Member Reviews
You know what? I have no notes. This was sweet and lovely and emotional and everything else. It made me want to live on a ranch in Wyoming (I'm severely allergic to horses). 5 stars. That's all.
Cowboy romance...yes please! I love both books in this series and cannot wait for the next one! Ada Hart is a city girl who is hired to renovate the original home at Rebel Blue Ranch. She is determined to make this her big break after failing out of interior design school and surviving her divorce. She's also determined to stand on her own and not count on anyone. That is until she meets Weston Ryder, the handsome cowboy who is in charge of her big renovation project. Both have their own issues and both just might need each other to sort their own lives out.
Lyla Sage's books make me smile and her characters make me swoon. I want to live at Rebel Blue Ranch and become part of the Ryder family. Through her books, I kind of feel like I am. :)
I can’t help it, I love cowboys and country boys. Wes is one of the sweetest country boys out there. I adored the contrast between his character and Ada. I can’t say enough about how much I love these two together. This is such a fun story that grabbed my attention from the very beginning.
The pacing and book-length are perfect. The characters are beyond lovable. There is so much heart, self-discovery, and family in this story. The small-town charm and ranch setting are realistic. I feel like I’m walking the streets, and pastures of Meadowbrook and the Rebel Blue Ranch.
This book is the perfect mixture of sweet and steamy. I laughed, I cried, and I swooned. This series is a must when it comes to cozy cowboy vibes.
🤠 cowboy romance
🤠 small town
🤠 closed proximity
🤠 found family
🤠 ranch life
🤠 opposites attract
🤠 black cat/golden retriever
🤠 city girl/country boy
🤠 mental health rep.
🤠 home renovations
🤠 first person, dual pov
🤠 interconnected standalone
this one was SO fun!! the more we learn about this world, the characters and all of their histories i never ever want to leave. wes and ada ate up!! this was such a fun romp with such delicious tenderness it was hard to turn away! i cannot WAIT for the next one!
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
We loooooove a soft boy/he falls first/found family romance. This cowboy romance swept me right off my boots!!!! Wes is such a sweet little (big?) cinnamon roll. I really appreciated the mental health representation in this book. It was done so tastefully. The chemistry between Wes and Ada is literally electric. Every time they’re in a room together there is a “hum” described. I loved the writing style and it kept me engaged the whole time.
This will definitely be the first of many Lyla Sage books I pick up.
Lyla Sage’s Swift and Saddled is officially out today!! I adoreddd this book so much! Thank you so much to @thedialpress for an early copy of this book for me to obsess over!
This is the second installment in the Rebel Blue Ranch standalone romance series so you can read it after Done & Dusted (my recommendation) or by itself!
Pov: you’re pressed against the wall of a bar making out with the hot cowboy you just met… and then you find out he’s your boss the next day 🤪
I love me a cowboy romance and the city girl x small town cowboy, black cat girlfriend x golden retriever vibes of this couple are IT. Wes and Ada 🥹 I could not love them more and I was rooting for them ever since their first kiss in that bar. I loved the pacing of the relationship, the chemistry and the plot to smutt ration was just right.
A barechested man feeding the baby calf he just rescued does it for me. And it does it for Ada too. I love the discussions in this book about mental illness, depression and the after effects of a neglectful marriage. Wes was a sweetheart and Ada was relatable in her insecurities.
Recommend with my whole heart🥰
Ada Hart is hired to remodel a property on Rebel Blue, a ranch owned by Weston Ryder’s family. Weston is overseeing the remodel of what will be a guest ranch. After making the journey from California to Wyoming Ada goes to the town bar in search of food. Instead of food she gets a hot and heavy make out session with a hot cowboy who unbeknownst to her is Weston Ryder, her new boss. Ada, fresh off a divorce, wants nothing to do with starting a new relationship and says that their relationship will be strictly professional, much to Weston’s disappointment. Will she be able to keep her boundaries? Will Weston wriggle his way into Ada’s heart before the project is over?
I thoroughly enjoyed Swift and Saddled by Lyla Sage. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!
I liked the setting of this book, a working ranch with horses and cowboys. Ada is a designer hired by Weston to redo an old ranch house. On her first night in town, Ada meets and makes out with a hot cowboy at the local bar. The next day she discovers that she met Weston, her boss.
They’ve got so much chemistry it’s hard for Ada to resist. She’s coming off a bad marriage and doesn’t need a man to take care of her. His family is wonderful and they’ve already made her feel like part of the family. Can Weston break down her walls?
I really enjoyed this small town romance, 4 stars.
Thanks to Random House and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
🛠️ 𝙎𝙬𝙞𝙛𝙩 & 𝙎𝙖𝙙𝙙𝙡𝙚𝙙 🛠️
𝖫𝗒𝗅𝖺 𝖲𝖺𝗀𝖾
𝖱𝖾𝖻𝖾𝗅 𝖡𝗅𝗎𝖾 𝖱𝖺𝗇𝖼𝗁 #2
#BerkleyPartner
Two trips to Rebel Blue Ranch in less than a week and I am not mad about it! I loved Wes and Ada! They are clearly drawn to each other from the first time they lay eyes on each other, and as Wes says Waylon (his dog) has a thing for beautiful women.
I love the tagline for this book and it’s perfection!
She’s the city girl who refuses to be saddled with a man. He’s the cowboy who wants her anyway.
Ada Hart, a resilient city girl, refuses to rely on a man after overcoming past challenges. However, when she encounters a charming cowboy in a bar, little does she know he's her new boss on a significant project at a Wyoming ranch. Weston Ryder is thrilled about the collaboration, but Ada is determined to keep her distance.
Read if you enjoy:
🤠Cowboy Romance
🩵 He Falls First
👩🏻❤️👨🏼 Dual POV
💙 Found Family
🛻 Stick Shift Lessons
🧠 Mental Health Rep
🌶️ Spice
🧪 Chemistry
Lyla Sage does it again in her second book ,Swift and Saddled. This sweet cowboy romance had me swooning at every corner. Sage has a specific way of writing her main characters that puts me in my feels every time.
Her representation of those with invisible illnesses is something I haven’t seen done this well in books before. Wes’s major depressive disorder and Ada’s self-doubt/social anxiety were explored beautifully. These two saw each other’s flaws and became a better person for them. It’s about seeing these invisible insecurities and not trying to change a person but learning to grow with them. Lyla Sage shows her readers that that kind of love is possible.
I felt like there was more closure in this story than in Done and Dusted and left me satisfied as a reader at the end. Swift and Saddled’s epilogue was exactly what the story needed and Sage tied up any loose strings while leaving more to the readers’ imagination.
Finally, the way she portrays ranch life had me nodding along and felt like I was at Rebel Blue with the Ryder crew. A story that sticks out to me was her use of the calf getting loose during the storm. What happens after this event was not only heartbreaking but fit so well in the story. Ada’s connection to this lost calf had me sobbing and feeling lost myself most days. We all need a Wes to rescue us and tell us it will all be okay.
Lyla Sage has a forever fan in me and I will continue to recommend her books to anyone looking for small town, found family romances.
Thank you Random House Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
*I plan to post a review to my bookstagram the week of March 11th and include a link once posted*
I picked this up without knowing it was the second book in a series, but it was still definitely enjoyable. The Ranch was an endearing setting that drew me right in, and even if I hadn’t loved Wes and Ada (who were adorable), the entire Ryder family was too fun not to love.
I will definitely be picking up the rest of the series!
The Rebel Blue Ranch series has my heart. All of the characters are just so lovable and I’m so happy to have read Ada & Wes’s love story! Swift & Saddled drew me right in. That bar scene in the beginning? Immediately hooked. And it just keeps getting better the whole way through!
