Uncle Bill must have every single book Louis L’amour ever wrote. He loves to tell me the plots of the latest cowboy book he’s been reading. But usually cowboy books aren’t the first thing I pick up when I want a relaxing bit of fiction. When Uncle Bill loaned Merritt the Fortunes of the Black Hills series by Stephen Bly, however, Merritt told me I had to read them, too. The first was a little slow at the start, but soon I was telling Merritt he better finish up the next book and mail it to me.

If you’re looking for some good old-fashioned cowboy romance and clean humor, you’ll find it in the Fortunes of the Black Hills. Stephen Bly’s writing is simple and straightforward, combined with small-town stories and biblical truths (but no sermons). But you can’t read just one. Look for all six at your local library, or find them at ChristianBook.com.

“It seems to me, there’s a line, a barrier, between a person and the entire rest of the world. Everyone and everything is ‘out there’ and I’m ‘over here.’ Most of life is spent by me peeking out at the world and observing. Every once in a while I allow others to peer over the line at me. But you, it feels like you are over here with me and we are both peeking out together. I don’t reckon that makes a lot of sense…but from the minute I met you, it was like you were on this side of the line.”
-Frank to Essie in The Next Roundup by Stephen Bly