Encourage the publisher to reprint and promote the entire Bass Family series starting with "Temptation's Trail." These books stand out not just as historical romances but as fine westerns adventures. Harmon Bass is one of most atypical romantic heroes I've ever read--also one of the best in this or any other genre.

Another wonderful story of the Bass Family Saga! Becca has become a Bass to be proud of. Hopefully Dana Ransom will at least give one more look into the lives of the people we have grown to love. What about Randall? Please, we need some kind of closure!

Pretty darn good listening! Wish I could get more! If you like detective stories and especially things related to the real thing then you will enjoy these classic Radio programs.

I believe it was Herodotus who said that the Persians were taught from their youth to do three things: "Ride the horse, draw the bow, and speak the truth." Ranger Jase Pearson rides the horse, shoots the gun, and speaks the truth through eighteen true life stories of crime and detection set in mid-20th century Texas. As a prosecutor who has labored 25+ years in the rural South, I can attest to the authenticity of the stories. Almost any one of these cases could have happened in my jurisdiction. The mysteries are fun to listen to as you "help" Jase and his partner Clay Morgan winnow through the clues to bring the bad guy to justice. Pearson is a sort of cross between Joe Friday and Mat Dillon, with a little Sherlock Holmes stirred in. As good as Pearson is, however, he is not infallible. Several times you will want to grab him by the sleeve and pull him back onto the right track as he wanders down blind alleys.

Now for the quibbles: The characters are cardboard at best, and you occasionally encounter gender and ethnic stereotyping. Apparently forensic science has gone backwards since the 50's. The Rangers' crime lab does some things that would challenge modern crime labs. Pearson runs roughshod over the 4th and 5th amendments to the Constitution. Searches without warrants abound, as do arrests without probable cause. Pearson engages in several gunfights and displays superhuman marksmanship. He almost invariably "wings" his opponent without doing serious injury. Real gunfights just don't happen that way. As the Sundance Kid reportedly said to Butch Cassidy, in a gunfight you "aim for the middle. That way if you miss a little, it don't matter so much."

Despite the shortcomings, "Tales of the Texas Rangers" is an authentic, entertaining collection of radio plays that will give hours of listening pleasure.

Popular histories of Texas abound with self-legitimizing grand narratives and myths and written by arm-chair historians whose sole qualification sometimes is that they are multiple-generation Texans. Some extoll the inexorability of the westward expansion of the Anglo-Celt pioneer, or the defense of self-described legends, or even minimize the impact that the Tejano had on Texas and Texan culture. All is not bleak, though. Reviewing my daughter's junior high Texas history text, I see that there have been quantum improvements in the way Texas history is presented, compared to the way it was presented when I was in junior high, a generation ago. More recent scholarly works have been synthesized into these texts to present a more balanced and more historically accurate representation of the past. It is scholarly studies, such as Tijerina's Tejanos & Texas Under the Mexican Flag, that are ever so slowly working their way up into the historiographical consciousness and providing the information for better school texts and hopefully more accurate popular history.

Professor Tijerina begins his book by challenging Frederick Jackson Turner's frontier thesis and Walter Prescott Webb's variation on the Turnerian theme that the Anglo-American character and the historical development of Anglo-American culture was indelibly shaped by the frontier and westward expansion. Tijerina argues that there were other forces also at play that Turner's and Webb's theses did not take into account . As Francis Bannon reminded us a generation ago, "nowhere in the [Spanish] Borderlands was the Anglo-American a pioneer." Using assorted primary sources as well as secondary works, Tijerina traces the history of Tejanos during this short but chaotic period in Mexican Texas history. The author describes the basic institutions of Tejano life and culture and how a two-way cultural exchange resulted when the Tejano and Anglo-American frontiers intersected. "Because Texas was the first Mexican state settled by the Anglo-American tide, Texas probably had a greater influence initially on the westward-moving frontier," Tijerina tells us, and therefore provided one of the shaping factors of the historical development of the West.

