The Present -- a Beth Williamson Short Story

Through a series of emails with the author Beth Williamson, I received a copy of a short story -- a Christmas ebook-- that she wrote at the behest of her publisher. Because it was sent as a pdf file, I do not have a picture for you, but suffice it to say, I was delighted to receive it as I had expressed disappointment in not having a novel that told us Ethan and Bonita's story. However, this little vignette is delightful and beautifully written.

Written as a peek into the life of Ethan Malloy following the death of his wife Bonita, it takes place on Christmas Eve, the second anniversary of her death. The marriage of these two people had been the longest of the Malloy siblings but without any children. Bonita's illness had begun a year or two before her death and not only had it literally consumed her physically, but her subsequent death has evidently overcome Ethan to the point that even two years later he cannot move past his grief. Now as a new Christmas Eve storm is approaching, he again finds himself motionless with grief at his wife's grave for what may have been hours. He realizes that he must begin the trek home or be caught in one of those Wyoming blizzards. He is not sure what is numbing him more -- his grief of long standing or the deep cold and blinding snow.

Meanwhile, Isabelle Carmichael, newly hired housekeeper for a neighbor of Ethan's, has lost her horse, carriage and all her belongings through a series of mishaps. She walks forward seeking some sort of shelter and comes upon a house with the beckoning rays of a lantern. She finds shelter and warmth within, little realizing that this is Ethan's home.

Ethan finds Ms Carmichael within his home, and accuses her of lying when she reports the light in the window -- he had left the house dark, and the warmth of a beautiful fire -- he had no such fire burning when he left. However, after striking sparks off one another with some truly delightful repartee, they begin to realize the crazy but irrefutable possibility that they had each been brought to this meeting by a force of love, the caring and guidance of the spirit of Bonita. Subsequent events deepen this perception, and from this comes the beginning of a new future for both Isabelle and Ethan.

It is a lovely tale of Christmas reclamation and taps into the belief that so many of us carry within that those we love who have gone before us are still interested in us and their love is still journeying with us as we live our lives. I am so grateful for having been able to read this story. I am sure that any of you who desire to do so may receive it from the author by emailing her at beth@bethwilliamson.com.

Past Christmas holidays have come and gone, but let us all hope that the beauty of love and the spirit of Christmas remains with us throughout all our days. Until next time . . .

Hell for Leather -- Malloy Family Spin-Off -- by Beth Williamson

In addition to telling the stories of the various members of the Malloy Family of Cheshire, Wyoming, author Beth Williamson has turned her spotlight once again on a character that played a prominent role in Trevor & Adelaide Malloy's romance.

Several months before the beginning of this story, Adelaide Burns (Malloy) had her life threatened by the appearance of a gun-for-hire named Kincaid who had been brought to Cheyenne in order to kill her(as told in Williamson's Malloy Family novel, The Gift). Her arch enemy was attempting to hire him, but Kincaid, for some reason, would have nothing to do with the scheme. In fact, he seemed to want to throw himself into any plan that would defeat the efforts of the owner of the Silver Spittoon. In the course of the story, Kincaid became friends with Trevor Malloy's brother Brett and agreed to return with him to Cheshire where he became Brett's righthand man on the Square One Ranch. However, after the best four months of his life, Kincaid realized that his past as a gunman was putting his only friend in danger, and he left Cheshire in an effort to begin a new life.

This book tells the story of how Kincaid "died" and became Cade Brody. The guns were buried, the past was hopefully put aside, and into Eustace, New Mexico, rode a lone stranger who had purchased a small property about two hours out of town. Brody's senses were immediately assaulted by the Widow Edmonds who, together with her sister, owned and operated the general store. Following that initial meeting, their attraction grows through a series of events so that they become sexually involved. It is a very small town, so their affair does not go unnoticed, and rather than exist as an invisible resident hidden in the area surrounding Eustace, Cade Brody's name is on everyone's lips as well as unanswered speculation about who he might be, why he was in that area, and what he was really all about. This is NOT how he had planned to live!

This is a quiet and sensitive story of redemption. It is about discovering the power of respect, friendship, and love; it is about the possibility of leaving the darkness and shadows of the past and making an act of will which will cause one to walk into the light. It is about overcoming the harsh realities of lives that are forged in the crucible of hate and prejudice, making positives out of almost overwhelming negatives. It seems each of the characters which exist within Eustace are carrying burdens of past hurts and protecting inward holes created by loss.

