DNF at 47%

Small town romances with a family at the centre are my favourite so it was no surprise that that’s what drew me to this book. The small town of Laurel Creek ticked the boxes, a close knit community in rural Kentucky, centred around the Ashby family ranch.

Unfortunately, though, I couldn’t get into the story. The storyline was a fun concept, and the first 30% percent was okay-ish. Cecilia and Nash and the Ashby family could have been more, however the writing was a little immature for my liking which took me out of the reading experience. It also felt at times like a repetition of many popular books from the same genre. The pacing was the main reason I DNF’d — it was a little quick and insta-lovey for me (i prefer a slow burn). Though, notwithstanding that, if you like cheesiness/ clicheness within a romance novel, you might like it better than I did.

Thank you to the publishers for sending me an arc copy.

Read this book whilst on holiday and it was the perfect choice! Such a moreish read. I kept turning page after page. The chemistry between CeCe and Nash was just too good - can’t wait to see what this author writes next!

A cute romantic story, with the added spice extra.
It was not to my normal liking, but it wasn't bad either. The characters were lovely, and it is a nice and easy read.
Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely loved this and the follow up - the characters are well structured and nuanced and underpinned by a great story and lots of sneaking around. Thoroughly wholesome, it’s like a warm hug of a book that I couldn’t put down.

3* entertainment for a rainy afternoon

A fun book if you've not read anything like this before. If you have, well, it's same old, same old.

After breaking off her engagement, CeCe returns to her small home town, meets her teenage crush who's an ex-hockey player and her brother's best friend. He's attracted to her but circumstances don't allow them to get together, also she suspects he's too much like her two-timing ex. Most of what you expect to happen, does. Spicy and sweary, but it got to the point when I just didn't care what happened to the main characters.

I neither loved nor hated the book. Light entertainment, with an emphasis on light.

eARC generously supplied by Random House and NetGalley, this review is my personal, unbiased opinion.

cowboy romance here we are.

After reading elsie silver i am so down for those.
They are just super easy and I love them no shame.

📖Book Review📖

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I want to thank Netgalley for approving me for an ARC of this book. Special thank you to my mini cowboy squad for the buddy read.

🏡Found family
👦🏻Brother's Best Friend
💞He Falls First
😜 Protective MMC

I have now found a new series to obsess over! This has everything you would hope from a small-town romance. I love the Ashby clan and can't wait to see how the other characters develop in the following books. Can we all agree that Nash is so swoon-worthy 😍

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

This was my first cowboy romance and I was not disappointed. I loved the dynamic between Nash and Cece from the beginning and I can't wait until the next book to dive into the life of Cece's brother Wade!

This was an unfortunate DNF for me, around the 30% mark.

I really struggled to get into the characters and find them likable.
One of the characters actually called someone 'a frigid bitch' which is just disgusting to me. Honestly we're in 2024 that term is so outdated.

Omg Nash and Ceces story is the cutest! I loved this book and found it so easy to read and couldn’t put it down!
I need ginger and coles story 100% I knew what the second book was gonna be after o read about wade meeting the new trainer and im living for it! 🥺💖🫶
such a cute heartwarming book!

This was a well-written, fun and quick read. It was a cute romance and I really liked the two main characters. I’d definitely be interested in continuing the series once the next book comes out.

Holy, hot, part-time cowboys, folks!

This is set to be a fabulous series, with wit, humour, and much much sexiness. It all starts with a stray vibrator, and a return to her home town for Cecelia Rae after the end of a disatrous relationship. And so begin the shenanigans.
Many things have changed since she's been gone, and hardest to avoid is Nash Carter, ex hockey player, family friend, new-boss, and irresistible part time cowboy and fulltime heartthrob.

"Wranglers, white t-shirt, cowboy hat on his knee, dusty and dirty from his morning with Wade in the barns, sitting at my kitchen table with a coffee in one hand and my heart in the other."

And that says it all - I cannot wait for the next book, the hilarity, the spice and the small town setting.

Thank you so so much to Random House UK and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know what Paisley Hope put in this book but I will now read anything she writes. I can't remember the last time I started and finished a book in less than 8 hours.

My Husband practically had to prize my kindle out of my hands to get me to put it down and shower for work the following day.

I absolutely ate this up. I loved the story and absolutely adored the characters. I'm a sucker for a forbidden, small town romance and Hold the Reins did not disappoint at all.

Nothing felt forced or out of place. It was perfect and I couldn't recommend it enough. Perfection.

Omfg this book!!!!!! One of my new fav cowboy romances, absolutely living for nash and ceces story🥲 cowboy with abit of hockey🤩 absolute endgame bury me on this hill. so looking forward to the rest of the series because i need to see cole and gingers story🤩💕💕💕💕💕grateful to netgalley for this beautiful arc!!

