West for the Black Hills

By Peter Leavell

Philip Anderson keeps his past close to the vest. Not many people in Mitchell, a small town in the Dakota Territory, would understand him living with the Sioux Indians who rescued him as a boy. Haunted by the murder of his pioneer parents as they traveled west in their covered wagon, he knows it wasn’t Indians who killed them, and his many unanswered questions about that night still torment him.

His only desire is to live quietly on his western homestead and raise Arabian horses. Until he meets Anna, a beautiful young woman with secrets of her own. Is it his eery and unusual wolf eyes that draw Anna to him? Romance was not part of his plan. Can Philip open his heart and tell her he’s in love before it’s too late?

With Anna a pawn in the corrupt schemes brewing in Mitchell, Philip is forced to become a reluctant gunslinger even as his inner battle gets in the way. Will Philip’s uncannily trained horses and unsurpassed sharpshooting skills help him free Anna and find out what really happened to his family out there in the frontier wilderness?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mountainview Books, LLC
• Release date: Apr 2, 2015
• ISBN: 9781941291092

Peter Leavell

Peter Leavell, a 2007 graduate of Boise State University with a degree in history, was the 2011 winner of Christian Writers Guild's Operation First Novel contest, and 2013 Christian Retailing's Best award for First-Time Author. Peter and his family live in Boise, Idaho. For entertainment, he reads historical books, where he finds ideas for new novels. Whenever he has a chance, he takes his wife and two homeschooled children on crazy but fun research trips.

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Reviews for West for the Black Hills

[lcjohnson1988_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Title: West for the Black Hills (Dakota Sunrise Book #1)Author: Peter LeavellPages: 350Year: 2015Publisher: Mountainview BooksMy rating is 5 stars.Oh boy, I so cannot wait for the next installment in the Dakota Sunrise series! I love the western genre anyway and Peter Leavell is a new author to me. In his novel, he incorporates a whole host of unique people living in Dakota’s small town called Mitchell; this is before Dakota was a state. The male lead character is an orphaned boy named Philip Anderson. Philip lost both his parents when their wagon was attacked by robbers. Sounds simple, right?Now enter an Indian male named Running Deer who Philip at first thinks is going to kill him, but Running Deer and the braves help Philip in a couple ways. The female lead is a character named Anna who Philip quickly falls in love with, but when he doesn’t vocalize his heart, Anna is crushed. Here comes the antagonist named Jacob whose sole ambition is to own the townspeople through bullying, and he has every intent of forcing Anna to become his wife. Then, life in Mitchell really gets interesting and dangerous!The interaction between Philip and Running Deer along with other Indians shows the level of care Philip has for all people. There is mystery written in the story too, which keeps readers turning pages to see which one of the many hints shown to us answers Philip’s questions. For a first book in a series, the author lays a lot of groundwork, which is very interesting and not boring at all. Each page turned revealed a new aspect to the story or character that kept ramping up the tension in the book.Yes, I wanted the romance started between the lead male and female character to work out and I hope the author plans on doing so in the next book. I really cannot wait to see what new dangers the antagonist will bring to the life of Philip Anderson along with seeing where his search for the answers to his questions leads us readers.Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[lamb521 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Title: West for the Black Hills (Dakota Sunrise Book #1)Author: Peter LeavellPages: 350Year: 2015Publisher: Mountainview BooksMy rating is 5 stars.Oh boy, I so cannot wait for the next installment in the Dakota Sunrise series! I love the western genre anyway and Peter Leavell is a new author to me. In his novel, he incorporates a whole host of unique people living in Dakota’s small town called Mitchell; this is before Dakota was a state. The male lead character is an orphaned boy named Philip Anderson. Philip lost both his parents when their wagon was attacked by robbers. Sounds simple, right?Now enter an Indian male named Running Deer who Philip at first thinks is going to kill him, but Running Deer and the braves help Philip in a couple ways. The female lead is a character named Anna who Philip quickly falls in love with, but when he doesn’t vocalize his heart, Anna is crushed. Here comes the antagonist named Jacob whose sole ambition is to own the townspeople through bullying, and he has every intent of forcing Anna to become his wife. Then, life in Mitchell really gets interesting and dangerous!The interaction between Philip and Running Deer along with other Indians shows the level of care Philip has for all people. There is mystery written in the story too, which keeps readers turning pages to see which one of the many hints shown to us answers Philip’s questions. For a first book in a series, the author lays a lot of groundwork, which is very interesting and not boring at all. Each page turned revealed a new aspect to the story or character that kept ramping up the tension in the book.Yes, I wanted the romance started between the lead male and female character to work out and I hope the author plans on doing so in the next book. I really cannot wait to see what new dangers the antagonist will bring to the life of Philip Anderson along with seeing where his search for the answers to his questions leads us readers.Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”