“Few of us receive what we’re owed in life, Kid, but we generally get what we deserve.”

Rio Hondo by Preston Lewis is the conclusion of the Three Rivers Trilogy, and it has been quite the entertaining journey. Wes Bracken and his wife, Sarafina, and ranch partner, Jace Cousins, all have a thorn in their sides named Jesse Evans. This evil man’s reign of terror needs to end before he hurts, violates, or kills anyone else. In Rio Hondo, nearly everyone is fed up with living on a brutal edge in or near Lincoln County in the New Mexico Territory in the late 1800s, with so much killing, rustling, and corruption running rampant and unchecked. Wes has always wanted to build a harmonious life on his ranch with his wife and growing family, but fate and several bad people say otherwise. For now, anyway.

Rio Hondo brings about many changes in this trilogy, including a new child in the Bracken household, the fate of a chipped tooth, word that Lincoln County will finally be cleaned up and a safe place to live, and William Bonney (aka Billy the Kid) ready to cooperate with the law so that he can stop running and settle down…maybe. As is often the case, not everything goes as planned, and not every change turns out to be good. One thing is certain: love, life, and justice always seem to find a way. Saddle up and ride with Wes and Jace as they work hard to keep Wes’s family and homestead safe; try to convince Sarafina’s brother to stop his bad ways; and vow to see the end of Jesse Evans once and for all. Can they actually achieve all this and live to tell the tale? Only one way to find out.

Preston Lewis is a crackerjack storyteller, with a wide repertoire of remarkable narratives, including humorous historical fiction, personal anecdotes, and western fiction. Rio Hondo and the entire Three Rivers Trilogy have not escaped Preston’s superior writing expertise. What a fabulous series! The characterization and well-thought-out plot are, of course, superb, but if you are looking for a quick read with non-stop action, this trilogy may not be the ticket. But don’t walk away just yet. The overall story has plenty of action, and the characters are worth getting to know, with each book building upon the other, and with Rio Hondo culminating in a satisfying and realistic ending. All three books play out as one long story, so reading them in order is highly recommended.

Major points to ponder in Rio Hondo include protecting family, sustaining loyalty to good friends, and maintaining honor and integrity, with Wes and Jace stopping at almost nothing to remain upright, honest men amidst the lawlessness in Lincoln County. But sometimes good people must go outside the law and do wrong just to make things right. The Wild West was certainly violent and corrupt, but it was also filled with genuine folk intent on building new lives, new towns, and new chances for the entire country. Preston Lewis captures all of this and more in many of his well-developed characters, including his protagonist, Wes Bracken, in Rio Ruidoso, Rio Bonito, and Rio Hondo.

Spend some time along the banks of these three rivers and then dive into Preston’s other books because every single one is spectacular!

Enter the giveaway below on or before August 12, 2022, for a chance to win an autographed copy of Rio Hondo!

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