A huge thank you to @Netgalley and fora gifted copy of this lovely eBook to read and review -
all thoughts are my own.

Holding the Reins is the first novel in the Silver Pines series and promised a cowboy romance
with promised 18+ steam rating, which I can fully confirm the steam rating is that high, it was
spicy with various steamy scenes that can get the readers heart racing and wishing for their
own cowboy!

Despite the plot being predictable I am completely here for a drama free comfort romance
read, and this book certainly delivered on that. The chapters were short and told for
alternating perspectives which is always a great addition, the author did a grand job writing
the sex scenes from both the male and female MCs you could sense the difference between
both, and the characters just grew throughout. I loved both of them, and their chemistry was
instantly palpable through the pages, but there were times you just wanted to hit their heads
together, and in my own personal opinion I found the number of times the C word was used
to be quite cringey, I am usually okay with vulgar language but this one just got me, and made
certain lines and moments uncomfortable – but that is my personal feelings and preferences,
I just don’t like the word.

The story really had me with all the emotions, it was heartfelt in places, full of angst and
anger in some, as well as spicy and humorous, I loved the “not angels” but I would have loved
to know more about them. Especially the possible budding romances; Ginger and Cole? Wade
and Ivy? I need answers!

All in all, this is a great steamy sports romance, just check the steam and language guidance
before picking it up. But for me I cannot wait for book two!

I really enjoyed Holding the Reins, some people have mentioned misogyny within the book but I felt the main character would be backed up by her part time cowboy whatever she wanted to do.
It was a good steamy romance which is definitely worth a read.

Holding the Reins by Paisley Hope is a new cowboy/sports romance. The story centres on CeCe's return to her small hometown of Laurel Creek, Kentucky after an unfortunate engagement that didn't work out. She's happy to be back on her family's Silver Pines Ranch, spending time together with her two brothers Wade and Cole, her mom and grandfather. But what she doesn't count on is developing feelings for her brothers' best friend Nash, an icy hockey superstar who grew up with the family after suffering his own personal tragedy.

The pairs attraction towards one another is strong, and despite them trying to deny it because of the complications it may cause in the family, before long the two are jumping right into a secret relationship together. While they do their best to keep their newfound affections secret from her family, it doesn't take long for her friends to uncover the truth which leads to some humorous exchanges.

The spice level between the two is high so be warned about that. Although I thought Nash was a great character from the sports star/cowboy side of things, personally I didn't enjoy the fact that he was very dominant in the bedroom and in general over protective towards CeCe. I enjoyed the family dynamic with the sibling banter, the touching relationship with Mama Jo and the often mischievous grandpa though.

This is a comfortingly spicy four-star read. I wish I was able to give this five-star as I did enjoy the story, but there were parts I just couldn’t get behind, that being said it did some other stuff in such an amazing way that I am so conflicted. CeCe is a really strong character and she will hook you in, Nash felt a little over done, but there was a comfort to him as well. If you are after spice, then this is the story for you. Now off I go to read Training the heart to see what else the Ashby’s ca get up to as we continue to devour this author.

Holding The Reins by Paisley Hope is the first book in the Silver Pines Ranch Series. This Small-Town Romance Brother's Best Friend romance is the story of CeCe and Nash.
 
CeCe left her hometown of Laurel Creek and moved to Seattle where she had a good life and thought she found the love of her life. But it turned out that he was cheating, and their love turned toxic and that’s why she returned to her hometown. She tries to get back on her feet and helps out in her family’s equestrian ranch and I loved all the ranch vibes. CeCe is a good heroine who is soon confronted with her old feelings for Nash.
 
Nash also grew up in Laurel Creek and he is the golden boy and heartthrob who was a successful baseball player for the Dallas Stars. He retired from his career and built a life in his hometown, and he is such a good man and I loved his dirty mouth.
 
This book is such a great small-town romance and because of that CeCe and Nash get closer regardless. And CeCe isn’t just the small and annoying little sister of his best friend anymore and that added a secret aspect to it. One night quickly turns into so much more and I really enjoyed this very spicy romance.
 
Overall, if you love small-town romances, definitely give this one a go. 4 stars.
 
(ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)

After breaking up her engagement Cece returns home to her family's ranch in Laurel Creek, Kentucky unsure of what the future holds for her.
This is when she catches up with Nash Carter, NHL superstar turned local hero and part time cowboy. He's the unofficial 4th member of the Ashby family and Cece's brother's best friend.
When Cece is in need of some normality in Laurel Creek, Nash offers her a job, but he's drawn to her and can't keep his eyes off of her.


Brothers best friend
Hockey player turned part time cowboy
Playlist
Dual POV
Age Gap
Spicy
Small Town
He falls fast
Found Family


This is my first book from this author and I’m telling you this is going to be the next big cowboy series. This is the perfect crossover between hockey and cowboy romances. I loved this book and I can’t wait for the next one. Since finishing this book I’ve been all over the author’s Instagram needing to know more about the next 2 books, they can’t come quick enough.


I enjoyed the author’s writing style and the way she brought the characters to life. I loved seeing the different sides of each character and how they interact with others. You can really feel the chemistry between Cece and Nash. They gave me squealing and feet in the air moments and even a cry (of happiness) at the end.

