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Sioux Sunrise
When Sarah Kesterson’s little brother, Billy, is kidnapped by a band of raiding Sioux, she enlists the help of Tom Carnes, a neighboring rancher and former army captain, to return her brother to safety. From the rolling, grassy hills of southeast Nebraska to the Black Hills of South Dakota, Tom and a motley crew of characters must overcome harsh terrain and weather, harsher enemies, and as time passes, the growing sense of dread that Billy may no longer be alive. Unfolding on the eve of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Sioux Sunrise is a story of love, loyalty, and perseverance in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
- GenresWesterns
226 pages, Paperback
First published August 24, 2015
432 people are currently reading
324 people want to read
About the author
Ron Schwab
47 books193 followersRon Schwab is the author of the popular Western series, The Law Wranglers, The Coyote Saga, and The Lockes, as well as several standalone novels, including Grit, a winner of the Western Fictioneers Peacemaker Award for Best Western Novel, and Cut Nose, a finalist for the Western Writers of America Best Western Historical Novel. He is a member of the Western Writers of America, Western Fictioneers, and Mystery Writers of America.
Ron’s earlier published works included the suspense novels, Crocodile Fears and The Buddy System, both printed under a pseudonym, Michael J. Stewart. He is a member of the Western Writers of America, Western Fictioneers, and Mystery Writers of America.
Ron and his wife, Bev, divide their time between their home in Fairbury, Nebraska and their cabin in the Kansas Flint Hills.
Ron’s earlier published works included the suspense novels, Crocodile Fears and The Buddy System, both printed under a pseudonym, Michael J. Stewart. He is a member of the Western Writers of America, Western Fictioneers, and Mystery Writers of America.
Ron and his wife, Bev, divide their time between their home in Fairbury, Nebraska and their cabin in the Kansas Flint Hills.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
April 20, 2025
YOU KNOW WHEN YOU FINISH A GREAT BOOK & YOU WANT THERE TO BE MORE? THIS IS ONE OF THOSE STORIES.
☆☆☆☆☆
Sioux Sunrise by Ron Schwab is a story of a young woman who her parents were brutality Killed and her little brother was kidnapped by a rogue band of Sioux Indians and a brutal white man who is just about as evil as they come. Sarah teams up with her neighbor and his brother and their Pawnee friend to track down her brother and return to their little ranch in Fairbury, Nebraska, in 1875.
As with all the other books and series I have read by Ron Schwab, the characters are inspiring, have high morals, and determined to protect those who cannot protect themselves all the while placing their lives on the line. The characters are well defined, and you will find yourself cheering for their accomplishments, sweating bullets when their in a jam, or injured. At times, this book is action-packed, thrilling, funny at a few times, and has a romantic story within the storyline.
If you enjoy a great Western novel based on historical facts of that time period, this book is right up your alley. I know that I really enjoyed this book and wish that it was part of a series going into the lives of Sarah, Tom, Joe, Billy, and the rest of the cast of characters.
☆☆☆☆☆
Sioux Sunrise by Ron Schwab is a story of a young woman who her parents were brutality Killed and her little brother was kidnapped by a rogue band of Sioux Indians and a brutal white man who is just about as evil as they come. Sarah teams up with her neighbor and his brother and their Pawnee friend to track down her brother and return to their little ranch in Fairbury, Nebraska, in 1875.
As with all the other books and series I have read by Ron Schwab, the characters are inspiring, have high morals, and determined to protect those who cannot protect themselves all the while placing their lives on the line. The characters are well defined, and you will find yourself cheering for their accomplishments, sweating bullets when their in a jam, or injured. At times, this book is action-packed, thrilling, funny at a few times, and has a romantic story within the storyline.
If you enjoy a great Western novel based on historical facts of that time period, this book is right up your alley. I know that I really enjoyed this book and wish that it was part of a series going into the lives of Sarah, Tom, Joe, Billy, and the rest of the cast of characters.
October 10, 2021
New Favorite
OK, Mr. Schwab is my new favorite western author. He writes well, his books are well edited and his history is solid. Weapons are appropriate for the time and things are as dirty and gritty as would have been.
