Best Western Short Stories
This volume kicks off a series that will, when complete, anthologize all of L'Amour’ s short fiction, volume by handsome volume. The spate of previously uncollected L'Amour short stories that have surfaced recently reveal L'Amour's broad talent and ability to master every genre from mystery to sports to mainstream fiction. L'Amour wrote about the big themes--love, courage, loyalty, honor--but he grounded them firmly in the context of daily struggles in an unforgiving land.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"No surprises in a L’Amour story."
"Maybe I've outgrown Mr. L'Amour or maybe I just like longer tales."
"I think I have read all of his work."
"I've never been much for reading novels or lengthy stories and books."
"My father read Louis L'Amour when I was a kid."
"I have only read some of the stories and, so far, I've found many of the characters to be one-dimensional."
"Large print is nice, but book is HEAVY."
"While he doesn't shy away from portraying the violence that was common in those days, he utilizes it to emphasize the eternal conflict of good and evil."
After her powerful boyfriend left her drugged and set their apartment on fire, she’s just trying to put the pieces of her life back together. When a pretty little woman is delivered into Hank’s hands, he believes it was fate that kept him from joining his brothers for a “wife hunt” in the city.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"3.5 Lost Gal, Found Cowboy Stars * * * 1/2. Are you looking for a little diversion... a little somethin', somthin' for an afternoon or early evening to enjoy.... Well, let me tell you about a place in Texas called Paradise Valley and the 5 strappin' fellas who are in need to get married... How they are to find these women... and ones which will be ok living out in the middle of nowhere on a ranch...well... that is not the parents' problem... the boys just need to make it happen. She was saved by neighbors and undergone skin grafting leaving her scarred on the hip and in her mind. She remembers some house about 10 minutes away, she has no cell service and the sun is setting... she settles in to spend the night in her car... As luck would have it, one of the brothers, Hank drives by and sees her stranded. Hank feels a need to protect this gal... he is wanting to make all things easy for her... he senses she has a deep dark story to tell... and he is willing to wait it out... She is responding to the old fashioned way Hank is with her... opening doors and picking up plates after the meal his mom gave them. He even changed all the sheets and quilts in his room for her...as he set her there to sleep on her own... kind of a way to claim her for himself."
"When his four brothers left for the city to pick up some girls, he chose to stay home... and got to rescue a stranded motorist... Charlotte Halton. She decided for a fresh start... and getting stranded in Paradise Valley in the middle of cattle country wasn't part of her plan... but it just may be Hank's luck."
"I ran across this gem while in a Facebook party a couple of months ago and it’s sat in my reading queue since then. Set in the fictional area of Paradise Valley in Texas, the story centers on the Dalton family of five sons, mother and father. As the synopsis says the five brothers have a little problem, they must find wives and marry before they can inherit their share of the large Dalton family ranch."
"Sometimes things change our lives then you need to change your view of your life.. that's exactly what this survivor did."
"Little does he know that his dream will be coming true sooner than he thought when Charlotte is stranded along side of the road."
Hold onto your hat - 6 brand new books by bestselling authors Indiana & Belle – get ready for the love and romance, the heartbreak and the healing. These super Christmas Western Romances will keep you warm for the winter nights. The Brides of Bennett’s Landing Box Set introduces Kitty and James Belfour and their strict and grumpy father Pastor Micah. Micah doesn’t trust the beautiful Kitty with any man, especially the newcomer Roscoe Palmer. Will James summon his own courage and take control of his future in time to save his love? She starts to help in the Sunday school and the two gradually grow close but Micah knows he does not deserve happiness. When her two nieces arrive Kate doesn’t know that they are running from arranged marriages will she help them? An accidental meeting with cowboy Dominic begins a new relationship and love blossoms but an old flame returns and things get complicated. Will Fiona risk her safety to save his sister and can the two realize what they have in time for Christmas?
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"These family stories were very entertaining and easy reading."
"All 6 of these stories were fun and kept my interest."
"Each story is it's own standalone while at the same time the first half of the series are interconnected and set in Bennett’s Landing. Read one or the entire collection to find out what happens with these families and their issues... Can they be resolved peacefully or will there be major danger just around the corner? Saint and sinner alike, it happens.”. • Guilt is like an evil devil who works his way into your soul and eats away at it."
"This book set has six short reads."
"There are laughs, drama, revenge, passion, emotions and lots of chemistry in these amazing stories."
"I like sets where all the stories follow a similar theme and/or are all taking place in the same community, where you get to know more people in that community with each book and meet some of the people you already knew."
"I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review."
"This is such a lovely set of books."
Best Western Horror Fiction
"The fulfilled renown of Moby-Dick and of As I Lay Dying is augmented by Blood Meridian, since Cormac McCarthy is the worthy disciple both of Melville and Faulkner," writes esteemed literary scholar Harold Bloom in his Introduction to the Modern Library edition. "The men as they rode turned black in the sun from the blood on their clothes and their faces and then paled slowly in the rising dust until they assumed once more the color of the land through which they passed." It's a perverse, picaresque Western about bounty hunters for Indian scalps near the Texas-Mexico border in the 1850s--a ragged caravan of indiscriminate killers led by an unforgettable human monster called "The Judge."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The people who scoff at McCarthy, this book specifically, don't seem to understand his style. It is not an easy to read piece, a normal article of literature that follows a smooth plot curve with complex, developing characters. In the few interviews, and instances where he has been directly quoted, he explains it -- he's a naturalistic writer. Almost all literature distorts reality in some way for the sake of the "story" and what is supposed to be included in it. But sometimes I want to, and I have to applaud McCarthy on being one of the only people who can open that door in the world of literature."
"I liked this book a lot more than the Road."
"Second time through it, I know I still did not get it all - and I doubt that anyone will, really, regardless of all the talking and writing and thinking literary people may do forever after. Things happen in combat zones that are unexplainable, fantastic, not bounded by what people think of as reality in any way."
"I'm hard pressed to find another book I like as much as this one."
"This is not a Western, although it takes place in the Old West, and it is the kind of book whose story goes beyond its pages and reminds you of what you are--even if you don't like what you see: At the core of this tale is the nature of man, it is cruel and violent and poised to create conflict(some have called it war-like). It is an intense experience to read a sentence with a brutal subject (like the gory killing of Native American babies) that continues on and on, with no diminishing. You can read this in many ways, as a metaphor of the violent growth of the United States of America, or as the descent of man from the innocence of childhood to his end as a fully grown, and very sinful, creature of war. Violence: The situations described while following the Glanton Gang give you a greater appreciation for the type of violecne that existed during this period of time, so we can say that it is part of the novel's setting."
Best Western Science Fiction
Little Britches was the literary debut of Ralph Moody, who wrote about the adventures of his family in eight glorious books, all available as Bison Books. -- Kirkus "1950". Ralph Moody's books should be read aloud in every family circle in America.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Even if you've never been to Colorado, I would list this book as a must read."
"So Father, Mother, Grace, Muriel, Philip, Hal, and Ralph rent a ranch on the Fort Logan-Morrison road, near Littleton, CO, not far from Denver. This autobiographical book chronicles their first year which involves settling on the ranch, planting crops, raising animals, meeting neighbors, going to school, experiencing a huge wind storm, and fighting over irrigation rights. Also, several who have read the entire series have noted that the later books, especially after Ralph goes to live with his grandfather in The Fields of Home, are not as good as the earlier ones which detail his childhood because they are more "dark" with lots of bad attitudes which are displayed over and over. Ralph gets in several predicaments and doesn't always make the right choice, but he learns to do better by heeding his father's wise advice, who said, "Any man who says the world owes him a living is dishonest."
"I enjoyed every word of this book and couldn't wait to read the next one in this series."
"What a living, exciting record of life in America a hundred years ago... such a treasure of honesty, , and resourcefulness,, and what a role model for relationships between fathers and sons,."
"I loved that the book teaches such good moral characteristics that inspire people to make good choices and work hard."
"(The farm was near what is now W. Hampden Ave. and S. Harlan St.) Those whose ancestors were homesteaders or sharecroppers will appreciate knowing what sorts of things their kin encountered. The book is classified as autobiographical history; by contrast, Ivan Doig's work (I'm particularly thinking "The Whistling Season" here) is much more literary in its character and plot development, and is proper fiction."
"Great look into early 1900's American History on the frontier."
"Recommend this to anyone who who would be a better parent the example of his father is kind and gentle way of doing things how to teach children is awesome."
Best Christian Westerns
Culver Daniels spent years cultivating a peaceful, orderly existence with his blacksmith shop and livery business. He could quickly grow accustomed to staring into eyes that held such mesmerizing flecks of amber light among their glossy depths. A few more steps back and forth and Culver decided the old woman was not only a fair dancer, but also the most irritating person he’d encountered in a long while. “You, Mr. Daniels,” she said in a soft, alluring voice that melted Culver’s insides and turned his brain to mush. “You’re even more beautiful than I dreamed, Miss Mirga,” Culver said, shocked to discover his tongue joined the rebellion his heart and feet had already staged against his good sense. After spending her formative years on a farm in Eastern Oregon, hopeless romantic Shanna Hatfield turns her rural experiences into sweet historical and contemporary romances filled with sarcasm, humor, and hunky heroes.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Culver did not want a wife necessarily, but when he sees Kezia Mirga, he realizes that she is everything he never realized that he wanted and missed having in his life."
