But later, you slowly start to see them realize their mistakes and adjust themselves. Similarly, I also liked Reece as a nice supporting character. She has her own issues without the horse but keeps blaming Alex at times for not taking care of it properly.
After reading this book, I honestly felt like taking a trip to the ranch and learning to ride a horse. Significantly, there are some interesting terms I learned like the difference between the horseshoer and a farrier. Moreover, I also liked how the chapter squeezes in a chapter here and there from the horses’ perspective, which made it very interesting. On a side note, I loved that the story is set against the gorgeous backdrop of Sierras de Córdoba.
Overall, I thought this was a wonderful middle-grade book, and look forward to reading some of the author’s other novels.
