Review & Giveaway: The Fifth Daughter of Thorn Ranch, by Julia Brewer Daily

7 November 2022 by Melissa

About the book, The Fifth Daughter of Thorn Ranch

Genre: Women’s Fiction / Contemporary Western / Family Saga
Publisher: Admission Press
Pages: 322 pages
Publication Date: November 1, 2022
SCROLL DOWN FOR GIVEAWAY!

Emma Rosales is the heiress of the largest ranch in Texas—The Thorn. All the responsibilities of managing a million acres now fall into her fifth-generation hands.

A task Emma could handle with her eyes closed…if The Thorn were any ordinary property.

The Thorn is home to many things. Clear, cloudless skies. Miles of desert scrub and craggy mountains. A quiet disrupted only by whispers of the wind. And an ancient web of secrets won’t let Emma out alive without a fight.

The Fifth Daughter of Thorn Ranch is a family saga as large as the state of Texas.

Praise for this book:

“A delight to read.” —Theresa Kadair, Seattle Book Review
“Julia Daily builds a captivating world by letting her imagination lead the way. The result? A unique story that’s a little Wild West, a little old Mexico, a little ancient history, and a lot rebellious.” –Julie Cantrell, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Perennials
“A novel that combines mystery, suspense, adventure, and a romance that neither hardships nor time can erase between the main characters.” –Debra Holt, award-winning, multi-published Texas author of series such as The Tremaynes of Texas and The Lawmen Series.
“A dignified, passionate, and layered tale in a rugged yet picturesque landscape… This book testifies to the rewards of fighting for enduring connections between family members and home.” –RECOMMENDED, The US Review of Books

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

Amazon | Bookshop | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Watch the Trailer for this Book:

About the author, Julia Brewer Daily

Julia Brewer Daily is a Texan with a southern accent. She holds a B.S. in English and a M.S. degree in Education from the University of Southern Mississippi.

She has been a Communications Adjunct Professor at Belhaven University, Jackson, Mississippi, and Public Relations Director of the Mississippi Department of Education and Millsaps College, a liberal arts college in Jackson, MS.

She was the founding director of the Greater Belhaven Market, a producers’ only market in a historic neighborhood in Jackson, and even shadowed Martha Stewart.

As the Executive Director of the Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi (300 artisans from 19 states) which operates the Mississippi Craft Center, she wrote their stories to introduce them to the public.

She is a member of the Writers’ League of Texas, the Women Fiction Writers’ Association, Women Writing the West, and the Pulpwood Queens Book Club.

A lifelong southerner, she now resides on a ranch in Fredericksburg, Texas, with her husband Emmerson and Labrador retrievers, Memphis Belle and Texas Star.

Connect with Julia:

My Thoughts

My previous experience with Julia Daily’s powerful prose was in the intimate and very serious novel, No Names to Be Given, which I also reviewed. This book, The Fifth Daughter of Thorn Ranch is a departure from the other work in tone, and in setting. While it still deals with serious issues – land ownership, animal care, medicine, and culture – it does so by wrapping them in a family saga as vast as the Southwest Texas ranch at the center of the story, then adding in a touch of magical realism and spicing it with a romance.

At the heart of this story is Emma, recently returned from college, where she studied veterinary medicine, and ready (or nearly so) to take on her role as the latest Rosales daughter to become matriarch of Thorn Ranch. Her parents, Josie and John, are also present in the novel, as are several ranch staff, like Flora and Pedro, and a would-be-suitor, Jeff, all of whom form a tight community, though not everyone sees eye-to-eye about everything. There is a second community that Emma discovers quite by accident, centered around the elderly Chatpa and his adult grandson Kai, but to say more would be to reveal too much about the secrets in this novel – secrets that must be read to be understood.

And of course, the land – Thorn Ranch and the mountains beyond – are as much characters as places, for without Daily’s vividly described landscapes and dwelling spaces, this book would not feel rooted.

Several reviewers have compared this novel to Outlander and Yellowstone, two disparate properties that do bear superficial resemblances to some of the details in this book, but The Fifth Daughter of Thorn Ranch is really its own genre-defying tale, mixing a western adventure, Mexican-American and Indigenous People’s history, family drama, and romance into a cohesive whole that draws you in and keeps you enchanted by excellent storytelling and perfect pacing. The author has left the story open-ended enough that a sequel would be possible, should she choose to write it, but it also has a satisfying – and even happy – resolution.

I really loved the way the Rosales family had Spanish words peppered into their mostly-English language, and the subtle nuance that it was the women’s family name that was associated with Thorn Ranch.

I would saddle up a horse and take a ride through another of Daily’s creations any day, and I’m looking forward to learning what she writes next.

Goes well with: Arrachera tacos and Indio beer.

Giveaway

GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

ONE WINNER:

Receives a $100 Amazon or Bookshop Gift Card

(U.S. only; ends midnight, CDT, 11/11/22.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check Out the Other Participants on This Tour

Click to visit THE LONESTAR LITERARY LIFE TOUR PAGE for direct links to each post on this tour, updated daily, or visit each blog directly:

11/01/22	Hall Ways Blog	Bonus Promo
11/01/22	Julia Picks 1	Review
11/02/22	Sybrina’s Book Blog	Notable Quotables
11/02/22	The Book’s Delight	Review
11/03/22	Jennifer Silverwood	Review
11/04/22	The Clueless Gent	Author Video
11/04/22	It’s Not All Gravy	Review
11/05/22	Jennie Reads	Review
11/06/22	All the Ups and Downs	Scrapbook Page
11/07/22	Shelf Life Blog	Excerpt
11/07/22	Bibliotica	Review
11/08/22	Rox Burkey Blog	Character Interview
11/09/22	StoreyBook Reviews	Review
11/09/22	Reading by Moonlight	Review
11/10/22	Rainy Days with Amanda	Review
11/10/22	Boys’ Mom Reads!	Review

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Review and Giveaway: The Sparrows of Montenegro, by BJ Mayo

10 February 2022 by Melissa

About the book, The Sparrows of Montenegro

Categories: Western / Historical Fiction / Texas
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Date of Publication: February 8, 2022
Number of Pages: 312 pages
Scroll down for Giveaway!

