cover image Wind River Rancher

Wind River Rancher

Lindsay McKenna. Zebra, $7.99 mass market (384p) ISBN 978-1-4201-4176-4

McKenna follows Wind River Wrangler with a powerful second installment that will lure readers in from the very first page. When former Marine Reese Lockhart shows up in the small Wyoming town of Wind River, he is hoping for a job and is fearful of rejection. Surprised by the kindness of the town’s strangers, Reese is pleased to find work, room, and board at the Bar C Ranch, which is owned by Shay Crawford. Shay has opened her ranch to military vets, especially those with PTSD. As Reese works at the ranch alongside three other veterans, he becomes attracted to Shay, a woman who has survived many hardships, including her father’s emotional abuse. The attraction between Reese and Shay is not merely physical; they genuinely like each other. McKenna’s latest knowledgeable tale of military veterans coming to terms with civilian life is moving and real. The romance between the protagonists and the giving nature of the surrounding community will warm readers’ hearts and make this book impossible to put down. Agent: Claire Gerus, Claire Gerus Literary. (Jan.)