Charming Texas Cowboy

Stanley charms in the third installment to her Big Chance Dog Rescue series (after Lucky Chance Cowboy), which focuses on military veterans rebuilding their lives by training service dogs. After YouTube crafting sensation Jen Greene has a blowup with her cohost—her mother, Joanie—she decides to start her own channel and moves to Big Chance, Tex., to document her days making a go at homesteading. There, she meets Tanner Robichaux, an Army vet and the dog rescue’s bookkeeper. Tanner’s extensive burn scars are second to the harsh blame living in his head over his father’s suicide and the death of his fellow soldiers in Afghanistan. This unlikely duo sizzles from the start, but conflict arises as someone sabotages Jen’s new project, culminating in a shocking kidnapping. Readers will empathize with Tanner’s overdeveloped sense of honor, and cheer when Jen and a member of Tanner’s former unit help him to work through his survivor’s guilt. Humans aren’t the only appealing supporting characters: there’s also Trixie the dog, who herds everything that moves, and Kim and Khloe, a pair of adorable sheep. This winning tale hits a trifecta of romance categories—military, small town, and cowboy—to irresistible effect. (Jan.)