The Texas Hill Country

Texas Hill Country #1

by William W. Johnstone, J.A. Johnstone

Introducing a bold new saga from the bestselling Johnstones. This is the epic story of new arrivals in the Old West—a proud family of dreamers in the untamed wilds of Texas Hill Country . . .

They came to America to start a new life. Three brothers and their sister, the Baxter heirs lost everything they had in Europe so they boarded a ship to the Texas coast, hoping to stake a claim in the land of opportunity. They knew frontier life will be hard. But their troubles begin before they even reach Texas. A man is killed on board—a member of the fierce MaClochlainn clan who blame one of the Baxters for his death. So begins a blood-drenched feud that will haunt and pursue them as they try to build a future in Texas Hill Country . . .

Now a fugitive on the run, the wrongly accused Perry Baxter changes his name and joins the Texas Rangers—waiting for the day his past catches up to him. His oldest brother, Athelston, struggles to build a ranch in Commanche territory while the middle brother Jeremy turns to gambling and running with outlaws. Their sister, Bodie, falls in love with a rugged frontiersman, who teaches her the importance of riding, hunting—and shooting—in a life-or-death game of survival. Each of the siblings have forged a path of their own. But when one of them is in trouble—and a rival is out for revenge—the Baxters stick together. Because family is family. And blood is thicker than bullets . . .

Genres: Westerns

337 pages, Paperback

Published September 30, 2025

About the author

William W. Johnstone is the #1 bestselling Western writer in America and the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of hundreds of books, with over 50 million copies sold. Born in southern Missouri, he was raised with strong moral and family values by his minister father, and tutored by his schoolteacher mother. He left school at fifteen to work in a carnival and then as a deputy sheriff before serving in the army. He went on to become known as "the Greatest Western writer of the 21st Century." Visit him online at WilliamJohnstone.net.

Reviews

[Cendrena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Athelstan, Perry, Jeremy, and their sister Bodicia  leave their homeland after an altercation over Bodicia, as well as a one of the brothers having a gambling problem in the late 1800's.  Off to the Great state of Texas they are bound. There's unsettled land to be had and they plan on making their new home there in Hill Country.

The siblings didn't realized how long it would take to cross the ocean to get there, or that they would run into trouble with  one of them  being accused of murder on the ship.

The Texas Hill Country is the first western I've ever read.

To many times I wanted the brothers to put Bodicia in the corner in a time out. She was a handful through the whole book. All I can say is her brothers had more patience then I did for her. This book was really well written. I thoroughly enjoyed it.


Thank you William W Johnstone, J.A. Johnstone and Kensington for my Won copy.

[Star Gater · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you Kensington Publishing | Kensington for allowing me to read and review The Texas Hill Country on NetGalley.

Published: 09/30/25

Stars: DNF with exception

After several attempts at reading, I located the audiobook and had the same result: I am not grasping a story. Currently, once again, I am at 20% and can't tell you anything.

The authors have a large following and have several series, sadly this doesn't work for me. I do hope you have a positive experience.

[Brent Towns · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story will be published in late Sept. 2025


Introducing a bold new saga from the bestselling Johnstones. This is the epic story of new arrivals in the Old West—a proud family of dreamers in the untamed wilds of Texas Hill Country . . .

They came to America to start a new life. Three brothers and their sister, the Braxton heirs lost everything they had in Europe so they boarded a ship to the Texas coast, hoping to stake a claim in the land of opportunity. They knew frontier life would be hard. But their troubles begin before they even reach Texas. A man is killed on board—a member of the fierce MacLochlainn clan who blame one of the Braxtons for his death. So begins a blood-drenched feud that will haunt and pursue them as they try to build a future in Texas Hill Country . . .

Now a fugitive on the run, the wrongly accused Perry Braxton changes his name and joins the Texas Rangers—waiting for the day his past catches up to him. His oldest brother, Athelston, struggles to build a ranch in Commanche territory while the middle brother Jeremy turns to gambling and running with outlaws. Their sister, Bodie, falls in love with a rugged frontiersman, who teaches her the importance of riding, hunting—and shooting—in a life-or-death game of survival. Each of the siblings have forged a path of their own. But when one of them is in trouble—and a rival is out for revenge—the Braxtons stick together. Because family is family. And blood is thicker than bullets . . .



