I’m a sucker for the small town romance and this ticked some of my favourite trope boxes!
Small town romance and brother’s best friend.

It was a funny, steamy read with wonderful characters and I hope there is a book 2 and 3 coming! Nash and CeCe were simply perfect.

💓 find a man that will move heaven and earth for you. A man that knows your worth. You should be his entire heart, always 💓.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Who doesn't love a brothers best friend romance, add in a small town and a retired ice hockey player/ part-time cowboy, and you've got yourself a pretty good romance!

After a nasty break up, Cece returns to her small hometown and back on her family ranch. Along with her family and her girls, you also meet Nash, who is best friends with her brothers and pretty much part of her family! You can almost feel chemistry between Nash and Cece through the writing, and the spice was just **chefs kiss**
Seeing their relationship develop gradually, even with them both trying to downplay how they felt was amusing and we love a good heart to heart with Mama Jo. I loved the close-knit family/ small-town vibe of the book.

All in all, it was a love story without too much drama, but with plenty of spice 🌶

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK for my arc of this book, I already have arc of the next in the series ready to go and looking forward to reading Grumpy Wade and Ivy's story ❤️

Loved this book, I couldn’t put it down! Thank you so much to the author for this arc and Net galley.

Cece came back to her small town in Kentucky after a bad breakup. She has always liked her brother’s best friend Nash, but found him to be a player when they were younger .. however.. Nash has changed a lot!

She’s an accountant, he’s a retired hockey player, and he ends up hiring her.

Why did I love this story? Suck likable characters! I loved them both.. he was so obsessed with her which I adored and there is no other woman drama thankfully!

Yes there is her family’s ranch where he helps out but this is not a cowboy romance… he does wear a cowboy hat though lol!

Seriously .. this is worth the read and I’m going to buy a physical copy for myself.

This book is everything you could want in a small town brother’s best friend romance. You’ve got the spice, the banter and a dirty talking cowboy.

I found this book super fun to read and had to chance to read it while it was independently published. If you love spice then this book is for you as it is packed full of it. One of my favourite things about this book is the found family aspect. You get a real sense of ‘home’ with these characters.

Overall, I highly recommend this. You won’t be disappointed at all.

This one wasn’t really for me, I was enticed by the cowboy romance and was let down by the writing, I just found it a bit cringy from the very start and did not end up continuing after 20%.
I’m sure this would be great for other people but I just didn’t really care about the characters or what was happening with them.

I devoured this book in one sitting; it was absolutely amazing and I could not put it down! Nash and Cece’s chemistry was electric, and the emotional depth and witty banter made for a compelling read. I enjoyed it so much that I purchased a physical copy for my shelf. The story centres on Cece Rae, who moves back home after a breakup and begins working for Nash at his hockey rink. Nash is a family friend, her boss, and a boy she once loathed as a child. Their relationship evolves beautifully, with both characters offering depth and charm.

This cute and sexy small-town romance delivered on many fronts. Cece’s banter was sharp, and Nash’s swoon-worthy moments, complete with his filthy mouth, added to the allure. While I anticipated a bit more drama throughout, the story remained engaging. Nash, a retired hockey player turned bar owner and part-time cowboy, exuded strength, possessiveness, and care, with Cece standing by him despite his demons. Cece herself was feisty, protective, and stunning, making for a delightful and passionate narrative. I’m eagerly anticipating the release of the second book.

I completely devoured this book a few days ago, but until now I've not been able to find the words to be able to tell you how much I adored Nash & CeCe's story - I'm not even totally sure that these words will be enough.
HOLDING THE REINS was utter perfection and I'm obsessed with these characters. Paisley's writing and world-building is incredible and I found myself so engrossed in the story that I didn't move for hours.
Special mention has to go to Papa Dean because he's hilarious...but also THAT BOURBON SCENE!!!!! OHEMGEEEE!
If, like me, you are currently working your way through every cowboy romance you can get your hands on, then you have to move this one to the top of your list. I promise you, Nash Fucking Carter is well worth it!

Holding The Reins - Paisley Hope

I absolutely loved this story… the characters were well written and the storyline had me hooked… I’m a sucker for a Cowboy and a small-town romance… the brothers best friends is always a hit for me!

Nash Carter - Ex Hockey player turned Cowboy, with such a filthy mouth - Ohhh Boy!!!

CeCe Ashby - leaves her hotshot lawyer husband and toxic marriage… she returns to the small-town life of her hometown in Kentucky, surrounded by her family.

I read this in one sitting - I just could not put it down!!!

This book does come with trigger warnings so that’s something you need to be aware of!

Holding the Reins - Paisley Hope

I don’t even need to read the blurb of a book when I know it involves cowboys. Elsie Silver well and truly started an unhealthy addiction to particular tropes and just when I thought I’d run out of small-town romances… Enter Silver Pines and Paisley Hope 😍

CeCe Ashby, the MFC, comes back to her small hometown in Kentucky after leaving a toxic marriage and as is standard of the trope… Realises small-town life surrounded by her family is better than a busy and fancy life with a hotshot lawyer.

