This was fine ? 🤷🏼‍♀️

I wasn’t the biggest fan of Done & Dusted, and while I can definitely say that Lyla Sage’s writing has improved A LOT, I just had a very hard time connecting to Ada. She was legit one of the most inconsistent characters I’ve ever read about. First off, she didn’t at all give me “ice cold princess” vibes, but then afterwards when it was mentioned at around 20% she just turned kinda mean ? Wes was so sweet and wholesome and a lot of the time I agreed with Ada when she told him “you deserve better” like gurl😭😭😭

Something that kinda bothered me too was the fact that Wes’s depression gets brought up like this big, huge part of him and he’s worked on it a lot etc etc, but then it literally doesn’t get mentioned again? I’m not saying I wanted him to fall into a depressive episode in the book to see that side of him, but the way it was done kinda gave me “iT hAs mEnTaL HeAlTh ReP” vibes 😵‍💫 I feel like as an author you can either go there, or not, and both are totally valid, but don’t just make it a bullet point character trait… idk that left a sour taste in my mouth

Overall this was a pretty bingeable but I’m not entirely sure that I’ll be continuing with the series

I absolutely adored this book! It was so fun to be back at Rebel Blue!
I related to Ada so much and the way she felt around other people. Wes was the perfect golden retriever boyfriend. So sweet and caring. The way he talked about his mental health was so beautiful and I want more of that!!
Their love felt so real. It made me feel allllll the things. Angst, sadness, happiness, that falling in love feeling. And the SPICE was doing what spice should do! Perfect. Amazing. I need the next one NOW.

I loved being back on the Rebel Blue Ranch! Wes and Ada were such wonderful, flawed, relatable characters and I loved seeing their relationship develop. I can’t wait for the next book.

5/5 ⭐️

I absolutely loved this book and so far, it’s my favorite in the Rebel Blue series. In this book, we follow the story of Ada and Will. Will works on his families ranch and Ada was hired to help redesign/spruce up an old family home on the property. The home just so happens to belong to Will now so Ada and him have to work very closely together on this project.

Will loves to draw and has been battling depression for a really long time. I absolutely love when I see mental health struggles talked about in books and Lyla Sage 100% made me feel seen in that aspect. Ada is healing from a terrible marriage that she was in and the two collide in a sweet but spicy cowboy romance.

-small town
-he falls first
-steamy
-slow burn
-tension
-mental health rep
-cowboy x city girl
-HEA

I love cowboy romances so much and this one was great! I haven’t read the first book in the series but now I definitely will be. I need more of Rebel Blue!

The relationship between Wes and Ada was so sweet and real. There was so much trust and respect between the two. Also the representation of mental illness/depression was done very well.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a copy to review!

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House Publishing for letting me have an advanced copy of Swift & Saddled! ✨

The lyrics “In a world of boys, he’s a gentleman” played through my head throughout this book anytime Wes spoke.
Wes was like the ultimate cowboy. I was ready to start listening to country music and trade in my dr martens for a pair of cowboy boots myself! 😮‍💨

I think Lyla Sage did a wonderful job bringing these new characters to life while still keeping Emmy and Brooks around. She also touched on a sensitive subject (depression) and I personally thought she did a great job that was very realistic.

The only thing I wasn’t a huge fan of was the third act “breakup” (if you even want to call it that); I’m not a fan of the trope in general but this felt rushed and honestly a little misplaced.

All in all, four ✨ because I smiled and giggled while reading this book and the characters are easy to love!

•cowboy
•golden retriever bf
•city girl on Wyoming a ranch
•small town
•interior design B&B
•learning to love again
•found family
•a fluffy dog and a baby calf
•spicy

Loveeeeed Wes and Ada.
Loved the side characters and how they all seamlessly intertwined with our current mc’s and don’t take over.
I love the epilogue tying back into our first book of the series and how we are set up for book 3 with the sneak peak first chapter.
My only odd thing was when chance called? What was the point, and conclusion? we never got an answer but I guess it doesn’t really matter!

