Her Lone Cowboy started off strong, with a wonderful hero and a promising heroine. Unfortunately, I eventually tired of the heroine and felt the hero deserved better.

Noah Laramie, a career soldier, is back home recovering from serious combat injuries. Although he lost his arm, he intends to return to the military. Emotionally injured as well, Noah has shut himself off from everyone except his brother and his brother’s fiancée. His peace is disrupted when Lily Germaine, a local teacher and friend of his future sister-in-law, volunteers to deliver some groceries to him. It is readily apparent to Lily that Noah isn’t able to do many things on his own, and she offers to help with some everyday tasks.

Noah is reluctant to accept Lily’s help, and she isn’t eager to get too involved with him either, but soon, they’re thrown together repeatedly when they’re asked to be the best man and maid of honor for the wedding of Noah’s brother and Lily’s best friend.

Both Lily and Noah have a host of issues. In addition to Noah’s injuries, some family secrets become known over the course of the book that send Noah reeling. Lily is still emotionally crippled from being stood up at the altar as a teenager by her high school sweetheart.

The book takes place in the snippet in time when Noah is recovering and Lily is on summer break from teaching. Even though they’re involved in a wedding, there are very few interactions with other characters. The majority of scenes are between Lily and Noah, or in one of their heads. At times, it was a bit claustrophobic.

I had no doubt that the two were deeply attracted to each other. Lily thinks Noah’s handsome, cranky, and proud. Noah thinks she’s the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. Noah makes it clear that he plans to go back to the military and leave town. Behind his reluctance to get involved is a feeling that he’s not worthy of a woman like Lily, given his scars and lost arm.

There are some touching, beautiful scenes. One that will stick in my mind is the scene in which Noah asks Lily to dance the night before the wedding. We view the moments through Noah’s mind, as he longs to be able to hold her as he would have before he lost his arm. And I actually cried reading the scene where Lily sees his scars for the first time.

The author did a wonderful job in scenes describing Noah’s problems with everyday tasks we take for granted. My main problem with the book is that I just didn’t warm to Lily. I know things that happen years earlier can scar us, but I eventually just wanted Lily to get over it, and to recognize Noah for the gem that he is.

Noah is such a wonderful hero, and has so much courage, that I began to feel that he deserved someone with an equal amount. His problems are so much bigger than Lily’s. She came across as a coward after awhile. This isn’t a bad book, and parts were truly touching. I just wanted a bit more, and for Lily to have more courage.