Power of the Mountain Man (Mountain Man #15)

 

Title:  Power of the Mountain Man (Mountain Man #15)

Author:  William W Johnstone

Year:  2017

Publisher:  Pinnacle

My rating:  5 out of 5 stars.

Smoke Jensen has withstood many trials along with his wife, Sally. However, after receiving an intriguing note from San Francisco, Smoke must leave his beloved high mountains to go to the aid of a friend. Sally stays behind to take care of their beloved Sugar Loaf ranch, but all isn’t going to be as quiet as Smoke hopes it will be. Upon arriving in the bay area, Smoke quickly learns just how unwanted his presence in that city is and has no clue as to how hot it is going to become!

Smoke once saved the life of a lady who owns a bordello in the city. With her passing, Smoke is going to be the new owner. However, as he begins to learn how his lady friend died, he begins to discover the level of corruption that has erupted. A conniving threesome of wealthy men aim to become the kings over the bay area and will stop at nothing to get what they want. But these three men have never run up against Smoke nor the folks who will rally around him to protect what is theirs.

As Smoke and his friends close in on the threesome, they hightail it for tall and uncut via the railroad. Smoke takes the lead and sets off to bring these men back to face justice for all the murder and mayhem they have committed. Will Smoke and friends live through the intense battles? Will all three wealthy men live to face justice in the courts?

When I bought the eBook, The Cunning of the Mountain Man was included.  Reading the series in order has helped me understand this long-standing character in the Johnstone world. Smoke and Sally are examples of a great marriage that has love, sacrifice and understanding. In 2022, the fiftieth book in the series is to be released, and I cannot wait to sit back and enjoy a tale of the west again. I highly recommend visiting the author’s website to see all that is available now and what is coming soon!  Go to https://williamjohnstonebooks.com today!                       

Note:  The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility.

 

Cunning of the Mountain Man (The Last Mountain Man #14)

 

Title:  Cunning of the Mountain Man (The Last Mountain Man #14)

Author:  William W Johnstone

Year:  2001

Publisher:  Pinnacle

My rating:  5 out of 5 stars

Smoke Jensen is the well-known and much-loved character in the Johnstone country whose exploits keep readers coming back for more each year. Cunning of the Mountain Man tells the story of how Smoke Jensen wakes up to find himself jailed on murder charges. Smoke must find a way out of the jail cell in order to track down those guilty of murdering a rancher. However, that is hard to do when the town believes he is guilty and is planning a necktie party.

Unbeknownst to the townies planning his demise, three of his hands are planning on getting him out.  Once he is out, Smoke plans on clearing his name, which means he won’t be returning home to his beloved ranch and his wife Sally anytime soon. The villains in the story are men of wealth who believe they can take what they want and will pay top dollar to get the help they need. These three men also set upon a tract of land that belong to the Apaches, but there is gold there and they want that too!

From the start of the tale to the very end the suspense doesn’t let up! The book held my attention from the moment I opened it, and the ending tugged at my heart. Many times, as I read I thought the story was reaching its conclusion only to find the author had more unseen trouble coming to Smoke and his friends. Even if you haven’t read any other Smoke Jensen tales, this one is a must!

Note:  The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility.

The Golden Bride

 Title:  The Golden Bride

Author:  Kimberly Woodhouse

Pages:  256

Year:  2019

Publisher:  Barbour Books

My rating is 4 out of 5 stars.

Olivia Brighton is a young widow, living with her older brother in San Francisco in 1849. Gold fever has run rampant over most of the population. Crime is everywhere. It isn’t safe for Olivia to go outside alone. There is no government, police force or fire safety in existence. Her marriage ended after only three months when her husband accidentally shot himself on the way to San Francisco to dig for gold. He spent the last of their money on gold digging supplies. Olivia tells herself she wasn’t a very good wife in her short marriage and doesn’t deserve a second chance. She has promised herself she will not marry again, especially a miner.

Joseph Sawyer owns a gold mine and is wealthy, but he keeps that a secret from most people. He has recently become a Christian thanks to Olivia’s brother, Daniel. He knows all he has is a blessing from God, and he does all he can to help and serve others. He serves on the city council as they try to get down to brass tacks about what needs to happen first in San Francisco as far as policies. His mining foreman brings to his attention the possibility of human trafficking, and Joseph goes undercover to try and rescue these people. He has never done anything like this before. Can he find these people in time?

I liked the faith element so prevalent in this story. The willingness to accept the socially unacceptable. The practiced what they preached. The way they lived showed their faith to all. They lived sacrificially so others could be served. I always like the history included in fictional accounts and the author’s note after each story. I learn something new every time, which keeps me growing as a person. I definitely learned about servanthood in this novel and to have my focus be on others not myself.

Note:  The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility.