Wrangler's Challenge is the fourth novel in the Wind River Valley series. I love the fact that Ms. McKenna has focused this series on the rehabilitation of wounded warriors who've found understanding, help and healing at the Bar C Ranch, and I was eager to read this novel since the wounded warrior in question, Dair Wilson, is the first female veteran to arrive at the ranch. Unfortunately, this fourth novel started out strong and then lost it's forward momentum and floundered somewhat, and for that reason, I can only give it 3 stars, I liked it but didn't love it.

At the outset, Dair is a tough, strong, competent and confident Army Sergeant working with 11 men in her black ops Special Forces team in Afghanistan, protecting an Afghan village against the Taliban. She's also teamed with Zeus, a combat dog who sniffs out buried IEDs, until the night the wind changes and Zeus can't smell the explosive device underground and accidentally steps on one. The next thing Dair knows is that she's in pain, she can't see Zeus, and she's being loaded onto a chopper and shipped to Germany for surgery. The result of this explosion and surgery are the loss of her beloved dog, her left foot, ankle and the lower part of her left leg below the knee.

As I stated, she's a strong women and puts all her energy into her recovery and physical rehabilitation although she's emotionally devastated at the loss of her canine companion and by her honorable medical discharge, since she'd planned on making the Army her career. Dair is also half Native American and grew up around horses, learning how to gently train them by her grandmother. During her rehab there's an outing to a ranch with other amputees in rehab and it's there she first meets and is attracted to horse trainer, Noah Mabry, and he to her. Once out of rehab, she needs to find a job, and hasn't had much success at it, her prospective employers finding her amputation rather off-putting, at least until she arrives for an interview at the Bar-C, where she is surprised to find that Noah is their resident horse trainer and in dire need of an assistant trainer.

Once we get past her demonstrating her abilities to Noah and she's hired and now sharing quarters with Noah, this novel slows to a crawl. While Dair's insecurities about her missing limb are both understandable and compelling, she's had a marked personality shift since her determination led to a stellar performance in rehab, but it seems that all the fight has gone out of her. She sees herself as weak, ugly, and deformed, and is totally lacking any self-confidence. Although she knows she's working with other wounded warriors, she's the only amputee, and from this point on, she can't stop dwelling on or obsessing about that fact. The seemingly endless discussion of how she manages to move around and do her job at the ranch became too repetitive and brought the forward momentum of this novel to almost a complete stop.

Then there's Noah, who, like almost every other person on the Bar-C, suffers from PTSD. What was sorely needed was more than the brief glimpse we get of who Noah is. He has PTSD but why? What happened to him that brought him to the Bar-C? In addition to dealing with his own issues, which include a previous marriage and divorce, he's just portrayed as too sensitive, too hesitant and too cautious about everything concerning his living with and attraction to Dair. He tries to reassure her and build her self-confidence yet at the same time, he treats her as weak and helpless, which feeds Dair's own insecurities. The only bright spot here is in the process of training the horses. Ms. McKenna is extremely knowledgeable on the subject, but spends way too much time educating us on that process, further slowing down the story. I love horses, but I kept wanting to return to the building attraction between the main characters, and I wanted some drama, some angst, more of a plot. When a fractious horse attacks Dair, damaging both her body and her prosthesis, it only makes her more insecure.

While it was nice to see the occasional interaction with some of the characters we've met in the previous novels, like Shay, who owns the ranch, Reese, Kira and others, by the time something dramatic actually happens in this novel, Dair being attacked and injured by Shay's drunken and abusive father, it's just too little too late. After plodding along to get to this point Ms. McKenna finally gets back to the relationship between Dair and Noah, but again, Noah is too tentative, and then, suddenly, the novel comes to an abrupt ending that really isn't a satisfying ending at all. If ever a story needed an epilogue, it's this one.

I feel that Ms. McKenna really wanted to bring a female vet into this series, and that her intent on dealing with the subjects of amputation, PTSD, as well as the long-term damage caused by parental abuse are admirable, but for this reader, I expected more than just angst, I expected more drama, more character building, and more of a plot--and all of those things are something Ms. McKenna has done brilliantly in previous novels. I simply felt they were missing in this one. She's a far better writer than was displayed in this novel, which had a lot of promise but just didn't deliver.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of the this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

Lindsay McKenna is one of the best military romance writers that I’ve come across and some of her books are immensely memorable and have revisited numerous times. Along with badass soldiers, she also writes some great badass cowboy stories.

Book 4 in the Wind River Valley series, gives us another glimpse into the life of army veterans, their service and courage, survival and betrayal, and the acclimating into the norm of everyday life. “Wrangler’s Challenge” is another such story of marine veteran Dair Wilson as she comes into the fold of Bar C Ranch, to start fresh.

Having lost her leg to an IED, Dair is so much more comfortable with the four-legged animals than the humans. There is still a black void in her mind as to the events that had taken away her team and her leg. And as the author say, “Healing like love, takes time”.

Noah Mabry is the animal whisperer of the Bar C Ranch and with Dair assisting him everyday, it’s inevitable for the attraction to reach the point of love. With the utmost patience and compassion, Noah guides Dair through her dark moments and when her life is threatened by a past that impaired her, he’ll lay his life down for Dair.

This was one emotional story of despair and trauma, support, compassion and empathy that gives these brave vets hope and faith that all is not lost in their fight to survive after war. This story is a testimony to the fact that there are people out there who care about others and who are willing to give unconditionally.

As always, Lindsay McKenna does another great job at a story filled with warmth, support, compassion, courage and love.

Received an ARC from Kensington Books/Zebra via Net Galley for an honest review.

"Wrangler's Challenge" is everything I would expect of a book in the 'Wind River Series, as I have read and loved them all! Dair is the current wounded vet with an amputation of her foot and PTSD. Finding a job on the Bar C Ranch, and sharing a house with Noah, another vet on the ranch, Dair learns about living with her injuries after coming home from Afghanistan. Noah is such a beautiful caring man and shows it in everything he does. A heartwarming story of falling in love, Dair heals not only from her wounds, but learns how to live life happily again with Noah and the family she has come to love at the ranch. An emotional read, each book stands alone with connecting storylines when a vet comes to work on the Bar C Ranch. If military romance is a genre you love, I recommend starting anywhere for some great reading. I would like to thank NetGalley and Kensington/Zebra books for gifting me "Wrangler's Challenge". My opinion is my own. This is mine. 4.5 Stars!

I am just loving this series.Dair is an ex-Marine that lost part of her leg in an IED attack while in the hospital she went to a ranch close by and met Noah after a passionate kiss they leave never expecting to see each other again that is until she goes home and applies for a job training horses when she gets there she is interviewed by Noah who she will be working with will she be able to get past her disability so she can give love a chance.A fantastic addition to a great series

This is the fourth book in this series, and for me I was disappointed in this one. You are back at the Bar “C” Ranch and all of the other characters are the same, but after the beginning when you are introduced to Dair Wilson the book seems for me to drag. I really was looking forward to the story with Noah and finding more about him but other than his parents and his animal training you really don’t. I also felt at times that the author who had Dair being around animals and training horses since she was a teen with her grandmother at times being a novice, but then with the experience she talked about with her grandmother and the time spent with the man that trained Noah that she had to ask for permission. Maybe that part was just me but it seemed like it did not make sense and therefore my mind could not wrap around her just giving up power and control so easily when she was looking for that with the animals. The other parts of the book had the same characters and for the most part was the same. But for me this story was just lacking something. I did think it was good having a female vet with a war wound. Losing her foot and dealing with her emotions about that. I guess I was expecting more as from the other books.

I'd been reading Lindsey McKenna for years before I'd ever heard the name Eileen Nauman.

No Quarter given is the first military romance I remember reading, but definitely not the last. It took me nearly a decade to get my hands on all 3 Women of Glory, but I did eventually; they still have a spot on my bookshelf, along with several military series. Dana and Griff will always have a special place in my heart, memories and my collections. I fell in love with the genre. I still can't pass up one of LM's military romances to this day.

Knowing LM's military background makes me appreciate her books even more! "Wrangler's Challenge"was no exception.

**I was excited to be approved to receive an ARC through Netgalley and Kensington Zebra; even if RL prevented me from downloading and reading by the release date. And writing an honest review, as I suspected, is no hardship at all.**

I love the concept of Wrangler's Challenge --veterans reaching out to other veterans to staff a working ranch. They understand what each has been through and the emotional and mental toll; PTSD is only part of it. They've all experienced things that only other military personnel can know about and get.

For some, like Noah, that toll included loss of a relationship. For others like Dair, the price was her beloved WMD detection dog, part of a leg and her career. She's been through the hell or recovery, the dark days that went with them, and is having problems finding a job she can do outdoors with her skill set and prosthetic leg -- even among places supposedly vet friendly. Applying at the Bar C to be a horse wrangler is her last hope for employment.