Tree “Bigfoot” Smith and Cedar Jones first meet on the day they join the US Cavalry’s Fourth Cavalry Regiment based out of the Historic Fort Concho in what is now San Angelo, Texas, in 1870.

Their journey takes them into the heart of the dangerous Llano Estacado region known as the Comancheria. The area is ruthlessly defended by a band of Quahadi Comanche and their stoic leader, Lonely Horse. The Troop encounters a large group of Comanches and the gun-running Comancheros at Mushaway Mountain, close to Gail, Texas. A quick battle ensues that leaves eight men dead.

Post Cavalry life finds Tree Smith and Cedar Jones as cowhand and cook on the large Rolling J cattle ranch in South Texas bordering the Rio Grande River. The ranch employs two Vaqueros from the village of Montenegro in Mexico, just across the river, whom Tree befriends.

The quiet life on the Rolling J ranch is brought to an abrupt halt when a local sheriff warns that a band led by the cold-blooded, sadistic killer known as Gato Montes has been preying on the ranches along the Rio Grande. After the sheriff is nearly killed by these men, Tree is tasked with tracking them down, only this time, he is traveling alone and the dangers are greatly multiplied. His epic journey takes him back into the Llano Estacado where he is captured by Lonely Horse and taken to Mushaway Mountain where the Comanche carry out their own form of frontier justice.

Tree’s return journey puts him on the same path as Marco, a Mexican goat herder, who rides with him to the Mexican Village of Montenegro, where Tree meets Julia, who changes his life forever after he becomes involved in and bears witness to the wonderful celebration of Dia de los Muertos.

Praise for this book:

“I could not put this one down. Mayo has masterfully written a character-driven page-turner, a compelling tale for the reader who seeks something more than the stereotypical western novel.” —Ron Schwab, author of Goldsmith and the Law Wranglers series

“This mild-mannered west Texas rancher has woven a border tapestry using yarns made of unimaginable horror and sweet innocence.” —Tumbleweed Smith, author of Under the Chinaberry Tree

“A thoroughly enjoyable read—a cowboy’s trail you’ll want to follow, with a memorable cast of characters, renegades, soldiers, lawmen, and simple folks, and a hero that you’ll want more of.” —John J. Jacobson, author of All the Cowboys Ain’t Gone

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

Amazon│ Barnes and Noble │Simon and Schuster | Bookshop.org│IndieBound│Goodreads

About the author, BJ Mayo

BJ Mayo was born in an oil field town in Texas. His career in the energy industry took him to various points in Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Louisiana, Alabama, Bangladesh, Australia, and Angola, West Africa.

He and his wife were high school sweethearts and have been married for forty-six years. They live on a working farm near San Angelo, Texas.

Connect with BJ

WEBSITE  ◆  FACEBOOK  ◆  TWITTER ◆ INSTAGRAM ◆  SKYHORSE PUBLISHING

My Thoughts

BJ Mayo’s latest novel, The Sparrows of Montenegro is a grand epic story of friendship, loyalty, war, peace, and culture. Set in and around what is now San Angelo, Texas (a place I’ve only heard of because a dear friend is from a town near there), Mayo has made the landscape as much a character as the human beings. He really makes you feel the dust and heat, or smell the goats.

But it’s the human story that is truly compelling in this book, and while we’re introduced to two strong characters at the beginning, Tree, a bear of a man who despises injustice, and Cedar, a sharpshooter who can also cook. The two become fast friends, but it’s really Tree’s story, for it’s his life that we see after they leave the Cavalry, and it’s he who tangles with a local man named Pablo who goes by the alias Gato Montes – which can be translated as “cat of the mountain” or “mountain lion.” (The former is more literal, I think the latter has more panache.)

Gato Montes is bitter and twisted, and his behavior involves levels of violence toward humans and animals that sensitive readers may want to avoid, but it should be noted that the grittier scenes are never gratuitous or written for shock value, and absolutely move the story forward.

While this novel isn’t a romance in the conventional sense, there is a bit of a romantic interlude once Tree meets Julia. More than a love story, though, The Sparrows of Montenegro is a satisfying saga of blood, land, honor, friendship, and trusting oneself to do the right thing.

Goes well with: birria de res and a bottle of Indio beer.

Giveaway

 THREE WINNERS:

Autographed copies of The Sparrows of Montenegro.
(US only. Ends 2/19/22).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

CLICK TO VISIT THE LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE TOUR PAGE

FOR DIRECT LINKS TO EACH POST ON THIS TOUR, UPDATED DAILY, 

or visit the blogs directly:

2/8/22	Review	Reading by Moonlight
2/8/22	BONUS promo	Hall Ways Blog
2/8/22	BONUS promo	LSBBT Blog
2/9/22	Review	The Plain-Spoken Pen
2/9/22	Review	Book Fidelity
2/10/22	Review	Bibliotica
2/10/22	Review	Forgotten Winds
2/11/22	Review	The Book’s Delight
2/11/22	Review	Momma on the Rocks
2/12/22	Review	Librariel Book Adventures
2/13/22	Review	Julia Picks 1
2/14/22	Review	Book Bustle
2/15/22	Review	Rainy Days with Amanda
2/16/22	Review	Jennie Reads
2/17/22	Review	StoreyBook Reviews
2/17/22	Review	The Clueless Gent

Review & Giveaway: The Big Empty, by Loren C. Steffy

24 November 2021 by Melissa

About the book, The Big Empty

Genre: Western / Rural Fiction / Small Town
Publisher: Stoney Creek Publishing Group
Date of Publication: May 25, 2021
Number of Pages: 304 pages
Scroll down for Giveaway!

