Having not read the first book, I still did not feel that I was in the middle of something. This book is good as a stand alone, however, reading the first book "Ellis River" I may have been more in tune with some of the characters better. The narration in this audiobook is great, Rebecca Stern does a great job.
The plot was solid and didn't drag on. The action was just enough. The mystery was good. Great emotions but not over the top I felt. Overall I liked this book and would recommend it.

I received a complimentary review copy of this audio book from the author and publisher through @NetGalley that in no way influenced this review.

https://onereadingnurse.com/2025/08/15/zephyr-trails-by-nicki-ehrlich-audiobook-review/

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Thanks so much to Nicki Ehrlich for reaching out regarding the new audiobook for Zephyr Trails! It was on NetGalley for a few weeks and I listened in exchange for an honest review 🙌

Indie August rolls on with book two in the (trilogy?) about Ellis Cady and her horses in the Civil War era. Zephyr Trails picks up a few months after Ellis River ended, with life on the ranch and America feeling its way through the early Reconstruction period. I found it to be an exciting read with lots of good historical tidbits, likeable characters, good dialogue, tons of action, and a good sense of scene setting.

One thing I’ll note is that I think these should be read in order. A few reviews mentioned reading this book as a standalone but it is #2 in the series and I’d recommend reading Ellis River first.

I have enjoyed these books because they’re fairly true to the era while not being extremely heavy on the history portion. Lots of interesting historical aspects make an appearance while the book remains more about Ellis and the horses. She is also reassimilating into society after the war and trying to figure out where her road leads….and many signs point to the West!

Of course there are the horses too 🐎 Ellis is a horsewoman and I loved the Wild West Show scenes. Those characters were a great group and I love how Ehrlich threw a random camel in there. Not many history books get into the camel experiment but there’s a cool article on it here. It kind of goes to prove my point about interesting historical things making appearances without getting bogged down in history.

Anyway, Ellis is looking for her father after a mysterious man appears, trying to locate hints of his past. The book she wrote is drawing attention from pretty much everyone, so was it her father, or someone trying to get charity? I loved seeing that storyline unfold.

What follows is a wild ride through post Pony Express letter delivery, a look at how that time period treated soldiers with mental and physical illnesses, early train robbers, Wild West shows, Indians and Outlaws, and one young lady who can’t quite seem to pin down her gender or sexuality. I will admit that my brain glazed over that part but Ellis is a very confused 16 year old, experienced in many things that no one should ever have to see, and in other ways she’s just starting to find her way.

My only issue was that I really didn’t remember a lot of the events from Ellis River that Zephyr Trails referenced. I also didn’t love how Ellis seemed to fall into a romantic confusion with pretty much everyone she met, although I imagine that’s part of being 16 and trying to learn your identity.

For the audiobook, honestly I didn’t love Rebecca Stern as much as the first narrator but she did a solid performance. Some of the male voices sounded pretty similar although overall it was a solid performance.

I definitely recommend these books for the horse girls out there and for fans of Civil War era historical fiction! Audio or text are both solid choices if you like indie books and hist-fic!

A great follow up to the author's book Ellis River! I would recommend reading the first book before this one to better understand Ellis and all that she endures in both books. The narrator did a fantastic job as well. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review.

The fine line between friends and enemies blurs as Ellis Cady sets out to reach the new frontier of post-Civil War America.

After waiting out winter at the Cady ranch in southern Missouri, hope blooms in the Spring of 1866. Ellis receives news of a mysterious man arriving in St. Louis. Will she find her father alive and well, or finally put his memory to rest?

Grasping at the illusive promise of her father’s whereabouts, Ellis is distracted by the intrepid trick rider, Jimmie, a woman who rides with Levi Jack’s Wild West Exhibition. Then, talk of reinstating a messenger service akin to the Pony Express rekindles a faded dream. Since the war’s devastation, important letters and messages still need to get through a Western landscape governed by Indians and outlaws. When an untimely epidemic threatens, Ellis finds herself back in the saddle, a young woman and her horse on a perilous trail. - Description from Amazon.

I do like this series and can't wait for the third book. You should start from book one, Ellis River, as there is a progression to characters. What 15 year old Ellis Cady sees and goes through is a journey not many would be able to do. I had the pleasure of meeting the author, Nicki Ehrlich and enjoyed talking to her about her books. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC and I did buy the first two books and have them signed by the author.