She, like the woman who owns the ranch, has other emotional scars as well. Dair still has trouble trusting men and getting close to the men she dates, thanks to a self-medicating bipolar father who did time for his abuse of her, then disappeared to another state. Shay's dad is an aggressive alcoholic, who pretty much drank the ranch away is hellbent on reclaiming it.

So, when the wrangler she's applying to assist turns out to be Noah, the only man she's noticed in a physical way in at least 2 years, you could probably have knocked her over with a feather.

Noah too is shocked but excited to learn the veteran applying to become his assistant is the same woman he met at a friends's farm recently. She's the first one he's been attracted to since his marriage ended because of issues reemerging into regular life.

They have to learn to work together and live together. It's 2 vets to a house and Noah's cabin has the available room for the assistant wrangler.

Dair is put through hell in this book. She's attacked by a mad horse that tramples her prosthetic and tries to kill her, then when she's back rolling is cornered and knocked around by Shay's dad.

But, soldiers on, with the help of her team, the squad of vets that's become her family as much her family as her grandmother and mom.

I don't personally know how vets talk to each other. I get frank honesty. Noah is a bit more loquacious than I would expect. Love that protective streak if his, but the control... wow!

Really enjoying this group. Look forward to reading more about each in the various books for this series.

This book started off strong but it quickly faded; I had to force myself to even finish the book at times.

Dair starts off as this strong, kiss ass military woman who is faced with an unimaginable tragedy. Throughout her recovery, she displays the same strength and determination. When she finds herself interviewing to work on a ranch, she has her doubts but is still determined to prove that she can do anything she could have done before even if she only has one leg now.

Here's where I stopped enjoying the book. After this point, Dair becomes someone we're not used to. She suddenly becomes weak, lacks confidence in herself and struggles to make a decision on her own. If this was the woman we saw after her injury, I could understand her insecurities. However, that's not the Dair we saw before or immediately after the incident. It seemed that the character's personality changed just so she would fit better with Noah.

The entire book was focused too much on her amputation for me. Yes it was a key part of the story and how she continued her life, but the constant instruction on how she did tasks became repetitive. Again if this was the woman we met right after the injury it would make sense. But we're led to believe that this is 18 months later and she's become so much stronger that she was determined to not let her injury effect her. Yet the constant instruction and explanations of her injury make it seem like it happened yesterday.

Noah...I didn't like him at all. First off, I don't care what happened with your previous marriage but no one over communicates the way he does. He wants to talk about EVERYTHING. He's too cautious and takes a back seat to everything. He treats Dair with kid gloves and refuses to see her as a capable woman which just feeds her sudden change in personality.

The story had potential, but it just didn't happen.

Wrangler’s Challenge by Lindsay McKenna is Book 4 in the Wind River Series. It is well written and a page turner. It was a bit different than the average romance as this one is a military romance. The characters are well developed and the storyline was interesting. Great job! I recommend this one!
ARC copy given for my honest review.

The Bar C Ranch in Wind River Valley is owned and staffed by vets. The entire staff is made up of military veterans who have all come together to work there, become a family, and support one another through PTSD and other issues from their military service. Dair is an ex-Marine that lost the lower part of a leg to an IED in Afghanistan. While recovering at the military hospital in Bethesda she was able to go on an outing to a nearby ranch where she met Noah. They shared an amazing kiss and never thought they would see one another again. Dair has now returned to her home state of Wyoming looking for work. Since her Comanche grandmother taught her to train horses from a young age, she is a great candidate for the assistant horse trainer position at the Bar C Ranch. During her interview, she finds out that Noah is the horse trainer she would be assisting at the Bar C. Can Dair deal with her feelings of not being a whole woman in order to let Noah into her life? Can Noah learn from his failed marriage in order to have a strong relationship with Dair?

Dair is a strong woman who feels vulnerable because of her amputation. The author did a good job of portraying the emotions of a recent amputee and the daily struggles they deal with. Noah is a good man who just wants to care for and protect Dair. I found their love story inspiring. The characters are well developed and the plot is good but it did move a bit slow for my taste. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and all of the characters in it. I love that the entire ranch is run by veterans and that they have their Friday night group “meetings” that include a therapist. Our military veterans don’t get enough support from the public or the people around them so it was nice to see them band together to support one another. I am looking forward to reading the rest of this series of books.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley/Kensington Books and have voluntarily provided an honest review.

