cover image His Cowboy Heart: Montana Men, Book 6

His Cowboy Heart: Montana Men, Book 6

Jennifer Ryan. Avon, $7.99 mass market (416p) ISBN 978-0-06-243540-8

Ryan’s outstanding, emotional sixth addition to the Montana Men contemporary series (after Her Renegade Rancher) gives Ford Hendricks a second chance with his first love, Jamie Keller. He was desperate to get her away from her emotionally abusive mother and unable to go with her due to family obligations, so he broke up with her to keep her from staying in a dangerous home. Jamie had been groomed for psychological war, so when Ford backed out of their plans, she put those skills to good use and joined the Army. Years later, suffering from PTSD and pressured by the government to recover her memories of the explosion that killed most of her friends, she returns home to heal. Despite her erratic and sometimes violent behavior—which Ryan successfully offsets with playful banter and flirtation—Ford knows the sweetheart he called Firefly is still in there somewhere. With the support of his loving family, he shows Jamie that she still has some fight left in her, and they go after the life they always dreamed of. A touch of amnesia weaves a bit of suspense into the story. Unconditional love and a cast of memorable characters make this tearjerker novel a winner. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary. (Mar.)