When Trace Malloy and Blaine Witherspoon collide on a desolate West Texas highway, their fender bender sets the tone for escalating clashes that will determine the future of the town of Conquistador.

Malloy, a ranch manager and lifelong cowboy, knows that his occupation—and his community—are dying. He wants new- millennium opportunities for his son, even though he himself failed to summon the courage to leave familiar touchstones behind.

Witherspoon, an ambitious, Lexus-driving techie, offers a solution. He moves to Conquistador to build and run a state-of-the-art semiconductor plant that will bring prestige and high-paying technology jobs to revive the town—and advance his own career.

What neither man anticipates is the power the “Big Empty” will wield over their plans. The flat, endless expanse of dusty plain is as much a character in the conflict as are the locals struggling to subsist in this timeworn backwater and the high-tech transplants hell-bent on conquering it. While Malloy grapples with the flaws of his ancestors and his growing ambivalence toward the chip plant, Witherspoon falls prey to construction snafus, corporate backstabbing, and financial fraud. As they each confront personal fears, they find themselves united in the search for their own version of purpose in a uniquely untamable Texas landscape.

Praise for this book:

“The Big Empty” captures a moment when Big Tech seemingly promised everything. By turns funny and painful, Steffy’s story builds like an accelerating freight train, reaching a fast-paced climax.” — The Epoch Times

“Like the titular land itself, Steffy’s novel is uncompromising in spotlighting the strains that the drive toward material achievement puts on the individual in the face of nature’s whims.” — Southern Review of Books

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

Stoney Creek Publishing Group (Currently 25% off) │TAMU PRESS │Bookshop.org│ Amazon│Goodreads

About the author, Loren C. Steffy

Loren C. Steffy is the author of five nonfiction books. He is a writer at large for Texas Monthly, and his work has appeared in newspapers and magazines nationwide. He has previously worked for news organizations including Bloomberg and the Houston Chronicle, and he is a managing director for 30 Point Strategies, where he leads the 30 Point Press publishing imprint. His is a frequent guest on radio and television programs and is the co-host of the Rational Middle podcast. The Big Empty is his first novel. Steffy holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Texas A&M University. He lives in Wimberley, Texas, with his wife, three dogs and an ungrateful cat.

Connect with Loren:

Connect with Stoney Creek Publishing:

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | LINKEDIN | INSTAGRAM

My Thoughts

Loren C. Steffy’s debut novel is the perfect blend of his journalistic experience and a flair for good storytelling.

Set in the West Texas of the recent past, The Big Empty is a contemporary western, pitting modern cowboys against big technology, with a two-prong through line that addresses water access and the inevitability of modern development.

It’s a story Steffy tells well. The main characters literally crash into each other in the preface, and it’s obvious that these two men, cowboy Trace Malloy and techie Blaine Witherspoon will be confronting each other throughout the book.

What I found compelling about this story was that each man wants a better future for his family – Witherspoon wants to be settled in once place for a while, something he promised his wife – with a stable life for his family. Malloy wants a future for his son that isn’t tied to ranching, and includes college.

Each of these men also has different beliefs in how these things should be achieved, however. Malloy loves his West Texas home – the titular Big Empty – a flat stretch of land that’s home to cows, of course, but also to host of resident wildlife, including rattlesnakes and scorpions. Witherspoon, on the other hand, thinks technological progress is automatically good and right. In a way, he believes he’s bringing economic water to this proverbial desert.

Steffy has a good ear for dialogue, and that really helped to define the setting, as well as illustrating who was a native Texan and who was newcomer – a ‘homie’ in Malloy’s vernacular. He’s also presented, through this novel, an issue that is still very present in today’s world where we have corporations buying up small towns’ water supplies, and climate change has storms and droughts both increasing in strength and extremity.

It’s this combination of fiction and reality, as well as the conflict that comes between the characters, and how that conflict changes when they must unite – to a point – to fight a common enemy in the final third of the novel – that makes The Big Empty both full of literary craft, and as satisfying as a West Texas sunset.

Goes well with: Chicken fried steak, home fries, and a cold beer.

Giveaway

GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!

 THREE WINNERS:
Signed copy of The Big Empty and logo hat.
(US only; ends midnight CST 11/25/21)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Visit the Other Great Blogs on This Tour

And check out the Lone Star Literary Life Tour Page for The Big Empty

11/15/21	Author Video	Chapter Break Book Blog
11/15/21	Review	StoreyBook Reviews
11/15/21	BONUS Promo	LSBBT Blog
11/16/21	Review	The Book’s Delight
11/16/21	BONUS Promo	Hall Ways Blog
11/17/21	Excerpt	All the Ups and Downs
11/17/21	Guest Post	The Page Unbound
11/18/21	Review	The Plain-Spoken Pen
11/19/21	Review	Jennie Reads
11/19/21	Excerpt	Book Fidelity
11/20/21	Review	It’s Not All Gravy
11/21/21	Deleted Scene	Forgotten Winds
11/22/21	Review	Rainy Days with Amanda
11/22/21	Guest Post	Missus Gonzo
11/23/21	Playlist	The Clueless Gent
11/24/21	Review	Bibliotica
11/24/21	Review	Reading by Moonlight

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Spotlight and Giveaway: Under the Texas Mistletoe, by Karen Witemeyer

29 October 2021 by Melissa

About the book, Under the Texas Mistletoe

Genre: Holiday Fiction / Christian Historical Romance / Novellas
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Date of Publication: August 31, 2021
Number of Pages: 304 pages
Scroll down for Giveaway!

This historical romance novella collection presents “A Texas Christmas Carol,” where a town’s wealthy, Scrooge-like bachelor finds his world invaded by a woman set on earning his donation for helping the local poor, and the penetrating questions of three mysterious visitors. It also includes “An Archer Family Christmas.” When the Archer clan gathers for the holiday, they encounter an unexpected request for help that will require all their effort and a Christmas miracle to see them through. In previously published “Gift of the Heart,” a widow uses the family brooch as collateral for a loan from the local resort owner. But the more she comes to know the man behind the stern businessman, the more she hopes for a second chance at love this Christmas.

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

Bethany House Publishers | Goodreads

About the author, Karen Witemeyer

Voted #1 Reader’s Favorite Christian Romance Author of 2019 by Family Fiction Magazine, bestselling author Karen Witemeyer offers warmhearted historical romance with a flair for humor, feisty heroines, and swoon-worthy Texas heroes.

Connect with Karen:

WEBSITE  ◆ FACEBOOK  ◆   AMAZON  ◆  GOODREADS  ◆ JOIN THE POSSE ◆ BOOKBUB

Giveaway

 FOUR WINNERS!
Grand Prize:
Autographed copy of the Under the Texas Mistletoe plus a decorative Christmas sign;
Three Winners:
Signed copies of the book.
(US only; ends midnight, CST, 11/4/21.)

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CLICK TO VISIT THE LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE TOUR PAGE

FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF BLOGS PARTICIPATING IN THIS BOOK BLITZ!

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Review: All the Cowboys Ain’t Gone, by John J. Jacobson – Giveaway

12 March 2021 by Melissa

About the book, All the Cowboys Ain’t Gone

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Pages: 352
Date of Publication: February 23, 2021
Categories: Historical Fiction / Action Adventure / Western
Scroll for the Giveaway!!

All the Cowboys Ain’t Gone is the rollicking adventure story of Lincoln Smith, a young Texan living at the beginning of the twentieth century, who thinks of himself as the last true cowboy. He longs for the days of the Old West, when men like his father, a famous Texas Ranger, lived by the chivalric code. Lincoln finds himself hopelessly out of time and place in the fast-changing United States of the new century. When he gets his heart broken by a sweetheart who doesn’t appreciate his anachronistic tendencies, he does what any sensible young romantic would do: he joins the French Foreign Legion. On his way to an ancient and exotic country at the edge of the Sahara, Lincoln encounters a number of curious characters and strange adventures, from a desert hermit who can slow up time to a battle with a crocodile cult that worships the god of death. He meets them all with his own charming brand of courage and resourcefulness.

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

Bookshop.org | Goodreads

About the author, John J. Jacobson

Though John J. Jacobson didn’t join the French Foreign Legion after being jilted by a girlfriend, or over his displeasure of missing the last great cattle drive, he has, borrowing Churchill’s phrase, lived a rather variegated life. He was born in Nevada, grew up in the West, surfed big waves in Hawaii, circled the world thrice, survived the sixties and seventies, corporate America, and grad school. Among other degrees he has an MA in Renaissance literature from Claremont Graduate University.

Connect with John:

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Goodreads / BookBub

My Thoughts

I don’t read a lot of westerns but the description of All the Cowboys Ain’t Gone really hooked me, so I asked to review it, and wow! What a fantastic adventure this book is!

Protagonist Lincoln Smith is introduced to us as a young man with a vivid imagination, and a dislike of trains. In fact the first time we meet him, he’s “attacking” one with his pint-sized bow and arrows. Very quickly, we see that while be may balk (as many children and teens do) at being in formal school sessions – run by his mother – he’s inquisitive, intelligent, and interested in the world around him, albeit a version of the world that is already disappearing when the novel opens in 1888.

What follows are a series of adventures that pit Lincoln against the ever changing American – and world – culture and technology, as well as his own dreams and desires. From the open spaces of his native Texas to the exotic locales seen after he really does join the Foreign Legion, Lincoln’s real antagonist is himself, and that story is fascinating.

What I loved about this novel was the language. I could hear the accents in Lincoln’s speech and his mother’s corrections of his phrasing. “Dern” may not technically be cussing, as he points out in an early scene, but his mother doesn’t want him using it anyway. Those organic conversations are universal – what parent hasn’t had such a chat with their child? – and for me they really “sold” this story, grounding it in emotional truth.

Author Jacobson has a knack for vivid description, as well, and I never had a problem visualizing any setting.

At times funny, poignant, hopeful, and somewhat resigned, All the Cowboys Ain’t Gone makes you wistful for a period in American history long since past, but one that still lingers in the shadows of our imaginations, where we can still slap on a Stetson hat, climb onto an (imaginary for most of us) horse, and keep the modern world from encroaching too far, too quickly.

Goes well with: a bottle of sarsaparilla and leftover brisket in a sandwich.

Giveaway

FIVE WINNERS each receive a print copy of

All the Cowboys Ain’t Gone.

