Review - The Wounded Warrior by BA Tortuga

The Wounded Warrior

by BA Tortuga

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Volume 1 of The Rockin' W

Tags: Western Contemporary

Posted in Book Reviews on 17 June, 2026

Luke joined the navy to escape life on the farm. When the SEAL is injured in an IED explosion, Luke has no choice but to return to the farm his twin brother runs. He is, at least temporarily, confined to a wheelchair and has no idea what the future holds for him. Rory is the small town’s lone out and proud resident. He’s a lawyer with a sideline in real estate. His interest in buying land is mostly about settling an old grudge. When Rory meets Luke, he’s instantly attracted to the man, despite his battered body. The two make an unlikely pair, but their main challenge is the simmering dispute between Rory and a developer, which boils over into a threat to the families of both men.

“The Wounded Warrior” is set in contemporary rural central Texas. It’s a world of it’s own that can seem a bit outrageous even to many Americans, but it’s very believably portrayed. This is a community where almost everyone owns a gun, and isn’t afraid to use it to defend their land. The land and family are among the most important things to most people. The families of both men provide a lot of the lighter moments in this story.

The story is told alternately by Luke and Rory. We meet Luke first, as his brother Matt is trying to interest him in getting involved in work around the ranch. Luke may have joined the navy to escape the ranch, but in recovery he starts to find comfort in caring for the farm’s ponies, especially the rescues who need lots of attention and patience. He finds Rory attractive, yet can’t believe the man would really be interested in him, with his battered body.

Rory is definitely an engaging character. He seems at first as an irrepressible sort, but there’s a dark secret in his past, the full details of which take a while to come out. Rory’s attraction to Luke seems unusual, but together with other things that come out about him, shows there is more to the man than the somewhat superficial image he projects.

“The Wounded Warrior” is available from Smashwords or see Bookshop.org to purchase from an independent bookseller.