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Horse Guardian #1
Dark Fire
When Lisa's family was forced to sell their house and horses, life became hard enough - but then her dad finds out Lisa is going everyday to visit the horse that was once hers, her beloved Jupiter, and forbids her to go again. But nothing is going to stop Lisa, not even the new owner's nephew who threatens her. And now the final blow, the nephew is abusing Jupiter! Lisa feels helpless and outnumbered. Only one thing is for certain: she will not abandon the horse she loves. She just has to find a way to solve all the problems. And then the very bad situation becomes infinitely worse.
154 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2004
159 people are currently reading
210 people want to read
About the author
Angela Dorsey
48 books79 followersANGELA DORSEY currently lives on Vancouver Island and is thoroughly enjoying the ocean breezes, awesome hiking, and lack of snow! In the past, she has lived in a number of small towns throughout B.C., and loved them all.
She loves hiking, traveling, and animals, and has a tendency to name her pets after things that remind her of her coastal home, such as Misty, Raven, and Cedar.
Angela writes novels, screenplays, and non-fiction, and has a number of literary publications (short stories, poems, and postcard stories) and articles published as well.
She loves hiking, traveling, and animals, and has a tendency to name her pets after things that remind her of her coastal home, such as Misty, Raven, and Cedar.
Angela writes novels, screenplays, and non-fiction, and has a number of literary publications (short stories, poems, and postcard stories) and articles published as well.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 14, 2022
Video Review: https://youtu.be/caiIOjc7tuc
So happy I reread this! This is one of my favorite books from when I was younger and I’m really happy to say it still hold up years later!
Lisa is a strong, determined character who really wants to help her horses even if they aren’t hers anymore, and her desire to keep them safe despite the odds stacked against her is truly inspiring. The horses—Jupiter, Topper, Firefly, and Dakota—are all amazing and each play an important role in the story and all feel very real. And Angelica is just awesome and I love her. 🥰
The story is spilt between Angelica’s, Lisa’s, and the villain’s perspectives which really increases the tension near the end as you KNOW what the villain is planning but Angelica and Lisa don’t. My heart was even racing a bit while reading the climax, and I knew what was going to happen already!
Each book in this series is set in a different place in the world (this one is in England) and the way the author describes the landscape makes you feel like you’re there while also in such a magical way even though these are all real places and not a fantasy location. In one part the author describes the moon and the way she painted the moonlight was so beautiful and magical and made me see the world as the gorgeous place it truly is again.
I loved rereading this book after so long! Highly recommend this book and series as a whole!
‼️Content‼️
Language: what the
Violence: threats to beat a horse; slaps/punches to the face; a man threatens to shoot a girl and horse; a building is set on fire
Drug/Alcohol: a character drinks whiskey and acts drunk; a character smokes; mentions that someone had been drugged
Other: a dead body is found; murder (not shown); a character has supernatural powers; a character is tied up; magic
So happy I reread this! This is one of my favorite books from when I was younger and I’m really happy to say it still hold up years later!
Lisa is a strong, determined character who really wants to help her horses even if they aren’t hers anymore, and her desire to keep them safe despite the odds stacked against her is truly inspiring. The horses—Jupiter, Topper, Firefly, and Dakota—are all amazing and each play an important role in the story and all feel very real. And Angelica is just awesome and I love her. 🥰
The story is spilt between Angelica’s, Lisa’s, and the villain’s perspectives which really increases the tension near the end as you KNOW what the villain is planning but Angelica and Lisa don’t. My heart was even racing a bit while reading the climax, and I knew what was going to happen already!
Each book in this series is set in a different place in the world (this one is in England) and the way the author describes the landscape makes you feel like you’re there while also in such a magical way even though these are all real places and not a fantasy location. In one part the author describes the moon and the way she painted the moonlight was so beautiful and magical and made me see the world as the gorgeous place it truly is again.
I loved rereading this book after so long! Highly recommend this book and series as a whole!
