Maisey Yates never disappoints me with her cowboy stories. This one was no exception. It was well written, fun, featured a fun story, a grumpy cowboy who falls hard and fast. I loved the setting, I loved the farm store, I loved our hero's family. It was a lot of fun!

This is a good book. The two main characters are Quinn and Levi. There is an attraction. Quinn and Levi live in the same town. They are on opposite sides when they go to a meeting about moving a road. Quinn gets up first to point out all the reasons the road is needed. Levi gets up next to discuss why the road is not needed. The town council turns the road down. Quinn wants to make Levi change is mind about the road. They start dating. They fall in love.

THE RIVAL BY MAISEY YATES
If you are looking for a way to belittle someone then putting disparaging titles on them is an excellent choice. Levi Granger couldn’t get rid of one of the Sullivan sisters, Quinn, who had self-elected herself as the one who would get Levi’s permission to construct a road loading from the main one to her sisters’ farm stand. Well that’s thinking rather small. The Sullivan sisters built a remarkable produce market on their farm. But for it to make a profit and provide necessary support for them it needed to be more accessible. Hence the need for a better road. Hence the need to cut one through the Granger ranch.
Levi compared Quinn to his sister who was about her age. Their parents had passed when Levi was eighteen leaving him in charge of his siblings. He took his role seriously.
Now with Quinn trying to cajole Levi with an offer to help him with his ranch in exchange for the access road the situation morphed into quite a dilemma for them both. Quinn looks at Levi and sees this big, strong, stubborn man who candidly treats her with scorn. Levi has his own set of labels for Quinn that include carrot, tiny, little windup toy. Problem is that Levi also privately sees a pretty sexy independent person. And that is the rub.
The more you get to really know a person, the more you accept the differences and similarities.
Both have suffered through the loss of parents. Quinn’s parents basically walked away from their daughters and ranch. The Sullivan girls reshaped their reality without any male influence or help. Quinn still holds harsh feelings for her father and doesn’t see trusting her life in the hands of a male figure.
Quinn has book smarts. Levi has life skills. Sounds like a good team. If they can get over their ingrained prejudices. So Maisey Yates has some work to do and fans of this author and amazing series are holding on for that miracle. THE RIVAL is book number seven in the Four Corners Ranch series. Each story was entertaining and totally stand alone. THE RIVAL easily rose to the top of my list. The entire concept of the four corners ranches is an ingenious way to plot several tales that easily mesh together. Through character development and dialog Maisey Yates has endeared all the folks we meet.

These two sparked off the pages! While I knew the heroine well, the hero was a complete surprise and a heartbreaking twist. I loved the chemistry between these two and the ways the Four Corners are growing. Things are changing and yet I cannot wait to get ALL characters books. I mean...what are those Kings up to??

The Rival by Maisy Yates is a steamy and emotionally charged romance that will leave readers breathless. The book follows the story of cowboy Levi Granger and book-smart Quinn Sullivan, who find themselves at odds when Quinn comes looking to access Levi's land for a business venture.

The characters are well-developed and complex, making it easy for readers to connect with them. Levi is a proud and hardworking cowboy who has been burned by the Sullivan family in the past. Quinn is a smart and ambitious woman who knows what she wants and isn't afraid to go after it. The chemistry between the two is electric, and the tension between them builds up to an explosive climax.

The author has done an excellent job of creating a vivid and realistic world that feels both familiar and exotic. The descriptions of the ranch and the surrounding landscape are beautiful and immersive, making it easy for readers to imagine themselves in Levi's world.

The Rival is a story about forgiveness, redemption, and the power of love. It's a rollercoaster ride of emotions that will leave readers rooting for Levi and Quinn to find their happily ever after. The book is a perfect blend of romance, drama, and suspense, making it an enjoyable and satisfying read. Highly recommended!

The Rival is the seventh book in the Four Corners Ranch series. It follows Levi and Quinn who both appear to dislike each other after Quinn and her family propose building a new road through the town to easily access their farm and their brand new venture a farm store.

I really enjoyed the banter that went on between Levi and Quinn. In the beginning they both seem to have a strong dislike for one another and grossly misjudged each other. Eventually they found their footing and eventually learned to trust each other. Both of them really helped each other grow and heal from their tragic pasts.

Can I also say him calling her “carrot” as a pet name kind of made me swoon. I don't know why but I found it really cute.