I think you will like Cade Brody and resonate with his need to find something worth living for. I think you will be touched with the plight of Jeremiah and Bernice, both "accidental" births and who have been left to grow up nearly by themselves. I think each reader will recognize themselves in one or more of these characters -- the very short person who acts as the town doctor; the injured and scarred sister whose fears keep her powerless and hidden; the saloon owner who has come through incredible personal tragedy but doesn't seem to be able to move on; the mill owner who burns for the young widow and refuses to accept her decision to remain unwed; the mill worker whose own demons short-circuit his desires to be a true father to his son; you will cheer on the gutsy widow who is not fooled by the grumpy, seemingly cruel stranger whose fear of intimacy almost negates the love that is blooming between them.

This is not necessarily the strongest story Ms Williamson has written about these characters, but I think it is one of the most poignant. Unlike the Malloy Family Series there is not the strong overt presence of family; yet it is here in the open acceptance of the saloon owner and his mother who become family to a homeless child. There are not overt instances of strong bonds here, but underneath the surface are the evidences that friendship and caring can and do overcome the wounds of the past. Somehow in a community that seems completely disconnected, this new-life seeking gunman finds a home, a sense of place, and a path that can finally put to "death" the emptiness and failure of the past.

I think Williamson fans will like this book. I think those who have never read one of her books will like this book also. I think my greatest factor in liking this story is the very fact that to my way of perceiving, every character is broken in some fashion and together they manage to stumble along in their living and find some positive reasons to keep on keeping on. I give this book a rating of 4.5 out of 5.

The Legacy -- Malloy Family #7 -- by Beth Williamson

Beth Williamson's saga of the Malloy family now moves on into the second generation. Noah Calhoun, adopted son of Tyler Calhoun and Nicole Malloy Calhoun has now left his parents' Bounty Ranch and has made his own way in the world for three years. Believing that his carelessness has put his dad's life in danger, Noah cannot go home, and has had only sporadic contact with his family. He misses them terribly, and his three years as a drifter has been fraught with nights sobering up in various jails, days on end of unremitting hunger, working odd jobs to put a few dollars in his pocket, and trying to find his own place in the world. Noah is a very flawed human being: born to a woman who was cook and servant to evil Owen Hoffman, hewas himself subject to Hoffman's sexual perversions for two years; he was rescued by Nicky and Tyler following Owen's death. At the age of 15 years he was literally unable to trust another person, but was grateful for the Calhoun's love and care. Slowly he came to think of them as his true family and was engulfed in the massive Malloy clan. It is their acceptance of him in spite of all he was and had experienced that has given him a new understanding of himself and a confidence that he has what it takes to be a real man in his world.

Noah was taught by the Malloys that all people have worth, and as one who had learned that first-hand, he is unwilling--no, unable to tolerate mistreatment of another person, no matter their lot in life. Because he stepped in and prevented further abuse of two saloon girls by drunken cowhands, he is offered the sheriff's job in Chanceville, Wyoming, a sleepy little town that appears to be homey and friendly, but which is in the throes of a battle between sheepherders and cattle ranchers. Before two or three days are done as the new sheriff, Noah's life becomes complicated and he is forced to use the skills and lessons his adoptive parents have tried to teach him over the past ten years.

Further complication comes in the form of Rosalyn Benedict, a homeless waif whose mother was hung by a town mob ten years earlier, who has been systematically ignored and avoided because of what she reminds the townspeople. Befriended by Noah who is immediately taken with her forthright ways and speech, her irrascible independance, and her non-negotiable determination not to be a "charity" case, Rosalyn worms her way into Noah's mind and heart, even when she is unaware that she is doing so. Before too many days have elapsed, Noah is putting both his heart and his job on the line for this winsome lass.

The quiet but persistant evil that drives the sheep/cattle conflict unfolds throughout the story even as the love between Noah and Rosalyn grows. Noah sees so many characteristics in this young woman that remind him of his go-getter, no-nonsense mother and that is part of her attraction. One of the aspects of this story that I am particularly fond of is the strong and gutsy women who populate this story: Rosalyn herself, Nicky who enters the story later on, Elsa the restaurant owner who recognizes the injustices done to both Rosalyn and her mother, and Marina, the owner of the town saloon who would have loved to have snagged Noah's heart, but who becomes one of his best friends and greatest supporters. As a result of the support and ingenuity of these great women, the support of his parents and the loyalty of his uncles, Noah is able to not only become the sheriff of this community in more than name, but he has also found both an emotional and geographical home for his wandering heart.