Ada has no idea what to expect from the small town of Meadowlark and the people who live there but she’s there to work and has no intention of finding or especially keeping a man while she’s there. Wes is a caring golden retriever of a man and a hot cowboy. Who could resist him? Wes has a habit of falling for women who aren’t seemingly interested in keeping him… aka Ada. He draws Ada to him like no one else ever has before but she has trust issues and he’s also kind of her boss. Each of them have their baggage but will they come to take a chance on love? Or will this city girl leave her cowboy behind once the restoration project is over?
Microtropes:
🤎black cat x golden retriever
🤎forced proximity
🤎city girl x country boy
🤎small town romance
🤎sexy cowboys with dimples
🤎found family
I truly loved this book! It’s a sweet, sexy, swoony, warm cowboy romance. Ada and Wes grow together and their relationship is so well developed; they communicate and respect each other’s boundaries. Seeing how Ada develops friendships and becomes part of the Rebel Blue family is so heartwarming especially when she didn’t have really any friends before coming to Wyoming. I took my time reading this book (which was hard because it’s so so good) because I didn’t want it to end. The found family aspect on Rebel Blue Ranch is one of my favorite things about this series. There are just so many awesome characters that you'll wish were real so you could go visit them. Wes is such a sweetheart, he's a nice guy but that doesn't mean he's not strong and assertive. I love how he is with Ada, he doesn't push but is just a strong, steady presence, there when she wants him/needs him. Any romance reader will love this and especially cowboy romance fans!
Lyla Sage handles topics like divorce, trauma from toxic relationships and depression with the care it deserves and has created a community readers will want to jump in and be a part of.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an eARC from Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Dial Press Trade Paperback via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Swift and Saddled returns to Rebel Blue Ranch, where the cowboys are strong and vulnerable, and the women are fierce and ready for a change.
I love a MMC who acknowledges his vulnerabilities and doesn't shy away from them, but also doesn't let them hold him back. In Weston Ryder's case his mental health struggles help him to be patient and compassionate with Ada Hart, the new interior designer for his proposed bed and breakfast on the ranch (though he doesn't really deal with them in the timeline of this story because it seems to be handled on medication).
Ada's clawing herself back into a semblance of a life after a failed marriage and failed attempt at interior design school. Her defenses are up, especially when it comes to the handsome and gentle cowboy she initially meets and has a brief hook up with at the local bar. Once she finds out he's her boss, the walls are up even higher.
Over the course of the book they have that push and pull of a growing (but fighting it) relationship. I really enjoy being in the wide open spaces of Wyoming in Lyla Sage's stories, and the gruff but sweet people that inhabit this world.
However I found the writing in most parts of the book lacking, almost juvenile and overly simplistic in style. The spicy scenes were generally hot, but there wasn't much build up or sexual tension that I enjoy in between the romantic scenes.
A solid effort by Ms. Sage, and I've been waiting for Gus and Teddy's story so I hope the next book will be theirs :)
✨book review✨
It’s here! Wes and Ada are finally out in the world and I’m so excited for all of you to head back to Rebel Blue Ranch.
Done and Dusted was my favorite book of 2023 and I may have read it 5 times so you I couldn’t wait for book 2. And @authorlylasage DID NOT DISAPPOINT.
Swift and Saddled
Author: Lyla Sage
Rating: 5⭐️
Let’s just start with their meet cute. It happened at the Devil’s Boot Bar and I was hooked from the beginning. The next morning, Ada heads to her new life changing job and it just so happens to be at Rebel Blue Ranch with Wes.
I loved learning more about Ada- what she has gone through in her previous relationship and watching her open up to Wes. I loved learning more about Wes, his mental health struggles, and his relationship with his siblings/dad.
I loved the glimpse of Brooks and Emmy (shocker!) but also the little bits we got of Gus and Teddy! I loved the laugh out loud moments between the two of them, especially the Matthew McConaughey moment in the truck. I loved girls night when we got to see all our Rebel Blue together and learn more about Cam.
Basically, I just loved this book so much and you should go read it. Even though I’ve read it twice already, I’m downloading the audio to start listening soon.
