The Last Wizard's Ball (Gunnie Rose #6)

The Last Wizard's Ball by Charlaine Harris is the sixth book in her alternate history / wester / magic series about a gunslinger in a very different old west.

Lizbeth Rose's sister Felicia attends the Grand Wizards' Ball, and as one of the most powerful - and beautiful - death wizards in a generation, she is highly sought after as one of the belles of the ball.

However, war and violence are on the rise in Europe as German and Japanese wizards are also courting Felicia . . . and some are refusing to take no for an answer.

As the façade of genteel wizard society turns deadly, Lizbeth must learn to not only protect her sister, but also navigate the arcane world that is pulling her sister and husband into a dangerous dance with death that could change the world as they know it.

Harris has written another addictive series! 

All the Dead Shall Weep (Gunnie Rose #5)

All the Dead Shall Weep by Charlaine Harris is the fifth book in her alternate history western series featuring Gunnie Rose and her sister Felicia.

Felicia is traveling with her best friend Peter to visit her sister Lizbeth in Texoma. Felicia is in magic school in San Diego, of the Holy Russian Empire. 

Lizbeth and her husband Eli have visited Felicia in San Deigo, but this is Felicia's first trip to Segundo Mexia, Texoma - a much more rural place than the big city she lives in. 

When an army of unknown origin comes through Segundo Mexia, Peter and Eli follow them. Felicia and Lizbeth stay and try to protect the people in town. 

Could all of this be a move by someone to take over Texoma? Or is it related to the wizard's ball coming up - where the magical families make betrothals to strengthen their lines? A ball where the very powerful Felicia will be presented for the first time.

Harris has a wonderful gift for world-building. The Gunnie Rose series is both highly entertaining and a fast read. I highly recommend reading this series. 

Harris, Charlaine. (2023). All the Dead Shall Weep. New York: Saga Press.

The Serpent in Heaven (Gunnie Rose #4)

The Serpent in Heaven by Charlaine Harris is the fourth book in the Gunnie Rose alternate history, western, fantasy series - this one focuses on Rose's sister Felicia. 

Felicia Karkarov is a student at the Grigori Rasputin School of magic in San Diego - capital of the Holy Russian Empire. As a relative to the tsar, Felicia is at the school not for magic but to be close in case the tsar needs a blood transfusion. In fact, her teachers do not know if she has magic.

On her way to dine with her new in-laws, Felicia is kidnapped and locked in a room. She has no idea who has nabbed her, but she plans to escape. 

Harris has created a wonderful alternative history. This is a super fun series. Check out the first one today!

Harris, Charlaine. (2022). The Serpent in Heaven. New York: Saga Press.

The Russian Cage (Gunnie Rose #3)

The Russian Cage by Charlaine Harris is her alternate history series featuring Gunnie Rose. Lizbeth Rose is a guard who, with a crew, guides people through the wilds of an altered United States.

Lizbeth gets a letter from her half-sister in the Holy Russian Empire (what we call California and Oregon) - a sister she only discovered months ago. On a second reading she notices a code.

Eli has been arrested. Eli's brother, a classmate of her sister, has been to see him but cannot find out why he is in jail. 

Lizbeth packs a bag, digs up some money and hops a train west. Once arriving in San Diego, she has to attempt to blend in - including not carrying her guns. 

Harris has created a wonderful genreblend - alternate history magic, western - which should surprise no one who is familiar with her Southern Vampire (aka True Blood) series. She is a great writer with an extra amount of imagination! I love this series!

Harris, Charlaine. (2021). The Russian Cage. New York: Saga Press.

Upright Women Wanted

Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey is a dystopian western that takes place in what is now the southwest of the United States. 

With general lawlessness between towns, and a strong patriarchy in place, Esther has a need to escape. Her best friend / secret girlfriend was just hanged for a minor offence. Now Esther is to marry the fiancée. 

Her only chance is stowing away in the wagon of the librarians - women who roam from town to town distributing Approved Materials. No one would mess with these strong women doing the work of the government.

What she finds are queer librarian spies on horseback - can't get much more perfect than that! I loved this book and am hoping for a sequel. Also, I am reading everything Sarah Gailey has written!

