Cowboy romance?? Sign me up!!

I could not put this book down from the get go, such a quick and easy read with some spice along the way!

Highly recommend this book, such a good follow on from Done and Dusted, I love the inter connected series. Looking forward to see whats to come next!

"You say you're not nice, or warm, or bright, or any of these other stupid fck!ng words that people use to describe the sun, but I never asked you to be the sun." […] "I would rather have the moon anyway."

🥹🥹 thank you NetGalley so much for this ARC, you have no idea how much you made my day when I saw I got approved for this book.

I loved this book so much. Ada and Wes?? 🥹🥹🥹 the way they just fit together, and they care for each other. This book felt easygoing and it helped a little get through my slump. There were so many cute scenes, I also adore the fact that she’s an interior designer and also growing her own business without a degree 😌 you go girl

What I like about Lyla’s books is that there is no unnecessary third act breakup , or at least one based on miscommunication. There is a scene at the end close to that, but if you continue reading it’ll be just 🤌🏼🤌🏼 I can’t wait for you guys to read this book

"𝘚𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯. 𝘏𝘦'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘸𝘣𝘰𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘢𝘺."

Thank you Netgalley & Quercus for access to this title, in exchange for an honest review :)

wow wow wow !! this book was an absolute delight to read! Ada and Wes were the softest couple and it was so lovely to watch them grow, fall in love, and see their relationship develop.

Ada was honestly my kind of girl. Reserved, socially shy, a hard worker and ... in her healing era. She was slightly shy approaching a guy like Wes, but accepted her attraction to Wes and the way she took charge at the bar....????!!! phew!

I loved Wes SO MUCH! my sweet, gentle, polite, patient, romantic boy. This man took 'gentlemen' to a whole different level? I really loved how much he respected Ada's boundaries, communicated his feelings and made sure she was always comfortable along the way. And I loved how much Ada allowed herself to enjoy the budding relationship with Wes, and slowly lower her walls to let him in.

my poor heart could not handle the scenes with the girls, and Wes' family! Ada's feelings around not having many girlfriends, and struggling with people, gauging social cues etc. made my heart HURT. I wanted to give her such a big hug. I was so here for

I really really loved how much Wes' family completely accepted Ada with open arms and made sure she felt like she was part of the 'ranch family' !!

𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴:
where can I get a carhartt hoodie for $30???
can Riley teach me to be more sassy????
can teddy teach me her ways?????

4/5

A solid sequel to Done and Dusted.

Similar slow burn with steam. Ada is divorced, slowly realising her marriage was abusive and controlling. I think this was well handled, especially as she's about 2 years out from it being over, there's no other man drama, but just her acknowledgement that she was changed during this marriage and that she's working at getting back to herself.

Wes was a sweetheart. He has persistent depression, very open about it and states that he attends therapy, takes medication and has a whole regime to keep himself healthy. I think its a good portrayal of someone who has mental health issues that is keeping on top of it as best they can.

This book is setting up for the next two in the series. Lost and Lassoed is next with Teddy/Gus and the last book will probably be Cam/Dusty. The found family themes in the book for Ada with the Ryders helps to fold that set up into the narrative pretty well.

I feel like this is better written than the first book in this series by a clean mile. The first book had an awful lot of particular things I hate, which mostly included paragraphs that were mostly made up of one or two sentences tops. This doesn't have that! There's more thought in them! I also personally liked these characters a lot more than I did the first book. My actual rating isn't great here, but I do want to say I personally thought this was a marked improvement on the writing than the first one.

That said, I still have my issues. I feel like it was probably unfair of me to read this when I thought the first one was dull but I'd already requested the ARC! I made a commitment! For me, Lyla Sage does nowhere near enough character work to make things believable. Wes' depression is skated over just like Emmy's ADHD was. There's almost no relevance to the story. Actually, it has WAY less relevance than Emmy's did. I really liked Ada here, but eventually her character motivations just fell all over the place. Our understanding of her past doesn't create a believable throughline to the present and I think it's a failure in character development here. I think there's way too much time spent on the physical appreciation of the other characters than on actual development and that just doesn't do it for me.

Also, there's a scene in here in a storm, with a calf, where Ada starts crying and carrying on ridiculous that feels completely out of nowhere.

I don't know. I don't think I'll read from this author again, because her work isn't for me at all. I think there's people it will be for! But the emotional heft to this series just isn't there for me and I can't get invested.

However, I do want to be very clear that I did think this was much better than the first book! Obviously, with romance books, so much of whether you like a book is whether you like the characters and believe in them so ymmv, but this is better written and constructed. The pacing and character development are just not it for me.

Disappointed but heyo, them's the breaks, etc. 2.5 really but I don't want to round it up.

