Member Reviews

Two friends begin a stagecoach company and Tucker and Butch are in for more trouble than just what is out in the land between the towns. They are also fighting with a larger man who wants to take over them as well and if he can not have them he will put them out of business by other means. A young woman though hired them to take them to her dying father a Colonel at a military post and that would lead to a showdown but also a friendship. A good story with good characters.

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Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

In the vast expanse of Wyoming Territory, where the plains stretch endlessly and the mountains touch the sky, a legend was born—the Frontier Overland Company. But this wasn’t your run-of-the-mill stagecoach operation. No, sir. It was forged in the crucible of a Wyoming saloon brawl, where fists flew, curses echoed, and chairs splintered. And from that chaos emerged two kindred souls: Tucker Cobb and former Texas Ranger Butch Keeling.

These two men, fueled by equal parts grit and whiskey, decided to launch a brand-new stagecoach line. They called it the Frontier Overland Company, and it became more than just a business venture—it became their legacy.

Wild West Adventure: If you crave the smell of sagebrush, the creak of leather, and the thrill of danger, saddle up! This book takes you on a ride through Wyoming’s untamed wilderness, where every mile is fraught with peril.

Unlikely Partners: Cobb and Keeling are as different as whiskey and water, yet their camaraderie is unbreakable. Picture a grizzled cowboy and a sharpshooting ex-lawman—now imagine them navigating treacherous trails together. It’s a buddy movie waiting to happen.

Red Cloud’s War: The Lakota, Northern Cheyennes, and Northern Apaho are on the warpath, and Wyoming Territory is their battleground. As if that weren’t enough, wealthy railroad magnates and ruthless businessmen add to the chaos. The stakes are high, and the odds are stacked against our heroes.

Romance and Redemption: Amid the dust storms and gunfights, there’s room for love. A young woman, an army colonel’s daughter, joins the stagecoach. Her mission? To see her dying father. But love blooms unexpectedly, and hearts are tested against the backdrop of a nation healing from the Civil War.

Epic Landscape: Johnstone paints Wyoming with vivid strokes—the sprawling plains, the snow-capped peaks, and the endless sky. You’ll feel the wind in your hair and the sun on your face as you ride alongside Cobb and Keeling.

“The Frontier Overland Company” is a rollicking adventure, a tribute to the pioneers who carved paths through the wilderness. It’s about friendship, courage, and the American spirit. So grab your Stetson, cinch your saddle, and join the ride. The West awaits, and legends are made on its dusty trails.

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When it comes to excellent story telling set to a western theme, you'll never go wrong with a Johnstone book. The characters in their many series are authentic to the era and readers are able to see what life in the different sections of the west were like.

From Preacher, the first mountain man, whose life and family helped set the Northwest, to Perley Gates, who traveled Oklahoma Territory, each saga grows to include the generations who come after. Many characters from other Johnstone series have been known to show up and lend a hand when needed in other books.

THE FRONTIER OVERLAND COMPANY starts a new series where two friends will build a stagecoach line through Wyoming. They will have to over come the fleeing confederate soldiers, a hostile Indian population and the many competitor's for business. It's very easy to get pulled into a Johnstone book. The sense of being there in the middle of the action is a familiar one to readers like me who have been reading and enjoying their books for many years. As long as they keep writing them, I'll keep reading them.

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Johnstone's The Frontier Overland Company is a pretty good Western Fiction. I liked it and am giving it four stars.

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In William Johnstone's The Frontier Overland Company (Pinnacle 2023), Tucker Cobb and his partner, Butch, sink all of their savings into the purchase of a stagecoach line. It's their first business venture and they’re determined to do it right, but already, on the first ride, they end up in a gun battle at one of the way stations when outlaws attack the station and steal the horses the stage line needs. Tucker and Butch manage to get them back, but this proves just the beginning of their troubles. Before this first ride is done, they have fought too many bad guys, saved many lives, and wondered if their new business would survive.

Tucker and Butch are both strong, interesting characters who readers will like the more they get to know him. They both have solid moral cores and know when they must fight for justice. I found this an excellent story with non-stop action. I'd love to read more of these characters should Johnstone turn it into a series. I got the sense he might because several threads were left unpulled. Highly recommended for those who can't get enough of the Old West tales.