(US Only. Ends midnight, CDT, March 19, 2021.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out the Other Great Blogs on This Tour

Or visit the Lone Star Literary Life tour page for All the Cowboys Ain’t Gone

3/9/21	Review	Book Bustle
3/9/21	Review	StoreyBook Reviews
3/9/21	BONUS Promo	LSBBT Blog
3/10/21	Review	The Clueless Gent
3/10/21	BONUS Promo	Hall Ways Blog
3/11/21	Review	Reading by Moonlight
3/11/21	Review	Julia Picks 1
3/12/21	Review	Bibliotica
3/12/21	Review	Book Fidelity
3/13/21	Review	The Plain-Spoken Pen
3/14/21	Review	Carpe Diem Chronicles
3/15/21	Review	It’s Not All Gravy
3/15/21	BONUS Promo	All the Ups and Downs
3/16/21	Audio Review	KayBee’s Book Shelf
3/16/21	Review	Forgotten Winds
3/17/21	Review	Jennifer Silverwood
3/18/21	Review	Missus Gonzo
3/18/21	Review	Tangled in Text

Review: Strong from the Heart, by Jon Land – with Giveaway

29 October 2020 by Melissa

About the book, Strong from the Heart

Genre: Mystery / Thriller / Suspense
Publisher: Forge Books
Date of Publication: July 28, 2020
Number of Pages: 368 pages
Scroll down for Giveaway

Caitlin Strong wages her own personal war on drugs against the true power behind the illicit opioid trade in Strong from the Heart, the blistering and relentless 11th installment in Jon Land’s award-winning series.

The drug crisis hits home for fifth generation Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong when the son of her outlaw lover Cort Wesley Masters nearly dies from an opioid overdose. On top of that, she’s dealing with the inexplicable tragedy of a small Texas town where all the residents died in a single night.

When Caitlin realizes that these two pursuits are intrinsically connected, she finds herself following a trail that will take her to the truth behind the crisis that claimed 75,000 lives last year. Just in time, since the same force that has taken over the opiate trade has even more deadly intentions in mind, specifically the murder of tens of millions in pursuit of their even more nefarious goals.

The power base she’s up against―comprised of politicians and Big Pharma, along with corrupt doctors and drug distributors―has successfully beaten back all threats in the past. But they’ve never had to deal with the likes of Caitlin Strong before and have no idea what’s in store when the guns of Texas come calling.

At the root of the conspiracy lies a cabal nestled within the highest corridors of power that’s determined to destroy all threats posed to them. Caitlin and Cort Wesley may have finally met their match, finding themselves isolated and ostracized with nowhere to turn, even as they strive to remain strong from the heart.

Praise for this book:

“A time-jumping, savory Tex-Mex tale, seasoned with all the ingredients of a great thriller.”―Brad Meltzer, New York Times bestselling author

“A mind-blowing tale that takes a flamethrower to our psyches to warm the chill it leaves up our spines. Seething with energy and replete with wondrously staged set pieces, this is thriller writing that defies genre even as it reminds us why we love to read.”―NYK Daily

“Exceptional…. Snappy one-liners, plausible dialogue, and lots of nonstop action, Land delivers another riveting, believable thriller.”―Press-Republican

“Caitlin Strong is one of the strongest female characters ever to hit the page, and Jon Land is the king of the intelligent thriller, continually pushing his own writing to new levels.”―New York Journal of Books

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

Amazon | Goodreads

About the author, Jon Land

Jon Land is the USA Today bestselling author of more than fifty books, eleven of which feature Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong. The critically acclaimed series has won more than a dozen awards, including the 2019 International Book Award for Best Thriller for Strong as Steel and the 2020 American Fiction Award for Best Thriller. He has also authored six books in the MURDER, SHE WROTE series and has recently taken over writing Margaret Truman’s CAPITAL CRIMES series. A 1979 graduate of Brown University, Land lives in Providence, Rhode Island and received the 2019 Rhode Island Authors Legacy Award for his lifetime of literary achievements.

Connect with Jon:

FACEBOOK ◆ TWITTER ◆ AMAZON ◆ GOODREADS ◆ BOOKBUB ◆ WEBSITE

My Thoughts

Strong from the Heart is book number 11 in the Caitlin Strong series, but the first of these that I’ve read, and I’m not ashamed to say that I’m hooked, but then, I’d be hooked on any story that starts (well, after a prologue featuring a traumatized mailman wandering in the desert) with a woman facing down ICE, Texas Ranger or not.

Still Caitlin Strong is a breathtaking character: competent, compassionate, and evidently the kind of person who seems to get caught up in trouble. As she points out more than once, “I haven’t shot anyone today,” and that last word tells us everything about her.

In this story, Caitlin is both solving the mystery of the death of the entire population of a small town, while also juggling with the fact that her lover’s son has overdosed on opioids obtained illegally at school. As the story expands, she tries to remain a Texas Ranger first, and a woman second, and it’s that dichotomy that really made me fall in love with the character.

Jon Land’s talent for believable dialogue only made this entire novel seem more vivid, and I love the fact that so many of his characters are just a little bit bigger than life. This book takes place in a heightened version of our own reality – different enough to clearly be fiction, but similar enough to make it seem plausible. Riding that line takes a special talent, and Land’s balance work is impeccable.

As someone who really isn’t a fan of westerns, I was a little leery when I realized this was a double-timeline story, half of it an incident from 125 years before, that had been related to Caitlin by her great-grandfather, also a Texas Ranger. That part of the story involves some very famous figures from American and Mexican history – western history – and even I was familiar with the names, grinning when the first was revealed.

Part mystery, part western, part action-adventure, this novel has something for everyone. It’s a decent length at 368 pages, but it’s well-paced, and reads much faster than you might expect. Familiarity with earlier installments of Caitlin’s story might have given me a slightly deeper meaning, but it works as a standalone as well – I never felt lost, or like I was missing connections.

I’m eager to read more of Caitlin’s adventures, and plan to go back and read the first ten novels in this series, but I also hope there’s more to come.

Goes well with carne asada street tacos and Mexican beer – I recommend Indio or Bohemia.

