Cowboy’s Last Stand

Longtime readers at AAR will be thrilled to hear that romantic suspense great Jill Sorenson has not only a new book out, but that it’s the start of a series. Cowboy’s Last Stand, the first in her His to Protect series, reminds us why Sorenson has always stood out: she grounds her stories in the struggles of ordinary people and shows how love can take root in difficult circumstances. 

Natalie Luna has been holding her family together since her husband’s death in Afghanistan. She waits tables, tends bar, raises her five-year-old son, and gets on with her life without drama or complaint. Jason Reed, on leave from the Army, arrives in town. He served with Natalie’s husband and has a story to tell Natalie. Jason has a traumatic brain injury as well as PTSD.  From the moment he encounters her, Jason feels pulled toward Natalie, and while the initial spark is immediate, Sorenson lets the relationship develop gradually. Sorenson’s skill in illuminating the lives of everyday people shines here; Natalie and Jason are not larger-than-life heroes but recognizable figures whose choices feel authentic.

The suspense subplot—centered on a local murder and Jason’s status as an outsider—adds tension but doesn’t overshadow the romance. The small-town dynamics are believable: the locals are protective of their own, everyone believes they know the truth about everyone else, and gossip fuels mistrust. The town, Last Stand, Texa, is an interesting place.

Readers will likely guess Jason’s secret long before Natalie does, but predictability doesn’t diminish the novel’s impact. What matters is the slow, careful way the two leads come to understand each other. Jason is protective without being overbearing; Natalie is resilient without being idealized. Together, they are just lovely.

Cowboy’s Last Stand is a satisfying start to the series, a romance that balances its love story and its suspense very well. I can’t wait to see what Sorenson does next!