Gailey, Sarah. (2020). Upright Women Wanted. New York: Tor.

Breaking Down Her Walls

Breaking Down Her Walls by Erin Zak is a lesbian romance western.

When Julia fled Chicago after a meeting her birth parents for the first time, her goal is just to head west as long as possible. After a detour in Colorado, her car decides she has gotten far enough.

An offer of a job for car repair lands Julia on a ranch outside of town working for Elena Bennett and her son Cole. It is an experience far from her norm.

After bouncing from foster home to foster home, Julia has never stayed anywhere for very long. But things could change...

Zak, Erin. Breaking Down Her Walls. Valley Falls, NY: Bold Strokes Books.

A Longer Fall (Gunnie Rose #2)

 A Longer Fall by Charlaine Harris is the second book in her alternative history western featuring Gunnie Rose - a bodyguard and guide through the wild lands of North America.

Joined by a new crew, Gunnie Rose is escorting a crate from Texoma to Dixie. 

When the train is derailed, she is sure is it to seal the crate. Rose and the other gunnie, Lizbeth, try to defend their cargo against whomever is coming for it. 

Harris has created a wonderfully enjoyable series that is part western, part fantasy and part historical. Rose is as followable a character as her Sookie Stackhouse was in the vampire South.

Harris, Charlaine. (2020). A Longer Fall. New York: Saga Press.

An Easy Death (Gunnie Rose #1)

An Easy Death by Charlaine Harris is the first book in her alternate history / fantasy / western series featuring Gunnie Rose.

In an alternate history of North America, where other countries (Canada, Mexico, Russia, England) control part of what we know at the United States, Rose works as a gunnie on a crew that transports people between what is once again Mexico (now called Texoma) and New America to the north - across the lawless region in between.

When all goes wrong, she is forced to take a job by two wizards from the Holy Russian Empire (California to Alaska) as a local guide and gunnie while they look for a missing man. She doesn't tell them that she knows exactly what happened to him - she needs the money.

This is a great start to another fun series by Charlaine Harris, best known for her Southern Vampire series that became True Blood on HBO. With a feel both western and dystopian, this is the start of a wonderful series.

Harris, Charlaine. (2018). An Easy Death. New York: Saga Press.

Like a River Glorious (Goldscryer #2)

Like a River Glorious by Rae Carson is the second book in her Goldscryer series which takes place during the California Gold Rush.

Leah Westfall can sense gold. When her parents were killed she followed her best friend West. Now she and Jeff and the rest of the people they collected on the way, are staking a claim in the Sierra Nevada mountains above Sacramento.

Once they find a place to search for gold, Leah tells them all what she can do. They will have to be careful not to show that they are luckier than the prospectors around them, but they will find gold.

She also tells them about her uncle. Hiram is after her. He knows what she can do and as her last living male relative, he is rightfully her authority until she get married - which she has no desire to do. If Hiram finds her he will put her to work finding gold for him. She will become his servant.

Carson has done a great job combining history with magic. Any fans of historical fiction, California history, westerns, magic, or of great stories will love this series.

Carson, Rae. (2016). Like a River Glorious. New York: Greenwillow Books.

Promising Hearts (Prairie Romance #2)

Promising Hearts by Radclyffe is the sequel to Innocent Hearts, a historical romance / western set in the Montana territory.

Dr. Vance Phelps is heading west after the end of the civil war. She is a surgeon - trained at the women's doctor college in Philadelphia - like her father and her brother. The war was not kind to her. During one of the last battles between North and South, Vance's trauma hospital was hit. Now she is adrift and needs a new start. She will not be the doctor she thought she would be - not with only one arm.

The town of New Hope, Montana Territory, is a place to start again. Her father knows the town doctor and called in a favor. And Vance thinks she might be better off away from the cities and the society rules she grew up around. She does not expect to find happiness, but a distance from the war would be welcome.

What Vance does not count on is the trio of women she is about to meet. Jessie, Kate and Mae will change Vance's life. When the local doctor assigns her to check on the women who work at the Nugget, he tells her to look for the prettiest woman west of the Mississippi. When she see Mae, her heart skips a beat.

