A western that has a man Jim Heston moving his family from Texas to California in the Sierra’s. Dealing with the brutal snow and other weather conditions takes the entire family all working together, even with that the harsh winter wipes out the entire herd, and with that everything for the future, he decides to turn to looking for gold like so many others. That puts him and his family in the sights of Cord Barren he is looking for gold as well just not working for it he just takes it from the ones that do all of the work, of course, he is hoping for the mother lode the easy way. He is not expecting Jim to go to the lengths to protect his family or to be proficient with another material called lead. A good story of good and evil.

I found Seven Hours Till Dawn to be a captivating read that I thoroughly enjoyed. The story follows a man who relocates his family out west to establish a ranch and unexpectedly discovers a gold mine. However, things take a dramatic turn when a group of outlaws uncovers his secret while he is trying to exchange the gold for money. The narrative delves into the challenges and obstacles the characters encounter as they strive to safeguard their hard-earned possessions. Jim, the protagonist, emerges as a compassionate and industrious individual who is willing to go to great lengths to ensure the safety of his loved ones.

The book presents a compelling mix of highs and lows that kept me engrossed from beginning to end.

This western follows the life of a family as they start over in the shadow of the Sierra Mountains. Jim had learned of the location from a friend of his, Donovan. Between the weather and predators, plus an illness, the family is struggling to make ends meet when Jim happens to find gold. However, he is justifiably leery of what will happen if it turns out to be a profitable location.

Running throughout the story is Jim's conviction to protect his family, especially from one outlaw who is determined to take the easy way and steal Jim's gold. But Cord doesn't realize that Jim will do whatever it takes to keep his family safe. You will feel as if you are there as you read this story and the struggle between good vs evil.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington Books and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is my first read of a book by Carson McCloud. SEVEN HOURS TILL DAWN follows characters from A FAR WESTERN LAND, which set the backstory for Jim Weston and the cast of characters surrounding him. McCloud has built a realistic picture of the hardships faced by any who would go west to find their fates. The conditions would easily break families that were not prepared to sacrifice for many years. Even with their hard work, Weston was facing ruin when gold was discovered on his ranch. This discovery starts another set of hardships as they must fight to hold what is theirs. McCloud has now earned a place on my TBR list, plus I need to find his back titles. An excellent book for lovers of the western genre.

It was the late author Bill Crider, with his 'Outrage at Blanco' novel that made me love revenge stories so much and in away revenge stories for me will always be a tribute to him.

Seven Hours Till Dawn, was my first read from author Carson McCloud, totally enjoyed this one, definitely will add him to my favorite Western author list and can't wait for the next Jim Heston book.

Cowboy Jim Heston, along with his family, leave Texas migrate California in the shade of Sierra Madre Mountains, they try ranching raising cattle, the brutal winter wipes out their herd and ultimately find gold in the stream that runs through the ranch.

The family hides the gold find for as long as they can, it's going to change their lives, also change Donovan Valley as they've come to call it, mix in a little predictability, an outlaw gang, that would rather steal miners gold than mine their own, added in some friends, end up with a mine and to know how it ends. You're going to have to read this one.

I will say that I felt that Jim, could have taken out Court Bannen at anytime and it makes sense the way the author wrote this one.

Thanks to both Kensington and Netgalley for the opportunity to read, 'Seven Hours Till Dawn' and discovered a new author to read.

Positive Aspects: Action-Packed: The story is full of action, which keeps the reader engaged. Relatable Characters: The characters are portrayed as good, hard-working people, which makes them likable and interesting. Engagement: Despite some predictability, you found the story engaging enough to finish it.

Constructive Criticism: Predictability: Some elements of the plot felt predictable, especially during the action scenes.

