Wrangler’s Challenge: Wind River Valley, Book 4

McKenna continues her Wind River Valley contemporary series with this solid and believable fourth installment (after Wind River Cowboy), in which a veteran learns to heal after a combat injury. Dair Wilson was a sergeant in the Army Special Forces when she was injured in an explosion in Afghanistan. After she learns to walk again wearing a prosthetic foot, she obtains a job at the Bar C, a ranch in Wind River Valley, Wyo., run by Shay Crawford-Lockhart, a military vet who employs other veterans. Dair begins training horses with Noah Mabry, whom she met previously while going through her initial injury rehab. Their mutual attraction was immediate, but their relationship evolves gradually as they share a home and work together. The kindness and compassion that Noah shows Dair reveals that he, unlike any other man she has ever known, is strong yet honorable and sensitive to her need for independence. Their relationship, built on trust and sizzling desire, is the cornerstone of this moving novel about the resilience of injured veterans and the healing power of love. Agent: Claire Gerus, Claire Gerus Literary. (Nov.)