I’m nervous for teddy because her abrasive childness is a bit much for me but I do love “enemies to lovers” so I hope I’m proved wrong !🫶🏼

PUB Date 6/30/24

This book helped me get out of a book hangover. This was the perfect small-town cowboy romance, and everything about this book was swoon-worthy. The way I didn't know I needed this book...... I related to Lyla. "I didn't have a lot of friends who were women.I never felt like I knew how to connect or speak the right language, always just to the left of the right social cue." I felt that quote deep to my core. I fell in love with Lyla and Wes' story so much. Loved all the chapters from Wes' perspective. I also loved the friendships Lyla was able to build despite her anxiety/lack of experience in female friendships, "So I'd built walls around myself. I didn't prioritize cultivating female friendships. I employed a severe brand of 'I'm not like other girls.'" This book was stunning, well-written, and pretty fast-paced. And I loved every bit of it.

And can we talk about those teasing hints for book 3? I'm helplessly scorching the internet for a release date for book 3 📆

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing, for gifting me this e-arc.

just when i thought done and dusted did it for me? here comes weston ryder who stole my heart and pulled my heart strings in the best way. i loved this book so so much, the angst, the way they loved one another? the mouth on wes??? MY LORD.

i honestly admire ada, i love a hard working woman. she been through so much so im very happy that she had wes to kind of help her repair her heart after her previous heartbreak. they saved each other, they were soulmates in my eyes. i just loved this book so so much.

thank you netgalley for this arc.

A mysterious cowboy who turns out to be gentlemen (in most respects…). Loved by big fluffy dogs and baby calves.

An edgy, divorcee interior designer who doesn’t think she’s attractive or a girl’s girl. Loved by said cowboy and her new found family.

Sage’s second novel, Swift and Saddled, is the perfect follow-up to her debut. She delivers everything the cowboy romance reader is after. And more.

This somehow manages to be a light/spicy/fun/easy/quick read AND a romance novel with some substance. Sage’s commitment to representing mental health in a meaningful, accurate way is evident across both novels. But, Swift and Saddled tackles the specific painful non-pain that is “doing well and feeling good” - all while knowing depression could return at any moment. She shows depression’s silence in this book—the way it’s unseen in so many people and how it looms over even the happiest of moments.

Ada, the FMC, is one of the most relatable characters I’ve read in a long while.

I can’t wait to continue the series and get back to Rebel Blue soon. Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC copy.

(Note: I will run this review on pub day on my Instagram and GoodReads (@midwestreading) and feature it on my blog, thestoryedit.com.)

I will give Swift and Saddled 4 stars
This is the first time i read a book from Lyla Sage and I love how it is easy to read.
Weston and Ada story is light hearted. I love how Weston is a Green Flag Hero, how golden retriever he is. I also love how vulnerable he is.

Will recommend this book for acquisition. Overall it is a light read for me and I look forward for other books by this author.

This book has convinced me that I need to read more cowboy books... because I just read this one quote:

“I never asked you to be the sun. I would rather have the moon anyway.”

Like I am gagged. This was a FANTASTIC book, and I am obsessed with Wes and Ada. This book felt like it brought me alive and then tore me apart, and then pieced me back bit by bit. It was such a highly emotional and enjoyable read.

In full honestly, this is one of the most enjoyable romance books I have ever read, and I now need to go pick up Done and Dusted (yeah... I never read the first book but now I need to!). These characters felt like they could connect with so many different people out there. They felt so real and raw.

This book has talk of mental illness, toxic marriages, and so much more. I really didn't expect this from the cover, but this was such a good surprise since the representation of this kind of issues that happen to so many people is important and can really help to empower someone out there.

Ada is such a strong and confident character and was such a pleasant person to follow, I loved how ambitious she was and that she wouldn't let anything get in her way. Wes on the other hand is this soft supportive character that really just pulls at your heartstrings. And together it was utter perfection!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for an opportunity to read and review this book for my honest opinion!

I devoured this book! I missed rebel blue and love these characters so much! Lyla Sages writing hooks you from the very start and this book quickly became a comfort read for me!

Wes was the epitome of perfection and I loved watching Ada evolve throughout this book. I always love a book that has mental health representation and It really allowed me to connect with Wes’s character on a more personal level. He was so sweet, and selfless and sexy and loving and I went absolutely FERAL for him! I cannot wait for you all to go crazy over this perfect cowboy!

Ada was so badass and I loved how she grew to be so confident in herself and her feelings towards the end of this book! There’s nothing better than seeing someone go for what they WANT!

I laughed and cried through this love story and I’m so grateful to NetGalley and Dial Press for allowing me get an eArc for Swift & Saddled♥️

4.75 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️.5 —- the mirror scene 🥵

I absolutely loved this second installment of the series!! While the first one is my favorite so far, I still absolutely loved this one, and I'm even more excited now for the next book! This is definitely one I'll be recommending to customers at the bookstore I work at once I comes out!!