Zephyr Trails by Nicki Ehrlich is the sequel to Ellis River and continues the story of Ellis Cady. The Civil War is over and Ellis, now sixteen, is staying with her aunt and uncle in Montana. The life is good but Ellis is restless. She wants to move west. She also misses her brothers, both killed during the war and her father who had been imprisoned during the war and whereabouts now unknown. Then she hears of a man recently arrived in St Louis who may be her father. And so she sets out on a new journey to find him leading her to many new adventures.

Zephyr Trails is a well-written coming-of-age historical novel providing a fascinating portrait of life after the Civil War. Ellis makes for a very likeable and strong protagonist as she struggles with her fears for her father as well as the restrictions placed on women at the time and her desire to head west. The other characters, and there are many, are diverse and interesting with distinct voices and backstories. I did find this book a bit slower than the first but that isn’t a bad thing because the pace allowed me to feel even more immersed in the period and setting of the story.

I listened to the audiobook of Zephyr Trails narrated by Rebecca Stern who does an excellent job of bringing the story to life. I should note that I read an eARC of this book last year and the fact that I jumped at the chance to listen to the audiobook while rereading it should tell you how much I enjoyed it. It is part of a trilogy and I am really looking forward to reading more in the final chapters of Ellis Cady’s adventures.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bay Feather Books for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review

This story felt like a series of excerpts from the life of the young rider, Ellis. The thread throughout was her search for her missing father, but the story felt a little disjointed to me.
I think that if you’re a huge horse fan, and fond of the post-civil war period in the US, this story would appeal to you. Otherwise, it’s pretty much a narrative about what Ellis does on a daily basis, her family and the friends she makes. There’s no real mystery to solve, and there’s no tension that you’d get with a thriller. I struggled to engage with it on an emotional level.
It’s the second book in a series (and I imagine there are more coming), so maybe I’d have been a little more invested if I’d read the first book, which I gather is about her experience of fighting in the civil war while disguising herself as a man.
I’m grateful to NetGalley and Bay Feather Books for the chance to listen to an ARC of the audiobook, which published on 20 June.
This one wasn’t really my cup of tea, so three stars from me.

Interesting book with plenty of action and good characters. This is a look at the country after the Civil War. A young woman seeks to find her father as well as determine her future. The most interesting tidbit I learned was that the Pony Express sought to employ orphans under the age of eighteen because of the danger of the job.

I thought this was a stand alone but it is part of a triology although I have not read any other books and could follow. Zephyr Trails is about a family after the Civil War. This family raised and sold horses before the war. So horses are a very special part of this story Ellis lost her twin to the war and her father who has finished his imprisonment due to the war. Provides a fascinating view of the changes in the country post war, the fascination with the west and the push westward, the wagon trains, the rise of the wild west shows, the building of the railways that meant the end to such iconic parts of the American story like the Pony Express. and the effects the war had on soldiers, both physical and mental, and the rise of lawlessness as many found it difficult to reenter this post-war society and felt a debt was owed. Well researched packed with information it is a bit slow but has some good content, 3.5 rounded up. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher.

“Zephyr Trails” is the sequel to “Ellis River”; it is a story of self-discovery, as well as, Ellis’s journey to discover if her father is alive or dead. Against the backdrop of post-civil war, outlaws, unknown and new challenges propel Ellis on an adventure. Continuing to adopt her deceased twins identity she hops from job to job testing the waters of what she might want to do with the rest of her life while searching for the whereabouts of her father. It’s hard to remember that Ellis is only 16 when following this story, but war stole her naivety and innocence long ago. This is for lovers of historical fiction, horsewomen, affinity to nature and strong willed women. While not fast moving the story line is still intriguing enough to keep you coming back. I’m really looking forward to following these characters into the final book of this trilogy whenever it is finished.

If you liked Painted Horses by Malcom Brooks this might be for you.

Thank you #NetGalley, Bay Feather Books and Nicki Ehrlich for a copy for consideration and review.

This was a solid 3.5-star read for me. While I personally enjoyed Ellis River more, this was still a great follow-up, and I was glad to return and continue Ellis's journey to finding her father. I really enjoyed the narration—although they didn’t keep the same narrator from the first book, the new voice still fit the character well and felt cohesive with the overall tone. I just found out there’s going to be a third book, and I’m definitely ready for it!