It is a very sweet type of slow-building romance with some heavy topics. There is no real conflict until the third act "plot twist" which was incredibly obvious. There is very little plot, and very little character development beyond the superficial. Overall I felt it would be a good Hallmark-movie type romance.

Lori is divorced from her husband, because he is pond scum. She has purchased a new home in Dalton Mill, a rural community, and she is living a happy life. Her graphic design business is successful. Her one companion is Mister, a Mastiff dog gifted to her by her ex-husband as he was running out the door. She has kept her life simple and has not made any close friends.
Ryder is a widower who has lived in Dalton Mill all his life. He has roots in the community, knows everyone and is a very good man.
Lori and Ryder are drawn to one another. They share the same values and the same love of the world and environment. But, both of them are carrying huge burdens from their pasts.
The event that is shared by both these people does not come up until the end of the book. But, it was not an actual surprise.
Lori and Ryder are really good people. Both of them are intelligent, humorous, generous and caring. It is evident they are perfect for one another. But, it takes both of them a long time to admit to the attraction.
Ryder is very connected to his family. His niece and nephew are the owners of The Wedding Ranch and that location plays a part in the story. It is the location for events important in the lives of both Lori and Ryder.
This story includes references to the Christian faith and God. It is very organic for these two people to talk about their beliefs. Both of them have tried to live their lives according to their faith. Both of them run into some problems with the idea of forgiveness. That is difficult for many of us.
I am a fan of Ms Naigle. She writes stories about characters who seem very real. In her stories, no one gets through life without problems. Which is rather like real life. But, in her stories, there is a happily ever after for everyone.
I liked this book.
I received the book from the publisher through NetGalley in the hope that I would write an honest review. All opinions are completely my own.

One of the best stories I've read this year!
This is a story about love and life. More importantly, it is a true treatise about grief, it's many stages and how everyone handles it differently in their own time.
I couldn't stop thinking about this book when I had to put it down, and happily picking it back up again. The characters are the types of people you would love to have as family or friends.
Anyone who loves a great story should not miss this read!

Thank you for the ARC! I enjoyed this so much. It reminded me of a Hallmark movie (I love them). The characters had great chemistry, the plot was interesting and had so many cute moments! I recommend this!

Sweet romance that will laughing and crying. Not at all racy. Lorries and Ryder meet by chance and develop a friendship that is turns to something more. Easy quick read about second loves and chance meetings.

The Wedding Ranch by Nancy Naigle
Nancy knows how to break your heart and then put it back together-over and over again. This story of Lorrie Walker and Ryder Bolt made me laugh and cry and do it some more. There is tragic loss, unresolved anger, discovery, laughter, tears, and wonderful second chances.
Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Entertaining Easy-to-read Great world building Happily Ever After Tragic Romantic Wonderful characters Tear-jerker Haunting Page-turner Witty. I loved reading and reviewing this book.

The Wedding Ranch by Nancy Naigle is a sweet, clean, second-chance romance between a divorcee and a widower. Don’t let that fool you as both characters have some pretty heavy baggage.

I really adored this book and found it hard to put down. Lorri is dealing with a divorce and Ryder is still dealing with the loss of his wife and son 7 years ago. Ryder is also still angry because his father sold part of their family land to a developer. Lorri moves to Dalton Mills to escape her past and buys one of the homes in the development.

Lorri meets Ryder through a chance encounter at the local county fair and even though they enjoy each other’s company they agree to be just friends as neither are looking for anything serious.

Ryder is such a good guy and well known throughout the community. His sister and niece and nephew all live on The Wedding Ranch. Ryder’s niece and nephew are quite savvy young adults who start a wedding venue business on the ranch.

The story has everything you could want and more. Love, friendship, family, forgiveness, hope and an amazing dog named Mister.

It is both a heartbreaking and heartwarming story with great characters.

A story of forgiveness and love.

A special thank you to both Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC I received in exchange for my honest opinion.

I highly recommend this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This journey was a good one and always needed. I laughed and almost cried watching Lori and Ryder take this journey to a pure love. Not just in relationship but in the journey to self love.

The author does amazing job at sticking to the subject in a adult way without taking all the fun out of it. Wrapping love of family, relationship, and friendship.

Love the idea of the Wedding Ranch and the beauty of it.