Slow and steady. Eventually they will get there, maybe. Depends where you want them to go.

Noah works as a horse trainer at the Bar C Ranch. It is staffed with veterans full of challenges. Most suffer with PTSD and every Friday they hold a staff group session to help them all cope. It also helps to bring everyone together as a family.

When Dair shows up for a job interview she is shocked by how the hands all have a voice in the hiring process. It is healing to know that everyone has been through tough times and came out stronger. Even though she is nervous about the uneven ground she works hard to prove that her amputee status won't hold her back from her duties horse training.

**more spoilers than usual**
The story opens strong with Dair and her accident. It slows down quickly and becomes very clinical in the story-telling. Her left leg is almost exclusively referred to as her residual limb. Excuse me for not being sensitive or politically correct but most of her leg is still there. Why it can't be called a leg was very irritating. It also bothered me that every conversation in the entire book sounded like a trip to the therapist. Everything was extensively explained and repeated later. No guy would be that in touch with his feelings. I do not demand sex in everything that I read (mainly because it doesn't always fit the story) BUT the one scene in this book was terribly juvenile and even after going back over the scene I still can't figure out when he took his pants off. Every movement was carefully explained, including the thought process behind it.

Overall I like the series but can only recommend this book to move the underlying story along. It might have more appeal to a military oriented person or someone looking for a story that can be read in spurts.

Wrangler's Challenge by Lindsay McKenna is a great story with real, genuine characters and strong setting that that I could envision in my mind from the author's descriptive writing, no matter if it was Afghanistan or Wyoming. From the heartbreaking opening chapter to the conclusion, this is an emotional read.

While there is some suspense concerning the future of the ranch, this is another Wind River Valley story that is mostly of wounded veterans who returned home much different from when they left serve their countries. They are rebuilding their lives as they struggle with their disabilities. Dair and Noah are two such veterans. Even though Dair’s physical injuries stand out more, the PTSD that they both suffer from is a prominent factor in the story. Their story is heartwarming as they become co-workers, then friends before the romance develops. I like that it is not rushed but the story may have a slow pace for some who seek more action in their reading material.

I read a lot, gravitating to military stories both in suspense and contemporary romance. With that said, I have found this series including Wrangler's Challenge to be informative and authentic while also being a great romantic read.

I have enjoyed the previous books in this series and like that while you can read the romance as a stand alone book, there is also the ongoing story of Shay's father and his abuse.

I really love this group of vets who work hard to make a better place for other and care so much for each other. You can just feel the love they have for each other, and you can see that when they build a wooden sidewalk for Dair.

The book brings readers attention to the PTSD and injuries that our vets return from active service and must deal with on a daily basis. If all that isn't enough, Dair had to deal with abuse in her past so Noah is incredible with her and doesn't lose his temper which is just what Dair needs.

I am looking forward to the next book in the series and hope that they resolve the issue with Ray!

Wyoming, horses and military veterans

Army Sergeant Dair Wilson was on her fourth deployment in Afghanistan, working with her combat dog, Zeus, when they stepped on an IED. Dair is severely injured and ends up getting a Medical Honorable Discharge from the Army.

She ends up back in Wyoming, where she's originally from, interviewing at a horse ranch for an assistant trainer position - and finds she's met the trainer before - Noah Mabry, also an Army veteran who worked with combat dogs.

I liked most of this story a lot. It takes place in Wyoming, one of my favorite places. Dair is half-Comanche and I enjoyed the parts of the story about her background. She's a strong woman in a primarily male environment.

Dair's injuries were handled with compassion in the story. The romance was handled discreetly but took a LONG time to develop.

AND, this is the fourth book in the WIND RIVER series. I haven't read any of the other books and felt comfortable with that right up to the end of the book - which ended inconclusively and abruptly.

I received this book from Kensington Books through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.

Wrangler’s Challenge by Lindsay McKenna
Wind River Valley #4

Love grows slowly in this story of two veterans of war who work on the BAR C Ranch in Wyoming. Dair Wilson is has worked with dogs and lost her WMD companion and part of her leg in Afghanistan when she arrives at the ranch hoping for a job training horses. Noah Mabry is unsure she can do the job with a prosthetic leg but after a trial decides she can.