This book moves quickly and is written in a third person POV which took me a bit to get into it. I really enjoyed the author's writing style and can see myself checking out her other books.


The Rival can be read as a standalone or as part of the series. If you love a third person POV, enemies to lovers, and a slow burn cowboy romance, I think you might enjoy this book!

I loved the banter in this book between Levi and Quinn. They both appeared to dislike each other and knew how to push each other's buttons. They were also good at making assumptions about the other one. Even though they were opposites in so many ways they each had a burning desire to prove to themselves. It was interesting to learn how much Quinn's dad's actions had affected them both. I received an advance copy of this book and I willingly chose to write an honest review.

4.5 stars

I’m so happy to get another story from the Sullivan sisters. They fascinate me. Don’t worry if you haven’t read the other books in this series, this can be read as a standalone. But if you’ve been reading the whole series you know this family is a bit different from the other families at Four Corners Ranch. The Sullivan sisters have gone in a different direction with what they are doing with their land over the years since their father left and it’s all about to come to fruition with their new store.

Quinn has always assumed there was no real basis for Levi’s dislike of her family and the ranching collective of Four Corners Ranch. She knew he had some business dealings with her dad back in the day, but she never truly knew the extent of that partnership. Levi was left to raise his younger siblings before he could even complete high school. His parents died within a year of each other and he took on his family’s ranch as well as the upbringing of the three younger kids. Turns out, Quinn’s dad took advantage of an 18-year-old who was buried in grief and treading water to keep things going.

Levi and Quinn have an interesting dynamic. She is super smart and is one of the few people in their community who went to college. As things progress it is obvious Levi always struggled in school but is extremely smart himself. I love the representation of learning disabilities and how they are often overlooked or ignored. Levi had been told all through school he didn’t apply himself enough and that he just didn’t have the brains to go far with his education and those childhood seeds of doubt grew into adulthood beliefs. Quinn eventually sees beyond the way Levi plays things up and after quite a few dust-ups these two find a good rhythm to working together.

As much as I enjoyed their chemistry, I wish things had moved a bit faster in the beginning. I know there was a lot of work to set up the situation that needed to be done, but the first kiss isn’t until 2/3 of the way into the book. Although I was happy with the relationship Quinn and Levi had built by that point. They may not have been calling each other friends yet, but they weren’t enemies any longer either.

This relationship between Quinn and Levi looks like it will help build a bridge between the people living at Four Corners Ranch and the people in town. Quinn’s eyes were opened to how the community looked at the ranching cooperative and how the cooperative was detrimental to many of the surrounding ranches without meaning to be. Levi was able to see that the people at the co-op weren’t the uncaring snobs he imagined them to be. Working together they can convince others to work better together for the good of all.

Even with a slow start and a lot of work being done for the overall series in this one book, I greatly enjoyed the story. The connection between Quinn and Levi is amazing. Some things about the Sullivans are still a mystery, but I felt the relationship between the sisters was deepened in this book. I’m hoping their bond continues to grow as each of their stories are told.

The Rival is author Maisey Yates seventh book in her Four Corners series. Levi Granger represents the Huckleberry County Ranching Association at a special meeting at Four Corners where the Four Corners ranchers, especially the Sullivan sisters, present a plan for a new road that will circumvent the small town of Pyrite Falls, Oregon. This has the potential of effectively crushing the economics of the area by creating a bypass to their new farm store. After college educated Quinn Sullivan presents the sisters’ plans, Levi speaks out against the plan making points the town’s residents support and, ultimately, the sisters are refused the needed permits.

The other option the sisters have to open their farm store is to obtain a road easement through Levi’s land. Quinn takes on the task of trying to convince Levi, but does so through offering to work with him to use her ranch management degree to help him further build his business. For days, Quinn shows up daily to help, first outside, then inside. As they work together they begin
revealing the wounds each one has.

This is such a good story of overcoming what life can deal to young people and that creates deep scars but also opens a door for them to find so much more than ever expected. I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!

The Rival by Maisey Yates is the newest in the Four Corners Ranch (book 7). It once again brings us into the work of the ranch and focuses on Quinn Sullivan and a nearby rancher, Levi Granger. The novel really highlights the building of trust and seeing things with positive intent.

