Thank you, NetGalley and publisher for this ARC. This was my first cowboy romance, and I absolutely loved it. It has so many of my favorite book tropes such as age gap, small town, romance, and a strong female character. This book had tons of spice, but it also had a great plot and made me laugh out loud! I love the book so much. I had to buy a physical copy and I pre-ordered the next book from this series!! I highly recommend!

3 stars

Holding The Reins is a fun light cowboy/sports romance, following CeCe and Nash. This was just an easy read, not too heavy. I loved the setting, horses and of course the cowboys. The romance was sweet and for the most part the development of the relationship was paced nicely, when they finally got together it did really speed up. The spice scale I would be at a 2, there were some great moments but was not over the top and plot and character driven. Both Nash and CeCe were fun and likable. I would recommend this book, I had a good time while reading, it was super-fast, enjoyable. There was not anything that really blew me away, but fun.
I received an ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this read!
This book was so fun and I can't wait to read the rest of the series! I live in Lexington, KY so I loved that this book was set in KY and referenced Lexington several times. I am a sucker for a cowboy romance and a hockey romance and this combined the two! I loved all the side characters and am eager to learn their stories too in the upcoming books. Overall would recommend for any rom com lover!

This was quite the fun, quick, and steamy read! I’m (obviously) a big fan of cowboy romance - but when he’s also a hockey player - count me in.

In the fabulous time we live in where there are SO many books targeting the small town, cowboy/ranch romance loving girlies this book hits a lot of the marks. Did it stand out from all the other ones? Not really, but it was still good. I read it rather quick and I didn’t feel like it really dragged at any point. I’m SUPER invested in seeing what the rest of the series has to offer. Especially ginger and Cole’s book (fingers crossed).

Yikes. This was offputting from the dedication! Weak writing, poor grammar, and sixty little chapters. Multiple chapters to get through one scene? Why??

This whole book feels like cherry-picked tropes for TikTok popularity. Everything is immediately sexualized and shamed by BOTH characters. Slut shaming from her, every possessive red flag from him. Just reeks of internalized misogyny from the author.

Incredibly disappointing across the board. Enjoyed the cover and then save yourself the cringe of reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

This was the PERFECT read for me while I’m in my sports & cowboy romance era!
CeCe Ashby returns to small town Kentucky after a broken engagement. She isn't quite sure what path to take next, so
her brother's best friend, retired NHL player Nash Carter, offers her a job. Nash has always been super close to the Ashby siblings and has felt protective of CeCe, but he's blindsided by his attraction to her now. As the days go on, Cece’s dislike for Nash turns into desire.

I adored all the characters as well as the immaculate tension and spice. I can never get enough of small town brothers best friend romances!

The mouth on this man was FILTHY in the best way possible. I will hear Nash Carter in my dreams.

Not me a girl that’s been thriving in her dark/bully romance era picking up this Brother’s Best Friend Cowboy romance and ADORING it!

"We're not a phase. We're the exact opposite of a phase. You're my always. I fucking love you more than I've ever loved anything in this life and I came here to make sure you knew it. Following you across the country is nothing. I'm going to follow you everywhere you go for the rest of this life. And then, I'm going to follow you into the next.”

A tall, tatted, hockey-playing, part-time cowboy with a tragic past, a filthy mouth, and a heart of gold?! SAY LESS! Nash is HERE to make me swoon. Over and over. Then blush 🤭 then we had CeCe who is a sassy, strong FMC. Their coupling was just precious, and with the great banter and quirky small town, it just made the story so quick to become invested in!

“Right here on the shore with CeCe in this simple moment, I know I want more moments like this with her. I want to be there for more firsts and I want her— not just for one night, and not in secret. I think I want her for as long as she'll have me. The thought causes my heart to beat faster and fucking terrifies me all at the same time.”

🩷 Brother’s Best Friend
💚Small Town Romance
🤠Retired Hockey Player turned Part-Time Cowboy, Part-Time Bartender

As a girl that is VERY critical of a Brothers Best Friend trope, I for the most part enjoyed how this was written! Why the brothers are concerned over Nash & Cece MAKE SENSE and it’s not filled with heaps of gross toxic masculinity!

I love this woman like I've never loved anyone or anything. I love her more than the sun on my face rising over the mountain, the feel of fresh ice under my skates, or hoisting that cup over my head. I love my little firefly like I have no other option, and the truth is maybe I never have.

Final Rating: 4.25⭐️, 3.5🌶️

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange of my honest review! Sorry it’s so belated 😅Now off to devour Training the Heart! WADE AND IVY BRING IT ON!

Picture this: a tall, tatted, hockey-playing, part-time cowboy with a tragic past, a filthy mouth, and a heart of gold. 😍 Nash is EVERYTHING—a swoon-worthy mix of charm, spice, and depth that sets a new standard for book boyfriends. Ladies, brace yourselves!

