This was a darker mystery than I anticipated but was still really good. Lots of hard decisions discussed.

What a beautiful trip to Alaska. Great writing, characters and story. Special thanks to Catherine Matthews.

I got involved in this story from the very beginning and did not want to put it down, even at the end. There are 3 main families involved and all of them have drama of their own. The characters were easy to relate to - all of them were broken in different ways - just like all of us are. Some of the characters had very special relationships with horses, the way that this was described was spot on. Also, one of the main characters was the ranch dog, what a great dog he was too.

This story is full of heartbreak and healing. Some of the characters were awesome and others were just bad people. Two of the families ran boarding stables and bred horses. We board two horses at a stable with a trainer and this part of the story was really good. The other family had a milking operation that was not in Alaska. This trip to Alaska included descriptions of the beauty of Alaska - it was like taking a trip. I also loved the title and cover.

Releasing the Reins is a very well written mystery. I throughly enjoyed the plot, character dynamics and the Alaskan setting. I recommend this book. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

Thank you to the NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this ARC. Unfortunately, I could not get into the book. For some reason I did not care for the characters in the book.

This book gives such cozy mystery vibes, I FLEW through it. This book has a dual timeline, which I LOVE! This is a book where the main character Benny/Bunny has come to Midnight Sun to work as a farm hand after her dad does not leave her part of the ranch (years are 1982/84). Shortly after arrival, Bunny learns that the Farmer’s Daughter, Kate, died two years earlier in a car accident. Bunny cannot leave resting dogs lie, so as you follow Benny in her life on the ranch, you also follow her as she puts the pieces together about what really happened with Kate.


I received this as an ARC from Net Galley, but this is a true and honest review. I rated this book a 4.5 (rounded up since Goodreads does not have half stars).

This novel is a well-paced, enjoyable, and rewarding read. It features an appealing blend of mystery and psychological/women's fiction elements, and the setting, while unfamiliar to me, wound up being my favorite part. The author captures the rural Alaskan landscape and makes the horse ranching milieu accessible to readers through vivid description and emotional relevance.

I enjoyed this book, even more so once I got the swing of the alternating story lines. One story line takes place in 1984 and focuses on Bunny (aka Benny), a strong willed girl as she leaves her home and family's dairy farm in Washington to become a ranch hand on the Midnight Sun horse ranch in Alaska, where she wasn't really welcome and she fought very hard to prove herself the equal of any male ranch hand in order to stay working there. The other story line takes place in 1982 and focuses on Katie, the daughter of Benny's boss Buck at the ranch. Benny becomes intrigued by what really happened to Katie and tries to uncover the truth of her death. This fast-paced read kept me going and I couldn't wait to see how it all played out.

Bunny O'Kelly arrives in Alaska and finds that working on a ranch is vastly different from her family's dairy farm that she left. She left the dairy farm abruptly after learning that her father would not include her in the farm's future, despite her hard work and dedication. With this huge chip on her shoulder, she sets out to prove that she can pull her weight and do any job asked of her. But she can't stay away from the mystery of how the ranch owner's daughter died, and getting involved may ultimately carry a large price.

The book is well written and the setting is beautifully described. I kept confusing two characters whose names both started with J, and that made it hard for me to keep up with the story sometimes. The main character, Bunny, was nearly always angry, and for that reason I didn't find her very likeable; therefore, it was difficult to connect with her story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

A debut novel you will love from the first chapter. Bunny is a feminist icon that knows taking the easy road isn’t always easy what you are meant to do. Bunny and the rest of the characters are so relatable and the details of Alaska are so vivid you’ll feel like you’re there. Overall I loved this book only gave it four stars because I wanted more from the ending at least a few more fictional days or weeks.

Thank you to Victory Editing and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

It took me a bit to figure out that it was going back and forth two years a part. So I had trouble understanding what was going on. Then it drove me nuts because I wanted to know about what happened in the past first. This way you did keep the reader wanting more aka read on. I give the book an 8 out of 10. Would read more by you.

I still can’t believe this is a debut novel! Days later, I’m still thinking about Bunny as we sail towards Alaska.

Matthews paints a wonderful picture of the Alaskan wilderness and ranching, but it’s the character development that steals the show. Turning over the final page in the book, I feel that I’ve spent time at the Midnight Sun Ranch and developed some great friendships. In fact, if I walked down the street in Anchorage, I feel that I’d instantly know if Bunny was walking towards me.

Desperately wishing to disentangle from the knot of dysfunctional family and stand on her own, Benjamina (Benny) O’Kelly leaves home and heads 1200 miles north to a ranch, six hours out of Anchorage. Her grueling journey to prove her worth as a ranch hand at Buck Miller’s ranch had me glued to the pages.

Equestrians will tell you that ‘releasing the reins’ requires trust and Benny definitely learns to release the reins and work hard to earn trust. She’s confident in her abilities and sets out to prove herself to those with whom she works. Releasing the reins with her family is easy as they don’t trust her ability or worth. Buck Miller, her new boss, struggles with releasing the reins and in observing Benny’s determination, he slowly learns to trust again. For Benny, trust has been a refuge. For Buck, trust has been a threat. Regardless, secrets are the root of all the misplaced, broken, denied, undeserved and refused trust in this tight-knit Alaskan town.

I appreciated a taut, well-paced read highlighting the courage to stand up for oneself, the determination to move in the direction of one’s dreams, the cost of responsibility, and the danger of underestimating someone. Abandonment was a central theme, as was demanding respect, proving oneself, and wallowing in the failure to protect.

Reminiscent of the struggles between the Capulets and Montegues of Shakespeare’s world, Matthew’s characters face the fallout of forbidden love between the rival Cooper and Miller families. Benny is caught in the feud between the Midnight Sun and Double J ranches and is driven to uncover the secrets they are so intent on hiding.

I can’t wait for the sequel!

What a book! I can’t wait to share my thoughts in Bunny’s adventure and Katie’s justice. This has all the makings of an in red book! Suspense, drama, determination…this list goes on and on. I couldn’t stop flying through the pages and I absolutely cannot wait to share much more on this beautiful book.