Member Reviews

Ada is the city girl with her sights set on growing her interior design business. Weston is the cowboy born and raised in the country. They meet as two perfect strangers in a dive bar, share a sizzling kiss, and both regret they will never see each other again… Only they do when they meet the next day to discuss the project Weston has hired Ada to design.

Done and Dusted was one of my favourite romance reads of 2023 so I was incredibly excited to read Sage’s newest offering. I am pleased to say it did not disappoint but only served to solidify Sage as an auto-buy author for me.

I fell completely in love with both Ada and Weston; they each have an interesting, complex back-story that brought depth and meaning to their love story. I found the representation of depression to be particularly interesting and refreshingly accurate. Similarly, it was heartwarming to see Ada not only grow in confidence in her career but also become a “girls-girl”.

Set against the backdrop of Rebel Blue Ranch, the couple’s initial spark is explosive but Sage then explores and develops their connection carefully across the book. Both Sage’s main characters communicate clearly with each other and set boundaries which are respected, something I really appreciate and admire. When things get *spicy*, I love that consent is at the forefront of the heated moments.

Sage also gets bonus points for (either intentionally or unintentionally) quoting Taylor Swift lyrics. I won’t tell you the quote, consider this a little treasure hunt when you get your hands on a copy! I highly recommend this book. I would especially recommend it to any cowboy romance lovers, for fans of Elsie Silver and Brooke Montgomery. I am incredibly excited about Teddy and Gus’ book and look forward to seeing everyone fall in love with Ada and Weston just as I did.

Content Warnings: sexual content; controlling ex-partner; mental illness.

Was this review helpful?

I really loved this! Honestly even more than the first one. I thought the characters were PERFECT and the chemistry between them was SO GOOD. I thought the pacing was great. The only reason it's not getting a 5 is because I wanted TO SEE MORE OF THE CHARACTERS TOGETHER WHICH SOUNDS SILLY FOR A ROMANCE BOOK BUT LIKE I WANTED THEM TO TALK MORE AND GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER MORE, I WANTED TO EXPERIENCE THAT. like yes him teaching her to drive and her going on about her interior design stuff was cool but I just wanted MORE interactions between them because the ones we did get were amazing!

Was this review helpful?

I loved the first book, Done and Dusted, and was so excited to read Wes' story! For me, I thought it was odd that he didn't think the 'new girl' was Ada, but oh well, it was still an easy and enjoyable read. The best scene for me was him teaching Ada how to drive stick.

Overall a good read but I am now anticipating Gus' instalment.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed reading both books but I think it's safe to say this was definitely an improvement from Done and Dusted. Although I think some of the characters interactions read a bit young (I'm talking about a specific gathering), I really enjoyed reading about Ada and Weston's relationship and how he gave her space to figure everything and herself out. and read more about the family dinamics. I will for sure be reading the next book in the series and I think you should too.

Was this review helpful?

Swift and Saddled was a lot of fun to read! This followed middle sibling Weston and his designer, Ada, who were both great characters who knew their flaws. I loved being back on this little ranch with the Ryders, they are absolutely my favourite part! I think Gus and Teddy’s story will be the best of the three. For me this one didn’t quite live up to Done and Dusted, I thought it was odd that this beautiful woman turned up in this small town and he didn’t assume it was his new designer who was due to start work tomorrow! That being said, a really fun, easy, cowboy read that I would recommend.

Was this review helpful?

Welcome back to Meadowlark!

I really enjoyed Done and Dusted when I read it last year, and I now think Swift and Saddled is even better. Weston Ryder is the best cowboy I’ve met so far, and Ava Hart is a badass strong woman who I liked immediately. Together they’re a top tier couple, and their tension and relationship journey is *chef’s kiss*.

I was rooting for Wes and Ava the whole time, while simultaneously swooning at everything Wes said and tipping my hat to author Lyla Sage’s excellent mental health representation. Depression and anxiety can be such tricky things to portray, but it’s brilliantly written here, and I saw myself reflected in the characters and the darker corners of their minds. Neither of them respond negatively or are fazed by any of this, and to me that’s the best part of it — struggling with mental health doesn’t mean someone is broken or worthless, and there’s nothing better than seeing that confirmed on paper.

Swift and Saddled is a quick read once you inevitably get addicted, and I wish I hadn’t gobbled it up so fast. But hey, when a romance book is this good, I’m afraid there’s just no putting it down. I loved being back with the Ryder family at Rebel Blue (hello Luke and Emmy, I missed you), and I could easily have carried on reading for another two hundred pages. I can’t wait for the third book in the series!

Was this review helpful?

Thank you NetGalley for an arc copy of this book!

This book was an easy 5 stars for me! I adored Wes and Ada. Wes’ golden retriever personally was absolutely perfect to break down Ada’s hard exterior, revealing a girl who just wants to be loved and feel a part of a family!

Ada’s character was extremely relatable. Her insecurities were ones that most of us experience in our lives, and I loved watching her gain confidence and feel better in herself.

Wes was a gentleman to Ada and he truly cared for her. Throughout this book he was kind, selfless, caring, and honest, all important traits who made him so perfect, especially with the things he had gone through!

Rebel Blue sounds amazing and it gives the perfect small town vibes!! It is a place that I’m sure many of us (including me) would love to live, and the way the characters like Amos talk about it is just adorable!

Overall this has easily become one of my favourite books! I adored the characters, the small town setting, the writing, the relationships, I honestly enjoyed the entire book and the emotional impact this had on me was amazing, I didn’t want it to end and I cannot wait for the next book in the series!

Was this review helpful?

I loved Done & Dusted it was one of my top reads for 2023 so I was so excited to read this second one about Emmys older brother Wes. We are back on the Blue Rebel ranch as Ida a recently divorced interior designer comes to renovate a guest ranch house which Wes is in charge of.

The night before she starts work Ida has a steamy kiss in a bar with a sexy green eyed cowboy stranger however when she turns up to work to meet her new boss the next morning guess who she sees! I’m a sucker for this trope!

What to expect:

- Small town cowboy x city girl interior designer
- Wyoming ranch setting
- Golden retriever MMC x Black cat energy FMC
- Insta lust turned forced proximity slow burn
- roommates
- boss/employee
- Consent king
- Depression rep
- No 3rd act break up/miscommunication trope

🌶️🌶️ - A sprinkle of spice in the second half. The spice scenes were well placed & felt natural to the story.

I really enjoyed seeing Ida & Gus grow together and it nice to read a romance where the MMC communicated his feelings so openly and respectfully.

Thank you Lyla Sage & Netgalley for this ARC. Honest review with all opinions shared being my own.

I can’t wait to read Gus’s book which hopefully will be next in the series! As the tense moments between him & Teddy in these first two books are giving enemies to lovers deliciousness for sure!

Also I have a feeling after this book we might get a Cam & Dusty book 🤔

Was this review helpful?

Thank you Netgalley and Quercus for the e-arc copy!
Ok, so i have to admit i was i little disappointed when i learned this book wasn't about Gus but HOLY MOLY was this book good. The improvement in the writing is insane, and i loved how Mental health was an important topic also in this second volume. I loved the chemistry between Ada and Wes, but now i'm even more obsessed with Men of Meadowlark!!!
In this book you'll find:
-strangers to lovers
-workplace romance
-cowboy romance
-mental health rep
-golden retriever boy x black cat girl
This is the first time i sympathized SO MUCH with the FMC

Was this review helpful?

4.75
Small Town, Cowboy, Duel POV, Workplace Romance 🤠

I was nervous I wouldn’t like this book when I started reading it because I’m not a fan of Insta love and these two make out in the first chapter 🫣 I was, however, pleasantly surprised when I ended up loving it!

I felt that the relationship in this book was a much more developed than in the first book in the series. I always enjoy going back into a series and seeing the characters from the previous books make an appearance. The family dynamic at Rebel Blue Ranch is very fun, making me want to read about all of their stories.

Wes is very sweet and kind, he’s understanding of Ada’s hesitation and allows her to find herself. I would have loved to have seen more of Wes’s back story developed more, and to see more into his struggle with depression. However I did appreciate that it was talked about frankly and without any judgment from anyone else.

Overall, a sweet fun read 🤠

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and Quercus Books and Lyla Sage for the Arc in exchange for an honest review

Was this review helpful?

Really, it's more like 4.5.
Damn! I enjoyed the first book but this one is my my favourite so far. To me, this one showed incredible grown from the author and her writing!
Wes and Ada feel so so real, I love their characters. They're believable, and their issues and struggles are very relatable. His the sun to her moon!
>> You say you're not nice, or warm, or bright, or any of these other stupid fucking words that people use to describe thye sun, but I never asked you to be the sun." I rolled my eyes, trying to move them in a way that would stop the tears from falling. "I would rather have the moon anyway."
I scoffed at him then. Acring like he was being ridiculous was my only defense mechanism. "I'm the moon?" I asked sarcastically.
"You're the moon," he said. "And I'm the tides. You pul me in without even trying, and I come to you willingly. I always will." <<
I was dead, on the floor. This book also gets extra brownie points because there's no silly third act breakup!
The family vibes are impecable in this book as well, I love how we were able to get inside the family and their little quirks and traditions.

Was this review helpful?

Cowboys are here to stay! I loved Done & Dusted so I was obviously excited for the sequel, Swift and Saddled and it did NOT disappoint!

Lyla Sage has created a heartwarming and swoon worthy story with the perfect amount of spice.

Wes and Ada are perfect together but I loved them separately too. Ada is looking to start fresh after things haven’t gone as planned in her personal life and this makes her show more vulnerability from the beginning but also make her more lonely and doubtful of herself. While Wes is unconditionally loving and patient and has always put other people first. They complimented each other so well and gave me the perfect black cat and golden retriever vibes… it’s delicious!

One aspect I really loved was how Wes’ depression wasn’t used as a plot device or something he needed to ‘cure’ by the end of the book. The way Lyla wrote his struggle with this was so perfect and not cliche.

These two had some fun moments together but also had some deep emotional connection that made you feel like they were both real.

I also fell more in love with this town and the secondary characters and I can’t wait to read more! This was the perfect addition to the series and I completely loved it.

Was this review helpful?

Absolutely loved it! One of the easiest five stars I ever gave! After reading Done and dusted and loving it, I had very high hopes for book 2 in this series and I'm so glad that it didn't disappoint at all. The writing style is so good that I finished the book in a day and I was just so invested in Wes and Ada and their HEA!! Can't wait to read book 3!

Was this review helpful?

Loved being back at Rebel Blue Ranch!

Lyla’s books are so easy to binge. She’s definitely one to read if you’re a fan of small town/cowboy romances

Cannot wait for book 3!

Was this review helpful?

A nice, cosy with some spice, cowboy romance.

I loved the characters and everyone needs a Wes in their life. I like how it handled the topic of depression and seeing the MFC Ada get her confidence back after a bad marriage.

There is no major drama in the book or huge miscommunication breakup which was something else I really liked.

I finished this book in 2 days and I’m a bit sad it finished.

Thank you to QuercusBooks, Lyla Sage and Netgalley for this ARC

Was this review helpful?

a sincere thanks to Quercus Books and NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

✨“I think I might have been homesick for Rebel Blue before I knew it existed.” ✨

IF THERES ONE THING I ASK OF YOU, ITS TO MAKE SURE YOU PICK UP A COPY OF THIS BOOK ON MARCH 5TH!!!

i loved this book SO MUCH! it met all my expectations that i had set, especially considering how much i loved the first book in the series. wes is EVERYTHING to me, literally the most perfect, sweet, caring, attentive, understanding, kind-hearted book boyfriend i’ve ever read about. from the first time wes and ada met you could tell he was just smitten for her and would of done anything to make her happy, like SERIOUSLY it doesn’t not get better than weston rhodes ryder.

ada was such a sweetheart and i grew to really love and reason with her as the book went on. at first i was like why can’t see see how IN LOVE WES IS WITH HER, but as we unpack her life and the way that she was treated in her relationship before wes i has so much sympathy for her and was so understanding about why it took her a while to warm up to him and accept that she had the same feeling towards him! i loved how she kept at her goals and didn’t let anyone around her tell her that she wasn’t good enough to achieve what she wanted to get done, and how she stayed true to her character though out the book.

i loved how both of the MC’s had gone though a lot in their own life’s but how they were able to comfort eachother and help eachother through these and not be treated as gods for doing so. it was so refreshing to see them just be there for eachother when they were most vulnerable but also being able to continue their lives as normal and it not being the one thing that kept them together, they felt like an actual real couple who go through these things!

the only thing i wish for was that the book was A LITTLE BIT LONGER!! i wish we got to see more of there story (considering we only get about 295 pages in this book!!) but i was still pretty content with the pacing and the way the book flowed.

if there’s one thing i can say about this book is that you need to read it as soon as it comes out. it’s got found family, black cat x golden retriever, city girl x country boy, DUAL POV (!!!!) AND THE BEST OF ALL, PROPER COMMUNICATION!!!

wes and ada you will always be everything to me.


ALSO WE FIND OUT WHO THE NEXT BOOK US ABOUT WITH A LITTLE SNIPPET AT THE END!! I AM SO EXCITED FOR IT YOU HAVE NO IDEA!!!!!! no spoilers cuz i need you all to feel the excitement i feel about it when you get to read it yourself.

Was this review helpful?

This one was sooooo good. It was fun, sexy, heartwarming and wholesome. I loved this. I loved Wes and his sweet dimples. I loved how the topic of depression was handled in this book and I loved how real and genuine the relationship between these two felt.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you NetGalley & Lyla for the opportunity!

I really enjoyed this book! I loved Ada and Wes so much. Such a cute read & a great cowboy romance book.

Was this review helpful?

I absolutely adored book one by Lyla Sage, Done and Dusted so was super excited that we got to come back to Rebel Blue Ranch and revisit the characters.

Swift and Saddled is exactly what I needed, it had the slow burn romance and a small level of spice (not as much as book one), The slow burn romance is so good and when you get to the spice it is 100% worth the wait. found family, dual POV as well as touching on strong subjects. The strong subjects again were written so well and depicted one of the main characters as having depression and the other dealing with a past traumatic relationship. I just love how Lyla writes these characters.

The main characters Wes and Ada are some of my favourites. They are completely different from Emmy and Luke but this is what make me adore Lyla Sage and this book. She writes such strong characters who have their flaws and are working through them, that we as a reader can relate to them and know that things get better. As we come back to Rebel Blue Ranch we also have more from the Ryder family which I just absolutely adore. We get the shenanigans from the siblings as well as from some side characters who I can't wait to have a book for. I just felt that this book was a warm hug and I was pleased to be back there.

I would say if you absolutely love Elsie Silvers Chestnut Springs Series then you definitely need to pick this series up.

Was this review helpful?

Swift and Saddled - Lyla Sage 🤠

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is the second book in the Rebel Blue Ranch series and features the love story of Wes (Emmy's brother) and Ada (Teddy's interior designer friend).

I ate this book up, its sooooo good!! After reading Done and Dusted I was hooked and could not wait to read this one.

Cowboy romance fans will have a field day, it was so refreshing to see more of the characters that were in the first book. For example - Cam, I really enjoyed how some of her past relationships were introduced in this book.

There were times where I was literally shouting at my Kindle because of Ada and wanted to drag her to Wes🤣

It has been extremely difficult to write this review so I don't spoil it for anyone but it really is an amazing book, in an amazing series.

100% recommend the series to everyone and I am beyond excited for the next one!!

If the next book isn't a Teddy x Gus enemies to lovers, I will never stop!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for sending me this book in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own*

#Swift&Saddled #netgalley

Was this review helpful?