As an historical writer, I strongly recommend this finely crafted novel. Mr. Johnson has created a Civil War Drama that readers of the Western genre will thoroughly enjoy. It is cleverly constructed with full-dimensional characters and events that will linger long after the last page. A great read!

From the back cover of the novel: "The author knows firsthand the locale of this action-packed and fast-paced story. He owned and operated a cattle and horse ranch in the Texa brushland wilderness,in the land known as la brasada . . . . the ranch bordered the Rio Grande for nine miles . . . During the Civil War, wagons loaded with cotton left deep ruts while traveling across the ranch into Mexico. The tracks are visible to this day."

From these roots comes Brasada by Don Johnson, a western novel that is interwoven with some fascinating Civil War History - in particular, how the South financed the War by smuggling its cotton into Mexico and getting paid in gold.

This is a real page-turner that has everything a fan of Westerns and Civil War Novels could ask for, and then some. Just a great introduction to the Western genre for new readers. I strongly recommend it for anyone who likes to read good fiction.

Jerry Patterson, thebuffalokid@aol.com

In the tradition of great Western writers such as Louis Lamour and Elmer Kelton, Don Johnson brings the old West to life in vivid detail in his new novel Brasada. Johnson's knack for storytelling and colloquial style transports the reader straight to the harsh brushland of Civil War-era Texas. Unlike many modern western authors, Johnson has chosen not to blur the line between good and bad, creating the most dispicable of villains in Santiago and effecting sympathy for the story's hero Lance Morgan. But these characters, while morally black and white through most of the story, still manage to develop throughout. The story's intriguing plot and colorful characters make Brasada hard to put down and a must for fans of classic Western novels.

The recipes in this book are great, especially the tomato soup and chicken salad (Chinese). I really liked the simple way in which they were written and the use of readily available ingredients. My favorite part of the book was all the minutae about the restaurant itself. From starting a restaurant, to running it, to buying provisions, to personnel, the book was a fascinating inside look at the business of food. The authors never complained, but they made me realize what a tough business they are in. Hope I can visit Cafe Beaujolais sometime.

I spent a lovely weekend on the coast and happened upon CAFE BEAUJOLAIS. After a splended meal, I purchased an autographed copy of this book. The recipes are all easy to follow and each have a history or source. Her spicy buttermilk coffee cake is to die for! Ms. Fox speaks of her cookbook collection and how she "looks up" the same recipe in many different cookbooks. This is where I first understood the concept of recipe comparing. I also enjoyed reading about the goings-on in her resturant. This is a fabulous book!

This is my one book that i go to again, and again and again. Everything in it from Chinese Chicken Salad to Mom's Banana Cake is scrumptious. It's hard to say what is my favorite - I guess they all are. You are missing out if you don't have this book. You won't be sorry; not to mention that simple instructions, simple ingredients, wonderful for the novice cook and then some. ENJOY!

"Way out west in Cactus County there was a horse named Calico. She wasn't very pretty...but she was very smart. She was the smartest fastest horse in all of Cactus County." She could run like "greased lightning", and she could smell like a bloodhound. "Her nose was so keen she could track a bee through a blizzard." She was owned by a cowboy named Hank, and "...she would go to the end of the trail for Hank. They had a language all their own and understood each other perfectly." Life was good and happy for everyone who lived in Cactus County, no locks, no fences, and no sheriff or jail. But across the Cactus River were the Badlands where the villains of this story lived. And the meanest, sneakiest, absolutely worst bad man of them all was Stewy Stinker. He was so mean, "he would hold up Santa Claus on Christmas Eve if he had a chance." So sit back and get comfortable and see what happened when Stewy Stinker and his nasty gang came to town..... First published in 1941, Calico The Wonder Horse is as fresh and entertaining today, as it was over fifty years ago. This is an old fashioned, action packed, rootin' tootin' western that has it all...cattle rustling, hold-ups, a stampede and kidnapping, a wild and thrilling stagecoach chase, and through it all, Calico comes to the rescue, outsmarts the bad guys and saves the day. Virginia Lee Burton's clever, witty text is dramatic, engaging and full of wild west colloquialisms that will have both kids and adults laughing and cheering at all the fun. Her marvelous comic strip illustrations are expressive and full of detail and beg to be pored over and explored. Put it all together and you have the makings of a timeless classic to share with friends, family and future generations. Perfect for youngsters 4-8, Calico The Wonder Horse is a masterpiece and a MUST for every home library.