Giveaway

FIVE WINNERS

GRANDPRIZE (US only):

5 Autographed copies

Ends midnight, CST, November 8, 2020

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Visit the other Great Blogs on this Tour

(Or find them on the Lone Star Literary Life tour page)

10/29/2020	Character Spotlight	Chapter Break Book Blog
10/29/2020	Review	Bibliotica
10/30/2020	Top 5 List	Hall Ways Blog
10/30/2020	Review	Tangled in Text
10/31/2020	Review	Reading by Moonlight
11/1/2020	Top 9 List	Missus Gonzo
11/2/2020	Excerpt	StoreyBook Reviews
11/3/2020	Excerpt	All the Ups and Downs
11/4/2020	Top 10 List	Texas Book Lover
11/5/2020	Guest Post	Forgotten Winds
11/5/2020	Review	The Clueless Gent
11/6/2020	Top 10 List	KayBee’s Book Shelf
11/7/2020	Review	That’s What She’s Reading
11/7/2020	Review	Book Bustle

Review: The Outlaw’s Daughter, by Margaret Brownley – with Giveaway

31 May 2020 by Melissa

About the book, The Outlaw’s Daughter

Western / Historical Fiction / Clean & Wholesome Romance
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Date of Publication: May 26, 2020
Number of Pages: 384
Scroll down for Giveaway!

He may be a Texas Ranger, but he only has eyes for the outlaw’s beautiful daughter . . .

Texas Ranger Matt Taggert is on the trail of a wanted man. He has good reason to believe that Ellie-May’s late husband was involved in a stagecoach robbery, and he’s here to see justice done. But when he arrives in town, he discovers the thief has become a local hero . . . and his beautiful young widow isn’t too happy to see some lawman out to tarnish her family’s newly spotless reputation.

Ellie-May’s shaken by her encounter with the ranger. Having grown up an outlaw’s daughter, she’ll do anything to keep her children safe—and if that means hardening her heart against the handsome lawman’s smiles, then so be it. Because she knows Matt isn’t about to give up his search. He’s out to redeem himself and find proof that Ellie-May’s husband wasn’t the saint everyone claims . . . even if it means losing the love neither expected to discover along the way.

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About the author, Margaret Brownley

New York Times bestselling author Margaret Brownley has penned more than forty-six novels and novellas.

A two-time Romance Writers of American RITA® finalist, Margaret has also written for a TV soap and is a recipient of the Romantic Times Pioneer Award. Not bad for someone who flunked eighth-grade English. Just don’t ask her to diagram a sentence.

Connect with Margaret:

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter

My Thoughts

I don’t read a ton of romances, but when I do I always enjoy the vicarious thrill of that first meeting between characters you know are destined for a fantastic journey together, and in Margaret Brownley’s third installment in her Haywire Brides series, The Outlaw’s Daughter, we get that, and more.

In Matt Taggert, we get the rugged hero every woman secretly dreams about – he’s handsome, he’s stable, and he’s got a strong moral code that sometimes brings him into conflict with his own family. That’s the kind of dilemma that really intrigues me because it’s typically internal – the character has to work it through on their own, or with the help of one close friend.

In Ellie-May, we are given a strong woman who is smart, compassionate, and kind, but also lives in the real world. She’s a fiercely protective mother, and also a good friend, as her relationship with Anvil demonstrates really well. Sure, he’s an employee, but she never treats him as a lesser being.

The plot was a carefully crafted balance of family drama (the truth about Ellie-May’s dead husband and later, the truth about Matt’s brother) romance (Ellie-May and Matt are a perfectly executed example of the classic will-they/won’t-they dance), leavened by moments of warm humor and cozy homespun scenes.

While this is an historical novel, author Brownley makes the language feel fresh and accessible, and makes her characters jump off the page. They are vivid and dimensional and you can almost smell the saddle oil and the heady aromas of home cooking.

While I haven’t read a lot of westerns, this spring I’ve made myself be more open to the genre, and one of the things I’m finding is that these “period” novels are full of strong women characters who are the kinds of people I’d love to have as friends. In The Outlaw’s Daughter, Margaret Brownley has given us not just a great story, but a heroine worthy of being a friend. Read this book.

Goes well with beef stew and homemade bread.

Giveaway

TWO WINNERS each receive signed copies of the first two books in the Haywire Brides series, Cowboy Charm School and The Cowboy Meets His Match

May 26-June 5, 2020 (US ONLY)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Outlaw’s Daughter Blog Tour

Click to visit the LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE TOUR PAGE for direct links to each post on this tour, or use the links below to visit each blog directly:

5/26/20	Promo	All the Ups and Downs
5/26/20	Review	Missus Gonzo
5/27/20	Review	StoreyBook Reviews
5/27/20	Review	Book Bustle
5/28/20	BONUS Post	Hall Ways Blog
5/28/20	Review	That’s What She’s Reading
5/29/20	Review	Books and Broomsticks
5/29/20	Review	The Adventures of a Travelers Wife
5/30/20	Review	Book Fidelity
5/31/20	Review	Bibliotica
6/1/20	Review	The Page Unbound
6/1/20	Review	Chapter Break Book Blog
6/2/20	Review	Carpe Diem Chronicles
6/3/20	Review	It’s Not All Gravy
6/4/20	Review	Forgotten Winds
6/4/20	Review	Momma on the Rocks

Review – First Herd to Abilene, by Preston Lewis – with Giveaway

7 May 2020 by Melissa

About the book, First Herd to Abilene

Genre: Historical Fiction / Western / Humor
Publisher: Wolfpack Publishing
Date of Publication: February 5, 2020
Number of Pages: 449
Scroll down for Giveaway

An H. H. Lomax Western, #5

HISTORICALLY SOUND AND HILARIOUSLY FUNNY! H.H. Lomax meets Wild Bill Hickok in Springfield, Missouri, and is responsible for Hickok’s legendary gunfight with Davis Tutt. Fearing Hickok will hold a grudge, Lomax escapes Springfield and agrees to promote Joseph G. McCoy’s dream of building Abilene, Kansas, into a cattle town, ultimately leading the first herd to Abilene from Texas.