I have never really been a fan of Western tales and have only read them when required to do so in school. However, Williamson has written stories that are engaging and daring, has dealt with social issues and flawed people, has given readers stories of redemption and romance, and has brought the Old West to life in word pictures that resonate with reality. This entire series is a great read, and I hope that more people will discover this fantastic family -- those magnificent Malloys. I give this book a 4.75 out of 5 rating.

The Tribute -- Malloy Family #6 -- by Beth Williamson

It has been said that it is ". . . better to have loved and lost than not to have loved at all." Brett Malloy, a quiet, internal, reticent man who typifies the "strong, silent type" of Western hero, no longer believes this. Having won a broken down, falling down ranch from one of the old-timers in Cheshire, Wyoming, Brett is now starting his own ranch and comes to the conclusion that he needs a wife. He is envious of his siblings and their burgeoning families, but most of all he is lonely. However, there is only one woman he wants and only one woman who truly exists for him: the town doctor. Alexandra and Brett have history and it is a hurtful one.

How many of us can look back on our "first love", perhaps someone we met in high school and for whom we developed a significant crush. Some of those teen relationships ended in friendship and quiet realization that people move on and grow up. Some are meant to continue on to adulthood and don't. Some end in terrible hurt. Such was the relationship with Brett and Alex. He loves her still and mourns the 12 years since their relationship ended so quickly, almost as if they stopped existing for one another. But Alex is back, serving as the town doctor because her dad has retired as the community physician. Determined to win her back, Brett begins his assault on Alex's dislike of him and her stated mindset to have nothing whatsoever to do with him.

Assisted by his somewhat new friend Kincaid, a former gun-for-hire, Brett continues to rebuild the ranch and to resist the attempts of a wealthy and self-centered neighbor to take over not only his property but his woman as well. King Dawson is one of those characters that often pops up in stories of the Old West--a person who has always had too much money and too much given to him without any effort on his part. He has a core of evil that permeates everything he owns and everything he does. Together with his hired "army" of mercenaries, he commits murder and fraud, all to gain that to which he has no right. Alex and Brett survive the attacks and in the midst of injury and destruction, begin to own up to their continued love for one another. Their relationship grows in spite of all that Dawson does to destroy them and their future.

I especially like the thought that seems to run through all these stories: that people are not throw-away creatures, that lives can be redeemed through love and caring, that family and its ups and downs are the salvation of all of us. Kincaid is a case in point: a person who has killed for money but who recognizes that what the Malloys represent is what he wants. He exits the story by actually seeking to "kill" Kincaid -- by becoming someone else who has not earned his living over the carcasses of his victims, who is now wanting to breathe the air of caring and kindness. I also appreciate the fact that Brett is brought out of himself in this tale. He is learning that loving is about giving as well as receiving, that communicating is the stuff of which loving relationships are made. Alex's love and her enthusiasm for living fill his heart, heal his insecurities, and make a new man of him.

I think Williamson is so adept at the writing task and she helps us identify with these characters so far removed from us in time, but so relevant to people who have lived throughout history. Their struggles become our struggles and are people who project the thoughts and concerns that face people today. I hope you will read these Malloy Family stories and come to appreciate them as individuals who could have just as easily lived in today's world as they did in 19th century Wyoming. I give this book a 4.5 out of 5 rating.

The Gift -- Malloy Family #5 -- by Beth Williamson

Trevor Malloy is a unique and gifted human being who glories in his ability to charm the ladies and who works as hard at getting people to like him as he does at his parents' ranch. He is a "silver-tongued devil" -- a term that has been used repeatedly about him. He loves women, any kind of woman is a pleasure to him and when he sees someone he likes, he spares no effort to charm them into his bed. He is also a demon of a poker player. There is one very large problem, however: Trevor's extra-curricular activities are beginning to impinge on his ranching responsibilities and his brothers and his dad are beginning to chafe from his long absences, his hangovers, and what appears to be a growing irresponsibility. Feeling sorry for himself at all this "persecution," Trevor packs up his saddlebags and leaves home.