This is a story of a white family devastated by an attack by Sioux Indians, where the mother and father are murdered, the 20 year old daughter raped and left for dead - and Billy, the 10 year old son is kidnapped.
No spoilers. I recommend this good western yarn.
OK, Mr. Schwab is my new favorite western author. He writes well, his books are well edited and his history is solid. Weapons are appropriate for the time and things are as dirty and gritty as would have been.
This is a story of a white family devastated by an attack by Sioux Indians, where the mother and father are murdered, the 20 year old daughter raped and left for dead - and Billy, the 10 year old son is kidnapped.
No spoilers. I recommend this good western yarn.
June 6, 2021
A wonderful book of yes adventure sadness but also goodness
It starts out with Sarah's ranch the kesterson ranch being tormented by the Sioux killing her parents kidnapping her brother and her being raped. Before the second brave can rape her she kills him with his own knife and gets up and cleans yourself off and find clothes to wear and covers up her mom and her dad. She picks up the shotgun that the Indians left behind and takes it into the bush in case the Indians come back to finish their looting. She is ragged-blooding mess but she is staunchly protecting what's left of the property. Tom and Joe from the neighboring ranch see the smoke coming from the barn on fire and come to see what's going on knowing that something bad has happened there. Sarah's hiding in the bushes but they're not sure who it is at first so they fall down on the ground with the guns out. Sarah reveals herself when she sees the white men and comes out from the bushes. She faces them and explains what has happened and describes the men that ran off one was a big white man, Named Bear. They take her to their place and let her clean up there and make them dinner and let her sleep in the house while they camp outside. She's insisting on going after the Indians and Bear to collect her brother. Joe decides to go to town supporting her to get supplies and another horse for her to ride. Tom reluctantly agrees hoping this is not a vain trip. Joe comes back with a tracker and they take off from the kesterson place. The tracker sniffs around and finds the lead and leads them on the trail that only he can see. They're on the trail for a month before they come to a fort that they can they can get supplies in and rest for a while. But since Joe is black they don't expect trouble but it happens when they visit the saloon and our attacked by the soldiers there and ended up in the stockade in the fort. Thus they had to leave the next day with only a couple hours preparation to get their supplies and scoot on out because the commanding officer was ticked at them. Back on the trail they follow it up towards the Black hills and keep going looking for the Indians and until they are attacked by a group and Tom is severely injured.
It starts out with Sarah's ranch the kesterson ranch being tormented by the Sioux killing her parents kidnapping her brother and her being raped. Before the second brave can rape her she kills him with his own knife and gets up and cleans yourself off and find clothes to wear and covers up her mom and her dad. She picks up the shotgun that the Indians left behind and takes it into the bush in case the Indians come back to finish their looting. She is ragged-blooding mess but she is staunchly protecting what's left of the property. Tom and Joe from the neighboring ranch see the smoke coming from the barn on fire and come to see what's going on knowing that something bad has happened there. Sarah's hiding in the bushes but they're not sure who it is at first so they fall down on the ground with the guns out. Sarah reveals herself when she sees the white men and comes out from the bushes. She faces them and explains what has happened and describes the men that ran off one was a big white man, Named Bear. They take her to their place and let her clean up there and make them dinner and let her sleep in the house while they camp outside. She's insisting on going after the Indians and Bear to collect her brother. Joe decides to go to town supporting her to get supplies and another horse for her to ride. Tom reluctantly agrees hoping this is not a vain trip. Joe comes back with a tracker and they take off from the kesterson place. The tracker sniffs around and finds the lead and leads them on the trail that only he can see. They're on the trail for a month before they come to a fort that they can they can get supplies in and rest for a while. But since Joe is black they don't expect trouble but it happens when they visit the saloon and our attacked by the soldiers there and ended up in the stockade in the fort. Thus they had to leave the next day with only a couple hours preparation to get their supplies and scoot on out because the commanding officer was ticked at them. Back on the trail they follow it up towards the Black hills and keep going looking for the Indians and until they are attacked by a group and Tom is severely injured.
