Whispering to Horses by Thomas Nye

Whispering to Horses was a wonderful book. I highly recommend it. I hope there will be either another novella or novel to follow this. I really want to see where things go because I was definitely left wanting more! Thomas Nye never ceases to fail me with his writing style, vivid characters, and how everything is brought to life before my very eyes! But before I go on here is a quick summary of this book.

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::Taken from the back of the book::
An old fence separates a modern community from their Amish neighbors, until a little boy opens the gate and breaks down barriers between them. Main characters, Matt and Eli, find friendship, hope, and a future through a mutual need, which creates an opportunity for them to learn to understand each other. Eli and his little sisters will touch your heart by Whispering to Horses.

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Matt was a character I found very frustrating at first. Mainly because he complained constantly of his beautiful surroundings, and took them for granted. He was very selfish with a cold heart for the longest time throughout the story. He had tons of land with lots of yard, but chose to complain about smelling manure from his Amish neighbors. 

My favorite character was Eli, the young Amish boy that lived on the other side of the fence from Matt. However, my heart broke for Eli. He had so much weight on his young shoulders and carried those burdens without complaint. He is a hard working young man who cares deeply for his family. A very admirable young man for sure.

Eli really helped melt the ice around Matt's heart. As the story progressed Eli seemed to bring out the best in Matt. Matt definitely redeemed himself in my eyes by the end. I can't give too much away because I don't want to spoil the surprise of the story, but I was honestly hooked and infatuated with ALL of the characters by story's end. Especially when it comes to Eli's mother Sony. I sense a story of her own, and I would love to see what the future holds for her. This story definitely leaves you craving more, and I highly recommend it if you love Amish stories. 

I could vividly picture every detail in this story, and just could not figure out how it would end. Honestly my mouth was even wide open when I reached the end because it's not an ending you could even begin to expect. That is all I will say on that because, as I said, I don't want to give too much away. It is a must read for sure!

There is also plenty details about the horses in this book so if you are a horse fan you won't be disappointed there either. This story definitely has it all, which is something I have never seen in a novella. The author wrote another fantastic book that will have you on a roller coaster of emotions, and leave you on the edge of your seat!


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::Amazon Rating:: 5 Stars
::Goodreads Rating:: 5 Stars


::Product Details::

• Series: Amish Horses
• Paperback: 52 pages
• Publisher: Crosslink Publishing (November 2, 2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 163357041X
• ISBN-13: 978-1633570412

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for my unbiased review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Catbird Singing

I love, love, love, LOVED this book! I was so excited when I heard that book two came out in the Amish Horses series by Thomas Nye! The first one, Under the Heavens, left me wanting more so badly, and it definitely did not disappoint. Thomas Nye is by far one of my favorite authors, and I have fallen for his characters so much it's like they are real.

We catch back up with the main character, Lenny Gingerich. Lenny is an English kid who happens to come from an Amish family. He found himself and his roots a few summers past when visiting his father's family.
He was supposed to have came back to help on the farm, but never made it back getting caught up in college and time. Missing his Amish family he decides on his way home from college to pass through, but did not plan to stop. However, a storm takes place and causes Lenny some car trouble and even more unexpected situations take place causing Lenny to have to stay on with them after all. While trying to figure out where his life is headed, and waiting on his car to get fixed, Lenny stays on with his uncle Noah. He has some serious thinking to do on where his life is headed, and meets back up with Leah again. Leah is an Amish girl who Lenny was quite taken after the last time he spent time in the area. They were great friends and had a little romance going. We were left on the edge of our seats with these two in the first book! After two summers spent away when he promised to come back sooner, Leah is now cold towards Lenny. He can't help but feel like she is just not the same girl that she once was. He misses that girl and wants her back. But now a new girl pops up that also seems to be taken with Lenny! Not to mention an English kid named Justin that isn't making things very easy. Lenny was advised to not cause any trouble while he visited with his family, but trouble seems to find him regardless!

