Title: Back Door Horse
Author: Heather Wallace
Year Published: 2023
Publisher: Water Horse Press
What's it about?: Imogen Grey travels from her home in New Jersey to the mountains of Vermont to help her aunt with her small farm as she recovers from an injury. While there, Imogen ends up getting followed by a horse, meeting new friends, and maybe even finding love.
Thoughts:
This is exactly what I thought Heather Wallace's debut fiction would be. Imogen is full of sass and spunk just like Wallace. Imogen is fun, funny, and lovable which makes Back Door Horse such a fun reading experience. Overall, this is a happy, fast-paced, easy, comfort read I can see myself turning to next time I need a hug from a book.
The cast of characters is diverse in personality. There are characters as lively as Imogen as well as characters that are just as quiet as Imogen is loud. They are all able to balance each other out to create a perfect atmosphere for readers to have fun.
Imogen ends up having a special relationship with a horse, Fortune, and I love it. It's based off Wallace's own relationship and story with her horse Delight (which you can read about in her memoirs Confessions of a Timid Rider and Adulting with Horses) which reminds me a lot of my own relationship with Boo Boo. Misunderstood and "mean" horses that are lovable for the right person are my favorite type of horses, and Fortune is my newest love!
Back Door Horse is an emotional roller coaster in the best way possible. There were unexpected twists as well as exciting turns. I was worried for the characters on one page and laughing with them on the next. The constant ride made this a very hard book to put down.
I will say, reading Back Door Horse has made me miss trail riding in the woods. Wallace really captured the feel of riding in the woods, and that is something I haven't been able to do for so long and I really miss it. Riding in the woods is something very special and different from riding in an arena or open field, like I have at my current barn, and Wallace has captured that magic within this story. I am ready to go for a trail ride with Wallace! Although maybe not with Imogen...
Back Door Horse is the first in the Green Mountain Romance series. It was a perfect start to set up the romance story and I cannot wait to see what happens next for the couple and to find out more about them as individuals.
This was a perfect debut fiction novel for Wallace that I highly recommended if you are looking for something fun to read.
What do you think will happen to Imogen next?
Want to know the best news? Back Door Horse is out TODAY!! Trot on over to timidrider.com to buy your own copy and go on an adventure with Imogen!
Want to read more from Heather Wallace?
Find Back Door Horse here.
Read my review of Adulting with Horses here.
Read my review of Body Conditioning for the Horse and Rider here.
Find out more about Heather Wallace here.
Find more book recommendations here.