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🌟🌟🌟🌟

Romance 5/5 steam 4/5
Really nice story that combines cowboy and a little bit of ice hockey. The 2 main characters are strong and their romance flows well.
The book itself has a few annoying editing issues, all fi are replaced by a symbol for some reason!

I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Random House UK and Paisley Hope for giving a small account like mine with an early copy of the book. I am truly grateful for this opportunity.

The blurb alone had me captivated. A cowboy romance entwined with a retired hockey player, brother's best friend, and an age gap? Who could resist? I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read this book.

CeCe Ashby has finally broken free from a toxic relationship and is returning to her family's equestrian ranch in her hometown of Laurel Creek, Kentucky, unsure about what comes next. Meanwhile, Nash Carter, a retired hockey superstar and local hero, has always been like an unofficial sibling to CeCe's brothers. Years after teasing her during their childhood, Nash is now a successful business owner and a notorious bachelor. When CeCe needs a job, Nash feels compelled to help her. Despite lingering resentment from their past, sparks fly between them, and their initial reluctance quickly gives way to undeniable passion.

I got hooked on the book very fast but somehow got lost in the middle, mostly because since this was an early draft, the formatting was a little all over the place, missing letters and some symbols instead, and it was a little difficult to get a grip on it.

I want to give the book a second chance when the paperback is out because I know I could have liked it better if I hadn't had to stop every three seconds trying to figure out what they meant to say with the wrong formatting.

I received this ARC in exchange for honest feedback, which I'm very grateful for!

The ARC had lots of letters missing (mainly 'ff' and 'fl') and it sometimes made it difficult to read.

I feel a wee bit indifferent about this book - i didn't love it but I didn't dislike it... Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it, but I didn't find myself really connecting with any of the characters.

I like a bit of spice but I found the s*x scenes a bit cringey, especially the dirty talk! I know Nash went through a lot but he was a bit of a control freak when it came to Cece - a wee bit much at times!

Overall, I'd rate it 3 stars. If you're looking for spice, this is for you - buckle up!!

Really enjoyed Cece and Nash’s story. I liked that Cece didn’t let Nash get away with messing her around. She’d learnt from previous errors and realised her worth. It also sets up nicely for the next book in the series. Which I’m looking forward to reading

i received this arc in exchange for an honest review. 🩵

i really wanted/expected to love this but i’m really disappointed. it felt as though there was no real plot and a lot of information was dumped at the beginning with no real natural flow/development.

i understand this is an unedited proof so i expect it will be refined before publication. the beginning just felt all over the place and although it did begin to make sense, there was no main plot keeping me invested.

i love cowboy romances but this felt like an extreme attempt to cater to both hockey romance & cowboy romance tiktok audiences without really making any sense.

overall this definitely had potential but wasn’t for me

If you love Hallmark movies, country themes and saucy scenes then this book is for you.

Set in a little county, which you can picture in your head from the authors description, where everyone knows everyone and them some. Coming back home after 8 years leaving her cheating fiancé was never going to be easy for Cece.

Everywhere she turns Nash is there, her older brothers best friend. Suddenly Cece notices Nash differently does Nash feel the same?

Nash being 8 years older, has always been protective of Cece, but she never realised the lengths he went to when they were younger.

On top of all that, she still has an ex-fiance phoning all day wanting to reconcile

Can Cece fit back in the her old life after living in the city?

A area t HOT read not to be missed!

Holding the Reins is hands down the best book I’ve read so far this year. The fiery, sexy, all consuming story of Nash and Cece had me hooked from start to finish. I only hope we have more books in the series as I need to know what happens to Wade, Ginger and Olivia. If you love a steamy friends to lovers romance with a side of cowboy and hockey player this book is for you!

Four stars for this spicy cowboy romance! I feel like this genre of book has quickly become a favourite of mine over the last year, unexpectedly I might add, so seeing this title I was beyond excited to start reading! And it was so much fun.