This small-town romance brought ALL the feels. CeCe is a sassy, strong FMC with a relatable journey that totally snuck up on me. Watching her character growth alongside Nash’s (hello, that unforgettable scene near the end!) was so satisfying. Their banter? Perfect. Their chemistry? Off the charts. The spice? Chef’s kiss. Paisley Hope, you did THAT. 👏

And let’s not forget the supporting cast—the Ashby family and CeCe’s friends were pure joy. I was laughing, blushing, and soaking up every second. Special shoutout to Mama Jo and the hilarious Sangria Sundays! 🍹

If you’re into small-town vibes, brother’s best friend, found family, cowboys, hockey, and some "touch her and I’ll unalive you" energy, this one’s for you. Oh, and the spice lovers? Yeah, you’ll be thanking Paisley too. 😉

Huge thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and Paisley Hope for this amazing ARC. I’m already counting down the days for book two—because I NEED more of this series in my life! 🖤🔥

Holding the Reins reminded me why I love small town cowboy romances so much, not to mention that it’s brother’s best friend trope which was the cherry on top for me.
CeCe’s a kind of heroine I’ll always root for, seeing her find herself again in her hometown after a broken engagement and fall in love with her brother’s best friend Nash, who is a dirty talking cowboy that I would read multiple books about.
The small town Kentucky setting was dreamy and the perfect escape from the real world.
Anyway, CeCe and Nash were red hot and I can’t wait to see what this series has in store for us next.

wow do I love me a cowboy romance!!!

I loved Nash and Cece’s relationship in this story, they’re such strong hearted people who’ve dealt with pains & grief in their life. they find a way to truly know and love each other in the way they haven’t before that lets them really have such a strong, tender, spicy love story!

I also loved meeting all the characters in this story, getting excited to read more from this author and this series!!!

the only thing I didn’t love in this book was some sexist language used toward a side character, who is admittedly not a good person, I just didn’t like the use of the words (tramp, slut, etc.) in describing them, even though I understood the disdain toward this character.

thank you for the arc!!!

I'm NOTHING if not constantly on the prowl for new small-town cowboy romance series to get lost in. HOLDING THE REINS made me see that Paisley Hope has some potential!

Giving this a 3/5 is so sad because I loved this couple and the vibes of the book.

I did almost DNF multiple times towards the beginning of the book because of the awkward conversations this family had about sex and sex toys…
Our FMC’s vibrator fell out of her suitcase and her bff’s GRANDMA told the whole town… Excuse me…

Just weird things like that gave me horrible second hand embarrassment and I almost couldn’t finish it. I’m glad I did continue and finish this book because I loved our couple and their discovery of love.

A cute cowboy romance for lovers of Elsie Silver and Lyla Sage!
I enjoyed the dynamic between Cece and Nash a lot. The banter was great. Tropes: brothers best friend, somewhat workplace romance and small town.

I started out loving this book! Cowboy romance sign me up! I did end up falling into a reading slump, I'm sure if read this at another time it would of been a 5 star.

DNF @30%

There didn't seem to be much of a plot. There wasn't any chemistry between the couple and I hated the way he treated her. I'm also not a fan of insta-lust.

SO SO SO GOOD from start to finish!! The spicy was spicy, the tension was tensioning, everything was perfection. I am so excited to see what is going to happen with the rest of the series.

This book was such an adorable cowboy romance. Cece is such a fun character. Her point of views were my favorite and I absolutely loved her group of friends. The whole sangria sundays at the bar was hilarious and I wish my town had a tradition like that. I loved the romance so much. Nash and Cece are perfect for each other. They compliment each other so well and I love their banter. I can't wait to read more in this series because the side characters were just as strong as the main characters in this.

Read this steamy romance if you like:

✨dual pov
✨small town, cowboy romance
✨brother's best friend/best friend's sister
✨age gap
✨forced proximity
✨ touch her and 💀
✨shower and hair washing

Thank you Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

SPOILER-FREE THOUGHTS 💭

🤠 A HOTTT cowboy romance that's perfect for fans of Lyla Sage and Elsie Silver

🤠There's a tender hair washing scene, I repeat THERE'S A HAIR WASHING SCENE and holy mother of cowboys, I love this microtrope 🖤

HYPE UP QUOTE:

"You hold the reins, baby. I'm just here for the ride."

this book made me giggle and kick my feet. this book had my jaw dropped and it even made me shed some tears. I can’t wait to read the next book! Nash & Cece forever!!

Holy heck this is one spicy romance. I love that CeCe is back home, not to run from her problems, but to start over and find something better. Her friends are meant to be fun but were annoying. Hopefully they'll improve in their own books. And they all drink way too much. Nash. Yummy, yummy Nash. He's a keeper. Looking forward to reading the rest of this series. Thank you to NetGalley for a digital copy