| Title | : | Wrangler's Challenge (Wind River Valley #4) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 320 |
| Publication | : | Published October 31, 2017 |
Healing, like love, takes time . . .
For Noah Mabry, it’s easier sometimes to relate to the dogs and horses he trains than to other people. Ever since his marriage became a casualty of the war in Afghanistan—torn apart by the PTSD he brought back with him—he prefers to be on his own. At the Bar C Ranch, where he works with a crew of fellow military vets, his gentle patience helps tame even the rowdiest mustang—but he’s about to meet a woman who needs a healing touch he’s not sure he can give.
Dair Wilson, a half-Comanche ex-Marine who lost a foot to an IED, has been hired on to assist Noah, but her deepest wounds aren’t visible. Growing up in an abusive home, she learned not to trust men, even ones who seem nothing but kind. After a wild horse sends her sprawling, the attentive care she receives from the Bar C family—and especially from Noah—is enough to convince her she’s found a place she can finally breathe easy. But one angry, damaged man poses a threat not only to Dair and Noah, but to everyone who’s built a new home at the Bar C . . .
Wrangler's Challenge (Wind River Valley #4) Reviews
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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
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 -
Wrangler's Challenge (Wind River Valley) by Lindsay McKenna
With action packed tales and emotionally revealing characters, Lindsay McKenna has been bridging the gap between romance and suspense for years. Although she has a foot in both genres what appeals to me is the fact that she takes on high risks subjects that are realistic and far reaching. For me the appeal is that she uses her voice to make a difference in the world by spotlighting topics that are controversial but no less important. Subjects like rape, war and the after effects of the people who experience these. Wrangler's Challenge puts two such character's center stage as they struggle with the danger they've seen, the people they've lost and the demons that followed them home. Impactive reading that is both entertaining and informative. -
Volume 4 in the Wind River Valley Veteran’s Ranch Series. Dair Wilson and Noah Mabry are the Devilishly Handsome Couple who nine months ago shared a searingly hot kiss on a horse farm in Maryland. The challenge will be establishing a working relationship and living in a cabin under the same roof. Laying down boundaries and finding personal space for two people suffering from PTSD is the question. The first test for Dair is to prove to her new boss that she can establish rapport with his horses. It’s not every day the animals get to pass judgement on a new hire.
Dair seems overly accident prone.
I do wish the book had been subjected to better editing. As with many romances this one is overly wordy with lengthy descriptions in particular of the women in the story, protracted descriptions of the echaracter’s sexual hangups and finally raptuous bedroom scenes. Since the pair are already co-habiting the only decision they need make is her bed or his. There’s no mention of marriage. -
Ready for the next
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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 innate 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. -
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. -
I really liked this book. It was very much a character driven book and I really liked all the characters. Well, all of them except one. and that would be Shay's father. But he served his purpose in the story because he did add action to the book even if it was a mean and disrupting element to the story. Although that is not to say that there wasn't any other action in the story.
Dair was a person that you got drawn into and cared about pretty quickly. She was skilled and had been very self-sufficient until her life exploded (literally). Part of her story was not only about what she went through from then on to try to recover but to try to make a new life for herself. Just trying to find a job was portrayed pretty well without dragging the story down. So was the fact that many vets suffer from P.T.S.D.
Noah was kind of a surprise to me. Yes, he was a tough veteran, a skilled horseman but he was so tender and almost shy at times. At least he was that way with Dair but he also was there for her when she needed him. And he was there for anyone else who needed him.
I liked the sense of community that came through on the ranch and the idea that all of the people were veterans. What a great idea. There were several different people in the book who added so much and I would like to continue reading about them also. I think I will go back and read Shay and Reese's story. That's where it all began in, "Wind River Rancher". Of course like usual, I'm read the stories out of order.
Just on a side note, I really liked the name Dair and it's spelling. It was a pretty apt name for her too.
This is a story that has no cliffhanger ending to my way of thinking but one "man" problem has yet to be fully taken care of. So I guess that is one thing left hanging but it in no way made it hard for me to enjoy this book. -
DNF...made it through 51% and just couldn’t take it any more. The editing is ABYSMAL! Just one example...start of chapter 2 is dated Feb 1. Dair is going for her job interview at the Bar C. She gets the job. Start of Chapter 3, which says Feb 12. Chapter starts and says that she”s been at the ranch a full month! There’s a reference to her not seeing or running into a particular person. Later on it says it’s a few weeks later and she fortunately still hasn’t run in to that person. And then, it’s Valentine’s Day!! Like seriously! WTH?! Another example...during the job interview Shay says that she provides the ranch workers with a home and three meals a day. Shortly after it says she needs to split the rent for the home with the person she shares with. She has to have a separate job and give 15% of what she earns to the ranch for the home and three meals. Then later on, in a conversation with oath who she is sharing the house with it says they do their own cooking and buying groceries. So how is Shay providing g anything for that 15%?!
In addition to the that the storyline moves way too slowly. The is all kinds of minutiae about horses and training but the author can’t get a basic timeline correct? The bit about Shay’s father and taking the ranch back is ridiculous as it’s clear the ranch was left to Shay by her mother, never mind that Ray is an alcoholic gambler who already nearly lost the ranch that wasn’t his to begin with.
The story is a mess which is too bad as I liked the premise and I liked Dair and Noah’s characters. I just couldn’t keep going because it was too aggravating. -
The Wrangler’s Challenge is the fourth book in a series by Lindsay McKenna about the Wind River Valley. (According to her website there are two more in the series planned.) Once again we are back in Wyoming on a ranch that is run entirely by Veterans with PTSD. They are each other’s family and support system. Noah is in charge of training the horses and after the huge indoor riding ring was built, very busy. Another horse trainer was hired named Dair.