‼️Content‼️
Language: what the
Violence: threats to beat a horse; slaps/punches to the face; a man threatens to shoot a girl and horse; a building is set on fire
Drug/Alcohol: a character drinks whiskey and acts drunk; a character smokes; mentions that someone had been drugged
Other: a dead body is found; murder (not shown); a character has supernatural powers; a character is tied up; magic
October 12, 2017
This is a very exciting story which will particularly appeal to young teen girls who love horses. Since her family had to sell their home and horses, our heroine has had the heartache of living nearby with her dad determinedly swearing to get the house back. She goes to look after the horses once or twice a day, and the elderly new owner is actually a decent man without much family. But when his skanky nephew arrives everything changes for the worse.
This tale involves fantasy, suspense and danger. More than once we see our characters doing things we know they really should not, like lying to parents about where they'll be. But they do understand that this is not good at the time, and they would not normally behave this way, only doing so to keep horses out of danger. We also see that if you tell nobody where you are going, if something bad happens you won't get help.
Enjoy the fine horses and you can learn a lot from this adventure.
I availed of a free download offer. This is an unbiased review.
This tale involves fantasy, suspense and danger. More than once we see our characters doing things we know they really should not, like lying to parents about where they'll be. But they do understand that this is not good at the time, and they would not normally behave this way, only doing so to keep horses out of danger. We also see that if you tell nobody where you are going, if something bad happens you won't get help.
Enjoy the fine horses and you can learn a lot from this adventure.
I availed of a free download offer. This is an unbiased review.
May 2, 2010
I've this one over and over again and when I was younger it was the best book I had ever read, and I still love it
March 20, 2017
I really liked this book . This is the second book I have read of hers and they were both very good
April 19, 2017
I love all of Angela Dorsey's books and this one is no exception! She is a wonderful storyteller.
July 25, 2019
What an adventure!
August 26, 2016
Lisa’s life has been turned upside down. Her parents have lost their family home and, along with it, Lisa’s beloved horses. She misses Jupiter the most, but at least the kindly new homeowner, Mr. Pickering, allows Lisa to visit the horses whenever she likes – until his evil nephew, Jimmy, shows up. Lisa is forced to visit the stables under the cover of darkness, for fear of alerting Jimmy. It’s becoming clear to Lisa that Jimmy is willing to do anything to keep her away from Mr. Pickering and the horses. Fortunately, for Lisa, a mysterious and beautiful stranger named Angelica arrives to help.
What a wonderful story this is! I LOVE books that place girls in strong protagonist roles and Dark Fire certainly does this. Ms. Dorsey has written a story about a young, determined girl who is fearlessly devoted to her friends, family and horses. She’s willing to risk anything to right the wrongs she sees. This makes Dark Fire an excellent book for young girls in particular.
There’s plenty of mystery, action and suspense in this book to keep youngsters involved until the very end. The writing is compelling and intelligent.
The idea behind this story is lovely – that there are kind and gentle souls who are watching over horses and their owners is a charming basis for a book series. I’ve already downloaded another one of Angela Dorsey’s books and can’t wait to read it!
5 of 5 Stars, Review by Susan Barton, http://diymomblog.blogspot.com
What a wonderful story this is! I LOVE books that place girls in strong protagonist roles and Dark Fire certainly does this. Ms. Dorsey has written a story about a young, determined girl who is fearlessly devoted to her friends, family and horses. She’s willing to risk anything to right the wrongs she sees. This makes Dark Fire an excellent book for young girls in particular.
There’s plenty of mystery, action and suspense in this book to keep youngsters involved until the very end. The writing is compelling and intelligent.
The idea behind this story is lovely – that there are kind and gentle souls who are watching over horses and their owners is a charming basis for a book series. I’ve already downloaded another one of Angela Dorsey’s books and can’t wait to read it!
