The settlers in the Redbud Valley are peaceable, God-fearing folk who try to follow the golden rule, but they've been pushed too far by the mayor of Blue Stone, who wants their land and seemingly has the law on his side. Just as the nesters are banding together to resist the land grab, Blue Stone's newest deputy rides through their valley. Before they realize the sleepy-eyed youngster called Arizona is a veteran gunfighter hired to bulldoze them off their claims, he has already broken bread with them, danced with their daughters…and stolen the heart of one.
Young Theresa Gutierrez believes Arizona is more than a curly wolf with quick trigger fingers and a stone-cold heart, but her parents and neighbors have good reason to believe otherwise. What everyone agrees upon is that, in the brewing range war, the Arizona Kid is liable to be right smack in the midst of the killing.
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Review – I wasn't sure what to expect going into this. I occasionally like to read outside of the genres I usually read – paranormal, contemporary, and sometimes sci-fi. I rarely read westerns unless they are romance but I decided to give this one a go.Â
I used to sit around and watch westerns as a kid with my dad so I was excited to read this. Arizona was a complex character, he is a gun for hire who runs squatters off of land and even kills when he has to until he meets a group of squatters that changes his mind. Â
Teresa is confused by her feelings for the bad boy and wonders if Arizona can turn around. This book surprisingly had a Christian message that I wasn't suspecting. I love the cover but I'm not sure it really matches the book.Â
About the author–
M.R. Kayser grew up in the West–first in the frontier-like wilds of Alaska, then the rugged deserts of New Mexico, where western culture and folklore made an impression which lasts to this day. He's been a soldier, a film maker, a hot-rodder and an all-around social misfit, but has always had stories to tell–whether of the old West; the present day; or of distant galaxies and alien dimensions.