Things to expect from this book:
💕 Brother’s best friend
💕 Found family
💕 Small town setting
💕 Spicy scenes

If you love the Chestnut Spring series you’re going to want to pay a visit to Silver Pines Ranch!

Not a bad story, especially considering the fact that this is the author's debut. In general, I liked it: nice characters, cozy atmosphere (a small town, a ranch, a big family) and not a boring plot. However, the sex scenes are (in my opinion) a little bit cringe.

Well, it was really funny how many titles Nash (the main character/love interest) has: friend of the older brothers, former hockey player, billionaire, cowboy, owner of a bar and ice rink, ice coach for children. Can you give even more titles to one person?

I will definitely read the sequel because I will repeat that in general I liked it and enjoyed both the plot and the characters and the writing.

CeCe leaves her toxic fiancé and moves back home to her family’s ranch where she re-meets Nash Carter, her brothers’s best friend and unofficial third older brother. Except neither CeCe or Nash see themselves as family and what starts out as a one night stand with rules quickly turns into something more but a lot of trauma stands in the way of a relationship.

This (almost) perfectly mixed the workplace romance, sports romance, and the cowboy romance genres. I would have liked a little more of the workplace romance as this trope kind of disappeared after their first night together. I absolutely adored this book and it got better as it went on and I became so invested. I am so excited for Wade and Ivy’s book and I loved that it was being gently set up in this novel. I really hope the other stories centre around the same time as CeCe and Nash’s and you get to read the other characters POVs and their stories from that time. The book has complex topics talked in a relatively lighthearted way which I enjoyed and it gave the characters some depth without being heavy or emotionally draining which is exactly what I wanted from this. This book is open door and the spice was definitely spicing 🌶️, I could not for the life of me read the last s*x scene with a straight face. Nash for sure has a filthy mouth and I can’t say I was mad about it 👀.

Knocking off a star for over repetition of things like CeCe smelling like strawberries, her v*gina being abused, his massive p*nis but this was mostly confined to the first half of the book. I didn’t really like Ginger and Liv at the beginning, I didn’t feel like there was any depth there and basically all they talked about was s*x. From the way it’s written I’m assuming they get their own books in the series and I’ll definitely read them as they do grow on you. I also found CeCe a little immature at times and there were a couple of instances where I was almost screaming just talk to each other at the book but I’m trying to have more grace with characters so this definitely didn’t bother me too much. It was a little lust based for me and I would have preferred more soft moments like when Nash is taking care of a hungover CeCe but again I’m only knocking one star off because the shear enjoyment of reading this book is worth 4 alone.

Overall this was a great start to a series and I’m so invested I will definitely read the rest of the books as they are written. I will for sure purchase my own copy of Holding the Reins and reread. Honestly to say this is a debut it was great. Reminded me of a Tessa Bailey x Elsie Silver novel.

Tropes
💗 Forced Proximity
💗 ‘Forbidden’ Love
💗 Small Town Romance
💗 Alpha Hero
💗 Age Gap (8 years)

MINOR SPOILERS:
There were also some really cute lines in this and although I did find the very ending a bit cringey I was so here for it.
I appreciated Nash ‘manning up’ and telling the family but I can’t lie I did gag a little at the cringe.
I absolutely loved how much of the book was left after the third act (sort of) breakup. I hate third act break ups but I especially hate it when they resolve things and there’s only like 5 pages left. This book had multiple chapters after and I was delighted.

🌟 4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

Book comes with a pre trope/trigger warning.

Super, Summer, Spicy Read! If you like Cowboy/Rocky Player/Rugged Bar owner, slow burn, this is for you.
It's a story to fall in love with. All of the characters have their own vibrant personalities. Mamma Jo is a Power House with her nurturing, CeCe is a pocket Rocket, Nash is just gorgeous but is fighting his own deamonds and Andrew.....just Yuk!
I'll leave you to work out the others, but I loved this small town, Community, ranch life.

There's a sneaky peak of book two which I can't wait for!