Trevor's will-o-the-wisp lifestyle comes to a crashing halt when he encounters Adelaide Burns, a championship quality poker player and owner of Cheyenne's own Last Chance Saloon. Almost before he knows it, Trevor is in debt to Adelaide for $5,000 and she insists that he work off the debt as her employee at the saloon. He believes that he will be indentured to her for over a year. He finds that he is now doing "women's work" and for the first time in his life he begins to respect the mountains of dishes, pots and pans, laundry, cleaning, scrubbing, and household chores that his mother has endured in past years. He is also attracted to his boss, for Adelaide has a full head of stunning red hair and a voluptuous figure to go with it. This ladies' man has met his match!

As is true in all of Williamson's stories, there is a conflict of massive proportion--the owner of the Silver Spittoon, Adelaide's competitor in the saloon world, is bound and determined to run her out of business and to run her out of town. Of course, Trevor is drawn into the fray because of his growing attraction to Adelaide as well as his growing attachment to all the people of the Last Chance, a rather motley crew who have become family to each other. As one who understands the concept of family, Trevor easily becomes a part of this configuration.

The story is classic in many ways and there are not too many twists and turns here, but it is a very interesting book and not at all a waste of time. The relationship between the main characters is spicey and sometimes bawdy, but the growing love between them is winsome and sensitive. There are a few surprises and Williamson always contrives to bring some of those into her story. There are iconic characters here: the grumpy and muscle-bound bartender who is really trying to find a "place" called home, the scowling cook who is really mother to them all, the hired gun Kincaid, who will figure in several of the coming stories, and the various townsfolk who form the backdrop of the story. All are delightful in their own way and Williamson has taken the time to give us characters that have dimension and depth. Most of all, it is a story of how a gifted and caring man finally grows into his maturity and discovers the joys of living as a whole person. The Malloy family makes their appearance and affirms once again that their love for one another is enduring and able to be sustained, no matter the circumstances. I give this novel at 4.5 rating out of 5.

The Treasure -- Malloy Family #4 -- by Beth Williamson

This is the 4th in the Malloy family series and I think it just keeps on getting gooder and gooder!! The Malloy men are rockin sockin men of the Old West with muscles that are hardened by endless days of hard work and ranching demands, a vocabulary that would make a sailor blush, hearts that are as big as the state of Wyoming, and loyalty to family and friends that seems to be able to endure almost any challenge.

Ray Malloy is the oldest of the seven Malloy offspring and as the oldest sibling seems to take very seriously the responsibility to look out for his brothers and his sister Nicole. Life has not been good to him. He does not seem to have the easy charm of his brother Trevor or the endless sense of humor of Jack. In fact, he is not easy to be with and seems to be more reticent and quiet--except, that is, for his ever-present scowl and frown, a facial appearance that seems to never go away.

Ray had the misfortune of falling "in lust" with Regina Goodson, daughter of the owners of the General Store, a spoiled beauty that could charm the paint off a building, but who has no desire to be responsible or who has never had to grow up. As a result of their brief affair Regina finds that she is pregnant and Ray, always being willing to "do the right thing" marries her and brings her to live with him and his parents on their ranch. The pregnancy reveals Regina for the vacuous and empty person she really is, and two weeks after the birth of their daughter, Regina disappears. The extra complication which now becomes apparent is that one look at the baby affirms that the child could never have been Ray's, but he falls deeply in love with his baby daughter Melody. For the next five years he is faithful in caring for her and letting her know that she is the child of his heart.

However, all is not well with Melody. She is now five years old and as wild as the creatures who inhabit the hills around her grandparents' ranch. Knowing that Melody needs education and some consistent discipline, Ray hires Lillian Wickham, a 27 year old single lady from New York, who has been raised in an ophanage run by Catholic sisters, whose Mother Superior is a close childhood friend of Ray's mother. Lillian has been hired a number of times as governess by families in New York but has been dismissed each time because of her inherant clumsiness. She is truly an accident looking for a place to happen!! But Ray is desperate--he has searched for over a year to find someone who could be a governess to Melody and a cook/housekeeper for his ranch, and he hires Lillian, sight unseen. When Ray meets Lillian's train he is struck almost dumb at her graceful appearance, her petite form, and thinks that he should send her packing before he even thinks twice. However, they go on to the ranch and begin their story together.

