Warning: once you slip into the pages of a Natalie Keller Reinart book it will be impossible to pull yourself away. Life and deadlines be damned!
Nothing makes the prospect of your first international long haul flight less daunting than being gifted a copy of the new Natalie Keller Reinert novel to review. I’ve been a long term fan of Natalie’s writing which perfectly captures the intricacies of life with horses.
While many other authors over simplify and romanticise the horse world Natalie avoid this temptation. She expertly captures the grit and the struggle that make the joyous moments of success all the sweeter, and that define and unite us as equestrians. She also artfully explores the complexities of human relationships, and what happens when these are combined with horses. All of these factors combine to create the perfect equestrian novel for adults.
Natalie made the decision to independently publish her debut novel, ‘The Head and Not the Heart’ to enable her to craft a book which had horses at its centre. And with 11 equestrian novels under her belt, it’s safe to say that she hasn’t looked back. With the exception to the Hidden Horses of New York, her others novels are part of a series, The Alex and Alexander Series (which focuses on the world of racing), The Eventing Series and the Show Barn Blues Series. While each of these series is defined by a particular discipline of riding the common thread is strong women who have horses at the centre of their world.
The Hidden Horses of New York
The Hidden Horses of New York is the latest offering from Reinert which lives up to the expectations set by her previous novels. The book centres the story a Jenny Wolfe a twenty-something millennial in the midst of stepping out of the teen years and into adulthood. As the story unfolds, Jenny grapples with carving out her own place in the world, one that is very different than what her parents had planned for her. Whats more the place she has chosen for herself is one that it seems they do not fully understand.
Having grown up in the world of Thoroughbred racing on her parents breeding and training farm in Ocala, Florida, her parents had hoped that Jenny would continue in their footsteps. While studying at a New York University, Jenny become friends with Lana the rich hunter rider and falls in love with Aidan who has a seemingly endless string of girlfriends.
From the trio’s final university project the idea is born for a website that allows its readers entry onto the backside of the racetrack. The goal of the website is both simple and noble one – to create a better understanding of the sport that she loves within the broader equestrian community.
Jenny is very different protagonist to others that have featured in Reinert’s novels she is endearing and earns a place in the readers heart. Personally I admired the stubborn determination and conviction that Jules (The Eventing Series) held in herself, but it was with Jenny’s uncertainty that I most identified. Through this novel Reinert portrays a world which is neither all good nor all bad. Instead the world falls somewhere in the middle and Jenny at the centre of it all, struggling to come to terms with this fact.
Where to find Natalie’s work
You can learn more about Natalie at https://www.nataliekreinert.com and you can follow her on Instagram @nataliekreinert and on Facebook at Natalie Keller Reinert: Equestrian Fiction.
All of Natalie’s novels are exclusively available on Amazon. If you’ve read all of these and are craving more of her writing (which honestly you probably will) you can become a Patreon to receive early chapters and drafts of her current work. You can find out more and sign up at https://www.patreon.com/nataliekreinert.
