What do you think?
Rate this book
Code of the West #1
It's Your Misfortune And None Of My Own - Code Of The West, Book One
BOOK ONE of the CODE OF THE WEST series Staying alive in the Old West requires three a fast horse, a quick hand, and enough smarts to know when to get out of town. Pepper Paige is sick of the fighting and emptiness that surround her as a dance-hall girl. And tired of fearing Jordan Beckett, a violent patron who has turned his attentions on her. Pepper gets her chance to escape, assuming a stranger's identity . . . and that woman's fiance out west. Little does she know, that man's been killed by Indians. Instead, a prison escapee named Tap Andrews is passing himself off as the rancher. What happens when the pair meet? And who will be left standing when Beckett tracks down Pepper, only to find a tough young cowboy in his way? FOR MORE STEPHEN BLY BOOKS, AND OTHER AWARD-WINNING WESTERN WRITERS, GO TO
Unknown Binding
First published December 31, 1994
11 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Bly
127 books71 followersStephen Bly (August 17, 1944 - June 9, 2011) authored 100 books and hundreds of articles. His book, THE LONG TRAIL HOME, (Broadman & Holman), won the prestigious 2002 CHRISTY AWARD for excellence in Christian fiction in the category western novel. Three other books, PICTURE ROCK (Crossway Books), THE OUTLAW'S TWIN SISTER (Crossway Books), and LAST OF THE TEXAS CAMP (Broadman & Holman), were Christy Award finalists. He spoke at colleges, churches, camps and conferences across the U.S. and Canada. He was the pastor of Winchester Community Church, and served as mayor of Winchester, Idaho (2000-2007). He spoke on numerous television and radio programs, including Dr. James Dobson's Focus on the Family. He was an Active Member of the Western Writers of America. Steve graduated summa cum laude in Philosophy from Fresno State University and received a M.Div from Fuller Theological Seminary. The Blys have three sons: Russell (married to Lois) and father of Zachary and Miranda (married to Chris Ross) and mother of Alayah, Michael (married to Michelle), and Aaron (married to Rina Joye) and father of Keaton and Deckard. A third generation westerner, Steve spent his early years working on ranches and farms.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 29, 2024
2.5 stars
This is the first book in the Code of the West series. I actually read Book 2 before I read this so I knew how some things turned out already.
I can’t say this is a favorite. Both Tap and Pepper decide to lie about who they are in order to escape from the life they had known. Only neither one knows the other is lying at first. They do come clean before the end of the book. Plenty of bad guys and shootings. Pepper works as a dance hall girl at first, and so we spend time there and with some of those girls. Neither one is a Christian at the beginning of the book.
I don’t know, this just isn’t a book I’d necessarily want to read again, though I do want to at least read another book to see how things turn out.
It’s clean. Some kisses, but only mentions of them not describing them. Injuries and killings but nothing descriptive. Even the part with the saloon and dance hall girls if pretty clean. Not much Christianity until the very end.
This is the first book in the Code of the West series. I actually read Book 2 before I read this so I knew how some things turned out already.
I can’t say this is a favorite. Both Tap and Pepper decide to lie about who they are in order to escape from the life they had known. Only neither one knows the other is lying at first. They do come clean before the end of the book. Plenty of bad guys and shootings. Pepper works as a dance hall girl at first, and so we spend time there and with some of those girls. Neither one is a Christian at the beginning of the book.
I don’t know, this just isn’t a book I’d necessarily want to read again, though I do want to at least read another book to see how things turn out.
It’s clean. Some kisses, but only mentions of them not describing them. Injuries and killings but nothing descriptive. Even the part with the saloon and dance hall girls if pretty clean. Not much Christianity until the very end.
May 1, 2025
Mistaken identity at its finest! Stephen Bly is a MASTER storyteller. Tap and Pepper intrigue you from their first moments on the page. There’s humor, there’s heart, there’s redemption- everything I’ve come to expect from Bly. 5 stars ⭐️
August 18, 2019
An action filled western adventure, filled with gunfights, memorable characters and plenty of humor. An enjoyable read perfect for fans of westerns!
January 31, 2020
Western tales
Shades of Louis l’amour. Enjoyed the romp through the Wild West and tales of hardship and redemption. A happy ending to boot.
Shades of Louis l’amour. Enjoyed the romp through the Wild West and tales of hardship and redemption. A happy ending to boot.
January 13, 2020
Great western
Stephen Bly has always been a favorite writer of mine but I had never read this series. I give it 5 stars because it was a great story, well told,.
Stephen Bly has always been a favorite writer of mine but I had never read this series. I give it 5 stars because it was a great story, well told,.
May 8, 2025
Content Summary:
Romance: Two characters steal a couple’s identity, and the other doesn’t know. They commit to an engagement for a better life, and there are multiple scenes of them kissing on-page. There are mentions of dance hall girls and the presumed relationships they have with various men. Mentions of an unknown affair. The main character also kisses one of the dancehall girls, though he swears it’s because it felt bad for her.
Violence & Gore: There are several gunfights, fistfights, threats of shootings, stabbings, and more. It’s the wild, wild west. A character is framed for the murder of a man whose wife he slept with (though it’s not on-page).
Profanity: None that I remember
Substance Use: There is a bit of drinking at the dance halls.
Frightening/Triggering Scenes: All the fights are very descriptive and typically end in the death of a person or animal, all of which are on-page and detailed. Some girls were abused, kidnapped, held hostage, or even killed for various reasons.