The way that I am OBSESSED with this series some would probably find pretty unhealthy. I demolished the first book in like 3 hours and could not wait for the sequel! I loved getting to revisit the Ryder family and Rebel Blue Ranch and Wes & Ada’s story was heartwarming and beautiful. These books have the perfect mix of heart, spice, and aesthetic and I absolutely cannot wait for more. Specifically Teddy and Gus’ book because that’s going to be thee juuuiciest enemies to lovers storyline and I don’t think any of us are ready for it. Absolute 5 star read!

Wes Ryder thinks he’s just Ken, but he’s actually ✨(cowboy) Barbie✨. 🤠 4.5 Rebel Blue Stars ⭐️

MISS LYLA SAGE, the star that you are!! The second installment in the series managed to be even better than the first. Like Ada, I too was homesick for Meadowlark, Wyoming and Rebel Blue Ranch without even realizing it. I had a stupid perma-grin on my face the entire time. 🤭 This book is so good, I basically know how to drive stick now. LOL And I really think Sage is some wizard because her secondary characters have no business having this much chemistry with nothing more than a glance or a few lines. If/when you read, you'll automatically know what I'm talking about.

"At his core, Weston Ryder was gentle and I thought that was the best thing a man could be." Your honor, I love him. I love this book.

thank you endlessly to Random House Pub for an early copy 🫶🏼

4.5 stars!

Oh I adored this one! After recently reading Done and Dusted, I was excited to learn who the next book was about. I was hoping it was Teddy (spoiler: that will be book #3!), but it was actually Wes and Teddy's friend Ada. Wes was a minor character in book #1, and I'm so glad I got to know him in this book. He is sweet, but also lives with depression and puts others' needs ahead of his own. He has a big caretaker identity.

Although I enjoyed Done and Dusted, sometimes it felt a little too sweet. On the other hand, Swift and Saddled was more of a slow-burn romance. Though less spicy than D&D, it will still make you blush. I loved how Wes took the time to really understand Ada's love language and be there for her.

"The little things are the big things, Ada. They're the things all the big things are made of. I might not know you all the way, but I want to, and I'm just asking you to give me a chance to do that."

Definitely pick this one up on March 5, 2024! Thank you to Netgalley and Dial Press/Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was everything I wanted it to be…and a little more.

Ada is an interior designer who is finding herself and getting her first big break at Rebel Blue, creating a bed and breakfast. Wes is the consummate middle child who is looking to set himself apart from his family by making the bed and breakfast a reality. Sparks fly instantly between these two but can Ada move on from her past enough to see what Wes has to offer.

I will always adore a romance when the character seem authentic and so real to me. Both Wes and Ada have baggage and I can absolutely understand where both of them are. Ada came out of a mentally abusive relationship and struggles to trust herself and anyone else because of the damage it’s done to her but Wes is such a genuine guy that she can’t seem to help herself. Wes struggles with MDD (Major Depressive Disorder) that is well managed at the moment but knows that it will always play a role in his life. I loved that we had a MMC that was vulnerable and admitted to taking meds and going to therapy. I loved the progression of the relationship and how Wes was so careful with Ada’s boundaries.

I will absolutely be continuing this series.

All I can do is swoon after finishing Swift and Saddled. Wes and Ada are just adorable perfection. I enjoyed first in the series Done an Dusted, but Lyla Sage is hitting her stride now with the second book in the Rebel Blue series. The meet cute, the banter, the sexual tension...omg I loved it all. I cannot wait to read the next in the series and curious who the main characters will be. Gus and Teddy? Cam?
Thank you Lyla for writing a series that is so fun, and makes me want to visit a cowboy ranch in the very near future!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read the advanced copy. I'll be getting my library friends to take a visit to the Rebel Blue series!

Thanks Netgalley and Random House for the ARC!!

this is more like a 3.5! i enjoyed this very much I just think I liked the first book more. I connected with her feelings of self loathing and fear of people not liking you, like girl i totally relate. These books are just so good and I am too pumped for Lost and Lassoed because Gus and Teddy are gonna have such a good storyline I already can tell!!!! I also like the balance of smut and storyline it’s just *chefs kiss*

and once again these have the best best covers EVER