Levi’s parents died when he was only 16. He ended up taking over the ranch and the raising of his brother and sisters. Learning to build up the ranch and raising his siblings was his whole life for almost 20 years. It didn’t help that Quinn’s father tricked him into making a deal that was not necessarily fair. The grudge he holds against the Sullivans is larger.

Quinn needed to convince Levi and the other local farmers and ranchers to allow a new road to come to the farm and their brand new farm stand. She was determined to make Levi see things her way. Unfortunately, her reasoning was not what was needed to change the opinion of the neighbors. Her determination to work with and understand Levi was what was needed more than anything else.

The Rival by Maisey Yates is another great installment in the Four Corners Ranch series.

While I've been a fan of Maisey Yates' novels for some time, and a fan of enemies-to-lovers romances as well, I had mixed feelings about this novel early on. It's part of the Four Corners series, although it definitely works as a standalone, and it gets 4 stars from this reader.

This novel is Quinn Sullivan and Levi Granger's story. Their relationship, or lack of one, is contentious, and for good reason. Although Quinn has had a secret crush on Levi from the age of 14, the two know very little about one another, since Levi is a good deal older, and he is not among the Four Corners families, but those families need to build a road through his property to gain easier access to the cooperative farm store they are building--something Levi wants no part of, and for good reason. Levi has no reason to trust the Sinclairs, since not long after his parents' death, when Levi was still in his teens, he was bilked out of what little he had by Quinn's father, and Levi has been holding onto that grudge for years. When Quinn she's the one who will get Levi to consent to the easement, and first approaches Levi about granting them access to a road through his property, what she gets is a a definite no.

My main issue was my dislike of Quinn and her air of superiority. She, among her sisters, is the one who went to college and got her degree in agribusiness, and it's something she repeatedly and smugly shoves in Levi's face, something I found rather obnoxious. To say he's not impressed by her high-handedness is putting it mildly. She forces herself into Levi's life and business to prove that she's knows his business better than he does, but she's got a lot to learn about Levi, his family, his business, his dreams, and especially about herself.

Quinn's self-realization about why she is the way she is, and why she behaves as she does, begins to occur about halfway through this slow-burn romance novel, as does her understanding of Levi's issues and concerns, and we finally get a look at the depth and breadth of these two characters, and Ms. Yates goes all-out in fully developing these two characters. It's from that point on that I truly began to enjoy this novel and her two main characters. It's slow-going at first, but it won me over in the end, and became a read I thoroughly enjoyed, and I think you will too.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions stated are my own.

THE RIVAL – Maisey Yates
Four Corners Ranch
Canary Street Press
ISBN: 978-1335006271
April 23, 2024
Contemporary Romance

Pyrite Falls, Oregon – Present Day

Quinn Sullivan and her sisters want to open a country store on their property but in order to do so, they need quick and easy access from the main road. The logical choice is to build a road on Levi Granger’s land, but he is opposed. The Sullivans are part of the Four Corners association, and its effect has left Levi’s ranch struggling. He attends a Four Corners meeting to discuss the issue and words are exchanged between him and Quinn. She challenges him to help him make his ranch more profitable by offering to spend a week working on his property. For some crazy reason, he agrees, figuring she won’t last a day. But Quinn not only surprises Levi, but an attraction soon develops between them.

They are several years apart in age and their families are not exactly friendly with each other, but that doesn’t stop Quinn and Levi from feeling an attraction in THE RIVAL. They have been shaped by their childhoods. Quinn’s parents left them when they were young, and the four sisters ended up raising themselves. Levi’s parents both died when he was nearly eighteen and he ended up raising his three younger siblings. At first, he tries to make it difficult for her on his ranch. Work her hard and hope she gives up on her idea to have a road built through his land. But she surprises him. At the same time, she challenges him to be a better person and he begins to open up to her. Yet, there are still secrets between them.

Meanwhile, the more they’re around each other, the more they are attracted to each other. Will they finally give in to the desire that is pulsating between them? Levi finds himself beginning to soften in his stance about the road. Quinn insists that having tourists use the new road would help him, plus she has some suggestions that would help him produce income for his ranch. Levi is stubborn, but Quinn is determined. It is during these scenes that their sexual chemistry shines. They seem perfect for each other. Will their passion in life lead to passion in the bedroom? Levi doesn’t believe in love while Quinn wonders where their future will end up. Their relationship is back and forth.