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Tucker Cobb and Butch Keeller or on the dusty road again but before setting off Tucker hast to get in between a lovelorn spoiled adult boy in Jane the woman who is leaving for Laramie. This doesn’t sit well with the Haskins boy and he gets his workers from the mind to try and way lay the coach drivers but they although out numbered the two Road weary men were still the victors and The minors came out lesser for it. The trouble wasn’t over however because at their next stop they found the waystation man hanging in his barn with his horses gone his son unconscious and his wife frantic. This is just the beginning of an even bigger problem because when they move on to Evansville the sheriff Raquel doesn’t take too kindly to the to do goodies especially Tucker Cobb who has a harder time holding his emotion then his friend not to mention he fancies Miss Jane and in the end may have more to lose. I really liked this book and I’m disappointed I missed the first one but will definitely rectify that I am obsessed with the Johnstone westerns and love all of them I just wish they had a female western hero and not just side chicks wives and girlfriends but a main female character that is just as bad with a gun as the heroes of his books. Having said all that however I still loved this book and give it five stars. I want to thank Kensington books and Net Galley for my free arc audio and digital copy. Please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my

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The endless Johnstone Clans continue with still another one involving a couple blokes running a stagecoach company in unfriendly territory. This features a large cast, but a cast of typically strong Johnstone characters. The character I liked best - and would think a good helmer of a Johnstone series - is Hunt.

The plot of this book should've stretched three books and another example of the overlong Johnstone book for sales purposes. This is a very good tale and a plotting not found of the few hundred Johnstone books I've read. So much happens that the book does get exhausting at points.

The angle of the stagecoach brings traveling characters and the stagecoach business and those running the local towns into a story that is headlines by the two running the featured stagecoach company. The story is so well written that all of the characters involved are not mixed up or similar.

The only troubles I came upon could have been due to this being read pre-store appearance via NEtGalley.com. Lots of editing missteps which does mix up characters and spellings. That and the length that should've been edited into other books. Especially considering this book leaves a cliffhanger to point to the second entry.

This is one of the better Johnstone Clan books in recent years with an exciting plot and worth the reading journey.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 8 out of ten points.

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The Frontier Overland Company by William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone doesn't really revolve much about running a stage coach and neither is it very accurate when it comes to weaponry of the era but it has some qualities and it is a western. I found it interesting that it ties in with the Buck Trammel series and I wonder how that will turn out. I thank Kensington Books and Netgalley for providing me with a few hours of entertainment.

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“The Frontier Overland Stage Company” pits two old friends called Cobb and Butch against some interesting foes. Outlaws might be expected to make an appearance in a story centered on a stagecoach. But King Hagen of Blackshear is a different foe altogether.

If the story were set today Hagen would be one of the uber-rich—the 0.5+% category. Not all of his ill gotten gains was due to shrewd business practices. Some were outright thievery and hooliganism!! But Hagen seems to have met an eager foe in white knight Colonel McBride. Who will prevail?

Following the two stage owners (Cobb/Butch) and seeing that sometimes it’s not just what you know but who you know that tilts the scales, makes this a pretty enjoyable book. I would recommend it. It’s a quick read.

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Frontier Overland Company by Willam W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone


Summary:
From the bestselling masters of Old West fiction comes a bold new saga of the American frontier.

Set amid the sprawling plains and majestic mountains of Wyoming Territory, this is the epic story of a legendary stagecoach line—and the brave men who built it, drove it, and risked their lives to keep it running . . .

Founded in 1866, The Frontier Overland Company was no ordinary stagecoach operation. To begin with, its founding partners met in a Wyoming saloon brawl. After a raucous burst of punching, cursing, and chair smashing, the last two men standing become friends for life. Two kindred souls with the same fighting spirit, Tucker Cobb and former Texas Ranger Butch Keeling agreed to launch a business together: a brand-new stagecoach line through the wilds of Wyoming . . .

They called it the Frontier Overland Company. And a legend was born.

Cobb and Keeling knew it wouldn’t be easy. The nation was still healing from the War Between the States. Red Cloud’s War—an armed alliance of Lakota, Northern Cheyennes, and Northern Apaho against the United States—was heating up fast. And wealthy railroad magnates were itching to lay track for their western expansion to the Pacific. But it was one ruthless businessman—King Charles Hagen—who posed the biggest danger of all. He saw Cobb and Keeling’s fledging company as a direct threat to his growing shipping empire. And, unfortunately for them, he decided to squash their little stagecoach business while they’re escorting a young woman to see her dying father, an army colonel, at a Wyoming fort. To make things worse, Red Cloud’s on the warpath—making Wyoming Territory is about to become hell on earth.

This is the thrilling story of The Frontier Overland Company. This is how dreams are made. How legends are born. And how two fearless men staked their claim in America. The rest is history.

Review: 3-STAR
I wish I could have given this story a better rating, but sadly I could not. This story is riddled with poor editing. There is trouble with the timeline of events, missing words or use of the wrong word as well as mix-up in names. If these errors were not present, I surely would have given it a 5 star, as the storyline is wonderfully written, and the characters are well-developed and life-like. I halfway expect poor editing from people who self-publish, but not from a publishing company that’s been around since the 70’s. It starts out with little errors and as the story progresses, they come closer together, like the end of the story was rushed through the editing process.

I received this book for free from NetGalley for my honest review

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