Tim Piper

I am a sucker for realistic adventure stories especially when they include heading out into the unknown west. Piper does an excellent job of conveying the danger and realities of the romaticized west without being gratuitous. Sweet family relations and camaraderie harken back to simpler (complicated) times. I'm not sure if The Powell Expeditions is a YA book and I haven't been a YA for some time but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have already bought the second book in the series even show more though I have almost no interest (as of yet) in Yellowstone. show less

I didn't realize this book was part of a series but it didn't matter. Works as a stand alone. Interesting story about the West, including Yellowstone, gold mining, corruption in politics and native mistreatment. I enjoyed the story and appreciated that it didn't contain bad language or sexual content.

The North Pacific Railroad (#3 Jubilee Walker Series)
I immediately loved the character of Jubilee Walker. Was having trouble determining his age - but in the book Jubil celebrates his 24th birthday. For such a young man he has many adventures, experienced many tragedies, and is looking forward to his future married to his sweetheart.
The first part of the book is setting up the story -- the action doesn't start until page 90 when Jubil is trying to cross a flooded river.
The main story is show more surveying for the route the North Pacific Railroad will take across America between 1872 and 1873. At this time, America is wild and untamed with the landscape, the wildlife, and the Indians. We are entertained by visits from Sitting Bull and Lt Col George Armstrong Custer.
There is also lots of information on the Women's Suffrage movement as Jubil's fiance is an educated lady and experiencing her own adventures with pushing for her right to vote, pursuing a writing career, and living alone in New York. Two of the biggest leaders show up in the book: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony.
Clean and interesting story that would work well with the older homeschool student as well as anyone interested in historical fiction. There is little gambling and lots drinking/drunkenness that are shown and the consequences of such action.
As a writer, I loved the way Piper described Jubil and Nelly's honeymoon in three sentences that left much to the imagination (p201).
Even though this was the third title in a series -- I was able to follow the storyline with no problem without having read the first two titles. The author mentions previous events when needed in short detail which was enough -- but some of the events mentioned left me wanting to find and read the first two titles.
Loved the look and feel of the book -- the cover image added much to the book. The story was also well written and edited. There was nothing that slowed me down or enticed me to make corrections as I was reading. These days I don't usually finish a book -- but this one I finished, enjoyed, and would like to read the first two titles as well as number four which may be ready later this year.
I won a copy of this book through EARLY BIRD in exchange for a honest review. show less

First of all, thank you LibraryThing for an arc of this amazing novel! "The Montana Gold Mine", by Tim Piper was truly an enjoyable read! Mr. Piper proves that an amazing novel can be written without the use of profanity and sexual content. This novel is book 4 in the Jubilee Walker series. Truth be told, I have not read the previous novels. However, this novel stands alone and mentions some of the previous adventures of Jubilee Walker. "The Montana Gold Mine" takes place in the Spring of show more 1874. We find the main character, Jubilee (Jubil) and his wife, Nelly (a strong female character who is ahead of her time), trying to save their mercantile stores and adventure tours from going under, due to a bad business decision and the decline of the American economy. Thus, the adventure begins, filled with an interesting plot, unique and historical figures and settings across our nation. I loved the Colorado descriptions, since that is where I live. Mr. Piper did an amazing job of describing the areas during this time in our history.
I look forward to reading his previous and any future novels! Highly recommend. show less