Wounded Cowboy is a very touching story about Luka, a horribly abused werewolf, who finds a home with Charlie, a lonely, very caring cowboy. Both men are in dire need of some love and attention, and it was wonderful to see them slowly learning to trust each other. With all of Luka’s issues that was not an easy process, and Jan Irving pulled no punches in being honest about what it might take for Luka to trust again. And to make things even more difficult, Luka’s abusers aren’t the kind to slink away into the background. I hated that they were back, but that only made the book more realistic and added a nice level of suspense.

Luka has suffered more than anyone should have to. He tried to help another of the bullies’ victims, and got severely punished by them. I admired him for his courage and sense of doing the right thing, no matter what the consequences re to his own well being. His difficulty adjusting back to society and the company of other people was heart wrenching to watch. I was rooting for him the whole way!

Charlie is a great guy. Tolerant, accepting and willing to do anything to help Luka, he is definitely a knight in shining armor. He is a yoga teacher, and the restorative forces of those exercises definitely come in handy as he helps Luka recover. Once they get physical (the hot tub scene was priceless), not only do the sparks fly, but their lovemaking is very emotional as well. The way Charlie lets Luka take over, so he can feel at least some control in his life, is very touching. Not to mention being dominated in bed is a dream come true for Charlie.

I liked this fourth story in the series as much as I did the first three, and am really glad there are more volumes to look forward to. If you like stories about vulnerable characters who manage to stand up for themselves, wolf shifters and all the issues that come when they need to reveal themselves to their human mates, and hot men who aren’t afraid to show their emotions, you will probably like this book. I certainly enjoyed reading it.


NOTE: This book was provided by Pride Publishing for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. ( )

3 stars. I'm enjoying this series. The characters are interesting and the smexxin' was hot. I did have a few instances where I wasn't sure which character was speaking at the time. I didn't connect with these characters like the others in the series, but I'm still looking forward to reading the next installment. ( )