Bullets And Bad Times

Angel Eyes #6: “Bullets And Bad Times” by W. B. Longley (Robert J. Randisi):Liz Archer rides into Clearwater, Dakota Territory hoping to find rest, but word of her destination has proceeded her. The sheriff and a hot head young gunslinger are both awaiting her arrival. With her horse lame she leaves it at the livery to be tended too, and then discovers the young gunman wants a showdown with her. When the bank is robbed and the sheriff mortally wounded, she puts on the badge to go after the robbers and the young gunman joins her. The bank robbers connects with another gang and are killed themselves, but a father wants his daughter out of their hands, and leads Liz and her partner up the mountain to the gang’s hideout. Returning to Clearwater, it’s time for Angel Eyes to face the young gunman in a showdown. This was another good western plot, and a final showdown for the female gunfighter. The story is only marred by the adult sex and language.

Death's Angel

Angel Eyes #2: “Death’s Angel” by W. B. Longley (Robert J. Randisi). Liz Archer is riding towards Paragon, Wyoming, when she sees two hardcase cowboys chasing a young girl on a horse. She intervenes and disarms the men then rides with the girl to her ranch to meet her father, where she learns the local banker is trying to squeeze them off their property. The cowboys that were after his daughter works for the banker. They had recognized her as Angel Eyes and were afraid to draw on her because of her reputation as a gunfighter. Now the banker wants her dead, knowing she will put backbone into the rancher and he won’t be able to get the property, so he sends for a gunfighter to take care of Angel Eyes. This was another well-written and fast paced story that would have been much better without all the sex, but it is an adult western, and the publisher wanted lots of sex, and that’s what we get, even if it is a distraction and has nothing to do with the plot.

Angel, For Hire

Angel Eyes #9: “Angel, For Hire” by W. B. Longley (Robert J. Randisi). The final novel in the Angel Eyes series has Liz Archer and Tate signing up with Chris Tanner and a few hired guns to protect a little Mexican village at the mercy of bandits. Yes, a very similar plot to The Magnificent 7, but this time there’s only six professional guns, not 7. Plus, the town is all women, so there is plenty of sex distraction instead of working the plot, which was a shame. Also, there is lots of beer for the gunfighters. However, this is an adult western, so we have to expect all the sex. Spoiler alert so read no further if you don’t want to know the ending. This is the final novel, and Angel Eyes and Tate meet their end standing up to a small Mexican army. I don’t know if the author got tired of the series, or the publisher just didn’t want any more. Over all, it was a good series. It would have been even better as an old fashioned western featuring a female gunfighter and the sex left out.

Avenging Angel

Angel Eyes #8: “Avenging Angel” by W. B. Longley (Robert J. Randisi). Liz Archer has stopped in Dewey, Colorado when she learns that Tate Gilmore, her true love, was shot in the back in South Texas. Thinking he was dead she rides to Texas to avenge his death. But arriving in Texas, she learns that Tate recovered and is chasing the bank robbers to Mexico to kill the man who shot him in the back. Liz takes the trail after him and runs into a rebel gang led by Carlos Valdez. Carlos decides to ride with Liz to protect her. In the meantime Tate has fallen ill at a cabin and is being treated by a Mexican woman named Felicity; she is also a member of the rebel gang, and she and Valdez hope to recruit Tate and Angel Eyes in their plot to assassinate El Presedente Juarez. Another good plot, though Angel Eyes does very little gunplay in this one. This being an adult western, both Liz and Tate find lots of sex with other partners during the story. I would have preferred more gunfights, as Tate and Liz are gunslingers, but more emphasis was put on the sex this time around.

Logan's Army

Angel Eyes #5: “Logan’s Army” by W. B. Longley (Robert J. Randisi). Elizabeth “Liz” Archer rides into Loganville, Wyoming, and stops for a rest. She spots a saloon as she rides into town, and after checking into a hotel decides to stop in at Honey O’Day’s for a drink. While at the bar with a cold beer she hears a commotion and sees two men threatening one of the women with a knife. The female bartender is going after the men with a wooden mallet when the other man draws a gun. A lightning move and Liz shoots the gun out of his hand. Honey O’Day sees the lightning draw and recognizes Angel Eyes, the West’s fastest female gunslinger. She tries to hire Liz to help her fight against Ed Logan, the man that runs Loganville. She declines, but that night several of Logan’s men rape and beat one of Honey’s girls, and when Liz finds out she changes her mind. This was actually a fun little story, as only Robert Randisi can write them. However, it is an adult western, so there is profanity and sex. There is not a lot of tension, and a only a couple of scenes of gun action; even the big drawn-down between Angel Eyes and the hired gunfighter at the end is quick and without much fanfare. But then we knew the gunfighter would be no match for Angel Eyes. A lot of fun!