The Wedding Ranch
by Nancy Naigle
Pub Date: December 6, 2022
St. Martins Griffin
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. Summary: Two people get a second chance at love. Our main characters Lori and Ryder come from heavy past trauma and are looking for a way to move on. Lori moves from a big city to a small town for quiet living, to start over. Ryder lives in this small town and runs a business. How can they move forward in their lives? Can they forge a friendship, or maybe more?
If you're a Hallmark fan, you'll love this one. It's an easy read, with characters with depth, surrounded by likable friends and family, with twists and turns on the road to happiness. Definitely worth a read.
4 stars

Very much a Hallmark movie but sappier. The writing was too wholesome for my liking and had a decent dose of Christian views.

The Wedding Ranch sounds like an amazing venue! The twins are inventive and deliver on making weddings special. But the barn is from land sold off to developers. One of the buyers of those new homes is the main character, Lorri. When she moves to the small town she is divorced and has a huge dog, Mister. Along the way she meets the bitter man that was the son of the farmer that sold the land. Ryder, uncle of the twins, and Lorri become friends. So many twists and turns are part of the revelations along the way. The story is interesting and pulled me in. I thought the book was well well done. I liked it!

Sweet but slightly too predictable. I knew the major plot twist before the 20% mark. Maybe that was by design. The end was a bit rushed and I had a hard time accepting that suddenly the hero was over his deceased wife considering that is what most of his thoughts revolved around the entire story.

The Wedding Ranch is a story of two people who meet and form a friendship that grows into something more. They’ve lived through life-changing emotional pain and loss but are in a place where they’re ready to move forward in life. Sounds like they’ll get their happily ever after, right? But there is something that could change everything.There was foreshadowing early on in the novel so I was waiting to see when and how things would play out. I have to say figuring things out so early on kind of took me out of the story. Still, I liked how Naigle brought Lorri and Ryder on their emotional journey of discovery and forgiveness. I also liked the setting and, of course, Mister the dog.

Forgiveness is hard to learn but well worth the effort.. Lorri and Ryder learned some valuable lessons meeting each other and sparks were flying as well. This was a quick read and a great story line.

I really loved Ryder and Lorri’s story this was a beautiful small town romance, I can’t wait to read more by this author, I really loved how the story was set on a ranch, the epilogue was beautiful as well I hope there is more to this story! A FIVE STAR BOOK ALL THE WAY!!

Lorri Walker has recently moved to a new community after the end of a long dead marriage. As her and her mastiff, Mister, find their way in this community, Lorri meets Ryder who is battling some demons of his own. What starts as a friendship slowly becomes more…

The Wedding Ranch is a lovely contemporary romance. The characters will warm your heart and have you rooting for them. I enjoyed the pacing and couldn’t put it down. I truly enjoyed the story and I can’t wait to read more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this book!

The best part of Lorri's marriage was the mastiff puppy her cheating husband gave to her before he left her for the dog trainer. But sometimes it takes a little while to see how good things are when you're going through the sting of adultery and divorce.

Given time, space and a new home to call her own, Lorri builds a new life with her pup, Mister, and grows to love the peace that she's found.

Then she meets widower Ryder Bolt. Despite their "just friends" policy, they each begin to feel alive again in the other's company, and what once was intended to be simple companionship turns into something much more.

If you enjoy happily ever afters, you won't want to miss "The Wedding Ranch."

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Nancy Naigle for an advance review copy.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Nancy Naigle for a digital ARC of this book. Nancy Naigle has written another warm and uplifting story with very real characters. This is more than a simple romance with a happy ending. Two lost souls who have given up on love meet and forge a very deep connection in a very short time. However, neither wants to fall in love but their feelings cannot be denied. This story deals with some serious and universal themes such as forgiveness, love of family and acceptance. The writing is descriptive, the characters are well developed and multidimensional. I recommend this book to readers looking for substance along with romance and a happy ending.

After a heartbreaking divorce, Lorri moves to an eco friendly neighborhood outside of her hometown of Raleigh. Looking for happiness in her life, she attends the local state fair. A steer runs wild and she is saved by handsome cowboy Ryder. Little does she know Ryder also suffers from a broken heart from his own lost love.
As their lives become intertwined can a horrible incident from her past ruin their future? Happy feelings, sorrow…some gut wrenching, incredible friends and family and beautiful descriptions of the scenery all make this read wonderful. Enjoy it!!
I received a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions in this review are my own.
Thank you @stmartinspress
#TheWeddingRanch #NancyNaigle #SMPRomance

I liked the main couple! However, it leaned heavily into religion and as someone who isn't Christian, I found it a bit hard to engage. It also took a while for Lori and Ryder to interact and I would've loved to have had them meet a bit earlier in the story.

If you're looking for an emotional read and characters who find each other after loss, I would recommend giving it a try!