3.75/4 stars

THIS BOOK IS EVERYTHING I WANTED!! I keep this short because I think you should truly go read this yourself. A small town-cowboy-hockey romance with spice is what you can expect and it hits all the sweet spots!

4.5 STARS. When I tell you that I NEEDED a new steamy Cowboy romance series and this delivered! Cowboys, hockey and spice. Amazing. I immediately reached for the next in the series.

Holding the Reins is the first book in Paisley Hope’s Silver Pines series and let me tell you this is the perfect book for all the cowboy and sports romance loving readers out there. It was such a fun and easy read, I couldn’t put it down and I genuinely can’t wait to start on book 2 Training the Heart.

Holding the Reins see CeCe Ashby returning home to her families ranch in Kentucky having left her toxic ex in Seattle. On her first night home she sees Nash Carter, retired hockey superstar and her brothers’ best friend, in the bar he now owns. Nash and CeCe both know they should be off limits to one another but cannot seem to deny the pull they feel towards one another. As ‘just one night’ turns into many, Nash learns that where CeCe is concerned his typical rules don’t apply. Now he has to figure out if he can push his past trauma aside to live the life he never dared dream of.

There is so much to enjoy about this book and I’m so pleased it’s the start of a series. It’s similar to Lyla Sage’s Rebel Blue series in that we’re going to be treated to each siblings story, so if you’re a fan of Sage’s you’re going to love Hope. Honestly there’s so much to enjoy we’ve got:
🐎 a small town setting - where everyone seems to know everything
🏒 a wonderfully tight nit family unit, Mama Jo is a dream
🐎 a brilliant, strong and independent FMC in CeCe
🏒 former hockey star, with a heart of gold, MC Nash who falls hard for CeCe
🐎 brilliant chemistry between the MCs and some serious steam
🏒 a truly brilliant female friendship group - the Not Angels
🐎 a brothers’ best friend situation
🏒 characters who are created with depth and heart who feel very real, and have issues and trauma that they’re working on
🐎 a horrible ex who gets taken down!

I loved that Hope included CWs in her author’s note at the start of the novel and her dedication, well phew if that doesn’t make you want to read it well…

I really enjoyed this one and can’t wait for the next in the series.

Thank you to the author and publishers for accepting me for the arc of this book. This is the first book in the Silver Pines ranch series set in Laurel Creek, Kentucky.

Cecelia Rae Ashby, or Cece as she is known, returns home after her broken engagement with Andrew, who she had been with for 8 years. She finally had enough of his philandering ways. She moves back to her family’s horse ranch unsure of where her life is taking her next.

Nash Carter is a retired NHL star who is now a business owner and a notorious bachelor. He is also Ceces brothers best friend and has been in her life for as long as she can remember. When Cece finds a perspective job at the sports centre she almost refuses the job as it means Nash would be her boss. Nash however wins Cece round and she finds herself falling for the one man she should stay platonic with but little does she know that Nash is feeling the same about her.

This is a small town cowboy romance with ice hockey thrown in and I absolutely loved it. The dynamic between Cece and Nash was great and I loved the storyline. Whilst the ending was a little predictable it did not distract from the story and I found it did not spoil the book for me at all. I think I have found another book boyfriend in Nate Carter 😛. Spice level was decent and I’d give it a 2 🌶️ rating. I cannot wait until I get to read book 2 which I have also been lucky enough to receive an arc digital copy of and I shall be reading in the next few weeks.

I read Holding the Reins at exactly the right time and exactly when I needed it. I wanted a light, addictive book, and that’s precisely what I got here. Not to say it’s a fluffy romance with no substance, because it absolutely isn’t. It has depth and emotion, and there’s a lot more to it than meets the eye.

I really liked both CeCe and Nash, and the whole Ashby family. There actually wasn’t a single character I didn’t get on with, and I especially enjoyed the banter between CeCe and her siblings. The chemistry between her and lifelong friend Nash is also off the charts hot, and I was invested in them right from the start.

Like I said earlier, there’s much more to this book than I first anticipated. It deals with numerous hard-hitting subjects, like grief and loss, both of which are handled really well. The characters are deep and realistic, dealing with much more than the old cliches of dancing to country music and working on a farm. The way they help each other cope is so nice and heartwarming, and the epilogue further cements them as a great cowboy couple.

Holding the Reins is a spicy cowboy romance that kicks off the Silver Pines series, and I’m really glad I read it — I’m already looking forward to the second book, which I believe focuses on one of CeCe’s brothers. If you’re looking for a romance book to sweep you away, then look no further. Get this one on your wishlists!

3.5/5.

Sadly this book wasn’t for me ! I initially enjoyed reading it but as the story progressed I found myself disengaging.

I’m sure lovers of a slower paced romance would enjoy this book and the storyline and characters were well written and maybe would appeal to a younger reader .

A light easy to read book overall.

Wow what a lot of smut! If you don't like sex scenes, this book is not for you. In-between the smut there is a tale of love, loss and family, which I enjoyed. However, if a man ever referred to my vagina as a "cunt", no matter how attractive and good in bed he might be, he's gone! Yuck!

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!
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