This is definitely a page turner! As always Thomas Nye has me hooked! I just did not want to put this book down! I am definitely left wanting more! I sure hope there is a book three to come in this series! I can't say more on that subject because I don't want to spoil anything by giving too much away. I definitely want you to feel the same suspense that I experienced while reading it. It is a very exciting book. Just when you think you know what is going to happen next you will find yourself surprised and on the edge of your seat. This book has a bit of everything, and I loved this book even more than the first! Lenny definitely matures in this book, but there is definitely more to see with him I think.
Even though this is book two in the series it can be read as a stand alone book. The author does a fantastic job of catching you up so you wouldn't feel lost at all if you haven't read the first book. Even so, I definitely encourage you to read the first book because it introduces many characters more in depth and it is a page turner just like this one.
It was nice to see Lenny back in the place where, in my own opinion, he belongs. He just fits so much better in his Amish life rather than his English life. Also seeing him working with horses again just felt so right. I loved that so many of the characters from book one were in this book as well. Plus there were new interesting characters, and lots of surprises.
I definitely rate this book five stars, and cannot express my love for it enough! So far this is my favorite book of the two in the series!

::Product Details::

• Paperback: 332 pages
• Publisher: CrossLink Publishing (January 26, 2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1633570134
• ISBN-13: 978-1633570139

Check this book out!    ~Kindle~    ~Print~     ~Nook~

Check out Book 1 in the Amish Horses series Under The Heavens too!



Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book as a BookCrash reviewer in exchange for my unbiased review. All opinions expressed are solely my own!

Under the Heavens Book 1

Lenny is a lost teen who has lost himself. As he looks at himself in the mirror he finds he cannot even place many of his own features. Not knowing who his biological father is, and unable to form a past for himself he starts to become bitter and angry.
When Lenny's step-father's Amish Grandpa says it may be a good idea for Lenny to come spend a summer on their Amish Farm they agree. However, Lenny is reluctant to leave his modern city life he is accustomed to.
After a few hiccups on the farm Lenny soon finds that he doesn't mind a more simple life. Especially when Grandpa issues him the duty of being "horse boy" for the summer. Lenny finds himself excited and proud to be able to work with the big draft horses on the farm, and starts to connect with other members of his Amish family. He soon starts to leave some of his bitterness and anger behind.
A neighbor girl pops up at the edge of a field one day and Lenny finds himself instantly attracted to her. As their mini romance starts to form Lenny finds that the Amish life isn't the burden he expected. From moonlit buggy rides, to volleyball matches with friends, lanterns hanging from tree limbs, adventures with horses, and an unexpected non-Amish neighbor who causes a few hiccups in Lenny's summer adventure this book has a bit of everything.

I have to say that I enjoyed this book much more than expected. The author does a fantastic job of pulling you right in with the words to where it becomes hard to even put this book down. The main thing I loved about this book is that the author weaves the words in such a way to where you can picture almost everything you are reading. Everything is so descriptive it would be hard not to find yourself sucked right into this story. I felt so bad for Lenny throughout this whole novel. I could not imagine the feelings or emotions he was struggling with, but seeing the change in him after going to the Amish farm and finding God also was heart warming.
I do think that younger readers could benefit a lot from reading this book, but honestly I think all book lovers would enjoy this. I can't wait to read the other books in the series personally. I felt like this book has a little something of everything: humor, heart break, adventure, drama, romance, etc. And there is an incredible ending that honestly had me on the brink of tears. I just couldn't put it down if I wanted to. For a 400 page book I found this to be a rather quick read just because I couldn't put it down. The end of every chapter had me wanting more, and each page turn had me anticipating the adventures I would find on the next page.
I learned a lot from this book not only about the Amish but about buggy and draft horses as well. I really enjoyed the whole experience of reading this book, and highly recommend it to any reader out there interested in Amish or those of you with a love for horses.


::More info about the book::

• Paperback: 412 pages
• Publisher: CrossLink Publishing (December 3, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1936746794
• ISBN-13: 978-1936746798

::Purchase this book::

Paperback     Kindle     Nook

And guess what else? If your big on your e-reader the book is only $2.99 for both Kindle and Nook right now. That is a FANTASTIC deal for this book and I urge you to take advantage of it while it lasts so you can take part in this exciting adventure. If you do decide to take the plunge and read this come back or send me an email and let me know what you thought of this book. Particularly your feelings on the ending. :)

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book as a BookCrash reviewer in exchange for my unbiased review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.