But small-town life comes with protective brothers, everybody knowing everybody else's business and Nash, bestfriends of CeCe’s older brothers and a part of their family…

The MMC - Nash - being ex-hockey star turned cowboy, businessman and philanthropist, with that slightly protective older brother vibe (🤌) who CeCe sees in a whole different light since her return.

I loved the way each trope is done; small-town romance, found family, brothers-best friend, age gap, cowboy and hockey player.

CeCe and Nash’s story is an easy read, as they try to navigate their feelings whilst dealing with the hurdles thrown their way. With plenty of 🌶️, the writing style allows you to see how their relationship develops through dual-perspectives and short chapters.

There is need to be aware of trigger warnings, and I do think Nash’s past could have been expanded on a bit more to further explain his apprehension towards pursuing the relationship.

Other than that, I loved the storyline, the characters and the general love that shone through the writing. The tropes are typically overdone, but there was something about Holding the Reins that made it different and just as enjoyable.

“She’s my little firefly, my Rae and I’ll never stop proving to her that I mean the words I spoke. Never.”🤌❤️‍🔥

Thank you Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you for this eARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

What's better than a hockey romance? Or a cowboy romance? BOTH!
I'm a huge fan of sports and small-town romances, so this one was the perfect book for me.

CeCe was a cool and sassy FMC. I thought it was great that she didn't take bs from anyone and that there wasn't any annoying third-act breakup. Nash was very possessive but sweet and caring at the same time – I mean he braided her hair when she was sick and tied it with dental floss 😂 He also cared a lot about his community and supported them. I liked that he wasn't one of those boring and one-dimensional MMCs who are just handsome and have abs. He IS handsome and has abs, but he also had an interesting backstory that made sense. I liked how their mutual attraction turned into something more and the spice was absolutely SPICING!
Is it a predictable and cliche story? I mean, yes…but it had all my favourite tropes and I really liked it as a fun summer read.

Tropes:
-former NHL player/part-time cowboy
-forced proximity/shared workplace
-brother's best friend
-age gap (mmc is 8 years older)
-protective mmc
-he falls harder & faster

Posted on Goodreads: Thank you for the NetGalley arc! I found this an easy read, perfect for summer! If you love Elsie Silvers I think you’ll love this. It wasn’t the most gripping story but it’s super smut heavy and who doesn’t love a cowboy?

3.5 stars

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC.

If you're a fan of Elsie Silver or Lyla Sage and need something to fill the country-boy-shaped-hole in your heart while you wait for their next releases, you can't look to a better author than Paisley Hope.

Holding the Reins ticks all the boxes of what you want in a country romance novel:
- Sunshine of a FC
- Gruff, emotionally closed of MC with a heart
- Adorable family who open their doors to anyone
- Sassy friends
- Gorgeous location
- Douche of an ex who gets his comeuppance
- Plenty of spice!
(And as a treat, we even get Hockey thrown in!)

I had such a fun time reading this book and really liked Cece and Nash. The development of their relationship felt believable and their characters complimented each other so well. Neither wanted to change the other but they also weren't willing to compromise themselves for the other; it was nice to see characters that had respect for themselves.

I only had two quibbles with this book.
1. I wanted a little bit more drama from the reveal of the relationship to the family. I felt like it could've lasted a little longer but that's just because I'm a sucker for a secret relationship.
2. Occasionally, some of the things Nash would say to Cece made me cringe a little. If a man called me "Little One" in the bedroom, that would be an immediate no from me.

I can't wait to read more of this series and how the teased future relationships are going to come together. I feel like Wade and Ivy's book is going to be so much fun to read!

3 ⭐️ Maybe I just had high expectations, but...
there was way too much misogyny and felt too Christian Small Town 'Merica TM for my taste. The MCs were okay, but felt more and more flat as the story went on.

The plot was predictable, but I usually can get behind a comfort read like that. This one though... the whole third act conflict was laughable in the sense that it was annoying how the fmc refused to see reality, and the lack of diversity overall really bothered me.

I loved the premise, and I usually like Hockey Romances, but this felt like it was trying to do all the tropes at one, and accomplished none. There are also a lot of inconsistencies in the details, like she's wearing jeans in a certain scene and then a couple of pages later she's wearing tights...

⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5

🌶️🌶️🌶️.5 / 5 - The spice was spicing, though. This book would have 1 star from me if it wasn't for the steamy scenes. There were some cringe comments, and some 'how is that physically possible?' moments, but overall, i liked the smutty bits.

As someone who loves both hockey romances and cowboy romances I had very high hope for this book. I am sad to say it didn’t quite meet my expectations. Firstly I didn’t find it actually having any plot which sucked for me because I mostly read for the plot. Spice was there but it was super cringe and I just didn’t really like it. I honestly nearly DNF it multiple times. It has taken me a while to finish it, I had to force myself and that very rarely happens to me. Sad to say I won’t be writing a review on goodreads or Amazon due to the low star rating I will be giving it and I know how that can be damaging to an author.