Thought it would be funny to read, and it definitely is. Very old-school/western romance where the guys can kind of say whatever they want and get away with it. The girls suffer through horrible fates and are overly dramatic for no real reason. If half the energy that went into describing the type of guns the MMC had and the damage they could do went into the actual story and relationship, this could have been a whole lot better. The religious aspect is okay, but there really isn’t a lot to go off of, though I’m assuming there will be more of it seen throughout the series. No different than the westerns your grandpa forces you to watch.
Romance: Two characters steal a couple’s identity, and the other doesn’t know. They commit to an engagement for a better life, and there are multiple scenes of them kissing on-page. There are mentions of dance hall girls and the presumed relationships they have with various men. Mentions of an unknown affair. The main character also kisses one of the dancehall girls, though he swears it’s because it felt bad for her.
Violence & Gore: There are several gunfights, fistfights, threats of shootings, stabbings, and more. It’s the wild, wild west. A character is framed for the murder of a man whose wife he slept with (though it’s not on-page).
Profanity: None that I remember
Substance Use: There is a bit of drinking at the dance halls.
Frightening/Triggering Scenes: All the fights are very descriptive and typically end in the death of a person or animal, all of which are on-page and detailed. Some girls were abused, kidnapped, held hostage, or even killed for various reasons.
Thought it would be funny to read, and it definitely is. Very old-school/western romance where the guys can kind of say whatever they want and get away with it. The girls suffer through horrible fates and are overly dramatic for no real reason. If half the energy that went into describing the type of guns the MMC had and the damage they could do went into the actual story and relationship, this could have been a whole lot better. The religious aspect is okay, but there really isn’t a lot to go off of, though I’m assuming there will be more of it seen throughout the series. No different than the westerns your grandpa forces you to watch.
April 18, 2025
Great quick read. Finished it in a day; it had a fun plot and a very likable main character.
March 19, 2014
The title comes from the lyrics to the traditional cowboy ballad “Get along little doggies”. This is the first Stephen Bly book I have read. Zachariah Hatcher and Suzanne Cedar are engaged to be married, but they have never met in person. Suzanne travels to Colorado to marry Hatcher only both die on their way to the meeting site. Tap Andrews who was with Hatcher when he died agreed to go on and met Cedar’s stagecoach and tell Cedar of his death so she would not be left alone in a strange country. Only there is a stagecoach accident and Cedar is killed. Pepper a dance hall girl took care of Cedar as she died then takes her place to meet Hatcher. The book has lots of suspense with outlaws, and wondering if they will tell each other the truth about themselves. I believe this is one of the so called Christian fiction books. It is a typical western with a bit of a twist to the plot and a moral point to the story. Sometimes it’s hilarious, sometimes poignant but always entertaining. It is a short easy read that makes a good break from more complicated books. I read this as an audio book downloaded from Audible. Jerry Sciarrio did a good job narrating the book.
January 8, 2008
Zachariah Hatcher dies in an Indian attack, but not before his deathbed ramblings give gunman and drifter Tap Andrews the keys to assuming a new identity.
Pepper Paige is a dance hall girl sick of her life. A stage coach accident delivers Suzanne Cedar into Pepper's care. Pepper discovers Suzanne was on her way to meet her fiance, Hatcher, whom she had never seen before. When Suzanne dies, Pepper decides to take this escape route and become Miss Cedar herself.
They're both pretending and scared to death the other will find out. This is a hilarious western about fresh starts and God's forgiveness and grace.
Pepper Paige is a dance hall girl sick of her life. A stage coach accident delivers Suzanne Cedar into Pepper's care. Pepper discovers Suzanne was on her way to meet her fiance, Hatcher, whom she had never seen before. When Suzanne dies, Pepper decides to take this escape route and become Miss Cedar herself.
They're both pretending and scared to death the other will find out. This is a hilarious western about fresh starts and God's forgiveness and grace.
March 31, 2010
Read this Christian Western for a readers' advisory group. Someone in the group said Bly's books often had witty banter among the characters. A woman travels west to marry a man she's only corresponded with. In separate incidents they die before they meet. Strangers take over their identities and hope to marry and change their lives. The deceased were Christians; their replacements are not (a gunman and a dancehall girl), though they are determined to live Christian lives from now on.
March 10, 2012
Stephen Bly's books are always fantastic.
I listened to this one on cassette as I walked on the tread mill.
I have been a fan of Mr. Bly's for many years, but never got to read this series.
I love Tap and Pepper. They both had horrible lives but decided they wanted to change
and make life the way it should be.
Love this story.
Highly recommended
I listened to this one on cassette as I walked on the tread mill.
I have been a fan of Mr. Bly's for many years, but never got to read this series.
I love Tap and Pepper. They both had horrible lives but decided they wanted to change
and make life the way it should be.
Love this story.
Highly recommended
July 24, 2011
Great story about a man and woman trying to change their lives and follow God's will with some funny and disasterous results. Couldn't put it down.
September 3, 2012
Wholesome story of a gunslinger who is ready to turn his life around who meets a girl with the same goal. Old West setting and shootouts combined with a bit of humor, romance and faith.
January 22, 2014
Very good. It's a light-hearted, simple western story but told superbly. I recommend this short novel to anyone. The next five in the series are on my to-read list.
July 12, 2015
Small soft cover book .. good story, easy reading. One of the Crossway Code of the West series.
December 21, 2016
A fun cowboy read.
August 6, 2020
Good book. Nice setup for next book in series.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews