Lone Star Book Blog Tour: Rio Bonito by Preston Lewis (Review & Giveaway)

“Why did it always work out that trouble arose when you were least prepared to respond?”

Rio Bonito by Preston Lewis is book two in the fabulous Three Rivers Trilogy, but it can stand alone because the author periodically recaps some events from book one, Rio Ruidoso, without them actually feeling like recaps. Lewis simply weaves in pertinent information where needed; however, book one is so entertaining that you won’t be sorry if you dive into this trilogy from the beginning.

Around 1876 in Lincoln County in the New Mexico Territory, Wes Bracken is still working his new ranch with his wife and stepson and trusty partner, Jace Cousins. Unfortunately, trouble is always just around the corner, pestering and threatening them from sunup to sundown and all night long to boot.  Wes is a likable dude and refuses to put up with anyone’s nonsense. If it weren’t for his chipped front tooth, mostly hidden behind a bushy mustache, Wes would be almost too good to be true. He’s honest to a fault but not above bending a few rules for the good of others when the situation calls for it. For example, in Rio Bonito, Wes doesn’t hesitate to go above and beyond to help the harassed widow of one of the few decent men in Lincoln County who was gunned down in cold blood. The number of antagonists always seems to outnumber the decent folk, but Wes and Jace are the perfect team to keep the outlaws, crooks, and murderers from getting the drop on them. But how long can they keep them at bay, and how long can Wes protect his new family and budding ranch from the bloodthirsty, greedy liars who refuse to just leave them be?

Preston Lewis has a knack for painting a western panorama with captivating description and succinct dialog and expertly mixing the mundane with the electrifying. Lewis ropes you into the story and effortlessly keeps you there to the very end, even if the characters are simply doing chores or eating beans and tortillas at the crack of dawn before heading out to round up stolen cattle. Next thing you know, threats are spewing, dogs are snarling, and bullets are flying. Hang on to your hats because Rio Bonito is a gripping western about a couple of honest men who stand their ground and do the right thing, even when everyone else seems to be taking the easy road and falling in with the bad crowd, including corrupt lawmen and politicians.

When William Bonney, commonly known as Billy the Kid, shows up in Wes Bracken’s life, the story jumps up to yet another level of superb entertainment. Preston Lewis builds up his characters to perfection and maneuvers them around the storyboard like a strategic chess game. You have to keep your wits about you because the outcome of this wild western game is uncertain, and Wes still has his work cut out for him in book two of this trilogy. Wes and Jace, however, are no pushovers and have no qualms about pulling out the big guns to get their point across to the shameless hooligans who just won’t quit. Will Lincoln County ever be a safe place to live? Can Wes remain on sure footing against the bad guys and protect what’s his? Some events toward the ending will set your blood to boiling and leave you clamoring for book three. Reckon you should lasso a copy of Rio Bonito (and Rio Ruidoso)  and find out if Lincoln County will ever be rid of the crooked riffraff and if Wes can protect both his sweet family and his land and livestock or if vengeance is on the menu. While you’re out book wrangling, how about checking out the rest of Preston Lewis’s novels because they are all pure entertainment. 

If you’re into westerns that include a wide range of characters and a plot that rivals any drama on any bookshelf, then Rio Bonito is a worthy choice that is sure to provide a nice little escape into the Wild West, written by an author who definitely knows how to keep his reading audience hanging on every single word.

Enter the giveaway below on or before September 17, 2021, for a chance to win some fabulous prizes!

I received a free copy of this book from Lone Star Book Blog Tours in exchange for my honest review.

Preston Lewis is the Spur Award-winning author of 40 westerns, historical novels, juvenile books and memoirs. He has received national awards for his novels, articles, short stories and humor.

In 2021 he was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters for his literary accomplishments. Lewis is past president of Western Writers of America and the West Texas Historical Association.

His historical novel Blood of Texas on the Texas Revolution earned a Spur Award as did his True West article on the Battle of Yellow House Canyon. He developed the Memoirs of H.H. Lomax series, which includes two Spur finalists and a Will Rogers Gold Medallion Award for western humor for his novel Bluster’s Last Stand on the battle of Little Big Horn. His comic western The Fleecing of Fort Griffin and two of his YA novels have won Elmer Kelton Awards for best creative work on West Texas from the West Texas Historical Association.

He began his writing career working for Texas daily newspapers in Abilene, Waco, Orange and Lubbock before going into university administration. During his 35-year career in higher education, he directed communications and marketing offices at Texas Tech University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and Angelo State University.

Lewis holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Baylor University and master’s degrees from Ohio State in journalism and Angelo State in history. He lives in San Angelo with his wife, Harriet.