GOD BLESS THE USA!

Counting Down to 5 September:

     Advance reviews are coming in for THE LAST OUTLAW, and they are fantastic! Publisher's Weekly says: "Bittner has achieved what few authors can: making her fourth installment just as fresh and alluring as the first while keeping the same protagonists at the center of the story." RT Book Reviews has named it a Top Pick, with 4 ½ stars: "The last book in the unforgettable Outlaw Hearts series is as powerful a story as readers could want. Bittner strives to gift fans with stories of strength, undying love, family ties and a portrait of the West that sears into their hearts. " I am so anxious to hear what my readers have to say!

       Times have changed, and the old Wild West is becoming a place of civilized law and order, where men like Jake Harkner no longer seem to fit in. As a nod to the changing times, Jake has sworn to hang up his guns once and for all. In fact, he and his wife Randy are enjoying this new era of peace on their ranch...until Jake's embroiled in a rescue mission that he simply can't refuse -- possibly his most dangerous yet. He rides into Mexico to save a young girl from a dreadful fate, leaving his beloved family behind, fearing he will die the same way he's always lived -- by the gun.

       The story opens with 5 men headed for Boulder, Colorado to rob the bank. Guess who's in town!! And guess whose wife is in the bank? A real shoot 'em up opening!!

       Here's your 24 July excerpt from THE LAST OUTLAW! This scene follows a very, very sweet (and humorous) event between Jake and his granddaughter Sadie Mae, which shows big, bad Jake's much softer side that usually is hidden from others. It also takes place after a moving event with Randy the night before that has helped Randy heal from her emotional problems since her attack in book #3.

     (Randy, who hasn't eaten right for months and is much too thin, loads up her plate at a family breakfast.)

     "Mom?" Lloyd asked. "Are you really going to eat all of that?

     "I most certainly am." Randy looked around the table. "For heaven's sake, you've all been after me to eat better, so why are you staring at me like I might die any minute? You should be happy."

     "We are," Evie answered, "but just yesterday you -"

     "That was yesterday," Randy interrupted. "And I'll have you know that I was up at two o-clock this morning eating, too. I had ham and eggs and biscuits and I'm already hungry again."

     All of them looked at Jake.

     "That tonic she's been taking must work wonders," Brian told Jake, smiling teasingly as he spoke

     "I guess it must," Jake answered.

     "Something tells me Pa is the tonic," Lloyd joked

     Jake just grinned and leaned back in his chair.

      (Here Jake asks Evie to say grace, something else Jake Harkner seldom asks. At the end of the prayer Evie thanks Sadie Mae for gathering the eggs for breakfast - which reminds the little girl of the secret she shares with her grandfather about what really happened with the eggs.) [Sadie Mae burst into giggling, watching her grandfather, her dark eyes dancing. "Grampa got the eggs!" she burst out.

     "Grampa?" Lloyd exclaimed. He looked at his father. "You gathered eggs?" He laughed. "Now we know where those scratches came from! You've never even been inside that chicken coop! Did Mom order you to do that?"

     Jake watched his granddaughter. "Sadie Mae, you're a tattle-tale."

     The little girl couldn't stop giggling over her wonderful secret, nor could she keep from telling it. She put her hands to the sides of her face and laughed even harder. "Grampa said a whole bunch of bad words, too!" she revealed. "And chickens were flying all over and squawking really loud. And Grampa threw the rooster out of the door and he came out with feathers in his hair and a whole bunch of eggs in the basket and a mean look on his face!"

     "Pa, I'm surprised you didn't shoot some of those hens!" Lloyd joked.

     "If I'd had my guns I would have. A couple of them are lucky I didn't wring their necks and bring them in the house for Randy to cook."

     They all burst out laughing and passed around more food. "I don't know what's going on between you and mother, but I like it," Evie told her father. "But really, Daddy, did you have to use those bad words around Sadie Mae?"

     Jake cut into a piece of ham. "You know me."

      "God help us," Lloyd muttered before picking up a cup of coffee.

     "Son, I will have you know that last night your mother said I was the nicest man in the world."

      Lloyd literally spit out his coffee and everyone at the table broke into laughter. The children all wiggled and laughed and Randy just smiled, but she gave Jake a warning look.

     "Don't you say another word, Jake Harkner."

     Jake leaned back in his chair, chewing on the ham and giving her a look that said it all. She would be in trouble later tonight.

     .... "I can read off a long, long list of men who would argue against you being a nice man," Lloyd teased.

     "Yeah, well they're mostly all dead now, so it doesn't much matter."

     Randy wanted to cry at the realization she truly did feel stronger. She didn't need her husband to be constantly at her side because he WAS constantly at her side, in spirit. They hadn't connected that way in a long time.

"Bittner revisits the Harkner family of Colorado ranchers in this refreshing and impressive fourth volume (after Love’s Sweet Revenge) of her 19th-century Outlaw Hearts saga. While visiting Boulder, Jake Harkner’s wife, Randy, is taken hostage by bank robbers. Jake is a former outlaw and lawman, so he takes down the robbers, but he’s shot in the crossfire. Randy fears for his life, desperate to save the husband she loves—and whom she needs to protect her, as she was assaulted by outlaws months earlier and is still traumatized by the ordeal. As Randy helps Jake recover from his wounds, she slowly regains her own strength. They return to their family ranch, where they enjoy the love and support of their children and extended family, and Jake gladly promises to retire. But when Jake receives a request to strap on his guns one last time to help an old friend save a young girl, he feels like he can’t refuse. Bittner’s skill with character development is on fine display. Jake and Randy, who began the series as a typical romantic couple, are now grandparents, yet their love continues to grow and mature as they endure trials and triumphs. Bittner has achieved what few authors can: making her fourth installment just as fresh and alluring as the first while keeping the same protagonists at the center of the story." -- Publisher's Weekly, July 2017.

"The last book in the unforgettable Outlaw Hearts series is as powerful a story as readers could want. Bittner strives to gift fans with stories of strength, undying love, family ties and a portrait of the West that sears into their hearts. The underlying power stems from her “leap off the pages” characters and a depth of emotion that touches the soul. As the country moves into a new century, Jake Harkner and his family are busy building a new life in Colorado. Even with his beloved Randy, their children and grandchildren, Jake is haunted by the past. Randy has been Jake’s rock, and now she desperately needs his strength to heal her own wounds. But the past will not rest, and Jake finds himself rescuing his family from bank robbers and becoming a reluctant hero still unable to wipe out his notorious history. Then Jake is caught up in rescuing a kidnapped girl. He must return to Mexico where he will face his demons or die, leaving his family to fight their own battles with the fear that Jake might never return." -- RT Book Reviews Top Pick -- 4 ½ stars

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