Affirming Bannon's admonition, Tijerina finds that "Tejanos had a significant and lasting influence in the history of Texas. They gave unique reality to the larger historical forces centering on Texas in the early nineteenth century. When international events brought changes to the political status of Texas, Tejanos provided a vital continuum. Their local laws gave meaning and movement to national legislation. Their culture, their lives, their problems, and their solutions contributed much to the historical character of Texas." Therefore, the author concludes that "...the history of Texas can never be complete without the story of her original founders-the Tejanos."

Tijerina's book not only fills an historical lacunae that's been far too long ignored, but provides a compelling and surprising, to many, interpretation of cultural exchange between the Tejano pioneers and the newly arrived Anglo-American. A Vietnam verteran who flew combat missions, Andrés Tijerina holds degrees from Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University, and the University of Texas.

Dr. Tijerina is notorious for his didication to and knowledge of Texas history. i havent read the book, but i am in his class and i have never had better instruction in history. If you are doing research in the area of Texas, he is your man.

This book is filled with fun, charming characters. I loved it from the start when Gwen Kempner is given a skirt with supposed magical powers to attract men at a wedding.
But Gwen is "done" with men. She doesn't believe in some magic skirt for a minute, thinks weddings are sappy and plans to focus on her career.

Her plan would be fine except for her sexy next door neighbor, Alec Fleming. The developing relationship between the hero and heroine is based on genuine friendship and the pitfalls that come from being friends first. They met over scooby doo and trade zingers.

But now that she's decided to try the skirt, she finds it doesn't fit. When her father runs off to a cabin with no electricity her mother borrows it. The scene so funny I nearly fell off the couch laughing.

The characters are quirky and lovable. The book is very funny but has a three dimensionality to the characters as they face real to life situations.
Jesica

Heather MacAllister scores big in this tale of buddies Alec and Gwen, whose relationship changes the day Gwen takes possession of a skirt said to have mysterious attractive powers. The only problem -- the darned thing doesn't fit.

A fun, fast-paced read that I highly recommend, TEMPTED IN TEXAS will have readers laughing out loud.

I have been reading Clays Reynolds' works since Franklins Crossing, and find each one to be even more enjoyable than the previous. I didn't just read The Tentmaker, I devoured it. The characters are well rounded, and truly breathe with a life of their own on the pages. I found myself identifying with Gil Hooley as if I had known him all my life. I could clearly see him throwing up his hands and yelling, "WHAT?!" with every encounter he had with Margot Phillips, the red-haired Madam. And as for Margot, she is without doubt the most vexing, stubborn, irritating, alluring woman I have seen in some time. I found myself laughing out loud each time she would browbeat Hooley into doing what she wanted, and then berate him for doing it with the next breath. Hooley is a man, who through the accident of fate, ends up becoming everything he has never really wanted to be. And as a result of this, is placed in the very uncomfortable position of having to defend what he never really wanted in the first place. And through his actions, he becomes a hero, albeit, a reluctant hero. This is a well written, and extremely engaging book. Whether or not you are a fan of Western Fiction, and if you never read another book of this genre, read this book. You won't regret it.

This is one of best tales I've come across in years. The hapless Gil Hooley is constantly trying to find a quiet place to read and smoke his pipe, yet the camp he established quickly becomes a settlement, and is determined to grow into a town. The poor guy, everything he says comes out wrong, so he is forced into situations that could have been avoided. Clay Reynolds has created a winner, not to be missed.

Very clearly presents the organization of the Confederate armies and sorts out a lot of the confusion regarding regimental consolidations and duplicate naming. A great tool for genealogists and Civil War researchers

Mr. Sifakis has done an excellent job chronicling the Arkansas and Florida Confederate Armies, citing dates of organization, battles, commanders, mergers, and dispositions. I would highly recommend this book to any serious researcher.

Just finished reading this book and there is only one word to describe it EXCELLENT! thank you Mr. King Jude at trialwatchers.com

I just ordered this book and can't wait to get it! This was such an interesting story and Gary C. King is the best for true crime. I love all of his books! Can't wait for the Binion book to come out to An Early Grave I watched the trial and it was fascinating...Hurry Amazon! Jude http://trialwatchers.com

Kay Cattarulla edits Texas Bound Book 3, which provides a further meaningful set of stories about people who come to terms with love, race, myths and time in towns across Texas. Promises special appeal to Texas listeners and readers.

I've always known Southern writing to have its own flavor, its own texture, its own flow. Like the speech that labels a southern with the dropped 'g' so does Southern writing take on a tone that is distinctive and different. Despite my background in literature, however, until now I've neglected Texan writing, with its infinite differences that strike at the common elements of the human spirit. Indeed, I've now learned that Southern writing, Texas style, is a genre all its own. With the fluid grace of a hot summer day and iced tea, TEXAS BOUND: BOOK III reveals the people and the land make Texas writing its own sub-genre.

From cowboys to common experience, these authors capture disdain for social fripperies and Wal-Mart sex appeal. Ordinary experiences take on freshness with distinctive language that becomes trademark for Texas style, as does the capturing of flow of conversation, and the flavors of pepper and pickled okra. Ordinary struggles become extraordinary when facing pregnancy or death. Indeed, as William J. Cobb says as he captures the movement of time and tragedy, "things get boring without trouble." And trouble comes extra large in Texas.

TEXAS BOUND moves with the perfection and grace of masterful storytelling. The words on the page hold the rhythm and cadence of speech, lending each story a sense of immediacy and importance. The simplest elements of life take on richer meaning through the act of observance and recounting. While the stories move from passionate to poignant, from humorous to tragic, each will capture the heart and imagination. Very highly recommended.

The day I learned of Richard Lowe's publication of the diary and letters of James C. Bates I ordered the book. I read Bates' diary and letters first then re-read the entire book. I was fascinated! In his letters, Bates reveals his feelings much more often than most Civil War soldiers. I have often wondered how he survived such a dreadful wound. His description of forcing a tube down his horridly damaged throat would make anyone cringe. I knew a descendant of James C. Bates had the major's Civil War papers, but I had no idea where to find that person. This book is a valuable contribution to the history of a band of brave and dedicated young men who deserve recognition. Their brigade, made up of the First Texas Legion, the Third, the Sixth, and the Ninth Texas Cavalry, is the only Texas cavalry brigade to serve east of the Mississippi. They were transferred from the TransMississippi to Corinth in April 1862 and remained in the Confederate West to the end of the war. In the Official Records they were known as the Texas Cavalry Brigade and later in the war as Ross's Cavalry Brigade. I have a special interest in the Ninth Texas Cavalry and would have paid a large ransom for Lowe's book a couple of years ago. I am elated to add it to my library. My mother remembered two uncles, Reuben and Jesse Rogers, who served with the Ninth. Her stories and a few old family records started my research on the regiment ten years ago. In January of this year Avon Books published my book about the Ninth and Ross's Brigade - All Afire to Fight - The Untold Tale of the Civil War's Ninth Texas Cavalry. See Amazon.com for description and reviews of All Afire to Fight.

In our family my great aunt was the keeper of this rare piece of glass pressed into a frame, not even as big as a deck of cards. It was the likeness of my great-great grandfather, a supposed captain in some Confederate unit, captured in an ambrotype, a primitive form of photograph. I peered at him as a child as he proudly gazed back at me from more than a century ago, his hat flamboyantly cocked, beard prominent, and pistols visible at his waist.

We never knew what the war was like for him, the details of his life blurred by a sketchy oral tradition: Didn't know what he thought about the cause in which he was engaged; what he thought about his fellow soldiers; about the Union; about his family. We didn't know why he came back home to Arkansas, so we were told, in the middle of the war, only to die. Had he been wounded or taken ill? Had he deserted, or just walked away on a long odyssey home, as Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain soldier had?

These past few days, though, have offered a vivid and authentic picture of how life must have been for my forebear. Richard Lowe, Regents Professor of History at the University of North Texas, pulled all the strands of that world together in this book.

Captain, then Major, then Lieutenant Colonel Bates' letters and diary entries, along with Lowe's invaluable geographical markers and chronological waystations, give us a true picture of the trials -- physical, mental and emotional -- that must have weighed heavily on those young men in the maelstrom of war.