5 of 5 Stars, Review by Susan Barton, http://diymomblog.blogspot.com
February 8, 2019
I wish Angela Dorsey had been writing when I was growing up - but I suspect she wasn't even born yet! I adored horses and I devoured stories about them. She would have been my favourite author by far. However, even as a grown up, I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful tale of Jupiter, his girl, Lisa, and the mysterious and magical, Angelica. This tale combines fantasy, mystery and action, and its female characters are strong, brave, caring and relatable. An engaging and often exciting read..
May 12, 2019
Not my cup of tea but I do know a few girls who would love this. The combination of horses, magic and a little bit of a dark edge would appeal to them.
February 17, 2021
Dark Fire: Sometimes Horses Need a Little Magic
This was an Awesome example of the love and affection that horses are capable of. Almost any animal who is well loved will love you too. Lisa was just trying g to care for the horses that she had to leave behind when her family lost their farm. The man who had bought their farm was really a nice man and had become her friend. He loved the horses and appreciated Lisa for coming over to take care of the horses. Then his nephew arrived and everything changed. But why, and just didn't know what was going on, but she had to try to help her friend, doesn't she?
This was an Awesome example of the love and affection that horses are capable of. Almost any animal who is well loved will love you too. Lisa was just trying g to care for the horses that she had to leave behind when her family lost their farm. The man who had bought their farm was really a nice man and had become her friend. He loved the horses and appreciated Lisa for coming over to take care of the horses. Then his nephew arrived and everything changed. But why, and just didn't know what was going on, but she had to try to help her friend, doesn't she?
December 26, 2020
Great book
Great book.full of twists and turns and kept mms so engaged in it! Not for little kids thought.. Like 7yr old ish. But great book! And so thrilling,too. Adventure and mystery!
Great book.full of twists and turns and kept mms so engaged in it! Not for little kids thought.. Like 7yr old ish. But great book! And so thrilling,too. Adventure and mystery!
May 19, 2020
Read this as a child and 10 years later it still holds a special place in my heart. Such a great adventure to read.
March 18, 2021
I would have loved this book when I was 10-12.
October 23, 2023
Dark Fire is the second book I have read by Angela Dorsey and it is a really good book.
*More to be added later, Inshallah*
*More to be added later, Inshallah*
December 26, 2017
Young Lisa is devastated by the fact that her family has lost their household estate in the first book in the Horse Guardian series, Dark Fire. This included a beautiful manor, land and stables full of horses. When her father was unable to make repayments, they lost everything.
Read more at http://equus-blog.com/dark-fire-horse...
Read more at http://equus-blog.com/dark-fire-horse...
August 13, 2025
Content: abuse of humans and horses
I had read this before (previously, I had it added in 2012, but I'm not sure that's when I read it... It was unclear. No review, but 3 star rating). But had zero memory of the plot and wasn't expecting a little murder mystery. Decent little cozy.
I had read this before (previously, I had it added in 2012, but I'm not sure that's when I read it... It was unclear. No review, but 3 star rating). But had zero memory of the plot and wasn't expecting a little murder mystery. Decent little cozy.
February 28, 2021
Wonderful!
What a great book. I'm going to love this series for sure. What's not to when there is a horse angel involved? I'm just wondering how the next book will explain how Ms. Angelica knows how to arrive and depart so easily? I look forward to this next book.
What a great book. I'm going to love this series for sure. What's not to when there is a horse angel involved? I'm just wondering how the next book will explain how Ms. Angelica knows how to arrive and depart so easily? I look forward to this next book.
October 10, 2024
Wanted to re-read some old favourites, and what better than the Horse Angel books? Loved this!
June 23, 2020
Dark fire
Dark fire is a adventure story it is catching and engaging it is about a magic horse . Dark fire is a great book for readers who like mystery and/or adventure.
Dark fire is a adventure story it is catching and engaging it is about a magic horse . Dark fire is a great book for readers who like mystery and/or adventure.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews