A soldier’s promise. A stubborn cowgirl unwilling to admit she needs help. An immediate and sizzling attraction, they’re both determined to fight.

A bombing injury derails widower and former bull rider Dash Lange’s army career, forcing him home to rebuild his life again. When a friend asks him to check on his younger sister, his father, and his struggling ranch, Dash agrees, happy to have a purpose. But when he meets the sister, it all goes sideways, starting with the bro code.

Lainey Gallagher counts only on herself. Her family is fractured—by abandonment, addiction, and a brother deployed overseas. She’s holding her bookstore together through sheer will and hopes that adding a coffee café will boost business. But her father’s horse ranch is a money suck, and when his newly trained rodeo stock horses are stolen, Lainey steps in to save the ranch, find the thief, and keep her dad sober.

A take-charge cowboy riding to the rescue is the last thing she wants. Or is it?

Titles in The Men of Service series include: A Texas Soldier’s Love* ~ Deal with the Texas Soldier ~ A Texas Soldier’s Vow ~ Forbidden to the Texas Soldier ~

This story may contain language, violence, and/or sexual situations intended for an adult 18+ audience.

Title:  Forbidden to the Texas Soldier
Series:  The Men of Service #4
Author:  Julie Benson
Published:  May 28, 2026
Publisher:  Tule Publishing
My Rating:  4.5 stars

Forbidden to the Texas Soldier is the fourth title in The Men of Service series.  This time around, that silly bro code is going to come into play once more when Dash heads to his friend’s family ranch to help out.  Dash has been discharged from the military following a bombing incident, leaving him injured and without a clear purpose after being discharged.  Although, before Dash had even set foot on the ranch, his friend had firmly warned him off any involvement with his sister, who still lives on the ranch… that bro code is out in full force.  Funny thing is, though, no one asked Lainey (LJ) for her opinion about that silliness.  The heart knew its own mind, and if she was interested in her brother’s friend… no one, not even Dash, let alone her bossy brother, who was still serving overseas, was going to stop her.  Add to all that, Lainey is struggling with her bookstore, deciding to add a coffee cafe to increase traffic and revenue, as well as the stolen horses from the family ranch… and she had a full plate already, adding a budding romance with Dash should be the last thing on her mind, but she is oh so tempted.

I enjoyed Lainey and Dash’s romance.  There are issues that need to be addressed before their happy ending has even a chance of becoming a reality.  Aside from the bro code her brother invoked, there is the small fact that Dash is keeping something important from her.  The horse-theft aspect is intense and kept me on the edge as clues are revealed.  I loved running into previous couples from this series. I always love a bit of an update, or at least an appearance, of characters who mattered to me in a series.  Their romance is well-written, emotional, intense, and passionate as this couple deals not only with their mutual attraction but also with the danger the ranch faces.  If that sounds like your kind of Modern Western Romance, then you’d love Forbidden to the Texas Soldier.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the author or the author’s team via Booksprout, and I sincerely thank them for their trust. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

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