Thank you Netgallery for this arc.

Thanks to Penguin and Netgalley for a review copy of this book. The novel is definitely for the beach pile, or maybe a trip out to cowboy country to get you in the mood. A contemporary romance that ticks some popular boxes, it combines a small town cowboy romance with some of the glamour of the world of hockey players. After a relationship breakup Cece returns to her hometown desperate for a job, only to find that one of the few that’s available that suits her skills is at the new ice centre built by her brother’s best friend, Nash. Reluctantly she takes the job, determined to avoid the egotistical womanising former hockey star as much as possible. But as time goes on she finds that he’s not only lost his huge ego and his womanising ways, but he possesses a real desire to help the build the community and his efforts are beyond anything she could imagine. But Nash has a few demons, too as Cece comes to realise. As she strives to find her own way, Cece attempts to help Nash as well.

The novel skillfully unfolds in a classic manner of a contemporary romance with some good tight scenes and dialogue. The last quarter of the novel has perhaps too much focus on spicy sex scenes for the pacing of the novel for my liking, but it will go down well I’m sure with most fans of spicy contemporary novels.

¡wonderful, easy and romantic book! with very relatable characters. I particularly enjoyed the sassiness and fun throughout the book, and I appreciated the relaxed writing style. The epilogue provided a sweet and satisfying conclusion to the story. Sometimes you just need to read a fun and sweet book and this book fullfill what I needed when I choose it by its name. Liked the love of Nash and cece and how the best things sometimes are right on your face and how you just realise on the perfect time.

This book has a sharp tongue! The opening chapter starts sassy and sexy and it keeps on going from there. Nash and Cece are both great characters, they make mistakes and act foolishly however have real heart. The story is underpinned by the death if Cece’s dad and that adds real heart to the story. A nasty ex fiancé who just won’t take no for an answer adds some drama, and more drama so es from Sangria Sundays and the Monday morning hangover. The epilogue is a real cutie of a read!

Let me start by saying - THE FUCKING DEDICATION!!!!!!!!

OK, so any book that starts with an elderly woman running after the FMC waving a vibrator in the air is a win for me.

I loved the characters in this book and am really looking forward to reading CeCe's brothers books. I loved everything about the relationship that CeCe and Nash both had with her family. And I loved Nash so much! He was absolutely the perfect MMC and I was definitely here for it.

This is a spicy book that comes with trigger warnings - I am always here for trigger warnings and cannot emphasise how important they are. A lot of authors don't always seem to realise what needs a trigger warning and things can slip because of this and trigger warnings get forgotten. But this book has it all.

I really related to CeCe's kink for Nash wearing his hat backwards and even had to screenshot a section of the book to send to my husband to prove that it's not just me!

The thing with this story is that it is by no means an original idea but it is so well written that it almost doesn't matter. Brother's best friend/ex hockey star/cowboy romances are a dime a dozen but this story was written well enough that you could forget that just enjoy the story and the character's within it.

I also enjoy the set up for the other characters - if Cole and Wyatt don't have books with Ginger and Ivy, respectively, I will riot.

Tropes:
- Brother's best friend
-Cowboy
- Age gap
- Ex-sports star
- Cowboy
- Found family

✨Small town romance✨
✨Overprotective love interest✨
✨Cowboy romance✨
✨Ex hockey player✨
✨FWB arrangement✨
✨Brother’s best friend✨
✨“Good Girl”✨

I read an ARC of Holding the Reins by Paisley Hope.
I’ve read a couple of cowboy romance books lately and I’ve noticed that brother’s hot best friend is a popular troupe - especially for the first in a series and I’m not complaining.
CeCe Ashby returns home after breaking up with her fiancé - who is a massive cheating prick but I digress. She moves back to the ranch she grew up on and slots back into everyday life. Her dad recently passed and it got her thinking about her life. She has two brothers and their best friend is Nash Carter. Nash is a retired hockey player who it seems as if is trying to buy the whole town. He owns the local sports arena and the popular bar CeCe drinks at on a Sunday night. She starts working for Nash and they spend more time together arranging a fundraiser. One thing leads to another and they get together on a one night only basis. This doesn’t work out for them.

I really enjoyed the book. It wasn’t groundbreaking in the plot or anything - like I said it reminds me of the first in a series of a couple of romances I’ve read recently. But that’s not a bad thing as Hope writes the characters well. And the spicy scenes are more regular than some books but they don’t seem shoehorned in. CeCe was a strong main character and her relationship with Nash was cute.
Overall I really enjoyed the book and I’m looking forward to the next in the series.

I very much enjoyed Cece and Nash’s gorgeous story. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. 4🌟🌟🌟🌟