Along the way, he encounters Indians, rabid skunks, flash floods, a stampede, and the animosities of some fellow cowboys trying to steal profits from the drive. Lomax is saved by the timely arrival of now U.S. Marshal Hickok, but Lomax uses counterfeit wanted posters to convince Hickok his assailants are wanted felons with rewards on their heads.

Lomax and Wild Bill go their separate ways until they run into each other a decade later in Deadwood, Dakota Territory, where Hickok vows to kill Lomax for getting him fired.

First Herd to Abilene is an entertaining mix of historical and hysterical fiction.

Buy, read, and discuss this book:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Bookshop.org | Goodreads

About the author, Preston Lewis

Preston Lewis is the Spur Award-winning author of thirty novels. In addition to his two Western Writers of America Spurs, he received the 2018 Will Rogers Gold Medallion for Western Humor for Bluster’s Last Stand, the fourth volume in his comic western series, The Memoirs of H. H. Lomax. Two other books in that series were Spur finalists. His comic western The Fleecing of Fort Griffin received the Elmer Kelton Award from the West Texas Historical Association for best creative work on the region.

Connect with Preston:

WEBSITE ║ FACEBOOK ║ GOODREADS ║AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

My Thoughts

One of the first musicals I was ever in as a kid was Annie Get Your Gun, so when I read the description of this novel, and saw that Wild Bill Hickok was a character, I knew I had to read it, even though I had not read books 1-4 of this series. I’m not a frequent reader of true westernsi, but I’m really glad I took a chance on First Herd to Abilene, because reading it was a rich and rewarding experience.

First, this novel is written in first person, which proves that the author, Preston Lewis, is incredibly talented, because sustaining a first-person narrative is incredibly difficult to do well. And boy, howdy, does Lewis do it well. I felt like Lomax was telling me his story over a campfire, while we shared barbecued meat and cold beer. This novel is completely immersive, and thoroughly enjoyable.

What worked particularly well was the insertion of real, historical characters into the story. Lewis clearly knows his history well, and it shows, because never once are you pulled out of the story because a detail doesn’t ring true.

In addition to grand adventure and some very human moments, this novel has humor woven into it from the first line to the last. Some of the humor comes from situations, but some is also in the name – almost all of Lomax’s relatives are named after famous (or infamous) historical figures – George Washington Lomax, for instance.

If you want a book that blends craft, style, and story into a truly satisfying whole, read First Herd to Abilene. It’s a rollicking good adventure with attention paid to history.

Goes well with barbecued brisket sandwiches and cold beer.

Giveaway (ends May 8)

1ST PRIZE:

Signed Copies of First Herd to Abilene and Bluster’s Last Stand

2ND PRIZE:

Signed Copy of First Herd to Abilene

APRIL 28-MAY 8, 2020

(US ONLY)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

CLICK TO VISIT THE LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE TOUR PAGE

FOR DIRECT LINKS TO EACH POST ON THIS TOUR, UPDATED DAILY

OR GO DIRECTLY TO THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:

4/28/20	Excerpt	The Page Unbound
4/28/20	BONUS Post	Hall Ways Blog
4/29/20	Review	Max Knight
4/30/20	Author Interview	Forgotten Winds
5/1/20	Review	The Clueless Gent
5/2/20	Scrapbook Page	All the Ups and Downs
5/3/20	Excerpt	StoreyBook Reviews
5/4/20	Review	Reading by Moonlight
5/5/20	Author Interview	Texas Book Lover
5/6/20	BONUS Post	Hall Ways Blog
5/7/20	Review	Books and Broomsticks
5/7/20	Series Spotlight	#Bookish
5/8/20	BONUS Review	Bibliotica

Review: Christmas in a Cowboy’s Arms, by Leigh Greenwood and Others – with Giveaway

4 December 2017 by Melissa

About the book, Christmas in a Cowboy’s Arms

Genre: Romance Anthology / Western / Historical
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Date of Publication: October 3, 2017
Authors: Leigh Greenwood, Rosanne Bittner, Linda Broday, Margaret Brownley, Anna Schmidt, Amy Sandas
Number of Pages: 512

The Beating Heart of Christmas

In the wild and untamed West, it takes a cowboy’s embrace to see you through a long winter’s night. Stay toasty this holiday season with heart-warming tales from these bestselling authors.

Whether it’s a lonely spinster finding passion at last…an infamous outlaw-turned-lawman reaffirming the love that keeps him whole…a lost and broken drifter discovering family in unlikely places…a Texas Ranger risking it all for one remarkable woman…two lovers bringing together a family ripped apart by prejudice…or reunited lovers given a second chance to correct past mistakes…a Christmas spent in a cowboy’s arms is full of hope, laughter, and―most of all―love.

*Chick-a-Dee Christmas by Rosanne Bittner * The Christmas Stranger by Linda Broday * A Texas Ranger for Christmas by Margaret Brownley * Father Christmas by Leigh Greenwood * A Christmas Baby by Anna Schmidt * A Christmas Reunion by Amy Sandas*

Buy, read, and discuss Christmas in a Cowboy’s Arms:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound | Goodreads

Connect with the Authors

My Thoughts

I’m not a regular reader of romance novels, so the novellas in this collection, Christmas in a Cowboy’s Arms were all new material for me. I suppose being more familiar with the authors’ various series would have been helpful, but I didn’t feel like I was missing any major puzzle pieces by coming to these stories as a new reader.

All six of the works in this collection have two things in common: they’re Christmas romances, and they’re set in the West in the 1800’s. It’s a fun period to explore, and an excellent region to choose. As I learned from several visits to the Cowgirl Museum in Fort Worth (not as hokey as it sounds), women of the west were strong, smart, and incredibly resourceful.