February 5, 2022
I have not read a western novel in some time and was not very impressed with this one. It began well at a homestead farm in 1870’s Nebraska awakening to anew day. A very bad day as a band of Sioux led by a vicious white man called Bear attack. When two near neighbors respond to the smoke on the horizon, they find burning outbuildings, the bodies of Mr and Mrs Kesterton, and the bloody, semi-nude form of the eldest daughter, Sarah who has been brutally raped.When she is able to talk she tells of the attack , realized that her younger brother has been captured and vows to find him. Of course, the two neighbors, Tom and Joe Carnes agree to help.
While this is not much of an original story, it has been done many times over in many books and movies, it did begin well and showed some promise. But , in this reader’s opinion the layers of cliches, pedestrian writing and the egregious ploy making Joe Carnes the half brother of Tom, the result of their slave owner father and his black mistress. Brother Tom is unusually enlightened for a former CSA cavalry officer. The byplay and trash talk seems too much of the now and not a century and a half ago.
Sarah, who was in shock when rescued is, within a few days, flirting and flouncing with Tom as the attraction grows. I could not accept that a recently raped woman would bat her eyes within a few hours when one of her rescuers, a stranger after all, when he glimpses her shapely breast through her ripped clothes. There is a lot of romance for a hard-edged western, and slows the story down, Lessing the sense of tension as they hung for the lost brother.
Not much else is missed by the author: scorching sun, winter blizzards, a barroom brawl, the regulation crusty old gold miner ( calling Gabby Hayes) and a whore or two with a heart of gold.
Sioux is not a bad book and it is a quick read, But if you are sensitive , you might find the rape scene, the graphic fights and battle scenes difficult to read.
My recommendation-just ok.
While this is not much of an original story, it has been done many times over in many books and movies, it did begin well and showed some promise. But , in this reader’s opinion the layers of cliches, pedestrian writing and the egregious ploy making Joe Carnes the half brother of Tom, the result of their slave owner father and his black mistress. Brother Tom is unusually enlightened for a former CSA cavalry officer. The byplay and trash talk seems too much of the now and not a century and a half ago.
Sarah, who was in shock when rescued is, within a few days, flirting and flouncing with Tom as the attraction grows. I could not accept that a recently raped woman would bat her eyes within a few hours when one of her rescuers, a stranger after all, when he glimpses her shapely breast through her ripped clothes. There is a lot of romance for a hard-edged western, and slows the story down, Lessing the sense of tension as they hung for the lost brother.
Not much else is missed by the author: scorching sun, winter blizzards, a barroom brawl, the regulation crusty old gold miner ( calling Gabby Hayes) and a whore or two with a heart of gold.
Sioux is not a bad book and it is a quick read, But if you are sensitive , you might find the rape scene, the graphic fights and battle scenes difficult to read.
My recommendation-just ok.
February 15, 2020
Sioux Sunrise
If you like Westerns with Indians, miners, the army, romance and more... You'll like this book . An Indian raid leaving a young lady and her brother alive. But the Sioux take the boy. The sister ends up with a retired Captain, his brother.. a hugh black man and an old Pawnee scout. This tells of their adventures as they look for the boy. Read it, enjoy it as I did.
If you like Westerns with Indians, miners, the army, romance and more... You'll like this book . An Indian raid leaving a young lady and her brother alive. But the Sioux take the boy. The sister ends up with a retired Captain, his brother.. a hugh black man and an old Pawnee scout. This tells of their adventures as they look for the boy. Read it, enjoy it as I did.
May 18, 2020
A good story, but
The but is for some inaccuracies. One the author called ir the Black Hill of South Dakota. The time frame it was called the Black Hills of Dakota. There was no South Dakota until the fall of 1889, when Dakota territory became two states. My grandfather was born in May of 1889 and he was born in Dakota territory. Two the description of the Black Hills was not right. I was born there and lived most of my life, so I know.