To end, a quote that gave me all the heart eyes-
“Wes once said to me that I was the moon, and I’d scoffed at him. But he was right. I was the moon, and the moon couldn’t glow without the sun. And my sun was in Meadowlark, Wyoming.”
I enjoyed this! I thought it was so cute and easy to read! Much better than the first novel!
I went into this with low expectations since I didn’t quite like Done and Dusted, but Swift and Saddled was better! I will say that their ‘meet-cute’ was so unrealistic and kind of cringey but overall very enjoyable.
I'd like to preface this by saying I've never read Lyla Sage before. I'd heard about book 1 in this series, but knew when I requested this that I'd probably be a little lost.
That being said, I will 100% read the first book!! I absolutely loved this!! Lyla Sage is amazing, really finessing the line of cute fairy tale romance and spice. If there's one thing I hate it's a romance book that is basically spice on paper with a really cringe plot or writing style. This book was perfection. I really loved the tension between Ada and Wes, and was absolutely loving the slow but inevitable burn. I'm completely sold on Rebel Blue Ranch and now I was to go to Wyoming and rescue a calf in a rain storm.
Am I going to read all the other books in this series? ABSOLUTELY! Will I go out and buy my own print copies of these cause the covers are stunning? Probably!!!!
Thank you so much for this ARC, it was a very cute read!
LOVED! Lyla Sage has gotten me into the western/cowboy trope and I am here for it. Her writing Is just unmatched and draws you in and leaves you hooked throughout the duration of the whole story. I love the humor that Ada has and I also really enjoyed that she was an interior designer so learning that part of her background was really exciting for me. I also loved the tension between Ada and Ryder as well, It made me want to see more from them through the whole book! AMAZING!
The second in the Rebel Blue Ranch series, I’m not sure which of the two I love most!
Sort of a reverse grumpy/sunshine, this is Wes and Ada’s book.
Ada just got out of a horrible marriage and is free to pursue her big dreams for renovations and design.
Wes’s dream is to build a guest ranch using the old Big House on their land, and Ada is going to help to restore the house to make that happen.
Except Wes and Ada have no idea who each other are when they make out at the local bar, leading to a bit of an awkward situation when they have to work together.
Their tension is delicious. Wes is the ultimate unproblematic golden retriever hero, and how he supports Ada should be in the Romance Hero Handbook.
Ada is also less grumpy and more reserved, unsure of herself after how she’s been treated. Watching her open up with the kind Ryder family was just a joy!
I love this line: “At his core, Weston Ryder was gentle, and I thought that was the best thing that a man could be.” I swoon!
Of course the spice is perfect, the ending beautiful, and now I just want to much more of this family and ranch!
Our author sets us up well for future books, and I can’t wait!
Even this city girl adores this series, and I think you will too. All the recommendations from me!
This book was sexy, sweet, tender, and vulnerable! Wes and Ada's story was absolutely binge worthy. Ada is the definition of a black cat. She's independent, strong, and definitely guarded. Wes is the complete opposite of Ada. He's patient, gentle, and wears his heart on his sleeve. Together, they end up balancing each other out so well!
I absolutely adored the community/found family aspect of this book. Multiple times, we see Ada struggle to believe that she is wanted around. The loneliness surrounding making connections and forming friendships really resonated with me and I'm sure many others. Getting to see Ada accept that she's deserving of these relationships was so heartwarming.
While I did enjoy the story, I found it fell flat in a few areas. I loved that there was mental health representation, however I do wish we saw how it impacted Wes' day to day life. It could have been more show, not tell. I also believe we could have benefitted from seeing more of Ada's past with her ex-husband and how it shaped her character. Overall, the instant attraction/love the characters had for each other made the plot feel incredibly rushed.
With that being said, I'm excited to see where the series goes!
Easily the most quick read I’ve had in february. Just like Done and Dusted, this was charming and entertaining though this had a lot more depth in the characters. I swooned a lot more here bc the hero was just ticking all the boxes for me and i related to the heroine so much more. Overall, it was a great read and would definitely recommend to readers who are looking for a good cowboy romance!