This is true even within their relationships.

And this book explored a variety of relationships. In no particular order, we have a woman defying prejudice to marry a Latino man, man who regularly converses with his horse and dog while on the road to clear his besmirched name and ends up helping a widow in distress, a woman who’s been burned by love for a Texas Ranger but finds herself falling for another, and a doctor being kidnapped by outlaws only to find his ex holding him at gunpoint. And that’s only four of the six stories.

Because each tale was written by a different person, the tone of each is distinctly different. I was most drawn to the stories by Margaret Brownley (“A Texas Ranger for Christmas”) and Anna Schmidt (“A Christmas Baby”) but each one was charming and sweet and full of the hope, wonder, and joy that fills the Christmas season.

Goes well with a salted caramel mocha (or hot chocolate) and a slice of gingerbread (I make mine with a candy cane frosting laced with peppermint schnapps).

Giveaway

December 1-December 10, 2017

Four Winners will each get a prize pack which includes Christmas in a Cowboy’s Arms + another book(s) by one of the authors. Three of the packs will also include a $10 Amazon Gift Card.

(U.S. Only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check Out The Whole Blog Tour

12/1/17	Christmas Memories	Hall Ways Blog
12/2/17	Review	Books in the Garden
12/3/17	Spotlight on Amy	Syd Savvy
12/4/17	Review	Bibliotica
12/5/17	Spotlight on Anna	Missus Gonzo
12/6/17	Spotlight on Linda	Margie’s Must Reads
12/7/17	Review	Reading by Moonlight
12/8/17	Spotlight on Margaret	The Librarian Talks
12/9/17	Spotlight on Rosanne	Tangled in Text
12/10/17	Review	StoreyBook Reviews

Spotlight: Too Far Down by Mary Connealy – with Giveaway

1 December 2017 by Melissa

About the book, Too Far Down

Genre: Western Historical Christian Romance
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Date of Publication: October 3, 2017
Number of Pages: 322

With Danger Drawing Ever Closer, The Boden Clan Risk Losing Their Ranch Forever

Having returned home to the ranch, Cole Boden finds himself caught between missing his time back east and appreciating all that New Mexico Territory offers. Sure, he fights with his siblings now and then, but he does care for them. He enjoys his new job running the mine and, when he’s honest, he admits that Melanie Blake captures his interest in a way no other woman ever has.

Melanie has been a friend to the Bodens forever. A cowgirl who is more comfortable with horses and lassoes than people, she never expected to find herself falling for someone, particularly for refined Cole Boden, a Harvard graduate who can’t seem to make up his mind about staying in New Mexico.

When a deadly explosion damages the CR Mining Company, the Bodens realize their troubles are not behind them as they thought. Shadowy forces are still working against them. Melanie is determined to help Cole and the family finally put an end to the danger that’s threatened all of them. But will putting herself in harm’s way be more dangerous than anyone expected?

Praise for Too Far Down:

“Connealy crafts relatable characters who will inspire readers with their love, loyalty, and fortitude, and the mystery remains intriguing until the end.” Publishers Weekly
“Recommended for those who enjoy a fast, smart historical-set suspense.” RT Book Reviews

Buy, read, and discuss Too Far Down:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Baker Book House | Goodreads

Take a Look at Mary Connealy’s Scrapbook for Too Far Down:

About the author, Mary Connealy

Mary Connealy writes “romantic comedies with cowboys” and is celebrated for her fun, zany, action-packed style. She has more than half a million books in print. She is the author of the popular series Wild at Heart, Kincaid Brides, Trouble in Texas, Lassoed in Texas, Sophie’s Daughters, and many other books. Mary lives on a ranch in eastern Nebraska with her very own romantic cowboy hero.

Connect with Mary:

Website | Blog | Amazon Author Page | Facebook | Twitter

Enter the Giveaway

GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

TWO WINNERS RECEIVE THE FULL CIMARRON LEGACY SERIES!

November 27-December 3, 2017

(U.S. Only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Too Far Down Tour Stops

Showcase Tour Stops:

11/13/17	Missus Gonzo
11/14/17	Books and Broomsticks
11/15/17	Books in the Garden
11/16/17	Hall Ways Blog
11/17/17	The Page Unbound

Special Features Tour Stops:

11/27/17	Special Feature	StoreyBook Reviews
11/27/17	Special Feature	Forgotten Winds
11/28/17	Review	Reading by Moonlight
11/28/17	Special Feature	Syd Savvy
11/29/17	Review	The Librarian Talks
11/29/17	Special Feature	A Novel Reality
11/30/17	Review	Texan Girl Reads
11/30/17	Special Feature	Momma on The Rocks
12/1/17	Review	Chapter Break Book Blog
12/1/17	Special Feature	Bibliotica

FictionAdvent 04: Snowglobe

The lights above them pulse, soft as breathing. She remembers that first storm — the fear of the power failing, the scramble to secure the greenhouse domes, the way they’d worked side by side in the cold until dawn. That was when it began, really: not the flirtation or the laughter, but the quiet respect that came from surviving something together.

FictionAdvent 03: “Orbit”

Below her, ribbons of green and violet curl across the poles, shimmering like breath against the night. It’s not the first aurora she’s seen from orbit, but this one feels different — brighter, alive. She thinks of the Christmas lights her father used to hang along the eaves of their house, blinking patterns that never quite synced. He’d laugh every year and say, “Perfection’s overrated, sweetheart. Just make it shine.”

FictionAdvent 02: “Hearth”

Inside the café, the world softens around the edges. The espresso machine has gone quiet, its metal belly releasing one last sigh of steam. She wipes down the counter in slow, practiced circles. When she finishes, she pours herself a small mug from what remains in the pot — lukewarm, but still comforting — and brings it with her as she turns.