Seven hours till Dawn by Carson McLeod is a gym Heston novel in the book we meet Jim, his wife Ellen, her son Walt and daughter Elma they all live in Donovan‘s Valley right outside of a little town called Onion, in California with her parents and siblings trying to raise cattle. When Jim stumbles on a gold nugget what is the beginning of all Jim’s dreams coming true but when he goes to sell it an outlaw and his gang find out and he becomes like a dog with a bone no matter how many times Jim skirts the gang they don’t give up but neither does Jim. Court Bannen values no one or nothing except for gold and the only person he kind of trust is his partner John he would rather shoot a man then share and when he finds out about Jim’s gold the only reason he doesn’t shoot him immediately is because he wants to find the mine, So he can have it all for his self they say no matter how bad you are there’s always someone badder and Court has definitely found that in Jim Heston. The only thing is Jim is smarter and will prove much tougher. Let me start by saying I love westerns it is one of my preferred genres and like romances you know pretty much how it’s going to end but I have to admit I was a little disappointed in some of the gun fights because a lot of things during them didn’t make sense. Some of the car that was really good with those one part I can’t discuss because it would give a big plot point away but what I will say is for the most part this is an awesome western the story was great I do think it could’ve been much shorter and also I want to say who is Donovan and when did they make this big trek on the wagon train? They kept referencing things I knew nothing about and when I went to look for a previous book or a book that named anyone they spoke of that Carson McLeod Road I couldn’t find it. I would love to read the book about Alan and her first husband with them on the wagon train but I don’t know what book they’re referencing or if there even is a book and because of that I gave this book 3 stars. This book has a lot going for it like the great characters the story was really good but there’s too many unknown instances not to mention the contradictions during the gun battles. I want to thank Kensington books for my free arccopy via NetGalley please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Carson McCloud's Seven Hours Till Dawn (Pinnacle Books 2024) is an interesting story about what happens after the wagon train drops the immigrants off in their new western home, in this case, the Sierra mountains near California. Jim Heston and his family try to start a herd for ranching, but run into so many problems, it may not work. As they try to figure out Plan B, they find gold on the land they’ve settled on. This seems like salvation, but not surprisingly, brings its own set of problems such as outlaws trying to steal the gold, claim jumpers, and threats to their lives.


Overall, it’s a good story with lots of action centered around good, hard-working people who are the foundation of what made the West succeed. My only complaint was that it became a bit predictable. Even in the deadly scenes as the family fought for their lives, it was a bit like so many other fictional accounts of the Gold Rush era. Still, the characters are interesting and likeable and I definitely had no problem finishing it.

I LOVE a good western, keywords - GOOD WESTERN. and THIS fits the bill. Not since Ledbetter have I so thoroughly enjoyed a storyteller's take and tale of the old west. GREAT read!

A good story of a man going from ranching to gold mining. I kept reading to the last page. Lots of adventure in the West.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

Lots of action, good guys and very bad guys. Enjoyable read. First time I have read this author and will look for his other books.

3.5☆

This is a classic good versus evil story. The good guy is Jim Heston and the bad one is Cord Bannen. The story begins with a man who is moving from Texas to California along with his family to have a better life. It is in the aftermath of the Civil War and there are lots of hurt feelings in the country. But another golden nugget is found in California, and it just happens to be found by Jim and his father-in-law in a valley where they settled-called Donovan's Valley.

Bannen is a crafty criminal and good with a gun. He wants gold but doesn't want to work for it other than taking it form someone who has worked hard to get it. This criminal enterprise proves to be pretty lucrative, but the man is amoral and thinks nothing of killing whoever gets in his way. He just wants what he wants and that is gold –stolen preferably!

Enter the good guy, Heston, and you have the makings of an intricate dance of good and evil. Wives, children, oldsters, retired military folks, criminals on the run, etc...you get the idea. There is intricate storylines being woven and they all help make for a delightful Western story in the image of the Westerns of the 50s and 60s. If this is what delights you then you will find this book excellent; I did!!

You will learn whether hard work and determination can defeat a thief and equal determination. Not everyone will survive but who will be the last one standing? Enjoy the read and find out.