Radclyffe has written a wonderful historical novel featuring women who love women and how they might have lived during the late 1800s. Her characters are strong, independent and brave to make lives of their own during the time period.

Radclyffe. (2006). Promising Hearts. Valley Falls, NY: Bold Strokes Books.

Innocent Hearts (Prairie Romance #1)

Innocent Hearts by Radclyffe is an historical romance that takes place in New Hope, Montana Territory in 1860.

Kate Beecher's parents are moving from Boston to the Montana Territory. Her father is a newspaper man and has been invited by a friend to join him to grow the newspaper office. Since Kate is eighteen, her parents give her the choice of joining them or staying in Boston. Kate joins them. She sees the move as an adventure. Plus, she is not interested in any of the young men who have been coming by since her debut.

After a difficult couple of months, the Beechers arrive in New Hope - a town nestled in a valley in Montana just before the Continental Divide. Kate is charmed by the town and feels that the relaxed social rules of dress and gender roles to be an improvement over stuffy Boston.

Jessie Forbes is a local rancher. She was going to be sent back East for schooling when her father died. She took over the ranch and continues to produce some of the best horses West of the Mississippi. Everyone in the town of New Hope is used to seeing Jessie in her men's clothing and thinks nothing of it. But for Kate, the first man who peaks her interest -a dusty cowboy bringing a herd of horses to town for the round up - turns out to be Jessie.

Radclyffe has written a beautiful story of love and discovery. Neither of the women have ever considered that they could be attracted to another woman - only that they had never been very attracted to any man they met. Innocent Hearts is a wonderful western / historical romance novel.

Radclyffe. (2002). Innocent Hearts. Valley Falls, NY: Bold Strokes Books.

Walk on Earth a Stranger (Goldscryer #1)

Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson is the first book in her Goldscryer series - a historical fiction series of the California Gold Rush in which the main character can sense gold around her.

Leah Westfall, 15, lives with her parents in Dalhonega, Georgia. She helps her father work the land, search for gold and hunt for their food. While most of the jobs she does are not what the other girls in town would do, she is happy with her family - and her best friend Jefferson McCauley.

Before school, Jefferson comes up to her with a flyer. Gold has been discovered in California - enough gold to report across the nation. And Jefferson wants to go make his fortune. He lives with his father who is more concerned with drinking than raising a son. Jeff has been keeping the homestead and finding them food, but wants to strike out on his own.

When Leah's parents are murdered, there is nothing keeping her in town. Nothing except an uncle who hints that he has uses for her. He is the only one left who knows that she can feel the gold in the ground. Leah gets a bad feeling from him and plans her escape. If she can catch up to Jefferson by Independence, Missouri the will travel together.

Carson has written a novel that feels a bit like the Grapes of Wrath, but set in an earlier time period. Leah's magic plays little role in the first book in the series, but will likely come more into play if she reaches California. In the mean time, this is a great historical novel of a time of change in American history when thousands of people headed west toward a vague promise of gold. Great start to the series!

Carson, Rae. (2015). Walk on Earth a Stranger. New York: Greenwillow Books.

So Tough to Tame (Jackson Hole #3)

So Tough to Tame by Victoria Dahl is the third book in her Jackson Hole romance series.

Charlie Allington just moved back to Jackson Hole. She had been gone since just after high school, but now she is in need of a change and is moving home where she can regroup. Also, her friend from high school is about to open a resort and Charlie is a trained security specialist. And after what happened, no one else will give her a chance.

When Walker Pearce hears that his high school tutor is moving back and needs a place to live, he asks his landlord if she can rent the empty apartment across the hall. Pearce thinks it will be nice to have a friendly face close by as he looks for a job. He is a ranch hand who has been working in dude ranches, but needs to line something up for the winter season.

But when Walker sees Charlie, the image in his head is shattered. She is not the cute, athletic girl from high school. Well, she is still athletic, but all grown up. And though they both have secrets they will risk being exposed for a chance to get to know each other as adults.

Dahl is a fantastic romance writer who captures characters' personalities and quirks while leading readers on un-put-downable romantic journeys. Her books are some of the best romance written.

Dahl, Victoria. (2013). So Tough to Tame. New York: HQN.

