Tag: horse

Posted on

#BookReview: Second Chances by Kellie Coates Gilbert

Solid Second Set. This book picks up shortly after where Silverleaf, Book 1 of this new series, ended – so absolutely read it first – and continues the story of the Haverly family, largely extending plot lines from the first book for some of the family members… and introducing a few new ones for others.

Fans of family dramas featuring elite families of some form – think a less soapy Dynasty or a more rural Blue Bloods or similar – are going to love this new series and this tale in particular, as there are some dynamics that play out in both very fun and very “AW SNAP, IT DONE HAPPENED NOW!” manners.

While this is perhaps a touch spicier than the prior book – *maybe* – it is still more akin to an eggnog or horchata than anything truly spicy. And with very few exceptions, almost always between a married couple anyway. Gilbert clearly knows her fans and target audience well, and trust me, you’ll see worse on even broadcast television these days. Which, yes, I know, isn’t saying much for some… and for others will mean that there isn’t nearly enough. But Gilbert works these scenes very well indeed to great effect for her purposes, and really, that’s what *any* scene in a book like this should strive for.

Overall truly a fun overall tale, one that perhaps touches a bit close as I deal with some similar issues as raised here in my own real life. As in, my wife left for pre-op for a major surgery related to some issues that play heavily into one of the storylines of this very book as I was finishing it. By the time this tale is officially published, my wife will have had the surgery in question and… let’s just say I know well the strain of the characters involved in this situation. In some ways, my own is a touch worse, in others, theirs is. Quite similar and all too real, regardless. And one that unfortunately far too many people will have a similar experience with.

But truly, read this book for the excellent family drama… and be ready for even more, because this series is still in its early phases.

Very much recommended.

This review of Second Chances by Kellie Coates Gilbert was originally written on April 22, 2026.

Posted on

#BookReview: Silverleaf by Kellie Coates Gilbert

Solid Southern Royalty Family Drama. We don’t have actual royalty in the United States, but in different areas of the country we do have very rich families – sometimes rich going back many generations, sometimes (particularly over the last century) much newer (ala The Great Gatsby). This is a modern tale of one such family, and Gilbert really does a great job of bringing us – even those of us who themselves rose from “trailer park trash” to having “respectable” jobs and titles like I have – into this world in a stunningly vivid manner that will truly transport you to the hills of western Appalachian horse country from no matter where you may actually live in the world.

Having grown up just miles away from a prominent horse racing facility and event – the Atlanta Steeplechase at Kingston Downs in Kingston, GA – and rubbing elbows with some of the elite of my home County on the borderlands of southern Appalachia and Atlanta due to… well, I never actually knew why and the one thing I was aware of seems a bit too self aggrandizing to proclaim in this review… I actually have enough experience at the fringes of the type of family Gilbert creates in this book to truly say that at least from my perspective, this entire tale was simply all too real.

Yes, including the… let’s say “family dynamics”… at play here. Some of which are a lot more universal than just the Southern Elite “royalty” type families, and at least some of which I’ve seen play out across family, friends, and associates no matter their “status” in “society”. Here, Gilbert really manages to bring these elements out as just as real and powerful as the setting she puts the family in, and the two sides of the tale combine rather spectacularly.

One thing that I appreciated that others may not find as appealing is how Gilbert managed to craft a mildly Christian tale here but keep it more muted and more “this exists in this world” level rather than any remotely preachy aspect to it – even the actual prayers in the text are simple meal-based “grace” prayers that are legitimately common throughout the region and not really sectarian at all. More formalized than the joke “Good food, Good meat, Good God let’s eat!” prayer you’ll hear at some Southern meals, but really at about the same theological depth, at least in the content of the prayers shown in this text. To flip it around a touch, it is really more akin to having an LGBT couple in the tale that everyone simply accepts as they are without making any real fuss about it and without it truly playing a role in the tale. Again, truly just a “this exists and now we’re moving on” level. Which will still be too much for some readers, for the same reasons the LGBT couple’s presence would be too much for other readers, and hey, you do you. You’ll find no judgement from me on that point, but I do appreciate when authors are able to integrate these types of things into their stories – either direction – in this exact manner, and Gilbert truly does an excellent job of this from the Christian side here.

This is Book 1 to a new series, and it does in fact show – we get a fully fleshed out world, one complete tale here (with enough room to follow it going forward without it continuing to be the main focus), and a lot of side stories such that clearly some of them will get their own stories, while seemingly others may be a bit of a running plotline of sorts perhaps through the entire series. It will be interesting to see how Gilbert plays these lines in particular, and one great thing to note is that even as I write this review the day before this book actually releases to the public, Book 2 is actually coming in just a couple of weeks! I for one am very excited about that for several reasons, chief among them being I won’t have read over 100 books between books in a series for a change! 😀 But seriously, this is absolutely a tremendous setup for a series that we’re going to want to come back into this world at least a few times, and I’m truly glad the first of those is very soon.

Very much recommended.

This review of Silverleaf by Kellie Coates Gilbert was originally written on April 15, 2026.

Posted on

Featured New Release Of The Week: Just After Midnight by Catherine Ryan Hyde

This week we look to – surprise, surprise – yet another new to me Lake Union author. This week, we look at Just After Midnight by Catherine Ryan Hyde.

This was a very strong tale from someone who clearly knows her stuff as it relates to the world of show horses. The overall plot, of a girl trying to save her horse while dealing with the sudden death of her mother, is compelling and well executed in its many layers and moving parts. Not only does the girl harbor a secret, but even the woman who has taken her in on this adventure to save her horse has secrets of her own. As does the girl’s grandmother, currently her legal guardian. All of these secrets come to light, and the story arcs of each of these ladies revolve around slightly different yet complementary themes.

The singular drawback to this book is one that can be worked around, but is a frequent stumbling block: Hyde truly knows her stuff regarding dressage (show horses), and it seems to come from a lifetime of living that particular life. If this level of technical knowledge and attention to detail shown in the book was the result of studying the topic just to write the book using it, I would highly recommend asking for her sources if you are interested in learning this particular subject yourself. The best comparison I can use from my own reading history is a book I read many years ago, but which is somewhat infamous for the very scene I mention here: Tom Clancy’s The Sum of All Fears and its page upon page upon page upon page description of… the first few nanoseconds of a nuclear detonation. While Hyde is much more conversational with her use of the various terms – and fortunately uses a primary character who doesn’t know this world herself as a way of explaining it to the reader, which is arguably one of her best decisions as far as the actual craft of storytelling for this particular story goes.

Overall yet another very strong Lake Union book, and yet another author to add to the ever growing list of authors to keep up with.

And guess what we end with? The Goodreads/ Amazon review! 😀
Continue reading “Featured New Release Of The Week: Just After Midnight by Catherine Ryan Hyde”