This story reminded me so much of the early Sackett books from western author Louis L'Amour. Family comes to America to make a life for themselves, runs into trouble, sorts it out.

The Braxtons lost everything and are forced to leave their home country in favor of greener pastures. Or so they think. However, while on that trip, one of them is accused of murder. Upon arrival the accused escapes and somehow by good fortune ends up signed on as a Texas Ranger under the name Jack Smith.

Meanwhile the rest of his family are headed to the Texas Hill Country where they start a new life building a ranch. But trouble seems to follow them wherever they go and it soon isn't long before it rears its ugly head once more in the form of rustlers. Only this time, they have an ace in the hole. One of the rustlers is also a Braxton. And soon the story is rushing along to its shattering gunsmoke filled conclusion.

Really enjoyed this story. Well Written and fast-paced. Plenty of western action which keeps the pages turning. As stated above it reminded me of L'Amour's early Sackett stories which I loved. In the pages were a great cast of characters and hopefully this will be the start of a great new series. Like the Sacketts I can see each character having their own leading role.

Thanks to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

[Indra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Kensington for the gifted copy! This isn’t my usual genre, but I went in with an open mind, and I can definitely see the appeal 🤠📖

The Texas Hill Country reads like an old campfire tale passed down through generations, full of grit, loyalty, and wide open skies. It kicks off with four European siblings, the Baxters, leaving behind a ruined life and sailing toward the American frontier with nothing but each other and a dream 🌅🪶

Almost immediately, things go sideways. There’s a murder at sea, a blood feud with the MaClochlainn clan, and a slow-spreading danger that follows them from the ocean to the Texas Hill Country. Each sibling is pulled in a different direction: Perry hides out in the Rangers, Athelston tries to build a ranch, Jeremy falls in with the wrong crowd, and Bodie falls for a rugged frontiersman who teaches her how to survive 💔🪓🌵

It’s a classic Western formula, honor, betrayal, long rides, rough justice, but told through the eyes of immigrants who are still learning the rules of this new land. The drama is high, the values are clear, and if you’ve ever rooted for a found family holding strong against the wild, you’ll probably enjoy this one.

What I Loved:
• Each sibling had a distinct storyline and voice 🐎
• Bodie was a standout character, strong, resourceful, and real
• The theme of family sticking together no matter what really carried the story 🫂
• Some moments genuinely tugged at my heartstrings
• The setting felt expansive and rooted in historical texture

What Didn’t Work for Me:
• Some plot twists felt predictable or overly familiar 🤷‍♀️
• The pacing dragged a bit in the middle, too much setup, not enough payoff
• Some characters (especially the villains) felt underdeveloped
• I missed the gritty Old West tone I was expecting; this felt softer, more polished 🪶
• I don’t think I’d continue if this turns into a series, but I’m glad I gave it a try

“You can’t outrun the land you’re standing on. But you can make something out of it—if you’ve got the guts.”

All in all, The Texas Hill Country is a solid historical adventure with a big heart and bigger landscape. It might not convert every non-Western reader, but for fans of the genre, it’s a warm, easy ride with just enough dust and danger to satisfy 🌄🔫📘

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
🌵🐂🧳🏹

[Jacqui · Rating 4 out of 5]

William Johnstone's The Texas Hill Country (Kensington Books 2025) tells the story of the Baxter heirs, European royalty who must flee the gambling debts of one brother and unwelcome advances to the sister from a lecherous higher-ranking royal that turned into a nasty fight. They pick their refuge as Texas' Hill Country, far enough away from their European ancestral home they hope no one will find them. Though it leaves them mostly impoverished, it does relieve them of some of their past, only to run into more problems in the present. Despite that, as a family, they continue to struggle to start a new life in the famed Land of Opportunity.

It’s a good story though somewhat predictable. Sister is chased by unwelcome suitors and is almost captured by Indians. One brother becomes enmeshed with a bad sort that endangers the family. Another brother accepts the responsibility for pulling the family through their travails. There are some plot highlights that could come to fruition, but don't, at least not quickly. For example, a young commoner boy joins their grand adventure to America. Their old coach driver helps them as a servant but also wise friend. The sister is spirited and fearless, but seems constrained by her upbringing. Because these take a long time to turn into plot pieces, I am tempted to hurry past the predictable to find the gold nuggets. One other shortfall is that because the main characters are European foreigners and the story is through their eyes, there isn't a lot of the usual Johnstone Old West culture that warms up any story. Overall a good enough read but I probably won’t continue if this becomes a series. 4/5