Too Hot to Handle (Jackson Hole #2)

Too Hot to Handle by Victoria Dahl is the second book in her series that takes place in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Since she visited her best friend Grace, Merry Kade has been trying to move to Jackson Hole. She finally found a job that allowed her to move - she is the curator of a ghost town. Or it will be a ghost town museum after some clean up and restoration to make it safe. But the committee that will run the town is tied up in court because the man whose will created the foundation for Providence ghost town is in probate.

Shane Harcourt grew up in Jackson. He is a carpenter who is shocked when his new neighbor asks him to do some work in Providence - the town that has plagued his family for generations. His grandfather's creation of the trust for Providence was out of spite because Shane would not change his last name back to Bishop. Now Shane has inherited land, but with the taxes that go along with it, he will have to sell if he cannot claim some of the two million left to Providence.

Merry has no idea that the man she is trying to hire is the very man who is holding up the funds for her to do her job. She thinks of him as the handsome cowboy next door. And Shane figures if he can help her out a little, he might learn about the other side in his court battle.

Dahl is a masterful storyteller. Her books are fun and sexy with real character who can make you laugh and cry. Read all of her books!

Dahl, Victoria. (2013). Too Hot to Handle. New York: HQN,

The Buckhorn Legacy (Buckhorn #5)

The Buckhorn Legacy by Lori Foster is the fifth story in the Buckhorn series about four brothers, and now one son, who live in the town of Buckhorn, Kentucky.

Casey Hudson was raised by his father and his father's three brothers. His father and uncles were sought after company in town due to both their looks and their manner - each of them would do whatever it took to help anyone in the community. Now, eight years after the previous book, Casey is all grown up and being followed all over town by the single women.

Emma Clark left town eight years ago and never planned on coming back to Buckhorn. In order to escape the life she was in she faked a pregnancy, named Casey the father and allowed her own father to throw her out of the house. She was only thinking to buy some time while she explained to Casey that she had lied and that she needed a safe place to spend the night. But before morning, Emma disappeared. Casey, his father, and his uncles looked everywhere for her.

Now eight years later, Emma is back in town because her father has suffered a stroke. But on her way into town her car overheated and she found herself stuck on the side of the road. And the first car to find her happened to be driven by Casey - the boy she has never forgotten.

Foster's sweet story of two people reconnecting after years apart will appeal to all romance readers. She has a loyal group of readers for a reason and Buckhorn Legacy is the perfect example of why.

Foster, Lori. (2013). The Buckhorn Legacy. New York: HQN.

Merciless (Mercy Gunderson #3)

Merciless by Lori Armstrong is the third book in her Mercy Gunderson series - an ex-sniper who has moved back to South Dakota and is readjusting to civilian life while solving crimes in and around the local reservation.

Mercy is now FBI Special Agent Gunderson. She is newly minted and assigned to Rapid City. Her first case begins when a young woman is murdered on the Eagle River reservation and tribal police ask for FBI help. A clue leads Mercy to research previous cases and finds that there is a large number of unsolved cases involving murdered women, in sets of three, in the fall/winter for the last few years. Each case was written off as some other cause. But this years murder could be nothing else - the young woman was tied to the ground and staked with a wooden spike.

With three different police forces potentially working together, things will either run smoothly or protocols and rivalries will keep the case from being solved. Mercy works on the case while dealing with changes in her private life and life around the reservation.

Armstrong has created a great but flawed character who readers will follow for many more books. Mercy is strong but fragile at the beginning of the series, but her progression back into civilian and family life after twenty years in the military is as fascinating to watch as a train wreck. Great mystery series that will appeal to a wide swath of readers.

Armstrong, Lori. (2013). Merciless. New York: Touchstone.

Close Enough to Touch (Jackson Hole #1)

Close Enough to Touch by Victoria Dahl is yet another great book by a master storyteller.

Grace Barrett can fit everything she owns into one old duffel bag. And she and the bag have just arrived in Jackson, Wyoming. She has a job lined up in Vancouver in a few weeks, but she could not stay in L.A. for one more day. Luckily, a great aunt she has never met has an empty apartment she can use in the mean time.

Jackson is a far cry from Los Angeles and Grace has some adjusting to do. She is used to having her guard up and needing to protect herself from the people around her. But in Jackson, the people are mostly friendly with no ulterior motives.

Cole Rawlins is Grace's new neighbor. He had lived on the ranch he plans to buy someday but lost his place in the manager's house when he shattered his leg and could not ride. Now he is doing physical therapy and praying that he will ride again one day.

Dahl has written a great romance about two people trying to find their places in the world. The characters are great, the setting beautiful, and the story steamy. Victoria Dahl is one of, if not the best, romance writer today. But I have no idea who the people on the cover might be - they are not the characters in the book...

Dahl, Victoria. (2012). Close Enough to Touch. New York: HQN.

The Far West (Frontier Magic #3)

The Far West by Patricia C. Wrede is the third book in her Frontier Magic series - an alternative history of the United States where westward expansion was slowed down by the magical creatures already living there.

Mill City is the farthest West city, located on the banks of the Mammoth River. Eighty years ago a group of magicians created the Great Barrier Spell to keep the magic beasts from crossing to the East side of the river from the Great Plains. Though there are now a few settlements past the river, most people would never dream of going beyond the barrier that protects the United States of Columbia.

Eff lives in Mill City with her family. She works for the magic college, mostly with the animals. She has been past the Barrier twice - and due to the discovery of a new type of magical creature on her last trip, the government is going to organize an expedition to map all the way to the Rocky Mountains.The journey will give Eff the chance to continue to use the different types of magic she has learned - possibly in a whole new way.

Wrede has written a series that combines fantasy and magic within the genre of a western. The characters are great, the world is totally believable, and readers will relish finding new creatures with the expedition. This is a unique and enjoyable series that I highly recommend.

Wrede, Patricia C. (2012). The Far West. New York: Scholastic Press.

Forever Buckhorn (Buckhorn #3 and #4)

Forever Buckhorn by Lori Foster is a reprint of two books in her Buckhorn series: the books Gabe and Jordan.

Gabe is the youngest of the four brothers. He is a handyman - both because he can fix anything and because it allows him to work only when he wants. The rest of the time he can be found laying by the lake. When Elizabeth Parks asks to interview him about saving someone from a runaway boat for her thesis he declines. But when Gabe realizes that if he doesn't answer her questions she will just talk to everyone else in Buckhorn, he decides it may be worth spending the time with her.

Jordan is a veterinarian. People say his voice could soothe a charging rhino. When he is voted to approach a bar just outside of the county - one that is contributing to drunken accidents - he does not expect to find the woman of his dreams dancing upon a stage inside. Georgia Barnes, mother of two, dances at the bar because she needs the money to fix up the house he just bought. She counts on every cent she gains in tips. While Jordan is determined to close the bar, he will do what he can to make Georgia's life easier.

Foster, Lori. (2011). Forever Buckhorn. New York: HQN.

Magnificent Passage

Magnificent Passage by Kat Martin was her first published book. It has just been reissued after more than twenty years.

Samantha (Mandy) Ashton lives with her father at Fort Laramie in the Dakota Territories. Mandy's cousin Julia lived with her father - the governor of California - before she was sent to finishing school back East. Now, after spending the summer together at Fort Laramie, Julia's father is sending someone to bring her back to Sacramento City. But Julia has no intention of going. She is in love and has a plan to run away with her fiancee.

In order for Julia's plan to work, Mandy must agree to pretend to be Julia. They look enough alike that someone sent with a description who only saw one of them would be fooled. By the time Mandy reaches Sacramento, Julia will be married. Mandy agrees to the plan for her cousin's sake - and because she is up for an adventure.

What Mandy did not count on was who would be escorting her to California. Travis Langley, who she briefly met two years earlier and cannot get out of her mind, and his friend are the governor's most trusted men. And Travis was raised by the Cheyenne and knows the route better than most.

Martin's first book is what you would expect of a romance about a young woman being escorted across the wild county that was the US in 1867. But before your brain goes to the stereotype of romance books, note that her characters are great and you will not be able to put down this book. Martin's slow building of interest between the characters combined with Mandy's secret identity makes for a fun read.

Martin, Kat. (2011). Magnificent Passage. New York: Vanguard Press.