The BAR C Ranch is a haven for veterans of the military. All have PTSD and need a safe place to land. In previous books Shay & Reese and Garret & Kira have had their stories told. Through the books there has been a theme of the impact of war and also of abuse on survivors and this book continues that theme. Shay, owner of the ranch, has a particularly disagreeable father who appears again in this book – my hope is that he is locked away or put down as one dangerous horse mentioned in this book was dealt with. There is a great deal of information about amputees, prosthetic devices, healing and more in this book that will be educational for some. The main thing about these books is the team and the friendship, ties, caring and support that is found by all on the ranch. It is a bit of a fairy tale world with work and hardship but also a place to heal.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books-Zebra for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

I received a copy of this e-book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This is the 4th book in the series and it didn't disappoint at all. All of our hero's and heroine's deal with PTSD from their time serving in worn torn countries but this story was a bit different, while Dair suffered from PTSD she also had a physical reminder...she lost a foot and part of her leg.

When she comes to the Bar C ranch to work as an Assistant trainer, Dair meets Noah once again. She had met him before when she was on a day trip and that day ended with a kiss... She didn't know he worked at Bar C.

They work well together, both being trainers and have much respect for one another. They also live in the same house. Noah is very protective of her and as much as Dair appreciates it, she has to remind him that she is perfectly able.

Once again, the author has done great research. From the previous stories, I felt like I learned so much about the soldier and PTSD and this time her excellent research has taught me about life for an amputee.

So Dair is not only dealing with PTSD, she is also dealing with her feelings of inadequacy due to her amputation. She is a wonderful young woman considering her childhood so Noah has to be patient and supportive. I want to say that this couple is my favorite so far but I may change my mind with the next book!

This is a great book.

Wrangler's Challenge, by Lindsay McKenna is an enjoyable contemporary western romance.

Noah Mabry currently works as the horse trainer at the Bar C Ranch, alongside other former military. Even though he excels at working with animals, Noah struggles with relating to people, especially after to the end of his marriage and ongoing PTSD matters. However, Noah is secretly pleased to discover his newest co-worker and housemate, even when he has concerns about her working at the ranch.

Dair Wilson's army career ended after suffering a major injury while overseas. After slowly recovering, she's having problems with employment...until she's arrives at the ranch. Dair had a rough childhood, which still affects her today. Both Dair and Noah are dealing with serious personal issues, as well as problems on the ranch and their attraction to each other.

Since it's the fourth book in Wind River Valley series, it's recommended to start with the first book, yet it's not necessary to read the books in order.

Wrangler's Challenge is geared towards those who enjoy reading modern ranch romances.


Note: I received this book from NetGalley, which is a program designed for bloggers to write book reviews in exchange for books, yet the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Fascinating beginning to the story...Dair is in her 4th tour in Afghanistan along with her dog, who smells out IEDs. Of course, the tension is there for the reader who just knows that a disaster will soon happen.

This tells the story of Dair's settlement into civilian life at the same setting as the other stories in Wyoming. There is a sameness to these stories even though they are about different characters. Still, I like to read them and I find them interesting.

Dair Wilson was a member of a black ops military team and a canine handler in Afghanistan. After leaving the armed forces, she comes to Wind River and gets a job on the veteran-owned and operated Bar C Ranch. She meets the other vets who work there, including Noah Mabry. She and Noah develop a relationship as they work together at the ranch. In this wonderful addition to the Wind River series, author Lindsay McKenna has written a heartwarming and detailed story that delves into the lives of vets and their residual problems after tours of duty. Ms. McKenna tells this story with brutal honesty and powerful insight. I highly recommend this book (and the entire series) to lovers of contemporary military romance.

Wrangler's Challenge by Lindsay McKenna will be available October 31, 2017 from Zebra, an imprint of Kensington Books. An egalley of this book was made available by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

I received an ARC from netgalley. This book was very well written and drew me in right away. The first chapter had me in tears and the love story of Noah and Dair developed throughout the book. At times I didn’t like the time jump and felt like there were parts missing where you could see their love grow more but the author did a good job of showing how a good love story can develop thru friendship and respect each other thru a growing relationship. I can’t wait to read Harper’s story.

This book was a bit of a slow mover for me. I liked the base story line of the ranch committed to helping veterans dealing with issues such as PTSD and injuries. I liked the character of Noah. However, the lead character of Dair I found myself going back and forth between believing her to be a believeable character to feeling like she wasn't genuine. My favorite scene with Dair was with the horses Candy & Ebony! I will definitely give this author another chance as I did enjoy some aspects of the story.

“I received a free, advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.