Bold by Natalie Keller Reinert
Description:
“It’s Jules against the world.
The beginning of a thrilling equestrian saga.
Jules knows she can make it on her own. Eager to put distance between her childhood as a working student and her future as a pro event rider, she’s putting the finishing touches on her very own farm. All she needs now is a start with a little income. Before all the bills come due.
Counting on her skill as a rider to land her a job with a top eventing barn and earn some much-needed cash, Jules pits everything on a single horse trials. But when she displays more grit and determination than skill and analysis, her hopes for a quick paycheck come crashing down.
Is Jules simply not ready for the big time? Or is the big time not ready for Jules?
This prequel novella shines a new light on Jules Thornton, the prickly heroine of The Eventing Series! If you love horses, eventing, or stories featuring strong women, you’ll love The Eventing Series. Gallop along with Jules — with seven books, there’s plenty of reading to keep you up all night.”
My review:
I am giving this book a rating of 5 out of 5.
Reading this brought back plenty of memories of my teenage years and early twenties, spent working with horses.
I found Jules to be a completely believable character, and while she has some very obvious flaws, I totally understand her plight and can relate to the love she has for her horse and dog, as well as to her ambition to run her very own successful stable yard. However, my favourite characters are Dynamo the horse and Marcus the dog!
The setting, although unfamiliar to me (given that I’m based in the UK), was brilliantly crafted – making it easy to visualise from the first scene. I also found that elements of backstory were intelligently woven through the narrative, and helped to develop a good overall perspective as to Jules’ behaviour and the decisions she makes.
Many authors who write about the equestrian world clearly have no clue about it, though this author obviously knows what it’s like not only to be an equestrian but how to ride horses in different situations, too. I’m definitely looking forward to reading all the novels in this series!
Therefore, I highly recommend this novella to anyone looking for a lovely, immersive, read that can be enjoyed in one sitting.
Read in: March 2026
Format: eBook
I’m including the date and format in which I experienced this story for transparency, since whatever is going on in the world (and a reader’s private life) at the time of reading, along with a book’s reading format, can impact an individual’s enjoyment of a story.
Disclaimer: This book was available for free via the Kobo platform. All opinions expressed in this review are mine and have not been influenced by the author or publisher in any way. This book review does not contain affiliate links.