This modern look at life in Wyoming shows how connected we all are today, how wars, the internet and the economy affect us all. Belinda Mays is working her way through college and living with her grandfather, fending off the predatory attentions of her stepfather who has been asking her to pose on the internet since her mother died.

Cane Kirk, a war veteran who lives on a neighbouring ranch, handles the cattle well but is unable to get past the loss of his arm which he believes makes him unattractive as a partner. To counter his insecurity he drinks and smashes up the local bar, and Belinda, long his friend, is called to help calm him down. Because of the trust between them, Belinda reluctantly turns to Cane for a loan when her grandfather is diagnosed with heart trouble and needs expensive medication, but she is too proud to explain all her difficulties and Cane thinks she only wants him for his money. Rejected, Belinda sees no option but to pawn heirloom jewellery to pay the rent, and accedes to her creepy stepfather's demands. This sets in motion a series of events which will change the course of all their lives.

WYOMING FIERCE is in some ways an angry book, where characters quail at the price of generic drugs and ask how they are supposed to live in an economy that cares nothing for ordinary people and provides not even menial jobs. The concerns of the populace are well voiced, but balancing that is the good care given to a car crash victim in the hospital, and the general condemnation of a person who drinks and drives. More happily we see a positive young heroine who, raised with Methodist values, chooses not to cheapen herself and works towards a better future. The romance potential is always present - although Cane makes a real idiot of himself - and Belinda, who knows what she wants but won't be rushed, deserves happiness.

Diana Palmer has written many romances and is an expert at drawing the country and characters she presents. WYOMING FIERCE will be enjoyed on many levels.