The but is for some inaccuracies. One the author called ir the Black Hill of South Dakota. The time frame it was called the Black Hills of Dakota. There was no South Dakota until the fall of 1889, when Dakota territory became two states. My grandfather was born in May of 1889 and he was born in Dakota territory. Two the description of the Black Hills was not right. I was born there and lived most of my life, so I know.
June 13, 2020
Page Turner
As usual Ron Schwab s book Sioux Sunrise lives up to expectations. Plenty of action, and realistic gun battles. Family oriented characters that we all can sympathize with, and really care about. The book ended too soon. I wanted it to continue. Oh well I will have wait for the next one in the series
As usual Ron Schwab s book Sioux Sunrise lives up to expectations. Plenty of action, and realistic gun battles. Family oriented characters that we all can sympathize with, and really care about. The book ended too soon. I wanted it to continue. Oh well I will have wait for the next one in the series
July 1, 2021
Sleepless
Once you start this book, don't expect to get any sleep until you're finished.
I could not put this book down and ended up staying awake until 7:00 AM I started reading the book at midnight And I have to get up in 2 hours Very good So plan on not putting this book down Because it's that good
Once you start this book, don't expect to get any sleep until you're finished.
I could not put this book down and ended up staying awake until 7:00 AM I started reading the book at midnight And I have to get up in 2 hours Very good So plan on not putting this book down Because it's that good
March 26, 2022
Continuation
Looks really good till the very end it should’ve been a little longer I hope you’re making a continuation to the book in order to go into Joe’s story. I’d like to see from the time that they run into Joe in Cheyenne and Billy reunited with his sister the wedding etc. thank you have a great day.
Looks really good till the very end it should’ve been a little longer I hope you’re making a continuation to the book in order to go into Joe’s story. I’d like to see from the time that they run into Joe in Cheyenne and Billy reunited with his sister the wedding etc. thank you have a great day.
May 5, 2022
Good story
A good read about the uncertainty of life in the early west, the gold fever in the black hills that cheated native Americans from their lands, a brother and sister reunited, and hopefully, returning home. Another book is needed to complete Sarah's, Tom's, and Billy's story. How about Bear and Sioux trying to seek revenge??
A good read about the uncertainty of life in the early west, the gold fever in the black hills that cheated native Americans from their lands, a brother and sister reunited, and hopefully, returning home. Another book is needed to complete Sarah's, Tom's, and Billy's story. How about Bear and Sioux trying to seek revenge??
January 24, 2018
Darn good book!
This book was very entertaining! I had to find out what was going to happen to happen next. I admit I was very surprised by the beginning but it made me have to keep reading!
This book was very entertaining! I had to find out what was going to happen to happen next. I admit I was very surprised by the beginning but it made me have to keep reading!
February 1, 2018
Gosh, do I love Westerns. This was a good book and you'll miss a good one if you don't check it out. The characters are perfect and the action is there also. Give it a try and see if you love Westerns also.
March 27, 2019
Good plot but
I have read lots of westerns that were good books and they didn't have to use the cuss words you chose to use. I would have given the book at least a 4 but I don't need to read the f bomb. Shame on you
I have read lots of westerns that were good books and they didn't have to use the cuss words you chose to use. I would have given the book at least a 4 but I don't need to read the f bomb. Shame on you
April 23, 2019
Finding A Good Life
Great book. Great story, great characters and finding your way in both parts of the story! Read it from cover to end and you will fall in love with Sarah and Carmella too!
Great book. Great story, great characters and finding your way in both parts of the story! Read it from cover to end and you will fall in love with Sarah and Carmella too!
May 11, 2019
Wonderful reading !
First book that I've read by this author but I will definitely be reading more. I'm sure his wife selection of books will keep me thoroughly enjoyed for quite sometime.
First book that I've read by this author but I will definitely be reading more. I'm sure his wife selection of books will keep me thoroughly enjoyed for quite sometime.
March 6, 2020
Perseverance in Spades
Filled with harrowing adventures and narrow escapes from death, this is a typical Schwab tale. Throw in a little romance, and it is a page-turner you won't want to put down.