Melody continues to be a problem but throughout the burgeoning relationship between Ray and Lillian there is a slow thaw in Melody's heart toward this unique woman who has experienced many of the emotional ups and downs that have already made Melody's life difficult.

There is romance here, to be sure, and deep love, friendship, and loyalty as the Malloys must band together to save one of their own from the depths of degradation in the bowels of old San Francisco. Lillian's gentle loving brings smiles to Ray's face for the first time in years. For this she is deeply prized and Ray's family embraces her in a way that gives her a family for the first time in her life.

Williamson has done such a great job of writing with grace and has brought the reader into the hearts and minds of the characters. I am also struck with her willingness to deal with the social ills that afflicted so many during the expansion of the Old West, with the realities of early death and abandoned children, with the horror of child enslavement and the hurts caused by the opium traffikers. I think you will like Lillian, a woman who was subjected to the worst that life could bring into the life of a child, but who has triumphed because of the care of the nuns and a deep determination to be a good person in spite of everything. I think you will like Ray in spite of his grumpy ways. Who would not love to be treasured as is Melody, and who will not like to see the "treasure" that grows and blooms as these two people become indipensible to one another as their acceptance of one another heals their hearts. I think you will like the suspense as well. This is a very good read and well worth the time. I give this book a rating of 4.75 out of 5.

The Reward -- Malloy Family #3 -- by Beth Williamson

Ms Williamson continues on with the saga of the Malloy family but brings us the story of one of the characters who float around the edge of the first two stories--the experience of a bandito named Hermono.

As the bastard son of a Spanish land owner in Texas, Malcolm Ross de Zarza returns from his 15 years as one who has lived outside the law and is the quintessential Mexican bandit. However, his mother is Scottish and was greatly loved by his father, but as a woman without wealth and without "connections" socially, Alejandro Zarza did not marry her. While he gloried in his oldest son Malcolm, he took a Spanish aristocrat as his wife and from this time on, Malcolm's life was one of pain and disappointment. His father cowtows to his Spanish bride and her son, and he does not own up to the empty and evil nature that is at the core of both his wife and her son. Finally, Malcolm is driven away from his own home and his mother disappears soon after.

Now Malcolm has returned to find his oldest friend a widow and owner of a the neighboring ranch to his father. His half-brother is in charge of his father's holdings as Alejandro is fighting for his life. Malcolm's stepmother and half-brother are also working with those who hate his widow-friend in order to drive her into bankruptcy so they can take her land. The railroad is laying new lines and they want the wealth that will come from selling the land to the government.

Leigh is a woman who has grown up with Malcolm--her parents were also employees at the Zarza spread and during their childhood, she and Malcolm became best friends. They also began to experience a budding adolescent "crush" for one another up until the time that Malcolm was driven away. Now, 15 years later, Leigh is a widow, trying to overcome the prejudice of her foreman again a woman running a ranch, working endlessly to prove that she can prosper in the ranching world. A series of small disasters have continued to plague her and her spread, and with the re-appearance of Malcolm she is beginning to realize that the Zarza family is behind these happenings.

I liked this story a great deal but don't think this is the strongest of the Malloy series. It does, however, expand the story of Hermano, a Mexican Bandido who befriends Nicky in her travels and who takes her under his wing as a surrogate sister. He is, in his own way, a man of honor who is now well and truly weary of the life he has been living, but his reputation and his contacts through the years makes it possible for him to continue to assist his friends, both in Texas and in Wyoming. I think Williamson did well to bring us Malcolm's story, to give us some insight into who he really was, as he will continue to waft in and out of the Malloy family story for many pages to come. And be prepared to see the Malloys continue to be people who stand by their friends as well as each other. I give this book a rating of 4 out of 5.

The Prize -- Malloy Family #2 -- by Beth Williamson

Jack Malloy is the youngest child of the Malloy clan, an artistic, part-time rancher who really finds his greatest joy in creating furniture and sculptures out of wood. But beneath his kind and humorous exterior resides a terrible memory, a secret that has been awakened by the revelation of Owen Hoffman's evil. Because of the newly activated memories, he hasn't slept the night through for nearly six months, waking sick and hung-over every night because of the nightmare as well as the effects of his use of alcohol to somehow blank out the awfulness that just doesn't seem to want to go away.

Featured prominently in these nightly horrors is Rebecca Connor, a woman who had been kidnapped, raped and terrorized by Owen and his cohorts and who has returned to Wyoming to assist Tyler in preparing his home to welcome his and Nicky's first-born child. Rebecca is a professional seamstress and one of Nicky's closest friends, and her journey to Wyoming for this labor of love brings her once again into Jack's real-life experience as he has come to the Bounty Ranch to assist Tyler in expanding their small ranch house to make room for the baby.

Somehow he has forgotten that Rebecca has gone through the tortures of the damned as well, and this bond between them is renewed, so much so that he cannot fight the attraction he feels for this tiny, unobtrusive woman who, in spite of her diminutive size is determined to carry her share of the ranching load and to be a true partner in the tasks that all must share in their daily lives.

Through the challenges of a horrible Wyoming winter, family difficulties, cougar attacks, the return of some of the brutes who were involved in Rebecca's imprisonment at the hands of Owen Hoffman, the discovery of genuine affection, and the joy of greeting Nicky & Tyler's twin babies, the relationship between Jack and Rebecca grows and matures. Williamson again writes a story of family loyalty and surprising friendship that is breathtaking in its scope and it is sometimes as surprising to the reader as it is to the main characters.

I continue to be captivated by these characters and by the on-going saga of this family. They each have their own problems, and in Jack's case, he discovers the depth of care that comes when people love each other to the exclusion of all else. The various members of this clan appear and disappear throughout these stories in such a way that the main story is never diluted but only enhanced. Each tale leaves one hungry for the next "installment" and Williamson's writing never seems to get old. I give this book a 4.5 out of 5 rating.

The Bounty -- Malloy Family #1 -- Beth Williamson

Oh my!! Those Malloy Men!! Beth Williamson has written a series about several members of the Malloy Family of Cheshire, Wyoming, set in the 19th century American West. And as usual, Ms Williamson has managed to bring these characters alive through her gifted writing skills and has made these people seem, at one time, normal and caring people who are trying to live their lives and raise their families with all the grace and patience we all need, and on the other hand, makes them all larger than life.

Nicole Malloy is the "baby" of the family with six brothers, one of whom is her twin. Forced into an engagement with landowner Owen Hoffman, a man who Nicole (Nicky) despises and about whom floats an aura of evil, Nicole is determined to abort the engagement and reveal Owen's evil. However, she is unprepared for her discovery of the true nature of his perversion and in the process her twin brother Logan is murdered. Seeking to pin the death of Logan and his brother on Nicky, Owen swears out a warrant for her arrest and hires bounty hunter Tyler Calhoun to bring her back for $3,000 and offers double that amount if she is brought back alive.

Tyler is one of those strong, silent, mysterious men of the old West. He has been a successful bounty hunter for 12 years and is considered the best of the lot. He thinks that finding a woman is about a 2-week task and is surprised that it takes three months to find Nicky and take her into custody. She has successfully alluded the authorities for three years. In the process of returning her to Cheshire, Tyler begins to doubt Nicky's guilt even as he is becoming more and more attracted to her.

There are twists and turns, fun and romance in this first of the Malloy series. The multilayered characters, the complexities of the plot and the underlying family dynamics are the stuff of which wonderful novels are made. Throughout this book one is rooting for Nicky, and in spite of being a big, bad, rough, seeminly heartless bounty hunter, Tyler Calhoun will win your heart before it is all over.

I think Ms Williamson has done some of her best writing about this family. They are regular people but there is an undeniable bond of affection and loyalty that binds them together--the kind of caring and grace that we want to experience in our own relationships. There are the usual characters -- the bad guys -- and they are iconic in nature--just what we would expect in the stories of the Old West. But they are not used in such a way that they cause the action and movement of the story to bog down. I really liked this book -- Nicky is a devil-may-care kind of woman who knows her own skills, is comfortable in her own skin, and is not afraid to be up front about who she is. Tyler is a person who will never be cowed by a female, that is, until he comes squarely up against a born and bred woman of Wyoming who isn't intimidated by anyone.

If you like strong characters and very readable stories, you will enjoy this book! I give this novel 4.75 out of 5 rating.

