Releasing the Reins: A Novel (The Tundra Secrets Series)

Multi-Award-Winning Novel, including the American Writing Awards and Pencraft Book of the Year! A woman with a fierce will to prove herself and nothing to lose, Bunny O'Kelly doesn’t arrive in Alaska so much as storms into it. It’s 1984, and cut out of her family's farm, she is determined to make her own way. She talks herself onto Buck Miller's horse ranch in the Alaskan wilderness, but the welcome is cold, the work is brutal, and a resentful ranch hand only makes things worse. That all changes when Bunny lifts a tarp in the garage to find a beat-up truck. Two years earlier, Buck’s daughter Katie was killed in an accident. Everyone has moved on. But Bunny learned to trust her instincts long ago, and something won’t let her leave this alone. As the story moves deftly between 1982 and 1984, the truth of what happened to Katie begins to surface. And with it comes a danger that is still very much alive. Releasing the Reins is a gripping suspense novel set against the raw expanses of rural Alaska, spanning twin timelines that are separated by two years and connected by one death. The first book in the Tundra Secrets series, it explores what it could cost a woman to trust and stand up for herself in a rural 1980s community – and what happens when she finally does. This is a novel for readers who love atmospheric mystery with a fierce female protagonist. Told across dual and interwoven timelines, it builds toward a reckoning that you won’t see coming. As you follow Bunny deeper into the area’s recently hidden past, you’ll be taken on a suspense-filled journey that navigates, step by step, toward justice and belonging. In Alaska, secrets have a way of staying buried… until someone stubborn enough begins to dig. Multi-Award Winner Gold Medal: American Writing Awards 2024 for Thriller/Suspense Gold Medal: American Writing Awards 2024 for Western Winner: Pencraft Fall Awards Book of the Year 2024 for Women's Fiction Winner: Bookfest 2024 for Women's Fiction PRAISE FOR RELEASING THE REINS “It takes writing chops to create a women’s fiction/mystery/modern western mash-up like Releasing the Reins, but author Catherine Matthews does it seamlessly. Set in the wild expanses of Alaska farmland, this debut novel honors the majestic landscape, explores the power of the human/animal connection, and exposes the destructive force of family secrets. Bunny O’Kelly is an intriguing protagonist: smart-witted, strong, stubborn, and a little lost. Her journey to unravel a hidden truth is also a hard path of self-discovery—readers will love her, fear for her, and root for her to find the answers she desperately needs. An up-all-night page-turner.” - Carla Damron, award-winning author of Justice be Done, The Orchid Tattoo, and The Stone Necklace “Fierce, vivid, and utterly captivating, Releasing the Reins is a must-read for anyone who enjoys hidden truths, rugged wilderness, and characters who are never quite what they seem.” - S.G. Prince, author of To Poison A King “Catherine Matthews shines in her debut novel about a young woman tackling her past in the ranching world of Alaska. Matthews’s characters are richly drawn, and the book is fast paced with an edge of danger. A definite page turner. I highly recommend!” - James D. Shipman, bestselling author of Irena’s War “Evocative. Suspenseful. Lush. Matthews paints the world of an Alaskan horse ranch with unsurpassed skill, as she takes the reader into the dangerous world of Bunny O’Kelly, a female ranch hand in a world of men. Readers will find themselves devouring pages deep into the night as they join Bunny on her suspenseful quest for the truth. 5 Stars!” -Heather E. F. Carter, award-winning author of The Black Unicorn
ASIN: B0D6T8BHX9
VSKU: DBV.B0D6T8BHX9.A
Condition: Acceptable
Author/Artist:Matthews, Catherine
Binding: Paperback
Note: Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.
Condition Notes: This copy has clearly been enjoyed—expect noticeable shelf wear and some minor creases to the cover. Binding is strong, and all pages are legible. May contain previous library markings or stamps.