I was excited for this series, but sadly it was a DNF for me.

I really liked the idea of the book, but it was very hard for me to get into, and I just had to stop. Maybe I’ll pick it up some other time, but it wasn’t the right book for right now.

I have never complained about the format of an ARC before but the version I downloaded was almost impossible to read. I have zero problems with typos, but this was missing full on chunks of words and replaced with “!” in the middle of the words, and I struggled to guess what some of the sentences even meant. It actually hurt my head.

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

Oh I so enjoyed this book! I’m here for the fact that Nash is an ex nhl player thats now a ‘part time’ cowboy, like two of my faves in one? Yes please! I blooming love how strong and independent Cece is, she comes across as a badass (as shown very early on with the bar scene👀). Nash is just the perfect small town hero that does as much as he can for others! Now I absolutely love a fuck it moment and this one did not disappoint along with the mouth on this man!🥵 also, can we just take a moment of appreciation for the fact that I now want to be there for a Monday night Ashby family dinner?!

An easy to read, brothers best friend, spicy, part-time cowboy/retired hockey player romance - can never have too much of a good trope in my opinion!

The plot speed was good, the spice was great and characters were realistic and fun.

Although the plot was reliably predictable, the chemistry was great and the small town vibes with the super close lovely family was so endearing - big fan of Mama Jo.

This was an ARC copy so I did have issues with weird formatting and lots of special characters in place of certain letters.

Looking forward to reading the next one in the series!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

This gave me Lyla Sage vibes. The Ashby family seem like great fun and I'd love to have Monday night dinner with them. Mable is hands down the best character. The Not Angels are hilarious and I need a girl gang like that. There are a lot of characters to keep track of but they are all so lovable. Nash is adorable and as we get flashbacks from his past you get to understand why he is the way he is. Cece was sassy and pretty badass but I did find some of her actions frustrating. They are super cute together though. The last third of the book is pretty smut heavy with not much plot happening and I did find some of it a tad cringey. The 3rd act conflict added some much needed drama. It's a fun cowboy (with a hint of ice hockey) romance. I am looking forward to reading Wade's story.

This book is what you might call a small town cowboy romance, so not particularly my kind of book. But, I stuck with it, enjoyed the plotline and characters and would more than likely enjoy reading more from this author

Holding the Reins follows Nash and Cece who have both suffered tragic losses that brings them closer together. After Cece’s relationship ends abruptly she moves back home where she finds Nash taking a more proactive role in her family than she was used to. As much as they both don’t want to admit it in the beginning, they were made to be together.

I really enjoyed Holding the Reins. I think it was the perfect combination of pushing and pulling from each other. Nash was the perfect boyfriend who would do anything to keep Cece happy and seeing them together in the end was just heartwarming. I did think some of the arguing in the middle went on for a bit long but other than that I loved it and it was a perfect little summer read especially if you like a cowboy romance. I am so excited for Wade’s book next.

“Your future is yours and you can direct that horse anyway you choose”
Cece moves back to her small town after breaking up with her fiance. Her brothers best friend Nash has also moved back not so long ago and he owns the bar, the only bar in town! Oh and the sports centre where Cece just happens to get a job! He’s always looking out for Cece and when he see’s her fieance grabbing her his protective side comes out!
This book is SPICY! 🌶️🌶️🌶️
I really enjoyed this I can’t wait to read the rest of the series and to learn more about Ceces brothers and her friends!
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I loved this book, it gave me real Elsie Silver vibes. I loved the main characters and can’t wait to read the brother’s stories and hopefully CeCe’s friends too.

I love romance stories where, although the lead characters are obviously meant to be together, but the female lead still has strong control of her own life. A really fun read!

Wow, thank you so much for letting me read this beautiful story early.
I loved how they was destined to be together, but cece made sure she was in charge of her life not letting someone control her again after her previous relationship.
I cant wait to read more about the family in the next books

A good love story, well written and fast paced

The ex ice hockey player angle and his family history gives it some more emotions than your standard love story book!

Nice :)

dnf @ 6%

this might be a lovely book for anyone who loves cowboy romances but i had to dnf moments after the mmc was introduced. i'm not a big fan of the writing style and i'm tired of reading books that i don't immediately love, because reading it always feels like a chore. i'm also not the hugest fan of the small-town trope and this just serves as a reminder of why i'm not.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

This book took me a little bit of time to get into but when I did I couldn’t put it down! I feel I’m love with both main characters and really enjoyed watching them develop and find their way in life! The spice was next level hot which was an added bonus! Looking forward to the rest of the series now.

This was a sweet Southern romance that I really enjoyed. The spice was hot and I couldn’t stop reading. Would recommend to anyone after a sweet romance with a lovely HEA

I found Holding the Reins a quick and easy read. A little Jilly Cooper mixed with Fifty Shades it was certainly 🌶️🌶️🌶️ although I did find parts a bit repetitive. A distinctive lack of horses for my liking (based on the promise of the title and description) the story was a little cheesy and predictable.
Many thanks for the ARC, 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

I like Christian small town romances, and absolutely love horses. The horse ranch and overall settings were very well done. I found myself wanting to go to the town and ranch. However, the characters felt flat and not fleshed out enough. I felt confused by the plot and it was hard to follow and take things in.

I did like how the characters were with the horses, and found myself looking forward to any mention of the horses, riding, or of Nash's organizing riding classes. Any mention of horses and riding makes me think of my experiences with therapeutic riding.

I really wanted to like and feel for the characters, but I didn't feel anything for them.

Thanks to Paisley Hope and Penguin for my eARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

3 stars

3.5 🌟 small town romance with hockey and cowboy connections! Strong family ties, loved reading about the back story of the family and the impact their experiences had on the main characters. He falls hard despite his damaged past. They both have moments of self discovery finding their way into adult life. Not a higher star as very similar storyline to other books I’ve read. Off to read book 2 though!

This is my first ever Paisley hope book and I was hooked from the first page!! As soon as I started to meet the characters I already wanted to be there for dinner at the Ashby’s on a Monday night. I always love it when the FMC is strong and independent and doesn’t let any one push her around. It’s the perfect mix of super sweet and super spicy. Cece and Nash are honestly the sweetest and I can’t wait to see more of them and to meet and get to know everyone more in the next book ☺️


Thank you to the publishers penguin roundhouse and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review

Absolutely loved this book. The will they/won't they vibes between CeCe and Nash were tingling and all the reasons why they shouldn't were so clear. A perfectly told story full of conflict and spice. Also there was all the small town community feel, full of endearing characters and heart warming family. It was the perfect combination of heart-warming and spice. The secondary characters were all interesting and you're already rooting for their stories. Nicely built up for the next in the series and personally I can't wait to visit the next book.
My only criticism would be, there's a little too much spice - maybe one scene too many and I found Nash a little bit overbearing but that's just my opinion (and the sign of a well drawn character when I completely believe him).
Fantastic start to a series and I can't wait for the next one already. Congratulations to Paisley Hope. A winning series I'm sure.

Ce Ce has returned home to her family following the breakdown of her relationship. Nash is like a family member having been brought up by the family when his parents died but the chemistry between Ce Ce and Nash is unmistakable. This book primarily is about their relationship and how it progresses.
I liked the fact that there was the flashback scene as part of Nash’s dream because it allowed me to understand his character better. Lots of interesting characters who all played a part in the book.
The book was very spicy and possibly a little over the top at times and I did cringe a couple of times with the things Nash said but overall a steamy cowboy romance book which is worth reading.

Thank you to Random House, Cornerstone (Penguin) and Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book with opinions all my own.