Devils on Horseback -- Zeke's Story

Ezekiel (Zeke) Blackwood, his brother Cornelius (Lee) and their cousin Gideon Blackwood are the three remaining members of the Devils on Horseback. In the little community of Tanger, Texas, together with their buddy Jake Sheridan, they have found a welcome and very possibly, a home. They have been successful in ridding the town of the marauders who were kidnapping women and selling them as sex slaves in Mexico. The town's mayor has been found out to be an embezzler and along with Gabriella's mother, have escaped the penalties for their crimes by running away to parts unknown. However, there is trouble in paradise. Zeke has been forming an attachment for the preacher's daughter and during the last raid, this lovely and demure creature has been killed right in front of him as he struggled to save her from capture. His failure to do so and her resulting death have thrown him into a world composed of an alcoholic haze that is now months' long. Zeke's brother Lee is himself a casualty of the War having lost one of his arms to a battlefield surgeon. His continuing anger at this eventuality and his rage over having to live as a partial man (as he sees it) are a part of the background of these two brothers.

In a strange series of events, the town council of Tanger comes to Zeke asking him if he would be the new sheriff--initially on a month's probation -- providing he stayed sober and didn't cavort with whores (another activity in which he indulged repeatedly during his drunken stupors). He agrees and makes a serious attempt to fulfill their expectations as he has come to realize the the drink and the resulting craziness are not how he wants to live. He is hoping that this new job and responsibility to the people of the town will help fill that emptiness he no longer knows how to combat.

Enter Lucy Michaelson -- a young woman who is herself a survivor of the War and who is seeking a job in the local saloon. She is not a prostitute and makes it clear that she does not plan to earn any of her money "on her back" as is often the case with saloon girls. She is a hard worker and an honest person, but because she works in the saloon, she is branded a "fallen woman" -- guilt by association. Even after being put in jail as the instigator of a bar fight--a charge she successfully repudiates--she is treated with respect and kindness by the new sheriff who is attracted to her strength, her obvious survivor skills, and her honesty.

Beth Williamson continues the saga of this little town while telling Zeke's story. She draws a picture of a 19th century community that is populated by good people and not-so-good, people who are anxious to judge others before knowing the facts -- persons who seem to inhabit every town and city in the world--and characters who are normal, troubled, kind, generous, stingy, and who are all wanting to be accepted and nurtured within the context of this town and its dynamic. Zeke struggles with his own demons while trying to correct situations in the town, some immediate like the drunks in the saloon on a Saturday night, as well as problems of long-standing and which could change the course of history for the entire community. He is a character that is very real, and in a world that had no Alcoholics Anonymous, he tries to find the solution to his own problem. His heart is slowly healed by Lucy--a brave, gutsy, brassy, pushy broad of a woman who is not herself whole but who is willing to confront both her own neediness and Zeke's pain in order to bring them both to wholeness.

What is there not to like about this story? Williamson has written brilliantly of the personal story of the main characters while also telling the story of the community and its rehabilitation in a difficult post-war world that will not be fully healed for over a hundred years in the future. This is a warm and winsome story set in the heart of the Texas of old, yet it brings the reader face to face with issues that are as current as tomorrow. Reading this and the other Devils on Horseback stories will never be a waste of time. I hope Williamson plans to tell us Lee and Gideon's story in the future. I give this book a rating of 5 out of 5.

Devils on Horseback -- Jake's Story

The post-Civil War soldiers of the Devils on Horseback continue on with their search for a new life after the horror and hell of war. Now reduced to a group of four -- Nate was married and starting a new life in a small Texas community -- and searching for employment as D. H. Enterprises, Jake and his companions find themselves in a small community that has been nearly destroyed by the deaths of their sons and husbands in the Civil War as well as other difficulties with night raids from a mysterious band of criminals who are sweeping the town and kidnapping any woman they can find under the age of 35. The mayor of the town sends word to the Devils on Horseback that their muscle, their savvy as soldiers and their need for employment would be useful to this small struggling community.

Jake is a former corporal in the Confederate Army and is also being sought by a Union Army captain who was commandant of a Union prison camp. These "devils" were the only Confederate soldiers ever to escape from his "hell-hole" and he has become obsessed with revenge for his "failure" to keep them imprisioned. Jake is also a former thief -- a child who stole in order to feed siblings and himself after being abandoned by his mother and who took the last name of one of the whores in a brothel where he was living. All in all, a very troubled person when he went into the war and who found a "family" of sorts when he found these comrades who have become the only people he trusts. Now the Devils are hoping that their current "assignment" is located far enough off the beaten path that the Union captain will have difficulty finding Jake.