Filled with harrowing adventures and narrow escapes from death, this is a typical Schwab tale. Throw in a little romance, and it is a page-turner you won't want to put down.
May 24, 2021
Great Story
Love the story and the characters in the book. Loved the adventures and the trials and issues fought on a daily basis
Would recommend this book
Hope there is a second book
Love the story and the characters in the book. Loved the adventures and the trials and issues fought on a daily basis
Would recommend this book
Hope there is a second book
March 18, 2022
Good read
This one was a page turner. I liked this book because it kept me interested. It waa a good story, had a good ending. Didn't drag, kept moving forward. Good job Mr. Schwab!
This one was a page turner. I liked this book because it kept me interested. It waa a good story, had a good ending. Didn't drag, kept moving forward. Good job Mr. Schwab!
October 9, 2022
Wow, a great story
A great story filled with wonderful characters. Indians kill her parents and takes her brother. She gets help from Tom and Joe to help her find them. Many adventures follow.
A great story filled with wonderful characters. Indians kill her parents and takes her brother. She gets help from Tom and Joe to help her find them. Many adventures follow.
November 28, 2022
Excellent History and a Good Story
This takes place in the Sandhills of Nebraska about the time the Black Hills of South Dakota were found to contain gold. The clash between the Ogallala Sioux with the miners and ranchers is a perfect setting for a lively adventure.
This takes place in the Sandhills of Nebraska about the time the Black Hills of South Dakota were found to contain gold. The clash between the Ogallala Sioux with the miners and ranchers is a perfect setting for a lively adventure.
September 19, 2023
Sioux Sunrise
I enjoyed this very much. The action was nonstop and kept on going throughout the whole story. I felt sorry for Billy, but he turned out to be very resourceful. The reunion between him and his sister was very emotional.
I enjoyed this very much. The action was nonstop and kept on going throughout the whole story. I felt sorry for Billy, but he turned out to be very resourceful. The reunion between him and his sister was very emotional.
January 16, 2024
Great adventure!
I've been reading this author and I thoroughly enjoyed this action,adventure with a little romance included. Truly a very engaging story. I highly recommend this book and the many others by this author.
I've been reading this author and I thoroughly enjoyed this action,adventure with a little romance included. Truly a very engaging story. I highly recommend this book and the many others by this author.
September 22, 2024
This heartwarming story has its ups and downs It is full of suspense, action, love and danger. It is an adventure that keeps the reader on the edge of each page until the very end. A book one tries to read in one setting. Fun and terrific story.
June 8, 2025
Awkward ending
I was expecting at least a better ending. I turned a page and nothing. I really don't like a lot of horses and domestic animals killed off. Definitely not the authors best book.
I was expecting at least a better ending. I turned a page and nothing. I really don't like a lot of horses and domestic animals killed off. Definitely not the authors best book.
June 9, 2025
This book was so good. I could not hardly put it down. I love story about native Indians and this book made the author seem so real. And this is the first book I have read by this author. Looks like I’ll have to go find another book by this author and read it too. Love the story.
June 9, 2017
Read by my hubby and he didn't want to put the book down. Westerns are his favorite and they must hold his interest. He loves this author.
September 19, 2018
Golden Sun
I thoroughly enjoyed this book about a golden haired girl and her courage. A misfit band of people putting their lives on the line for each other.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book about a golden haired girl and her courage. A misfit band of people putting their lives on the line for each other.
January 6, 2019
Great story
Great story, with plenty of action, intrigue and romance. It tells how tough things were in the west during the 1800s.
Great story, with plenty of action, intrigue and romance. It tells how tough things were in the west during the 1800s.
April 28, 2019
Another Good Story
Ron Schwab continues to write some of the better western stories and I'll read each one as he brings them out!
Ron Schwab continues to write some of the better western stories and I'll read each one as he brings them out!
May 26, 2019
All night
Yeah, got caught, couldn't stop. 2AM . Really a good read and not so vulgar. I loved all the characters.
Yeah, got caught, couldn't stop. 2AM . Really a good read and not so vulgar. I loved all the characters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews