This book was provided to me as an arc and I’m very grateful.

Marketed as a book for “fans of Elsie Silver”, I expected to love this book. Unfortunately, whilst it did have small town vibes and horse elements, I was overall unimpressed. I found the story to be slow paced and dragged out in areas. I felt no chemistry with the main characters. I also thought that there was an awful lot of characters were introduced with no real purpose.

I do hope this book falls in to the right hands with people who will love this slow paced romance!

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

Brother’s best friend, age gap, small town romance. I’m deep in my cowboy phase and really enjoyed this! It has Lyla Sage vibes, so would recommend if you’re a fan of her work. The spice was a little much at times but I don’t think it detracts from the story too much. A good summer read!

If you enjoy small town cowboy romances, or a steamy ice hockey romance; this is the book for you! Laurel Creek is not only the home of fond memories, but also the home of new lessons for the books FMC CeCe Ashby.

She’s a heartbroken accountant, he’s a retired hockey player who now owns multiple business', and he ends up hiring her. What could possibly happen?

This book follows the path of grief, heartbreak and CeCe once again finding her place fitting back in Laurel Creek now everything has changed. With her recent relationship breakdown from her Fiancé, CeCe is only interested in short term flings. But being in that headspace working in VERY close proximity to an extremely good looking man, doesn't always mean for smooth sailing. I adored watching her journey back into life, enjoying Sangria Sundays with the girls, Monday dinners with the Ashby Clan (Narrowly avoiding paying her niece money for her swear jar...) , and starting her new job working for her Brother's childhood bestfriend (and close family friend) Nash.

The chemistry in certain scenes in this book was ELECTRIC. (From the intro on page one of 'To all my babes that know they can be a strong modern woman, yet still shamelessly drop to their knees like the good girl they are the moment their cowboy tells them to.' I knew it'd be good.) If you're into spicey books, look no further.

The mix of power play, various tropes, and a simple love story all mixed up in the day to day life in Laurel Creek had me obsessed from the get go. I'm already waiting for the next book.

Thank you to Paisley Hope, Cornerstone, Random House UK and NetGalley for the ARC.

Holding the Reins is a well written small town, (part-time) cowboy/ex-pro hockey player romance with some brother’s best friend aspects. I really enjoyed this book and couldn’t put it down because of how engrossed I became. My one negative for this book is that the fight felt forced and not a natural continuation of the story. That being said I did still really enjoy this book and would definitely recommend it to everyone who likes cowboy romances.

Summary: Cecilia "CeCe" Ashby returns to Laurel Creek, escaping a toxic relationship. Nash Carter, her brothers' friend, can't resist his attraction, igniting unexpected passion and challenging rules they put in place to protect their hearts.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book, all thoughts are my own.

This romance novel hits all the points of the genre, does a great job with the tropes and is a fun read.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Cornerstone, Random House UK and the author Paisley Hope for giving me access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was your typical small town/cowboy romance but throw in A LOT of spice. I always love a brother’s best friend/age gap trope and I also love that it had aspects of sports romance thrown in as well with the MMC being a pro hockey player.

I liked how the book touched on sensitive topics (parental loss) and dealt with them in a very respectful way. I also loved the family & friendship elements that were depicted as well.

Now, don’t get me wrong I did enjoy the book however for my personal taste there was a bit too much spice which I never thought I’d say! Sometimes the spice did overtake the plot of the book! As much as I enjoy elements of spice in a story for me it does need to add to the story. I did feel that some of the scenes were not needed and may have just been fillers in the book. However that is just my personal taste and that being said I did stay up well past my bed time to finish off this book. It was a fun and cosy romance and it did have me giggling and gasping at times. I look forward to reading more by Paisley Hope!

I loved this book. It's your typical brothers best friend, forbidden romance and it was definitely giving 'Layla Sage' vibes. This book was well written and incredibly hot! The chemistry and anticipation throughout the book was so captivating, and I loved the family aspect. I will be eagerly waiting for the rest of the series!

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 ❤️

This was such a fun and easy read, I couldn't put it down. The story was easy to follow and I kept rooting for the main characters to get together. I'm loving all the cowboy romance novels that are out at the moment and this one was no different. A brilliant novel that I recommend to other readers.
❤️ Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and author for my arc ebook copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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?