[Courtney Pityer · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for a riches to rags story then The Texas Hill Country is the book for you. I will admit the idea of European nobility giving up their riches to venture the old west is a very interesting read. I will admit that I was quite impressed with their ability to endure with the changes in their station. A lot of culture adaptations portray the rich with whining and crying about how to navigate through their new life but this novel did it in a very classy manner. Overall the author did an excellent job.
This story follows the adventures of the Baxter siblings who end up fleeing from their life in Europe and start a new life in Texas hoping no one from their old life will be able to find them. Although despite their success they run into the dangers that the west brings. However despite their struggles they at least have each other.
As I mentioned with the whole riches to rags trope the characters managed to handle themselves well. Although they manage to get into some trouble they manage to pull themselves together and fix the situation. Overall I think anyone who enjoys a great adventure will really like this novel.
I received an arc copy from Netgalley and all opinions are of my own.

[Denice Langley · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is no such thing as a bad Johnstone western. Each series is built around main characters whose belief in the law and family is absolute, even if they've had to be reformed to get there. From Preacher, the original mountain man to the Jensen family to Perly Gates, to.....well, you get the point. Many times, characters from one series will show up in another as supporting hands. The communities are true to the era, clothing, guns, food and troubles are all what you'd find if you looked them up in the history books. No two stories are the same, each character or set of characters is unique and so are their stories. The writing is skillful, readers are pulled into the story and you will laugh and cry right along with the characters. I made the mistake of picking up a Johnstone western my uncle was reading. Ive been hooked ever since. Now I share them with my reading family and will continue as long as new Johnstones are released.

[patrick Lorelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

You follow the Baxter's who have to leave Europe and everything they know because someone with more power than they make an accusation. This leads the entire family of three brothers and one sister to make their way to America. Still on the ship they are finding trouble with another set of brothers from Ireland and the same brother who was always causing trouble before is in the middle of this once again. This time the younger brother has made his escape pior to everyone leaving the ship. Now the story picks up with the others going with a wagon train to find a place to settle and you also find out what has happened to the brother who escaped from the ship as well. Later you see the brothers from Ireland are still robbers what will happen to everyone. A good story with excellent characters.

[Susan Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Texas Hill Country by William W. Johnstone & J. A. Johnstone holds considerable promise for readers who enjoy sweeping Western sagas. If the character arcs are handled with care, and if the setting is rendered vividly, the novel should satisfy fans of frontier adventure, moral dilemmas, and family drama.

That said, it may appeal more to enthusiasts of traditional Westerns than readers seeking subtle literary innovation. Those who favor tight, introspective writing or deeply nuanced social commentary may find parts of it overreliant on conventions.

[Roxanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved the plot of this book. The Braxton heirs from Europe want a fresh start. So they decided to move to Texas hoping to stake a claim. But they ran into trouble while on the ship. a man belonging to the MacLochlainn clan was killed on board. And they blamed the Braxton family. So a feud starts up.So they all their different ways. But when danger came they came back together. i really liked this book. I love Westens and this book is very interresting.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat predictable plot. But an easy, mindless read for on the plane or at the beach. Not interesting enough to be a series I want to continue. I haven't read any of the author's other works. If he truly is the #1 best-selling Western writer in America, I expected something a little more exciting or engaging.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Goodreads Giveaways for the opportunity to review this book. It was very fast-paced and action-packed. I was so invested in the characters that I almost quit reading when tragedy struck, but keep reading, it gets better! If you like the pioneering west you'll love this book.

[Beverly Kee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome story!

I love how J.A Johnstone was added to the many books that might have been started by William. This was a excellent example and I hope the next one will be on Kindle unlimited also!

[Michael Armfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

different but a great read

As you finish this book remember the beginning…
This is a great story! A new direction for the Johnstone’s but one I look forward to following.

[Francie Latham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh Texas

I do miss the Lone Star State. It was for me a trip home. The Hill Country is still beautiful.

[Texas · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY - An enjoyable, clean read with plenty of good characters, good history, good story lines, and a good pace. I like the writing style of the authors and their mixing of fact and fiction. I knew the references through history and actual being in those areas mentioned. Too many tourists now compared to the Eighties. Source: Netgalley. 5*