Bates' own psyche tilts at the eternal and epic questions of Everyman's life and death throughout the book. In some letters, the young Bates playfully teases his future wife Mootie. In others, the darker hand of war and combat color his mind. His lightheartedness with Mootie stands out against the grisly accounts of terrible battles and revenge. In one he reports that his men "set a good many" former slaves who had gone over to the Union side "to stretching hemp," a euphemism for hanging.

As Bates' letters and diaries continue throughout the war, his own accounts of rumors brought into his camp and his joy at optimistic accounts of victories reported leave us pitying his soul, for he knows not yet of the war's inexorable grinding on the Confederacy. Lowe's ample and informative historical notes and charts force us to twist privately in our seats as we read, unable from this vantage point to even vicariously enlighten or encourage Bates in his travels and battles through the Indian Territory, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

Bates would hear of nothing to dampen the spirits of the Confederate cause, evidenced by a letter to his sister, a scalding scolding, after she had written to him a particularly depressing letter. "Why all this gloom," he asks. "You permit your imagination to conjure up a thousand dangers & difficulties & causes for trouble that have no existence in reality." Then, after a tub-thumping sermon on reasons for bearing up under the strain: "Make an effort to appear cheerful at all times - and making the effort to appear so will soon really make you feel so."

Bates' optimism bears up even when he contemplates continuation of the war after the fall of Vicksburg and Atlanta.

Analyses of the deeper reasons for the conflict pepper Bates' writings, based many times on his reading of letters and papers captured from Union soldiers. Then, as if it is all a joke, he relates a story of how the belligerents, negotiating in 1861, came to terrible disagreement over which side would take Mississippi. Abraham Lincoln, who in this tale really didn't want anything to do with Mississippi, reluctantly offers to take half, then precipitating the war, since the South could not bear to have only half. Bates despised Mississippi. On his second trip there, he was obliged to admit that his Confederate troops were treated better than before, the locals having got a dose of the Yankee medicine since his last visit, a medicine which he felt had taught them to respect the presence of their own Confederate troops.

Bates' use of American slang still rings true in the ear today, with his talk of having the "blues" from time to time, but his prose is undeniably pristine and proper. His take on the ineptitude of Confederate leaders is poignant and his analysis of politics is deadly sharp.

Possibly while on a visit back home, he, like so many soldiers in other conflicts, left a code with his friend Mootie, which allowed him to pass along information to her which could have compromised the troops' mission have it been general knowledge. Lowe includes the two instances of the code in use, along with a facsimile of the actual key used in deciphering. How exciting and intimate it must have been to think of passing along privileged information along to his future partner.

Bates also follows the lead of many other soldiers, finding God, or "taking religion," after his brush with death and subsequent injury. He assures his mother that if he were to die, he would be reunited with her one day in the heavens.

The war for Bates ended with his inability to return home for a while. He spent time wandering Mississippi, in all likelihood working through events that changed him from a young innocent to a vengeful, physically shattered man.

Bates was lucky enough to have survived a minié ball wound to the mouth, and lived a productive life for some time after the war, unlike my "Captain," who died before the war was over. Even so, I, and many others who may have wondered about their forebear in their own carefully passed-along photo, now have something to go on, something that reveals the real world of a Confederate soldier, the hopes, the joys, the wrenching twists of morals and psyche.

This is a book of superlative photography, capturing the essence of the Texas cowboy and his life--the dirt, the work, the gear, the animals, the life. Stoecklein has a love for the West that dances joyously through his work.

This is Mr. Stoecklein's finest work to date! Through his camera lens were able to get a close up view of the life of a Texas Cowboy and his natural surrondings. What is most interesting about this photo essay is that it shows the diversity of Texas and how the cowboys have adapted to the land. One of my best friends is a Cowboy from Pampa, Texas and he went nuts for this book. Full of beautiful photography and illustrations, and imformative text, this is a must for anybody who shares a passion for the American West and what it stands for.