THE RIVAL can be an emotional read at times, just as there are funny scenes, like when Levi tosses Quinn into a pond. Then there are the scenes when they discuss their childhood with each other. They go toe-to-toe, and it makes for cute scenes, even as there are emotionally charged ones. I must admit that I hated to see this story end. Of course, the Four Corners Ranch series continues, and we get a glimpse at the end of this tale about a new potential one. In the meantime, sit back and enjoy the fun by reading THE RIVAL. You won’t be sorry.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

Maisey Yates brings us the story of Levi and Quinn. When Quinn and her family propose building a new road through town to access their family farm and their new store, Levi's influence has made sure they do not receive the permits allowing them to do this. Quinn is determined to change Levi's mind. Both Levi and Quinn are stubborn and are determined to not give an inch to the other. When Quinn keeps showing up at Levi's farm and they start working together, something shifts between them.

We see the gradual change in Levi and Quinn as she inserts herself into his life and they learn more about each other. Will their past get in their way of progress, or will they be able to separate the past from the present and possibly their future? We get to follow along as Levi and Quinn maneuver around their growing feelings towards each other and what they stand for. They have to decide what is more important, and what is worth fighting for.

I voluntarily read and reviewed and advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I would like to thank NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press for this privilege.

I loved The Rough Rider so I knew I had to get my hands on a The Rival.

This is a fantastic enemies to lovers & slow burn romance. Lovers of the previous books are gonna gobble this one up. I think people who also love western romance and small towns will enjoy this too. Especially since that’s having its moment right now.

I really loved the romance here. There’s banter, rivalry, secrets & healing, plus some spice! This is also a slow burn but it gets hot! These two balanced each other out and kept wanting me to turn the page. I couldn’t get enough of them.

A perfect quick read. This can be read as a standalone.

Such a wonderful cowboy romance! I’m in my cowboy romance era and this book filled my cup. The tension, the story, the character development! All of it was perfection.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

While the premise and plot of this story were solid, the writing style and execution wasn't for me. Quinn, the FMC was not likable. She had no self-awareness until well past 50% of the book, and I wasn't rooting for her. Levi, the MMC was more likable, though both were very grumpy, very traumatized and living the consequences of other people's decisions. I found their eventual self-realization satisfying and healing. I would read other books by this author, and would recommend with a preface that maybe the writing style isn't for everyone.

This was an third person POV, enemy-to-lover cowboy romance, with medium level slow-burn spice.

This was my second visit to Four Corners. Obviously, the series can be read as standalones. An entertaining couple as they challenge one another. It was enjoyable to see the growth of the two main characters. Lots to overcome. I did skip over the intimate scenes. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

I always love diving into a new Maisey Yates cowboy romance. I love the small town aspect and the revisiting the same family and seeing a new romance.

The Rival

Handsome cowboy Levi has a small, family ranch and hates nothing more than the Four Corners collective, which he refers to as the “Death Star.” Quinn and her sisters are one of the four ranching families that make up the collective, and they need Levi’s help to make their new farm store a success.

This enemies-to-lovers romance is sweet and sometimes funny; I laughed out loud a handful of times. Quinn and Levi are well rounded characters who learn and grow as the book progresses. I cared about them and was rooting for them. The setting in the ranches and small town of Pyrite Falls, OR is described well enough that I could picture it, which is not always a given. This was my first Maisey Yates novel and I plan to read more, soon. The Rival is book seven in the Four Corners Ranch series but works fine as a standalone. Fans of Elsie Silver would probably enjoy this book. Going out in a limb and saying Pride and Prejudice lovers should also like this book.

Content Note: includes discussion of a parent abandoning their family, and also parents of young children dying.

If you love enemies to lovers stories, this is for you. Quinn is one of the Sullivan sisters, the stubborn, bossy, I am smart sister. So when Levi with the support of the town goes against the Sullivan sisters at at town meeting for road access from the highway to their soon to be open Farm Store, she throws down the gauntlet! Determine to get what she wants, what they need. Unfortunately the only backup plan is to use the access road on Levi’s property.
Levi has secrets and issues and just wants to be left alone, but the little spitfire has other plans. And slowly is working her way into his heart.
A slow burning romance, with great character development and of course a HEA. Part of a series, but can be a standalone. Reading some of the previous books will give you the dynamic of Four Corners Ranch. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #NetGalley #TheRival #FourCornersRanch