I wasn’t sure how it was going to work with it being both a sports and cowboy romance - but I had a damn good time and I’m looking forward to book 2!

Cowboy romance and sports.... say less. This book was a cute fun read and it made me giggle out loud. Cece needed Nash and he did not disappoint!

I can confidently say this is probably the first Cowboy x Sports romance I've ever read and I wasn't disappointed.

Charming romance novel following two main characters who haven’t been dealt the best of cards.

I liked both MCs. Both are very relatable and their romantic journey was a joy to read (sans the mild possessiveness but it's fiction, I can cope with it when the rest of the story is interesting).

The cute family dynamic was sweet as hell, and the small-town vibes were immaculate. I loved all the side characters as well - the besties are as unhinged as mine, and I was thriving with them in the story. Except Andrew. We don't like Andrew :)

I will say the one thing I wanted from this story was a little bit more ✨️drama✨️. We had small bursts but I wanted that little bit of tension to rise a smidge more so the conclusion felt like the big, comfy, love-filled ending.

The spice was also available in abundance and low-key very hot.

Really lovely book and looking forward to reading the next one in the universe!

A huge thank you to Penguin, Cornerstone and NetGalley for this ARC!

Brilliant and everything you want in a romance! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

"𝕀 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕨𝕠𝕞𝕒𝕟 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖 𝕀'𝕧𝕖 𝕟𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕕 𝕒𝕟𝕪𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕠𝕣 𝕒𝕟𝕪𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘. 𝕀 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕤𝕦𝕟 𝕠𝕟 𝕞𝕪 𝕗𝕒𝕔𝕖 𝕣𝕚𝕤𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥𝕒𝕚𝕟, 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕗𝕖𝕖𝕝 𝕠𝕗 𝕗𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕙 𝕚𝕔𝕖 𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣 𝕞𝕪 𝕤𝕜𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕤, 𝕠𝕣 𝕙𝕠𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕔𝕦𝕡 𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕞𝕪 𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕕. 𝕀 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕞𝕪 𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕥𝕝𝕖 𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖𝕗𝕝𝕪 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖 𝕀 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕟𝕠 𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕠𝕡𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕥𝕣𝕦𝕥𝕙 𝕚𝕤 𝕞𝕒𝕪𝕓𝕖 𝕀 𝕟𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖."

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If you like:

- - ʙʀᴏᴛʜᴇʀs ʙᴇsᴛ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅ
- - sᴍᴀʟʟ ᴛᴏᴡɴ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ
- - sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ
- - ᴀɢᴇ ɢᴀᴘ (𝟾 ʏᴇᴀʀs)
- - ᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ ᴍᴍᴄ
- - ʜᴇ ғᴀʟʟs ғɪʀsᴛ, ʜᴀʀᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ғᴀsᴛ
- - ᴄᴏᴡʙᴏʏ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ - ʏᴇᴇʜᴀᴡᴡᴡ!

This is your book!!

This was spiccccyy 🥵🌶️ I enjoyed the brothers (and family) best friend element, the sneaking around, the protective male.

Nash 🪭🥵 I mean, phwoar dude this man could get any gal hot and bothered 🤣 He is literally another book boyfriend for me.

CeCe returned to her family ranch after finding out her fiancé was cheating on her. She’s moved back to sort herself and life out, to get back on track and make a life for herself. Then we have her family and Nash being over protective as always - more so now that she is mending her broken heart.

Their relationship blossoms but it’s not without a tough fight for Nash. CeCe puts up a fight, she is stubborn and not wanting anything serious given her current situation however, she also can’t resist Nash (I mean, who could!?) and so, she turns up at his bar for a girlie night and everything changes. He is infatuated with her - she becomes the centre of his world. Consumes his thoughts. And from there, we have Nash and Cece and their spicy, hot, smutty sex. I mean, it’s dirty!!

Nash is guarded to an extent and when you find out why my heart truly goes out to him. He is fighting demons whilst also trying to make sure him and his family are stable. He really is a gem.

I want more this book was cowboy-era romance and utter perfection.

Thank you to Netgalley, Paisley Hope and Penguin for allowing me access to this ARC. I can’t wait for book 2!

CeCe moves back home after splitting with her fiancé due to him being unfaithful. There she meets up again with Nash, who had been part of her family since he lost his parents in an accident. An ex ice hockey player and now bar owner she distrusts him as he was a known womaniser, but there is something of a spark between them. Can enemies become lovers?
I must admit that this book wasn't for me, there are too many very spicy moments for me that get in the way of the romance - but my wife would enjoy it and she is far more the target audience for this book than myself and I've scored it accordingly. CeCe's friends sound very supportive, as are her brothers, and the small town community sounds like the type of place I'd like to live, even if there are no secrets there.... One for those who enjoy their romances with a lot of spice.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.