I received a copy of this ARC from Netgalley! All opinions my own etc etc but I guess you could gather that because who would want this to be your review!!!!!! Wish I didn't feel bad about it.

"I see you, Ada. I always see you, even when you won't look at me."

Whew, I didn’t know I missed the Rebel Blue Ranch this much. Let me start off with saying that I related a lot to Ada & her struggles, I feel seen and understood. Also I’m a big fan of how Lyla handled the subject of mental health struggles; it’s real, it’s raw & it’s honest. I too take antidepressants to function and I wish it wasn’t as frowned upon as it is, so it was really refreshing to see one of the main characters needing antidepressants- which is okay; and normal.

These two were exactly what the other needed. They weren’t perfect; but they were perfect together.

The Vibes™:
✨ small town romance
✨ cowboys
✨ found family
✨ mental health rep

I love the small town feeling Lyla created with this series and I honestly can’t wait for Lost and Lassoed, with Gus & Teddy 🫡💐

This was sooo much better than the first!

I recently read Done and Dusted and whilst I enjoyed it and flew through it, it definitely read like a debut. I can really see an improvement in Sage's writing in this one.

This story follows Wes, our sad boy cowboy king, and Ada, a city girl fleeing from her past relationship to renovate the new guest house on Rebel Blue. They meet in a bar and are instantly attracted to each other and have a steamy make out session. The next day Ada turns up for her first day at Rebel Blue and who is her boss? Naturally, it's Wes. Wes is absolutely smitten, but Ada is guarding her heart after a messy relationship.

I really loved their relationship and it felt much more developed than the relationship in the first book. I've seen a lot of reviews complaining about Ada being indecisive, but I think her reasoning for her feelings makes complete sense, and the way people spoke about it made it seem like she changed her mind every other page, but I didn't really notice it.

I also preferred the smut in this book. I feel like all in all, the relationship was just sweeter, and maybe it was just that I preferred the characters in this too, I don't know. But I do love Wes. There were a few lines which raised a little bit of a red flag to do with jealousy, but he was self-aware about it, so I forgive him.

There is one thing which I think Sage is improving on, but still needs some work with, and that's the third act conflict. The one in Done and Dusted was ridiculous and I really didn't like it, but in this book it was definitely better. I still think It was a little bit rushed and a bit silly, but I never really like the third act conflict anyway, so yeah. I do think she's getting better though as she writes more books. I'm very excited for book three and would highly recommend this one!

This was incredibly sweet and wholesome, with a dash of vulnerability and mental health rep.

Wes and Ada had a truly amazing connection, and where I am usually not a fan of instant lust, it felt very genuine to me in this instance. Even better that it developed into love so beautifully and naturally.

I loved returning to Rebel Blue Ranch, the gorgeous setting and wonderful characters.

This was a cute read, very samey with other cowboy romances I’ve read… reminiscent of Elsie Silver’s novels (but I probably prefer hers).

I didn’t hate it, I didn’t love it.

The writing style was very casual, a bit too conversational for me.

Predictable but sweet.

📚 small town romance
📚 workplace romance
📚 Insta love
📚 forced proximity
📚 cowboy x introvert
📚 dual POV

🌶️🌶️🌶️

|Thoughts|
We’re back at the Devils Boot, where it appears all romance starts.

“Right. Coffee. That’s what I was doing. Not getting pressed up again the wall by a hot cowboy in a dusty dive bar”.

Although a fun story, this didn’t hook me as much as the first book in the series. It was still an enjoyable read with some heartwarming moments but not one that I’d pick up again.

This book really shines with the ensemble of characters and their interactions with each other. Between the siblings, their father and their close friends. Which made for some sweet moments throughout the story.

Bonus points because their is a cute matchmaking dog.

“Why did his dog have to be so cute?? He shouldn’t get to have a cute dog and dimples”

Was hoping we’d get to delve more into Ada’s past relationship and Wes’ mental struggles (although we still have more books ahead). And although we get our HEA, it did all end a bit abruptly.

“Some days I wasn’t very proud to be me, but I was always proud to be my dad’s son”.

I’m still very invested in the lives of those at Rebel Blue Ranch and look forward to Teddy & Augusts’ story!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 (rounded up)

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher & author for an eARC in exchange for this honest review.
🟢 For more bookish content follow me instagram.com/read_watch_crochet

Thank you to Lyla Sage and Quercus Books for the arc of Swift and Saddled in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely adored this! I gave it 4.5 stars but have rounded up my rating on goodreads.

Wes and Ada are both characters who I relate to so much, in very different ways. Ada for her sensitivites and the way she views herself and Wes for his tendency to push aside his own needs and wants for the sake of others. I absolutely loved the exploration into both of these character traits.

