Tell Cotten

Tell Cotton sent me a copy of this novel in exchange for my review.

“Cooper” is a novel with a bit of a different feel from the previous two books in the series. The Landon Family is looking to the future. The three primary characters have sweethearts and plans involving those sweethearts that look toward the continuation of the Landon name. Easier planned than done in the days when you weren’t sure you’d live to see the next sunrise. There is a feeling of coming together of the other two stories in this book and some resolution though Cotten could easily continue the series and keep the reader engaged. And we do know that the series will go on as the work ends with a except from Book 4 which will be titled “Rondo.”

Josie is a badass. Cotten, in his writing, tends to give the women spirit. In my review of “Entwined Paths,” I cited Jessica as no wilting violet but Josie makes her look like a swooning silent movie actress (though Jessica does appear in “Cooper” in a significant way and makes an interesting transformation). Josie was kidnapped from her home and made an Indian bride and she learned much from her experience. She catches food without weapons, mends wounds with sticks and on Page 115 when they need someone to act as scout for a location she’s there willing and volunteering. Cotten gives us some moments of uncertainty early on when he needs her off-screen (in a manner of speaking) but this is not a woman who falls easily. She is the Wild West feminist movement. If she stays with Cooper it’ll be because she wants to stay with Cooper and not because she needs him and I love that about her. The inclusion of this character in a normally male driven genre makes this one of the better westerns I’ve read.

Cotten’s work is character driven. Over the course of the now trilogy characters have evolved and expanded and to a man (and women) have become more interesting instead of less. Cotten’s settings are strong. His setting itself is something of a bonus character but it is the people that makes the series and will keep readers coming back for more.

If you like westerns or have a loved one that enjoys a down and dirty trip to the Wild West click through to Amazon and buy the Landon Family Saga by Tell Cotten. They run at the $2.99 to $3.05 price point for e-readers and are engaging, entertaining and engrossing. These are the books that are impossible to put down and leave you wanting more.… (mere)

Yancy and Cooper Landon are true western lawmen. They're rough and tumble and willing to do what they need to do. As with the first novel, Cotten employs a light humor organic to the western setting. In an atmosphere so heavy it seems real not to take oneself so seriously. There are too many true dangers out there. As witnessed in the band of killers and thugs that kidnapped Jessica. Yancy and Cooper know the danger and they know they're on borrowed time investing the story with a true sense of urgency and often a lack of hope for the character they're trying to save.

Readers will appreciate the strong female character in Entwined Paths. Jessica is no wilting violet. There is a scene in which she's confronting her captors and she mentions that her uncle is a well known cattleman of the area. The gang confirms knowing him and says they've taken some of his cattle to market. Jessica asks if her uncle knew they were "working" for him and one of the gang says that he didn't at the time. Those light moments in a situation in which the author could have had his female character trembling in fear and hog tied add an entertainment factor and respect for the character. Kill her if you want but don't be sure it'll shut her up. Jessica is smart and can take care of herself and notices things that her companions don't.

If you like Louis L'amour, Max Brand, Zane Grey or any of the great western writers, you'll like Tell Cotten. Pick up the Landon Family Saga today.… (mere)