Lost and Lassoed

Synopsis: {via Goodreads}

She thrives in chaos. He prefers routine. The only thing they have in common? How much they hate each other. From the author of Done and Dusted and Swift and Saddled, the highly anticipated next book in the Rebel Blue Ranch series, a small town romance featuring enemies to lovers and forced proximity.

Teddy Andersen doesn't have a plan. She's never needed one before. She's always been more of a go with the flow type of girl, but for some reason, the flow doesn't seem to be going her way this time. Her favorite vintage suede jacket has a hole in it, her sewing machine is broken, and her best friend just got engaged. Suddenly, everything feels like it's starting to change. Teddy's used to being a leader, but now she feels like she's getting left behind, wondering if the life she lives in the small town she loves is enough for her anymore.

Gus Ryder has a lot on his plate. He doesn't know what's taking care of his family's 8,000 acre ranch, or parenting his spunky six-year-old daughter, who is staying with him for the summer. Gus has always been the dependable one, but when his workload starts to overwhelm him, he slips up, and he has to admit that he can't manage everything on his own. He needs help. His little sister's best friend, the woman he can't stand, is not who he had in mind. But when no one else can step in, Teddy's the only option he's got. Teddy decides to use the summer to try and figure out what she wants out of life. Gus, on the other hand, starts to worry that he'll never find what he needs. Tempers flare, tension builds, and for the first time ever, Gus and Teddy start to see each other in a different light. As new feelings start to simmer below the surface, they must decide whether or not to act on them. Can they keep things cool? Or will both of them get burned?

Sunday Post is a weekly blog meme hosted by Caffeinated Reviewer and is a place to share weekly goings on. I'd love to share my week with you!

Instead of being gloomy here this week, it's been downright cold and last night it snowed! I'm ready for spring, I hope it comes soon. All the buds on the trees suggest to me that it's coming, but who could tell with the 35 degree days? 

I did not end up making the Kolaches... yet, but I'm planning to do it soon. If I make them, I'll share the recipe. My husband is chomping at the bit to get his hands on some good old Texas Kolaches. Otherwise, this week has been busy with grading for my university class and running around doing errands. I went to New York last weekend with a friend, then Sunday I met with another friend on Zoom. So, at least my busy week has been filled with friends!

The one thing I didn't have this week was time to read, which was a real bummer. Work just completely took over my life, but that happens as the semester draws to a close. I'll have plenty of reading time when my classes are through at the end of the month. 

What I'm reading this week

When Jeanie's aunt gifts her the beloved Pumpkin Spice Café in the small town of Dream Harbor, Jeanie jumps at the chance for a fresh start away from her very dull desk job.

Logan is a local farmer who avoids Dream Harbor's gossip at all costs. But Jeanie's arrival disrupts Logan's routine and he wants nothing to do with the irritatingly upbeat new girl, except that he finds himself inexplicably drawn to her.

Will Jeanie's happy-go-lucky attitude win over the grumpy-but-gorgeous Logan, or has this city girl found the one person in town who won't fall for her charm, or her pumpkin spice lattes…

The Pumpkin Spice Café is a cozy romantic mystery for fans of Gilmore Girls, with a grumpy x sunshine dynamic, a small-town setting and a HEA guaranteed!

 On the blog this week

🧠 Reflection: Book Boxes

💀 Book Tour: The Devil Within by Lo Gold

👀 Can't-Wait Wednesday: Any Trope but You

🐦‍⬛ Review: Shadows so Cruel by Liv Zander 

🐎 Review: Swift and Saddled by Lyla Sage 

In the mail this week

I loved them so much, I bought the paperbacks for Lyla Sage's Rebel Blue Ranch novels. The last book will be here on the 15th and I cannot wait! So far, I've been listening to them on Audible, but I love the covers so much and the stories are so good, I had to add them to my permanent collection!

That's it for this week! I hope you all have a lovely week and had lots of time to read.

Swift and Saddled

She’s the city girl who refuses to be saddled with a man. He’s the cowboy who wants her anyway.

The last thing Ada Hart needs is a man to take care of her. Not anymore. After failing out of her interior design program and the disaster that was her short-lived marriage, Ada clawed her way up from her rock bottom. Now, the only person she trusts is herself, and that has gotten her further than ever before. She has her own business, and one of the largest ranches in Wyoming just hired her for the most important project of her career.

When Ada arrives in Meadowlark, she finds herself in a dive bar where she can’t seem to shake the eyes of a handsome cowboy. When she leads him to the back of the bar, he leaves her with a kiss that most people can only fantasize about. She almost regrets that she’ll never see him again . . . except it turns out he’s her new boss.

Weston Ryder is a happy guy. Even happier now that the mystery woman from the bar is the interior designer for his dream project on his family’s ranch. He feels like he hit the jackpot. It’s too bad she wants absolutely nothing to do with him outside of work. Ada is convinced the pull she feels toward Wes will go away, but Wes can’t stop thinking about her. Even though walls are coming down around Rebel Blue, Ada’s walls are firmly in place.

Can they make it through this project without giving in? Or will they both put their dreams on the line for a chance at love?

Review

I loved this book so much! Wes and Ada are perfect and the interplay between them is everything. I enjoyed the first book in this series, but this one has been my favorite so far. And as with the all the covers in this series, I love this cover. So nostalgic and comic book-esque in an old western kind of way. If you enjoy gooey romances with a strong happily ever after, this book is probably for you! 

🐎 Cowboys x City Girl

💖 Golden Retriever

🏡 Small Town Romance

💚 Found family

💛 Depression rep

👥 Forced Proximity

🌹He Falls First

The characters in this book are so much fun. Wes is perfect, he's so gentle and treats Ada with so much respect. As a person who has depression, Wes made me feel seen. So the depression rep in this book is strong. The way Wes and Ada relate to one another and share their problems is heart warming. I particularly love how Weston is able to calm Ada down when she's spiraling. Not to give too much away, but again the interplay between these characters is golden.

I particularly like Ada because she's not nicey-nice. She's a vulnerable person with a lot of, well, vulnerabilities. She comes from a bad marriage, where she was ghosted by her husband, so she's insecure. She drives a beat up old car and doesn't have a lot of money, she dropped out of college. All in all, she's flawed and her insecurities come out to play a lot in this book. She's also incredibly relatable.

Unlike the first book, where the romance isn't too rushed, this book has romance from nearly the first pages. The characters are drawn to one another from the beginning. So the pace, as far as the romance goes, starts out very fast and then slows down a bit, rather than the other way around.

Overall, this book had everything I enjoy in a romance novel. Put this one on your TBR!

Rating: 

❤❤❤❤❤ / 🌶️🌶️ - Really wonderful fun!