An H. H. Lomax Western, #5
by
by
PRESTON LEWIS
Genre: Historical Fiction / Western / Humor
Publisher: Wolfpack Publishing
Date of Publication: February 5, 2020
Publisher: Wolfpack Publishing
Date of Publication: February 5, 2020
Number of Pages: 449
Scroll down for the giveaway!
HISTORICALLY SOUND AND HILARIOUSLY FUNNY!H.H. Lomax meets Wild Bill Hickok in Springfield, Missouri, and is responsible for Hickok’s legendary gunfight with Davis Tutt. Fearing Hickok will hold a grudge, Lomax escapes Springfield and agrees to promote Joseph G. McCoy’s dream of building Abilene, Kansas, into a cattle town, ultimately leading the first herd to Abilene from Texas. Along the way, he encounters Indians, rabid skunks, flash floods, a stampede, and the animosities of some fellow cowboys trying to steal profits from the drive. Lomax is saved by the timely arrival of now U.S. Marshal Hickok, but Lomax uses counterfeit wanted posters to convince Hickok his assailants are wanted felons with rewards on their heads. Lomax and Wild Bill go their separate ways until they run into each other a decade later in Deadwood, Dakota Territory, where Hickok vows to kill Lomax for getting him fired.
First Herd to Abilene is an entertaining mix of historical and hysterical fiction.
Hey, Y’all! How’s quarantine life going? Truth be told (since
I’m a hermit) not much is different for me, except I cannot make a dash into
the store when I wanna. *Le Sigh* I’m seriously missing the dollar store, at
the moment.
Most of y’all know that I’m an author who lurves writing
about alien invasions in Small Town, Texas. But I’m also an Instructional
Designer with my own (award winning) boutique firm called Star eLearning. (If you happen to
know someone who needs Instructional Design services, send ‘em my way, yo!) Therefore, I work from home 24/7. So, I’m still
mostly just doing what I usually do, except for wearing a ninja mask once a
week on a short trek to town. This makes me feel uppity and ninja-like in all
my masked glory.
But I digress…
In betwixt designing elearning modules for clients and
writing on my current WIP (no, I ain’t gonna give y’all any deets on that), I’ve
been luxuriating in reading A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES by Deborah Harkness. Right when the plot is
getting all juicy and vampirey (I just made that word up), here comes Kristine,
all sneaky like, with FIRST HERD TO ABILENE by Preston Lewis in her tantalizing biscuit hooks.
She stroked the lush cover of Lewis’ western (knowing
full-well that I’m a complete history nerd), and purred “trust in me…just in me…open
your eyes…and trust in me…”
Well, not really like that... But she somehow (in her mystical
book siren way) knew that this book would be a good fit for moi and my penchant
for history. I minored in history at UH, ya see. Albeit with a study in Viking
history, but how different are cowboys from Vikings, really? Basically, one
shouts “vallhallah!” whilst the other calls out “yeehaw!”
Well, there are one
or two other differences, but this dude kinda has a little of both, wouldn't you say?
via GIPHY
I know, I know, I always make y’all
listen to me yammer on and on instead of coming on out with the review. Dang! I’m gittin’
to it! Hold yer horses (or mules, donkeys, camels, etc.)!
I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about FIRST HERD TO ABILENE by Preston Lewis, to
be honest. It just didn’t sound like it had any UFOs or aliens in it, I guess. But
not many books do, these days. However, I do lurve me some Texas (and cowboys ain’t bad,
either.) So, I turned on my Kindle and commenced to read.
Aha…there it was. The hook. Right away. Lewis had the
confounded, dadblasted nerve to straight up tell me in the Introduction that he’s writing
about an actual historical figure who he’s been researching for many years.
“Well, heck,” I says to myself. “How am I supposed to put
this book down now?” I huffed as I continued reading. “I hope Lewis is happy!”
My nostrils flared as I took a big ole gulp of coffee and dug on into the
story.
Before I knew it, I had slipped into the skin of H. H.
Lomax, a man who knew the likes of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. A man who'd done and experienced all sorts of things in his younger years than most modern folks would have the chance to do in a lifetime. And since I'd slipped on into Lomax's boots, I was experiencing those things, too!
Ya see, Lewis has a way with spinning a yarn. I’d thought this
particular type of storytelling had become a lost art. But I was dead wrong.
This book is penned in such a way that the reader has no choice
but to become part of the story. This is the type of book that nerds yearn for.
If one wants to get lost from reality, then I recommend grabbing a copy of
FIRST HERD TO ABILENE by Preston Lewis. Reading this book is akin to taking a
vacation from life.
And, given that we’ve all been in a dadgum pandemic, we can
all use a little bit of escape right about now. Though I’ve featured Preston Lewis here on Books &
Broomsticks in the past, this is the first of his books that I’ve read. But, I
assure y’all that it won’t be the last.
I sorely needed that break from modern
day (pandemic riddled murder hornet) life, and Lewis took me on a wild west
adventure far away from my worries and troubles.
Lewis’ writing is witty, timeless, and intelligent.
FIRST
HERD TO ABILENE won a place in my
Texas lovin’ pea pickin’ heart!
And that’s why I’m granting
FIRST HERD TO ABILENE
By Preston Lewis
5 Fantastical Brooms!
Preston Lewis is the Spur Award-winning author of thirty novels. In addition to his two Western Writers of America Spurs, he received the 2018 Will Rogers Gold Medallion for Western Humor for Bluster’s Last Stand, the fourth volume in his comic western series, The Memoirs of H. H. Lomax. Two other books in that series were Spur finalists. His comic western The Fleecing of Fort Griffin received the Elmer Kelton Award from the West Texas Historical Association for best creative work on the region.
GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!
1ST PRIZE:
Signed Copies of First Herd to Abilene and Bluster's Last Stand
2ND PRIZE:
Signed Copy of First Herd to Abilene
Signed Copies of First Herd to Abilene and Bluster's Last Stand
2ND PRIZE:
Signed Copy of First Herd to Abilene
APRIL 28-MAY 8, 2020
(US ONLY)
Click Image to Go to Rafflecopter Form
FOR DIRECT LINKS TO EACH POST ON THIS TOUR, UPDATED DAILY
OR GO DIRECTLY TO THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:
4/28/20
|
Excerpt
| |
4/28/20
|
BONUS Post
| |
4/29/20
|
Review
| |
4/30/20
|
Author Interview
| |
5/1/20
|
Review
| |
5/2/20
|
Scrapbook Page
| |
5/3/20
|
Excerpt
| |
5/4/20
|
Review
| |
5/5/20
|
Author Interview
| |
5/6/20
|
BONUS Post
| |
5/7/20
|
Review
| |
5/7/20
|
Series Spotlight
| |
5/8/20
|
BONUS Review
|
blog tour services provided by
Fabulous and fabulously fun review! I must read the Lomax books -- all the others I've read by this author are fantastic. Thanks for the post!
ReplyDeleteIt was a true pleasure to read this book. Lewis'... Lewis's (both are now considered grammatically correct, apparently) are refreshing in that it is written in a style from the past. I truly enjoyed it!
DeleteThanks for your ever-loving, pea-picking good review. Lomax would be flattered! Regards, Preston Lewis.
ReplyDeleteYou're most welcome! Lomax is a true character worth all the dadgum flattering my fingers could type! It's a true pleasure hosting you here on Books & Broomsticks, Mr. Lewis, and I (and my ever lovin' pea pickin' heart) look forward to having you back again soon!
Delete