His Cowboy Heart

Starred review from January 23, 2017
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.

February 1, 2017
Ford Kendrick and Jamie Keller broke up because of clashing family problems--Jamie's drove her away from their hometown even as Ford's kept him rooted there. They each left the relationship broken by the difficult choices they were forced to make.Ford stayed home to care for his grandfather and his family's ranch. He saw his brothers finish school, fall in love, and start families of their own. He spent the money he'd saved to move away with Jamie on his grandfather's medical bills, relieved to have the old man in good health again. Jamie left her abusive mother's house to join the military after her plan to buy a little place with Ford fell through. Eleven years later, Jamie returns home after being shot in Afghanistan with a serious case of post-traumatic stress disorder and no real idea of what to do with her life. Enter Ford, who seems to be everywhere Jamie needs him to be: separating her from a fight with her brother, taking care of her (and himself after she shoots him during a flashback) while she's blackout drunk, and generally nursing her back to health. Unfortunately, Tobin, a member of her company from when she was in the Army, won't let her try to get on with her life. She can't remember the face of the man who attacked her squad despite therapy and meds, and Tobin insists that she doesn't need to. He'd prefer that she move on to a life with him, since he can best understand her trauma. Add that to the jealousy Ford feels, and it creates a tense love triangle, but while Jamie's PTSD is an integral part of her character development, Tobin's contributes to his general villainy, which seems counterintuitive. An interesting book that turns a lot of established tropes and gender norms on their sides.

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Starred review from February 1, 2017
If Ford Kendrick was going to be honest with himself, Jamie Keller wasn't really the one that got away. It was more like Jamie was the one Ford pushed away. Ford tries to tell himself that he cut all ties with Jamie for her own good, but that doesn't dull the pain of losing her one bit. Now Jamie is back in town bearing the scars, some visible and some not, from her military tour in Afghanistan. Common sense dictates that Ford should leave Jamie alone and give her the space she needs to heal, but Ford is tired of doing what seems logical. Eleven years ago, Ford didn't fight for Jamie's love, but he sure as hell is going to now. Book six in Ryan's Montana Men series (Her Renegade Rancher, 2016) packs a powerful emotional punch. Ryan not only brings to the table emotionally engaging, multilayered characters, she also writes with great sensitivity about the physical, emotional, and mental toll PTSD can levy on military personnel returning home from active duty, which ultimately makes her heroine's journey back to the light all the more poignant.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)