Brothers of the Outlaw Trail: Four Women Surrender Their Hearts to Men with Questionable Pasts

by DiAnn Mills, Kathleen Y'Barbo (writing as Kathleen Miller), Kathleen Miller

Set in the historic Wild West, each of the compelling stories in this collection features one of a band of outlaw brothers, who seek faith in God and true love amid much struggle. Can Reuben Wilson free himself from the mountain of regret he feels for turning his younger brothers into outlaws? Will God help Caleb Wilson create a new life as sheriff of Dime Box, Arizona? Will Colt Wilson administer revenge on the bounty hunter who put him in jail? Will a miracle of God's love transform the life of professional gambler Benjamin Wilson -- an outlaw with no use for God?

Genres: Christian Fiction, Christian Romance, Westerns, Historical, Romance, Christian

345 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2006

About the author

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who invites her readers to step into stories where suspense meets adventure and romance warms the heart. Known for crafting unforgettable characters tangled in unpredictable plots, DiAnn believes every breath we take unfolds a story waiting to be told—so why not make it thrilling?

Her novels have consistently landed on bestseller lists including CBA, ECPA, and Publishers Weekly, and have won prestigious awards such as the Christy, Selah, Golden Scroll, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol awards.

DiAnn is a founding board member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Conference Advisor for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers. She actively participates in Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Mystery Writers of America, the Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild, International Thriller Writers, Outliers Writing University, and The Christian Pen. DiAnn passionately invests in helping fellow authors succeed through mentoring, book coaching, and editing. She travels nationwide speaking and teaching engaging writing workshops.

A proud coffee snob who roasts her own beans, DiAnn also enjoys diving into good books, experimenting in the kitchen, and unabashedly spoiling her grandchildren—whom she insists are the smartest kids in the universe. She and her husband make their home under the sunny skies of Houston, Texas.

Connect with DiAnn online for behind-the-scenes glimpses, writing tips, and lively discussions on any of the following social media platforms:

Website: https://diannmills.com/
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Reviews

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5-3 ⭐️ I loved the idea for each story, and I saw the vision, but the writing style was not my preference. I loved the Christian elements and I think it had some good messages, however each story was a little abrupt. That might just be my preference though…I know these are supposed to be short stories. Overall it was a very fun, easy read and I did enjoy it :)

[Shash · Rating 5 out of 5]

The four Wilson brothers all live on the wrong side of the law. This book includes a novella focused on each brother. They haven't seen each other in over a decade, but all find God, an honest living, and love. I enjoyed each story. I appreciated the examples of those willing to give them a second chance and believe in them. I also liked being able to sample four different authors, two of which were new to me. I look forward to reading more by each of them.

[Nazareth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each story so different, yet, so similar. Everything separated at the beginning, comes back together by the end. Love truly endures, in all these stories. So, even though it might have read as a typical Christian Romance, I enjoyed every minute of it. And it touched me deeply.

[Lynne Lanning · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 wonderful short stories by 4 very talented authors. 4 brothers (3 outlaws and 1 crooked gambler) all find their way back to God even though doing the right thing wasn't easy and was very risky. They also found love, tried to fight it, and lost, ending up at the altar and very glad of it.

[Terry Yaceyko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good stories, but I wish the brothers had overlapped in each other's stories.
I liked Outlaw Sheriff by Kathleen Y'Barbo the best.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

enjoyable read

[Meredith (Austenesque Reviews) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three outlaw brothers find themselves in a mess a trouble and instead of letting their mother and younger brother get caught in the middle of it they decide to part ways and split up, planning to meet again in one year. Thirteen years has passed by and none of the brothers have been reunited with each other. Did they run into problems with law? Or did they find God out on the trail and decide to follow Him?

The premise of this book sounded wonderful, I love historical romances, I love historical romances that take place in the Old West, where life is simpler and after a hard day's work you spend your evenings around the fire reading the family Bible. (How I would love to live like this!) Unfortunately this book was not as fulfilling and inspiring as others I have read. There are four novellas in this book (one about each brother) and averaging around 80-90 pages for each story.

My main complaint is that the love stories between the hero and heroine seemed hurried and contrived. It seems as if the characters meet, have one or two conversations, and then declare their love for each other. In other inspirational romances that I have read, I have enjoyed the courtship between characters and I took pleasure in watching the characters fall in love with each other. I wish I could say that about this book. These characters were lacking depth and a plot with outlaws was surprising not as exciting as I thought it would. I thought there would be more adventure, danger, or intrigue involved. On a positive note, the stories did have good morals and provided an excellent portrayal of people establishing faith in God and letting him have control of their lives.

As an avid reader of these novellas and inspirational romances, it is unusual that I did not find this book enjoyable. I typically love these books and I frequently give them five stars instead of three. For readers who enjoy reading historical inspirational romances and perhaps enjoy the Old West, I recommend Bride for a Bit or Wildflower Brides instead.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again not a bad set of stories. Deals a lot with forgiveness (that happens a lot in these books.) it's 4 brothers who (and this is the short version) were bad...very bad.. then accepted Jesus in their life. Now they have to learn how to walk that out - making amends for hurting each other. One point of the book was very good - it covers one of the brothers who was in prison, came out and was so afraid of not doing enough to "earn" his salvation. They did a great job covering that it's a free gift. It was already given to him for free.

[Ashlee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is totally amazing! The only thing I didn't like was how short they were. But I guess that's good for all the people who hate three-hudred paged novels :)

[Dorry Lou · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure where I got this book from. It was different from many I read. Four brothers all outlaws and how they went about turning their lives around.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is about the 4 Wilson brothers who have always been on the other side of the law. It's been years since they've seen each other but they've all settled down and found love.