This is a book review of Lili Mahoney’s Barefoot Pastures, book 1.
Lili Mahony lives in a rural area of Texas Hill Country, where her husband, three kiddos, dogs, and miscellaneous other critters create just enough chaos to keep her seated and not lost in another novel. 
She not only wrote a beautiful book of love, passion, and dedication – Lili wrote you a book that reflects her passion, horses. She was able to put the emotions and attitudes of a teenager into a well written and captivating story.
Meet Lili’s heroine, Tory Timberman.
Tory and her horse, Rusty, are dedicated rodeo stars while she is still in high school. An introvert, Tory doesn’t do well with people. Instead, she surrounds herself with Rusty, other horses she trains and her family, forgoing boys and social situations altogether. You’ll meet Tory’s family, her brothers, and best friends, Megan and Dillon. Mahoney prescribes the perfect dose of teenage interpersonal relationships, along with some sass and independence. Early on Tory’s mom and best friends encourage her to open up and start to date. But being insecure in social settings, the idea of dating is something that disinterests Tory, frightens her even.
As we learn about both the rodeo life and the relationships of Tory, Mahoney captures our attention and interest with the unexpected. Tory is attacked, leaving her injured and unable to do what she loves, ride. With pain and darkness enters the boy, the hero, that Tory doesn’t know she needs. Jake.
The emotional rollercoaster that is Jake and Tory is exactly what high school relationships are about. Heartache. Strength. Pushing one another. Compassion. Jake never leaves Tory, no matter how hard she pushes him away.
Tory has a temper that’s fast-rising and a mouth that is quick spitting but beneath those defense mechanisms, she is thoughtful, polite, resilient and extremely caring. Lili Mahoney takes you deep into Tory’s story with inner monologues that paint pictures of perfect insight into the world of a nearly-graduating teenager.
Barefoot Pastures is about a young girl’s ability to overcome negativity and despair. It’s about one’s strength to triumph and to never give up on your dreams and passions.
Does Tory brush herself off and get back on Rusty?
Take this ride in Lili Mahoney’s Barefoot Pastures and find out.
~Nae
Social media and online connections for Lili Mahoney:
https://www.facebook.com/Lili.Mahoney.Pastures/
https://lilimahoneybooks.celticcactus.com/
https://twitter.com/lilimahoney
Read Nae’s Barefoot Pastures, Book 2 Review here.
ABOUT THIS GUEST REVIEWER:
My name is Nae. I am a mother and a wife, a lover of all things books but am drawn mostly to romance, dark/taboo reads, and some YA books. I’m also a proud supporter of Indie authors.
I read. A lot. I love to dive into different worlds written by people who live to tell the story. I started reading at a young age and that love has turned into a passion as an adult. I started out with Goosebumps then into Harry Potter. I read works from Poe and finally moving my way into adult paranormal and romance. I’ve since graduated into taboo treats to fully complete my genre appreciation.
I aim to try works from all different kinds of authors. I want to not only learn about new authors, but I want to know what kinds of stories are out there and what audiences those stories can influence. Every person has the genre that’s perfect for them but a true reader, they want to touch every page.
With my love for books, I also love to share all the books I read and am always looking for books to dive into. The two biggest social media sites to follow me are GoodReads @NaeNae and Instagram @book_lover_nae