Dair was a veteran who had lost part of her limb and her bomb sniffing dog in a horrible explosion. She has spent much time trying learn how to live with a prosthesis and how to adjust to her new world. Luckily, she was hired on the Bar C Range to work with Noah and the horses.
I like this series of books for many reasons, not the least of which is the characters are strong men and women who has served our country. I am heartened that in the books they are treated with respect and given a chance to work and heal. I like the story lines, the matching of characters and all the back stories that revolve around the ranch. The part I do not like is the difficulty the Veterans have getting the help they need - no matter where they live. The part that upsets me are the huge waiting times they have to endure without medical help. But those issues while addressed in the book are not the focus, but a reminder.
Wrangler’s Challenge was a great read. The storyline, the characters and the love story were written with strength and hope. -
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. -
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 got this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 3 stars. Follow us at
www.1rad-readerreviews.com -
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. -
Dair and Noah first met when she attended a weekend outreach at a ranch in Maryland while she was a recovering amputee. He was the horse trainer that performed for the attendees. They shared an explosive kiss and exchanged emails, but she was reinventing her life after the loss of her foot and ankle after an ODD explosion.
She's completed outpatient training and rehab. As part of an elite black ops, her commander helped secure employment at a ranch that hired vets only, as an assistant horse trainer. She's nervous about the job and this is compounded when she arrived for the interview with the owners and is told her job hinges on the approval of the Horse Trainer, Noah. When he arrived back to the ranch they discover they know what each other.
A series of events causes all ranch hands to explore their relationships, but especially true for Noah and Dair. Can they overcome her abusive past and their PTSD issues to forge a future together? You'll have to read it to find out. As part of a series that builds the story from one book to the other, it's important to read them in order. Now its time to read Harper's story -
I always look forward to the next Wind River Valley book. This time the new vet is Dair Wilson whose job in the military was handling a WMD dog as part of a team. When a IED went off she lost part of her leg and her foot. She needs a job and a place to stay and the ranch at Wind River Valley is the perfect place. Not only does she have a job she works with Noah Mabry. Noah has just the right touch to bring Dair out of her shell and into a world where she can trust men for the first time. This is a nice sweet story with some tension. I loved how Noah seemed to get just how to deal with Dair and all of her insecurities. There is still Shaylene's angry father to deal with but that seems to be on the road to closure. A nice series that features vets who have seen the unseeable and are suffering from PTSD as a result.
I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review. -
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. -
"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!
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Another winner from a favorite author of mine. The subject is military, PTSD, jobs for vets, and love all set in one of my most favorite areas in Wyoming, the Wind River Valley, Jackson Hole area.
I have learned more about PTSD in reading this series then anywhere else. It has been presented in a way to remind us what it is, how come it exists, and how to start fixing it. Then you have the stories, the love of animals, people, all wrapped up in a way that only Lindsay Mckenna can do. I could feel the feel the love a handler has for their dog. The love, bond of a military unit. The fear the wounded feel of the unknown. The healing that has to take place, of mind and soul, to become normal. And the love that comes from two people raised differently, but are both military. Both have a love for horses. The bond they feel as they explore the feeling they have. -
Wrangler's Challenge (Wind River Valley #4) by Lindsay McKenna is another great book in her series. It was fun to revisit the ranch and the other vets...Shay and her husband Reese.. Kira and Garret and Harper.... Not so much Shay's drunken father Ray...who is always causing trouble.... Noah is another vet on the ranch with PTSD and the head horse trainer...Dair is a wounded worrier who lost her left foot and ankle in a to an IED that took her dog partners life. Her job on the ranch ...and her relationship with Noah are helping her heal...So many smiles and feels in this book that gets you to their HEA. Can't wait for the next Wind River Valley book LONE RIDER ....Harper's story.. in April of 2018.
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I love this series. I've been reading it from the library. The issue of ptsd in this series has been a great read. I've enjoyed Noah & Dair story. The story is a continuation in away from the 1st book. Noah carries many scars that is well shown in this story. But what makes this story and series great is the way the men & women in each of these stories rise to each challenge. Dair lost her foot to a IUD could have given up but Noah's gentle spirit starts her on the road to heal. It is a well written story that has a great flow to it. I loved reading each book in this series for it shows no 2 ptsd is the same. Its how you handle it that makes it. This story is well written and a joy to read.
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3.5 stars … the attention to detail in the series and the timeline of events is lacking and quite distracting.
However, I did enjoy Dair and Noah’s story. The aspect of veterans with PTSD having a place where they can work & rebuild their lives in a safe place is highly intriguing. Dair being half Comanche, growing up with a grandmother who wAs a horse trainer, an abusive father, and a former dog handler in the military was a great addition to the Bar C ranch, especially adding in the aspect of being an amputee from an IED in Afghanistan. As Noah and Dair begin to work through their own individual traumas, rely on one another, and survive Dair being attacked by a wild stallion and the very drunk Ray Crawford, they find their way to a love story that is uniquely their own. -
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. -
I enjoyed this couple. Also 7 and enjoyed Noah's character. I like that the author hard more depth to the struggle of PTSD though she did tend to drone on with each character getting post in endless rumination . This a pattern the runs true to all books thus far. I wish the author had invested in (more robust look dimension into Noah. While like the female character Dair I find that her strength just seem to demenish as her relationship with and Noah become an item. Another theme running through the series