"Shanna Hatfield's whimsical style shines in this well written page turning historical romance with delightful characters (gypsy, blacksmith, baby & Cat), believable conflicts and satisfying resolution."
"Shania Hatfield continues the 12 Days of Christmas with the whirlwind romance gypsy/circus performer Kezia and Culver, the local blacksmith of Noelle."
"A woman with a wounded heart, a child, and the prospect of a new husband..... Kenzia, and Jem travel with a group of mail order brides to Noelle."
"Shanna never disappoints with her quirky sense of humor and wonderful stories."
"I enjoyed this book as much as the first."
"What a wonderful story between a blacksmith and a former circus performer."
"I always enjoy the humor that Shanna Hatfield writes into her stories and as always the hero and heroine were perfect for each other."
Best Louis L'Amour Westerns
When his experimental aircraft is forced down in Russia and he escapes a Soviet prison camp, he must call upon the ancient skills of his Indian forebears to survive the vast Siberian wilderness. Proving that he is above all a great raconteur, the prolific L'Amour sets his latest in Siberia where a downed American test pilot, Joseph "Joe Mack" Makatozi, has been taken after his capture by the Russians. Joe Mack is a classic American hero, thrown back into the wilderness and forced to rely on his wits and his ancestral skills to survive the deadly cold and elude his Soviet pursuers, including his nemesis, a Siberian tracker.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"First, there were a lot of characters with Russian names that I had a hard time keeping up with. It is what it is, but I wish that L'Amour had spent just a little more time and developed the ending a little."
"I agree with many of the commentators that this book was too repetitious and that it has an abrupt ending."
"It remains a classic tale of a man coming to grips with himself in dangerous situations."
"Way too much left unresolved in this book."
"This story could have been a stem winder story, but the reader was left leaking enthusiasm across the wilderness of repetition."
"I got a good idea about life in Siberia during the Stalin period and the struggle of the cultured Russians to flee the oppressive regime and seek freedom away from Russia."
"The late Mr Louis L'Amour lives up to his reputation as a brilliant author with, "Last Of The Breed"."
"This is a gripping story... such a great historical depiction of the Cold War that renders the reader riveted, looking forward to a classic Louis ending, only to be denied."
Best Frontier & Pioneer Western Fiction
TEXAS LONESOME - The McCutcheon Family Series, Book 8. Rio Wells, Texas 1886. Dustin McCutcheon gets the surprise of his life when he comes face-to-face with Sidney Calhoun, the spitfire offspring of his father's worst adversary. Texas Lonesome, book eight of the McCutcheon Family Saga, continues the story of the brave and passionate men and women of Y Knot, Montana, and Rio Wells, Texas, by USA TODAY Best-selling Author Caroline Fyffe. "When it come to western romance, there are only a handful of authors that I completely trust, and Caroline Fyffe is right at the top of that list...She manages to create stories that easily capture my imagination from that proverbial first page, all the way to the last."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It has the two families, the McCutcheon’s and the Calhoun’s who used to be best friends and ranchers in Rio Wells, TX for a long time until something happened to the head of the Calhoun family Jock and he blamed Winston McCutcheon. When the judge orders Dustin to be guardian to Sidney’s brother Noah and take him to the Rim Rock Ranch until he earns enough to pay off his debt, Dustin sees only trouble and problems for the family as well as the town. Caroline Fyffe is one of my most beloved and favorite authors and I have read almost all her books and loved everyone of them and couldn't put any of them down until they I finished reading the whole story."
"Ms. Fyffe brings us another exciting read filled with baiting, angry, sorrow and love. Dustin has spent many years fighting the Calhoun’s at every turn they seem to always be in his way at all cattle sales causing trouble. This is not happening when the youngest Calhoun’s gets into trouble and the judge decides he must stay at the McCutcheon ranch. Sidney is still thinking about the hunk of a cowboy that she saw earlier when she walks in the court room and sees him. He really brought this audio to life for me with his smooth deep rich voice that you could listen to all day. There was no background noise or any places where the audio was louder or lower just a very smooth wonderful listen. Snow brings so much too this audio as he puts emotions to the story and paints a picture of Texas and the areas around it. She writes stories that will stay in your mind giving you a smile why you long to be part of the towns she creates. There is no doubt when you pick up one of her books you are in for a roller-coaster ride full of emotions as they bait each other fighting to the finish line. Dustin and Sidney are sure in a pickle as they fight their love trying to stay true to their family. This is one author who gives her heart to her characters with a wonderful rich clean story that pulls you in."
"I’ll not spoil it for you but this book is one of a kind and written with heart that makes you smile and then get tense when something happens. Yes, I really loved this book."