Cinderella retelling with a sexy plus size heroine and Hollywood and a ranch setting to boot? Yes please. This was a delight.

i really like Rebekkah Weatherspoon writing and her take on cowboys. This book was a fun retelling. I really enjoyed the setting. Thank you for letting me read and review this book.

There are some openings in books that stick with me and I just know that the first chapter of If the Boot Fits by Rebekah Weatherspoon will be one of them! It begins with personal assistant Amanda Queen sneaking out of Sam Pleasant's hotel room after a one-night stand. It's only when she arrives home that she realizes she accidentally stole his newly-awarded Oscar.

This is the second book in the Cowboys of California series, which follows the Pleasant brothers through modern fairytale retellings. By chance, I happen to have read a few fairytale retellings back-to-back lately, and Weatherspoon's treatment really stands out. She draws inspiration from the original without allowing it to box the story she's telling into a mold. In doing so she gives her leads room to stand out on their own, while still paying homage to a beloved tale.

I think one of the most relatable things about the Cinderella story is that she's a heroine who works hard and is looking for fun, escape, and a night to forget her troubles. I loved the way Sam made sure Amanda took time for herself to do exactly that, even before he knew the full depth of her work life. But one moment that stood out, in particular, was a conversation they had about loneliness in adulthood and how moving out of environments like school where you're surrounded by people your own age or away from family can create voids that are hard to fill. With a little help, Amanda realized just how many people around here are ready to be in that space and help her.

I'll say that this is a series best read in order. Family plays a huge role in the lives of the Pleasant brothers (both blood and found) and a lot of that is set up in the first book and builds nicely here as their community at the ranch grows. Now onto Jesse's story!

I love Rebekah Weatherspoon's romances. But not gonna lie, I struggled to get into this one at first. For some reason, I couldn't seem to get invested in the relationship or buy into the chemistry or why they were so attracted to each other.

But as I read on, and they actually spent time together, talking to each other, sharing things, getting to know each other, being there for one another in the most wholesome and supportive ways, I was won over. What truly did it for me though, is that there was no third act break up and that the conflict was completely external, and they had to work together to face it. That's extremely my shit. This story is very low angst, very cute and sweet.

The author also has a knack for writing fire sex scenes. This is one of her milder books, but the little there was in the book did what it had to do.

I'm definitely looking forward to Jesse's story. Out of all three brothers he's the most intriguing to me personality wise, so I can't wait to see how/with whom he falls in love.

Rebekah Weatherspoon is one of the most highly underrated authors working today. This modern day re-imagining of a Cinderella story is a good entry into Witherspoon's work.

One of my favorite books of the year. I love Cinderella retellings. In this book I especially loved how much the hero cared for the heroine and the love the heroine showed for the hero as well those who made her life difficult. A feel good story and a definite reread.

Amanda McQueen had a one night stand with Samual Pleasant. Though quite a memorable experience, Amanda knows it can never happen again. It will never happen again. They run in different circles. So, she snuck off before Sam woke up that next morning. Amanda is nonplussed when she not only is she about to attend the wedding of her friend, but that it is going to be held on the Pleasant ranch, Sam Pleasant's.

In this loosely-based Cinderella retelling, Amanda and Sam are about to get their second chance. Will this give this pair a chance to find their way to a happily ever after? To their surprise, their connection goes beyond the physical. The two share an emotional bond that grows over time. I found this book to be a lovely story, and I really loved Amanda and Sam together. This delightful trilogy comes to a close next month with A Thorn In the Saddle. The first enjoyable book in the series was A Cowboy to Remember.

Many thanks to Dafina and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

In the Cowboys of California, Rebekah introduces us to the Pleasant family, the generationals owners of Big Rock Ranch in Southern California and home to Jesse, Zach, and Sam Pleasant. Each brother has a distinct personality and their own reasons why they are all currently single. If The Boot Fits is a Cinderella retelling between Sam and Amanda, a personal assistant to a Hollywood diva who wants to pursue screenwriting. Fresh off his Oscar win, Sam and Amanda leave an Oscar afterparty and have a one night stand. However, fate has other plans as they repeatedly run into each other and sparks continue to fly.

I adore Weatherspoon's indie titles, Rafe and Xeni are some of my favorite steamy romances ever. But I'm not sure I love this series as much. I was hoping to enjoy this one more than the first book, but I couldn't get into the storyline as much as I hoped and decided to DNF for now.

Didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would. I will however continue to read Rebekah Weatherspoon's books.

A fun, sexy book with definite Cinderella vibes. Very nice to have a plus size heroine .I am glad that authors and publishers are willing to widen the circle of who gets an HEA.

I received an ARC but the opinion is strictly my own.

This book was so entertaining. I was drawn into the story from the beginning and was involved until the end. The characters were complex and interesting. I found the story to be well paced and engrossing throughout the whole book. I was invested in the couple throughout the book and felt all the emotions through both the highs and lows of the story.The side characters were such an integral part of this story as well. This is the love story i needed to read at this time. If you want an entertaining and well written book this is it for you

3.5 out of 5 wine glasses. If you enjoyed Olivia Dade's Spoiler Alert, you should enjoy If the Boot Fits as well. I liked Amanda and Sam and even the sort of slow-burniness of their relationship (even though we open the book right after their one night stand), but in a way the story felt sort of surface level for me. I don't think I wanted more angst necessarily, but the big drama in their relationship happens in the last 15% or so of the book and is wrapped up rather quickly and I think I would have enjoyed seeing that drawn out a bit more. Other than that, I enjoyed the book and am excited for Jesse's HEA!

Weatherspoon is an author who I know I need to read more of (and have so many of her books on my TBR!) but this one had me from the jump. A loose Cinderella retelling about what happens between a personal assistant and an actor when they have a semi-anonymous hookup after his Oscar win and then run into each other when her friend gets married on his family's ranch in northern California. It's a cowboy romance that doesn't feel like a cowboy romance (even if Sam does wear a hat several times, including a memorable bedroom scene); mostly, Weatherspoon manages to weave together threads of family, friendship and romance with a perfect ranch setting as the backdrop. I liked the first book in this series, but I LOVED this one.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Spectacular from page one! I loved Sam and Amanda so much. Their story is sooo good, and then we got to see Miss Leona and everyone else again...just awesome!

I can't stand how much I loved this book. Plus-sized heroine, emotionally available hero, and supportive family hijinks? PUT IT IN MY VEINS. The only detraction from this book was wanting the villain to be tarred, feathered, and run out of town on the rails...but there's always hope for the next book in the series!

I picked up this rom-com during a week when I desperately needed a laugh, and it was the perfect comfort read. I love consent-seeking cowboys and sci fi-loving fangirls, and If The Boot Fits gave me both. They meet in L.A., but fall in love while bantering about cattle dogs and horses, in a bucolic setting that serves as a refuge. Amanda and Sam are so obviously into one another, and yet so deliciously clueless about each other’s interest. It was a pleasure watching them slowly figure out how much they have in common (including a love of SFF shows) and flirt shamelessly as they do.

This loose retelling of Cinderella is funny, charming, and felt like a down to earth fairy tale. I loved revisiting the playful Pleasant clan, with their unique mix of Black Hollywood Royalty and Western-style chivalry. My only annoyance was that a few of the secondary characters from the first book seemed to have different personalities here. For example, the laid-back teddy bear and eldest brother, Jesse, from the first book seemed glowering and tantrum-prone in this one. That shift wouldn’t stop this book from working as a stand alone, but might annoy readers of the series. I definitely recommend If The Boot Fits for fans of the “Oops, I fell for my one night stand” trope, and teasing banter between confident heroines and supportive heroes.

If you're looking for a nice contemporary cowboy romance with low-angst, If The Boot Suits is the one! I'll confess, I used a little more fuel in Rebbecca Weatherspoon books, but it was made up by the banter and one-liners between Amanda and Sam. With an actor as an MC, I certainly expected there to be high tension, but luckily, RW subverted that and it made me love the couple even more. Sweet opposite attracts trope.

I'm really enjoying my venture into Rebekah Weatherspoon's books. This is only my second read from her, but I'm a fan, and in the new year, I hope to read her backlist. I think it says a lot about an author's stories and writing style when they are able to get you to like a trope that you're not a fan of. In this case, Rebekah Weatherspoon has clearly worked her magic on the cowboy trope because after reading A Cowboy to Remember, I couldn't wait to read If The Boot Fits. I'm thrilled that this was equally a success for me.

Each of the books in this series is a modern inspiration of a fairytale. If the Book Fits is inspired by Cinderella, not necessarily my favorite, but it's executed with a fresh take that makes reading this book an enjoyable experience. The protagonist, and our Cinderella, here is Amanda, who works as a Hollywood assistant to a bratty celebrity who doubled as the evil step-sister. As a Black woman in the Hollywood industry, Amanda has had a hard time and has had to settle working as an assistant for this abusive diva of a young woman. Her talents went wholely underappreciated and she had to work like a dog in order to please her boss. She wasn't weak by any means though. It's clear that she had aspirations and just needed that perfect opportunity to fall into her lap. I also really appreciated how Amanda was a plus-sized woman whose life hadn't been interrupted in any way because of her body. Yes, she is 100% aware that she doesn't have the "typical" Hollywood look, but that hasn't dampened any of her goals. It's always refreshing to see a fat heroine who is comfortable in her own skin and knows how to make herself feel sexy. Her Cinderella moment emerges when she gets to spend a passionate night with Oscar winner, Sam at a Hollywood after-party. The two share a good time and the next morning, Amanda sneaks out, accidentally taking Sam's award with her. Obviously, Sam can't stop thinking about the woman who rocked his world.

Their paths cross again when Amanda attends her friend's wedding at Sam's family's ranch. Out from the public eye and the pressure from Amanda's boss, they are able to intimately get to know each other and connect on an emotional level. We met Sam, the youngest Pleasant brother, in the first book and I liked him a lot there. That luckily didn't change here. Sam was charming, insightful, and very passionate. He's going through his own challenges in this book, particularly when it came to the future of his career and his worries about being typecast into similar roles, now that he has won his first Academy Award. He doesn't quite know how to resolve his issues. Amanda provides that push for him that he needs and it's wonderful to watch them grow with encouragement from each other. Sam is a sweetheart and is written just how I like my romance novel heroes.

Amanda and Sam's romance in If the Boot Fits is also all-around lovely. The two share a great rapport with each other and their chemistry comes through from the very first scene they shared. I enjoyed all their conversations and happily shipped the two as a couple. I also appreciated that the romance itself was low on the drama-front. Rebekah Weatherspoon took her time developing their burgeoning relationship in a way that was subtle, but realistic. Sam's family's ranch provides the perfect backdrop to allow their relationship to flourish. Not to mention, the Pleasants themselves are such a pleasant addition to this series - pun totally intended. I loved their interactions, the familiarity between them, and the way they welcomed Amanda with open arms. I was obsessed with Jesse, the grumpy eldest Pleasant brother in the first book, and folks, my infatuation with the man has only grown 10-folds after reading If the Boot Fits. Lucky for me, his book is next!

The Cowboys of California series is a terrific contemporary romance series that's been a wonderful introduction to Rebekah Weatherspoon's writing for me. If the Boot Fits was a great addition and I eagerly look forward to reading my husband, Jesse's book.

It's easy to see why this romance is on so many top reading lists, because it's definitely going on my top ten for 2020! Amanda is a personal assistant in the entertainment world who works for a demanding Diva but when she indulges in a night with Oscar winner Sam at an after awards party, she knows she doesn't really fit into his circles and thinks it'll remain a happy and sexy memory. Then her best friend gets married at Sam's family ranch and Amanda and Sam reconnect. Amanda doesn't believe he can really be interested in her (and he doesn't know what she does for a living) but slowly and surely Sam woos her with his charm and friendly attitude. And it's clear he's attracted to everything about her. Most of the story takes place at the Pleasant family ranch and involves several secondary characters (Sam's family and Amanda's friends). If you love a cinnamon roll hero, a woman comfortable with her body and her sexuality, a western style setting and a well deserved happy ending, this should definitely be on your reading list.