The illustrations of this Wild West comedy saga are just as good as the lively and creative prose. Easy to read in one sitting as a great "before bed" story. The adventure and humor will keep even those with short attention spans listening intently. The ending is perfect!

My 2 1/2 year old daughter and I love this book! Best of all, and unlike many of our other favorites, the hero (Calico) is female whose merit is based on her intellect and problem-solving skills. I really like that subliminal message. I'll admit that at first I was a little put off by the artsy "comic book" format, but it grows on you, and I appreciate it more each time I read it. This book and Mike Mulligan are must-have Burton books.

It is extremely easy to offer guests ( or yourself) a magnificent meal that looks like you are a great chef with very little work. Easy techniques and ingredients allow you to enjoy cooking. You will reach for this book repeatedly!

I have many cookbooks, but this is one of my favorites. Every recipe that I made from this book has turned out well, which is, I think, a sign of a good cookbook. I particularly like the notes at the bottom of the recipe that tell you how far ahead and through what step you can make the dish. This is a big plus when entertaining. All of the dishes that I have made from this book have been crowd pleasers.

What a great cookbook! I use it frequently, particularly for the roast chicken (my family's personal favorite), shrimp salsa, the marinades and salad dressings, the chocolate truffle brownies, and an UNBELIEVABLY sinful chocolate cake! The format is attractive, the recipes are easy to follow, and the results have been uniformly consistent. If you enjoy flavorful, creative cuisine, this is for you!

Even though it is a fictional story, I suspect there is a lot of truth in "the way things were" in this novel. Hyson, having lived the life of a rancher/cowboy, allows much of his own experience to influence his writing. I believe this book to be an authentic depiction of ranch and community life in Northern New Mexico during a particular time period. "The Calling" has it all: romance, adventure, mystery, and binding human relationships. This story would make a great movie along the lines of "Cool Hand Luke" and "The Horse Whisperer."

The books starts well and continues telling the every day life of a cowboy in New Mexico and the people he associates with. It is a history, a love story, a geography study of New Mexico. It is not a real fast read - it just stay interesting throughout.

I loved this book. Hyson really gives a tenderfoot like me the taste for the cowboy life. In it he also gave me a mystery, romance, and a number of really hard laughs! (RC really cracks me up!) I really enjoyed the book and recommend it. It is a really good read.

Almost more of an historical novel than a Western, Chalk's Woman by David Ballantine is, actually, both -- and authentic in both spheres! Its characters are alive and non-stereotypical; its men are 'Western', but Human (good and bad Human) and not cardboard formulated -- and often rare specimens; its women (and the hero is a civil-war innocent injured woman) are beautifully characterized and sensitively portrayed, believable and important. Excellent plot; excellent writing--;totally enjoyable and VERY interesting. I genuinely recommend it -- and I am not, normally, a 'Western reader or buyer! Book deserves a lot more attention than it has gotten. Let yourself enjoy this one. (This si the first time I have ever bothgered to write a review on a book -- so I MUST think its really good!). A great gift! ...

A work of fiction, yes; a western , yes; a page turner, yes; but it is absolutely believable; it has the ring of truth, of history, of biography. It opens with one of the most heartbreaking scenes I have ever read - the leveling of Vicksburg during the Civil War. Among the visions of the horrors of war this one must stand with the most convincing . CHALK'S WOMAN moves from the Civil War to pioneers crossing the continent : starvation, being lost in a snow storm, almost being killed by Indians, and on to frontier life in a small mining town. A whorehouse, bank robbers, a gun fight , and the rough justice of frontier law. There are no superheroes here. Just ordinary people slogging through a very tough life : sometimes mean, sometimes kind, sometimes almost heroic ; and, interestingly , almost all seeking to live by a moral and humane code. Episode by episode I believed that this is what the West of the 1860s was really like.

I really enjoyed this book! David Ballantine captured the feel of the time. I felt that I was there. The drama and characters were so real that I couldn't stop reading. It really is a page-turner! I hope that he does more books. This was a wonderful read!

The Rock Creek 6 is an innovative literary undertaking. It's about 6 soldiers in a special civil war unit, all of whom have emotional scars that they must heal. Lori Handeland wrote 3 books incl.the Nate and Reese stories; Linda Devlin wrote 3 incl the finale hero, Daniel Cash. I liked the story line LD chose for Cash, but I never quite got to like Cash himself. He was less authentic and less reachable than the other rock creek heros. In fairness to Cash, I prefer LH's writing style over LD's which could be part of my problem with the book. At any rate it is wonderful to see these 6 tougher than tough men governed by loving wives and babies all around them. Truly heartwarming.

Cash is the final installment in the Rock Creek Six series, about a band of six former Confederate soldiers who have only their bond of loyalty to each other... until one-by-one... they overcome their troubled pasts to find a future in love.

Daniel Cash is the deadliest one of the bunch. He excells at womanizing and gambling, and has a well-known and well-deserved name as a gunfighter. Hurt deeply by the woman he once loved, his bitterness toward "nice" girls spills over into everything he does and is reflected in the cold lifelessness of his eyes. But, throughout the series, the reader gets glimpses of something deeper: his loyalty to friends, his sense of humor, and his pained heart. In the book, Cash, he finally finds peace by facing his past - in the flesh... whether he likes it or not - and learning that he doesn't have to face the future alone. The climactic confrontation gives a wonderful indepth look at the life of a professional gunfighter and the resulting sacrifices.

It's an enjoyable end to a super western romance series. I just wish there had been more than six!

... I will always keep a library of Linda's books. This is my favorite of her Linda Devlin books, and ties with being my all-time favorite by this author with No Angel's Grace - which I read once a year. Keep those fingers flying, Linda. And if you use yet another pen name, please let all us fans know so we can snatch up your books. Linda will never let you down in the way she builds her characters. They are persons of strength and loyalty, though every one vastly different. She has a true gift! You will never forget Daniel Cash and he'll always hold a special place in your heart! Get it, read it, keep it!

I loved this book so much, I went out and got the rest to the series to read. The story line and the characterizations of the characters are incredible. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a great read!

I am a very picky reader. I love to read, but it has to be the perfect story line. If you know what I mean. Lots of people think of Christain books as being boring. that is what I thought when I saw this book. After a friend told me to read it I was wrapped up in the story line! I even went out of my way to find, and buy the rest in the series! This book, By Honor Bound, is a story of real life problems, plus heros and heroines that will stay in your heart. If you are looking for a book (or books) to read, find one of the Guardians of the North books and dig in!!!

I have read the first 2 of the Guardians of the North so far. I have enjoyed them immensley and can't wait to read the others! I would definately recommend these books to anyone who enjoys history, a romance, or a wonderful Christian novel! I have enjoyed many other novels by his father Gilbert Morris. I have read the entire House of Winslow series and can't wait for the latest book to come out! I would certainly recommend this book to anyone willing to read it!

All worthwhile endeavors are chancy this book is no exception. Will the average reader give this book a second look? Today sex and violence seems to be the main stay of entertainment at first glance this book appeared to be no different, but I was otherwise refreshingly surprised. This is not a western, but a true historical piece. The description about a bustling boomtown before the turn of the 19th century is realistic and believable. You walk away with the feeling that the characters really existed whether con-artist, gambler, miners, bankers, and the of course the fairer of the sexes. If you drop the TV depiction of the old west and take a good hard look here, you will see the rich culture and refinement of the old west. You will also be entertained by the unusual events and how these all come together in the story line. Chancy is aptly named.

The realism and accuracy of this book is amazing! The author has obviously done his homework and made this tale of bankers, merchants, miners, prostitutes, and scalawags so realistic you can hear the bullets whine. The plot builds up to an exciting climax and the characters are fascinating. Reading this book sure beats staring at a TV.

A real page turner; read in one sitting! While at first glance a story about a mining town might seem boring, this story packs a punch that will send you reeling with excitement. The authenticity of the western era has been faithfully preserved throughout the novel.The plots and subplots will keep you riveted to the very last page. I can't wait for the sequel.

One of those better historical romance novels that keep the pages turning. It's my first book from Victoria Lynne. I was craving for more but she wrote so few novels.

After the 2 previous reviews, I'm not going to elaborate on this. I just want to say that recently I bought a batch of books which all received glowing 5-stars reviews but this is the only one that lives up to expectation. After so many romances and historicals, I find the plots are hackneyed and overused but it is the writing skills of the writers which make the difference between good and bad, corny or refreshing. Victoria Lynne is a terrific story-teller. It is such pleasure to read this fast-moving, funny and captivating romance.

Read this book and learn about yourself, 'nuff said.