Welcome to Reading Over the Weekend, to Silverhills by Sandra Cox, where a good book can carry you across dusty trails, into wild country, and straight into the hearts of characters you won’t soon forget.

Some books ask to be analysed. Others ask to be noticed. And then there are those that make you pause halfway through a page and say, I want to remember that.

Ahead of each weekend I will share books that have caught my attention: what I enjoyed about them, what surprised me, and occasionally the memories or questions they stirred.

Reading Over the Weekend: Silverhills Book Series by Sandra Cox

This weekend, we’re heading back to the American West with Sandra Cox’s Silverhills books, where cattle drives are dangerous, secrets can be deadly, love rarely follows the trail map, and the people who ride together often become family.

Across these three books, Sandra Cox gives us ranchers, cowhands, strong women, dangerous outlaws, loyal friends, magnificent horses, longhorn cattle and enough adventure to keep the pages turning. But beneath the gunfire, storms and cattle drives are stories about courage, healing, friendship and finding a place where you belong. And love.

That is what made my journey through Silverhills so enjoyable.

Silverhills by Sandra Cox, Book 1

The first book introduces us to Alexandria O’Malley and Brandon Wade, and what an introduction it is.

Brandon is a tough Texas rancher driving a herd of longhorns along the Chisholm Trail when a mysterious young trail hand arrives riding a magnificent black stallion and carrying a six-shooter. There is more to this “young man” than meets the eye, and it takes Brandon a while to discover that Alex is a woman—and one with a dangerous past.

Why I enjoyed it:
I loved Alex’s courage and determination. She can ride, rope and shoot as well as any man, yet beneath that formidable exterior is a woman running from something terrifying. Brandon’s growing concern for her develops alongside the danger surrounding them, creating a wonderful combination of Western adventure and romance.

I also loved the setting. Cox brings the Chisholm Trail and Silverhills ranch vividly to life, and Silverhills itself feels like much more than a ranch. It is a community filled with memorable characters, including Jeff, Cookie and Maria. The mystery surrounding Alex kept me guessing, while the action carried the story across the plains, through Texas and into Mexico. A thrilling beginning to the Wade saga.

Return to Silverhills by Sandra Cox, Book 2

This time, Brandon’s younger brother Jeff takes the trail boss’s role, while Lisa, Alex’s friend, joins the drive as cook. What follows is a dangerous journey filled with blizzards, flash floods, quicksand, rustlers and gunfire. Yet beneath all the action is the warmth of the Silverhills family and the bonds that have grown between them.

The story also gives Lisa the opportunity to find her strength after her terrible experience with the Comancheros. I admired her courage in stepping forward and taking on a demanding role on the cattle drive rather than allowing what happened to her to define her future. Her growing relationship with Jeff adds another tender thread to the story.

Why I enjoyed it:
I loved seeing Alex and Brandon return to Silverhills after everything they experienced in the first book. There is a wonderful sense of coming home, not only to the ranch but to the people who have become part of their lives.

Lisa also captured my attention. She proves herself an important member of the cattle-drive crew. The trail itself provides no shortage of trouble: blizzards, flash floods, rustlers, gunfire and other dangers make sure there is never a dull moment. Yet the camaraderie among the cowhands brings warmth to the hardships.

And I have to mention one detail that made me smile: they drink their coffee black and save the sugar lumps for their horses. That little detail says so much about the world Cox has created.

Silverhills’ Rescue by Sandra Cox, Book 3

This is the story of Alex and Brandon, one of love, loyalty and courage, and of two people willing to cross dangerous country because they cannot turn their backs on those who need them.

When Alex learns that the mission that once gave her refuge is facing an outbreak of smallpox, she doesn’t hesitate. The people there helped her when she needed it, and now they need her. There is only one problem: getting there means crossing dangerous country where flooded arroyos, treacherous terrain, Comancheros and bandoleros are waiting.

Alex knows the journey could cost her life but that doesn’t stop her. Stubborn, courageous and compassionate, she sets out to help Manuel, Father Jon, and Sisters Sarah and Marie. Of course, Brandon isn’t about to let his wife face such dangers alone.

Why I enjoyed it:

I loved Alex in this story. She is strong, kind-hearted and wonderfully stubborn, but what makes her so memorable is that her courage comes from caring deeply about others. She is willing to put her own life at risk for people who once helped her, and that loyalty says everything about the woman she has become.

And then there is Brandon. His love for Alex is never merely words. When he learns she has placed herself in danger, he follows her into a landscape where every flooded arroyo, narrow divide and hostile encounter could become deadly.

Most of all, I enjoyed seeing the love between Alex and Brandon continue to grow. After everything these two have faced, their relationship feels like the heart of the Silverhills saga.

Why I enjoyed the Silverhills stories

What stayed with me across these books was the sense of community.

Yes, there are cattle drives, danger, mystery, romance and plenty of action. But Silverhills is ultimately about people. People who have survived difficult circumstances. People who look after one another. People who find courage when they have every reason to be afraid.

Sandra Cox also knows how to keep a story moving. Her writing doesn’t get bogged down in unnecessary detail, allowing the action, characters and relationships to carry the reader forward. These are fast-paced and emotional Western adventures, and a satisfying saga. I have loved spending time with these characters and was sorry to reach the end of their journey.

And then there are the animals, the wide-open landscapes, the cattle trails and the rough-and-ready life of the American frontier. I could almost hear the cattle shifting in the night and see the campfire burning beneath a vast Western sky.

Recommended to:

I recommend the Silverhills series to readers who enjoy:

Western romance with plenty of adventure
Strong, courageous women
Cattle drives and frontier life
Cowboys, ranches and the Chisholm Trail
Action, danger and unexpected twists
Romance that develops alongside the adventure
Stories about friendship, loyalty and found family
Memorable animals and their relationships with their humans
Fast-paced stories that are easy to become absorbed in

If you’re looking for a series that combines the grit of the Old West with the warmth of family, friendship and romance, Sandra Cox’s Silverhills stories make for an enjoyable weekend escape.

So saddle up, pour yourself a cup of black coffee, save a sugar lump for the horse—and settle in for a ride to Silverhills.

Discover Sandra Cox and ALL of her books on Goodreads or visit Sandra’s author website and blog.

Reading Over the Weekend is a blog series celebrating the joy of reading. Not every book I read will be new. Not every book will belong to the same genre. Some may be historical fiction, others memoir, crime, biography, or something completely unexpected. What they will have in common is that they have stayed with me after I closed the book. Perhaps they taught me something. They made me laugh. They opened a door into a world I had never known. Or perhaps, like a forgotten scent, they brought back something I thought I had lost.

I believe that reading is a form of travelling. We can cross centuries without leaving our chair, visit countries we might never see otherwise, inhabit lives entirely different from our, and sometimes return to our own childhood through somebody else’s memories.