In the midst of trying to solve the mystery of the night raids -- who is behind them, where are the women, how to prevent future raids, etc, Jake meets Gabriella Rinaldi, the daughter of the mill owner who had been beaten almost to death during one of the previous raids. She must now run the mill as well as try to bring some common sense into the town thinking on how to protect themselves. Needless to say, Jake and Gabriella are attracted to one another, but they are also both needing to find that "someone" who will believe in them and will accept them for who they are. Jake struggles with his past, his sense of being a nobody from nowhere and worthless to anyone other than his Civil War buddies. The friendship and love they find together begins to rebuild what fear and hopelessness have destroyed in the past.

Again Beth Williamson has populated this book with personalities that are strong, varied, interesting, authentic, and the kind of people-at least in some cases-one would like to have known in real life. Underlying this story is the continuing loyalty and friendship of these men for one another, for respect and value they have given one another because they were soldiers of honor and who sought to be true to their ideals even when war and life in general did everything to destroy their sense of themselves. I still love to read of their Southern charm and the respect they show women -- they all love women in any shape or form, but no matter how disagreeable one of the female characters may be, they are unwaveringly polite and respectful. Oh to have some men in our modern times like that!

I also appreciate the way that the author has not backed away from the debris that war creates in lives and communities, especially as Jake faces himself and his past, as he deals with his need to love and be loved, and as he faces his the reoccurring terror of dark, small places born in the Union Army prison camp. War is indeed hell, but out of that conflict came five men who learned that there were people upon whom they could depend. Gabriella's love and the acceptance of the community are the "medicines" Jake needs and grabs for his hurting soul. This book is a great read and will not disappoint. I give it a rating of 5 out of 5.

Devils on Horseback -- Nate's Story

Oh my, oh my, oh my! Hunks, hunks, and more hunks!! Beth Williamson keeps filling up the pages of her books with delightful and colorful characters that are rooted in the historical development of the Old West. Nate Marchand is a former lieutenant in the Confederate Army who, like thousands of others after the American Civil War, returned to homes and properties in the South that had been torn down, burned down, or otherwise made uninhabitable as well as finding that members of their families left behind in 1860 had died or been killed as "collateral damage" of that armed conflict. Together with four other Confederate soldiers who he fought with for four years, Nate finds himself on the road, searching for employment, finances, and most importantly, roots. Hired as D. H. Enterprises to remove a recalcitrant family from property that had supposedly been sold during the Civil War, the Devils on Horseback (as they call themselves) find themselves embroiled in a situation that involves greed, murder, political and governmental shenanigans as well as a beautiful young woman who rides like one who was born on a horse, shoots to kill and has the moxy which far exceeds some men of her times.

Of course you have the romance between Nate and Elisa, and since this is a romance, that is to be expected. But I found that the author developed all the characters in the Devils in bold strokes of her pen and with a great deal of detail. Those five men really live in these pages. I was also struck with Beth Williamson's sensitive characterizations of the pain of the Civil War, the anger and torment, revenge and grief, external wounds and internal damage that lived on long after 1865. One catches intriguing glimpses of the smells of battle, the horror of the prison camps, the starvation and disease that continued on after the war. There were no Americans whose lives were not changed irrevocably by that conflict. Not only were these five characters comrades in arms but they were "family" and because of that bond, they are always present in varying degrees and in various circumstances. Nate is not related to anyone of the other four except they have become his "brothers" and together they attempt to find healing and a new direction as people who have lived through Hell and survived.

The Old West was never portrayed with better word pictures, an engaging story line, balanced conflict and resolution within the plot, and, of course, the sizzle of romance that seems to creep up on people who not only aren't looking for it (at least knowlingly) but who are surprised by the holes in their souls it fills. I really enjoyed this book and loved the characterization of the Southern gentleman that seemed to have survived the awfulness of way -- a true tribute to those Southern belles who raised their men to be the "iron fist in the velvet glove." Their absolute adherence to the Southern traditions concerning justice, care for others, respect for women, and desire to be productive citizens is awesome and is a critical ingredient in who Nate really is. Williamson tells an awesome story. I hope she keeps right on giving us more glimpses in the hearts and souls of the Devils on Horseback! I give this book a rating of 5 out of 5.