The plot was really fun, I always appreciate a work place/forbidden/'shall we go there/shall we not' kind of situation and this one was no exception. If there's anything Lyla knows how to write, it is good tension.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the continuation of Emmy and Luke's story as a side plot. And the sneak peek and hints we got for the upcoming books and their couples *cough* Teddy and Gus *cough*!!!!

Overally, I really loved this one and can't wait for the next one to come out! Wes is a new book boyfriend for sure!!

Done and Dusted didn't work for me, but I'm glad Swift and Saddled did. It was so sweet, sexy and comforting.

The connection between Ada and Wes felt genuine and real to me, they're so lovely. I'm glad this book didn't have a crazy amount of spicy scenes because it allowed the characters to grow and they had a lot of depth.

I related a lot to Ada and her insecurities. She feels that she's not good enough and that she's unlikable because she doesn't have a bubbly personality and takes a while to feel comfortable around other people. I loved seeing her become more confident and realise that she's worthy of being loved and appreciated.

Wes is an absolute sweetheart. I need someone to tell me where I can find one. Not only is he a very sexy cowboy (with dimples!!!), he's kind, selfless, generous and so caring. All in all, he's perfect.

I loved the way Wes and Ada communicated with each other (their first spicy scene was so hot because there was open communication 🥵) and Wes always reassured Ada that she could be as honest with him as she wanted.

Something I also really liked was how the author approached the topic of mental illness, especially depression. It's so important to talk about it without shame.

The ranch is amazing and I can totally see myself moving there, it's so peaceful. And the characters added to the sense of community that I love in a small town romance.

I didn't like the conflict towards the end, it didn't last long, it was very quick, but it was unnecessary for me. There's a bit of insta-lust in this book and I would have liked the romance to have taken a bit more time to develop, but overall I enjoyed reading this book. I'm looking forward to the next book as it's finally Teddy and Gus' time to shine 🤭

Thank you NetGalley and Quercus Books for the e-arc.

✮ ✮ ✮ ✮.5 / 5

This book was one of my highly anticipated 2024 releases and I just about squealed when I was approved for the ARC! 🤭

After reading Done and Dusted, I was so excited for Gus and Teddy’s book, that I almost forgot about Wes 🙈 But let me tell you, I have fallen head over cowboy boots for Weston Ryder 🫠 He was sweet, supportive, sexy and so flipping REAL! I loved his honesty about his struggles with his mental health. He loves his family and the Ryder legacy so much and gives his all to make them proud. And I loved when they showed him how proud they were of him 🥹

There’s something about Small Town Romance Family Dads, and Amos Ryder is one of the best! His love for all his children was so pure, and I loved his subtle meddling 😆

Ada’s character was so relatable. I loved her inner monologues and thoughts. Her self doubts and insecurities were so real, that I think every girl who reads this book will empathise with her. She was raw and real, and so refreshing to see come out of her shell and see her worth, and Wes was the perfect partner to help her along the way. He was so patient with her, let her set the pace and held back until she was ready to take the next step, in all aspects of their relationship. Their love was sweet and pure, and I didn’t know how much I needed their story!

And now I really can’t wait for Gus and Teddy!! 😍

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Tropes:
- Small Town Romance
- Cowboy Romance
- Black Cat x Golden Retriever
- Mental Health Rep
- He’s Her Boss
- Found Family
- He Falls First

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I absolutely loved the first book in this series and was delighted to be approved for this ARC! I think I may have enjoyed this book more than the first - which is rare for a series!

Interior designer Ada travels to Rebel Blue ranch in Wyoming to work on a project, with hot cowboy Wes overseeing the project. They have a steamy make out before they both realise they’re working together.

Things I loved:
- The grump (Ada) / sunshine (Wes) energy - black cat and golden retriever!
- The reflections on mental health, which I think were treated with care
- Wes being a dreamboat, what a book boyfriend!
- The scene setting at the ranch. Makes me want to go there!

Things that didn’t quite work:
- Not much tbh! There were some scenes that went a little long - learning to drive, riding lesson
- A little Insta-lovey, but it did make sense with Wes being the ultimate golden
- There was a call from an ex that went nowhere?

In short: loved this. Loved Emmy and Luke in book 1. Would do questionable things to get ARCs of the next books.

It took me a while to sink into this book. It was cute and I love the writing style of this author, but the heavy dose of Instalove at the start was a bit much for me. Plus, the two teaching-her-how-to-drive-a-manual-car scenes were a bit too long. Same with the riding lessons. They felt a little bit unnecessary. So it's no surprise I didn't find it engaging in the beginning.

However, the second half was a game-changer. As Ada and Wes start knowing each other, their attraction gained depth and became more meaningful. Ada, in her introverted, prickly, and straightforward nature, oddly resonated with me. I saw myself a bit on her if I'm being honest.

Wes, a true golden retriever of a man, was lovely, and the ideal opposite to Ada. I'm a huge fan of consent in spicy scenes, it just does it for me, and Wes knew how to do it perfectly.

I loved how they communicated their thoughts and feelings with honesty. It was a breath of fresh air compared to all the miscommunication romances I’ve encountered lately. These characters felt like adults, discussing their fears and troubles. It's good to see a portrayal of a healthy relationship for a change.

The ending struck the perfect balance, sweet and not overly dramatic. Overall, once you push past the 50% mark, the book becomes a super fun read. Stay with it, and you'll be rewarded.

I can’t wait to read Teddy and Gus' story, as well as the potential couple Cam and Dusty. Exciting times ahead!

.Strangers to lovers
.Small town
.Forced proximity
.Working together
.Instalove
.Together during a storm
.No third act breakup
.Cute dog

Another super fun read from Lyla Sage — I'm a sucker for a black cat/golden retriever and this hit the mark! It was so great to be back at Rebel Blue Ranch and I cannot WAIT for the next instalment.

Love love love ! This was so utterly wholesome! I loved Done and Dusted when it first came out and I’ve gotta say I think I like this even more! I wasn’t too sure on Wes from the last book, but he’s such a lovely character and I loved the mental health rep which this portrayed. Can’t wait to find out between Dusty & Cam more so than Teddy & Gus I think! Lyla Sage gets better and better every time :)

I haven’t read the first book in this series, but now I want to go and read about Emmy and Luke! The MMC, Wes, is so sweet in this book. He is genuinely kind and considerate, can see implied boundaries and respect them without having to be told. There’s no smothering or possessiveness, just that kind of surety where you know he’s got your back and isn’t letting you push him away.

I love the way this family interacts and loves each other and I will definitely be seeking out the rest of the series to see what happens to all the little couples you can see forming.

There was a little bit of mental health/depression rep in here, though they don’t go too deep into it. I liked that they discussed the possible side effects of his medication on his sex drive and how it might take a bit to get her there too. Not everyone is gushing from the first look 😅

(What was the deal with the ex’s phone call? That went absolutely nowhere 🤷🏻‍♀️)

Thanks to #NetGallery and publisher for a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Genre: Romance
Format: Digital
POV: Dual
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ /5
Age suggestion: 18+

So, I had seen Done and Dusted earlier this year and I had decided to pick it up and immediately fell in love with Emmy and Luke and the entire world Lyla Sage had created so when I saw that this book would be Wes’ story I was already hyped. I love Wes and Ada together and their story was just adorable. I love how they both find each other attractive and that Wes is kinda in love with Ada the entire time and the way that everyone on the ranch knows it and supports them. Also I love Ada finally pointing out Teddy and Gus and their tension and the fact that we got to see Cam in this book and her ex Dusty (is that another potential book or is Cam going to marry her fiancé). All in all a very good time and I would very much recommend for fans of the first book as well as fans of Elsie Silver’s Chesnut Springs series.

*4.5 stars*

"You're the moon,' he said. 'And I'm the tides. You pull me in without even trying, and I come to you willingly. I always will."

I hadn't read the first book in this series when I requested this book from Netgalley, but I gathered that it was a companion novel so didn't feel the need to read the first one beforehand, and you definitely don't need to, but I loved the characters so much that I will be going back and reading Done and Dusted now because I want more of this adorable family unit in my life.

I have never read a book where the male love interest was as gentle, patient and understanding as Wes was in this book. He respected Ada's boundaries and always asked for consent in even day-to-day tasks that might have made her feel uncomfortable. It was beautiful to read, as a lot of the things he was doing are things that you would assume are bare-minimum respect, but are actually rarely how women are treated, and this is obvious from how shocked Ada is by his actions.

"At his core, Weston Ryder was gentle, and I thought that was the best thing that a man could be."

I really loved the family unit that was introduced in this novel, as Lyla was obviously setting up dynamics for future books, and I am so excited to see what happens. Teddy and Gus's hatred for each other is obviously going to be a great enemies-to-lovers plot, and I'm intrigued to know more about Cam and Dusty's past. Amos also was the cutest father ever. What is it with cowboy books having adorable dads, it's like the Chestnut Spring series all over again.

There wasn't a massive third-act conflict in this book, which I really appreciated. I hate when a book shoves one in when it doesn't feel believable for the characters. Wes isn't one to really fight with people, so I wouldn't have believed it if they had gotten into a massive row. All of the troubles in this book instead come from Ada's own insecurities, which I feel are so much more interesting and realistic, which made me more invested in their relationship, as Wes was able to reassure her about her concerns.

I can't wait to read all the other books in this series in the future, and I will be keeping an eye out for any other books Lyla Sage releases too, because her writing was absolutely beautiful and atmospheric. I really felt that during the hours I read this book I was able to escape to Baby Blue and Rebel Blue Ranch.