I love a hockey romance. I love a cowboy romance. But when he’s an ex hockey player/part time cowboy???
Immediately yes. 🥵 Paisley wrote a man with all my favorite qualities.

This is a release you don’t want to miss. The magic that Paisley put into this story is so captivating. You can’t help but get sucked into the small town she’s created, and I just want to pack on up and move so I can be best friends with CeCe and her friend group, dubbed the Not Angels.

I have said it before, I will keep saying it! Nash Carter supremacy. His life has been so hard, and I experienced so much emotional trauma reading this book. But, to watch how he overcomes so much, and pursues happiness with Cece despite it all, was just healing in the best way.

This book is jam packed with so many fun tropes and microtropes, and here’s some of my favorite moments!
• He only can sleep well with her
• Only one time…. Okay I meant only one night…. And the next morning too…
• He gets her coffee every morning
• Nicknames
Plus so much more.

Immediately add to your TBR!
Thank you @netgalley for the eARC!

I had the absolute pleasure of reading Nash & Cece’s story when this was indie published and i’ll just say…I had just as much fun the second time around!!

I really loved Cece & Nash’s dynamic, watching them work through their own versions of grief, the ways they always were protective of one another and really grew through the relationship from the jump. Nash was all in for Cece from the jump, even when running the risk of being with his best friends sister and the found family he had with their family. Their banter was in from the jump, the chemistry between these two (😮‍💨) and the found family is so well written, sucking you in the moment you catch the faint glimpse. I loved this story both times around, a perfect exploration of common tropes and provided a fresh perspective that keeps you engaged from the start! I cannot wait to see what comes next in the Silver Pines series and get to see more of these characters, as well as their back stories.

This book! I’m so in love with Cece and Nash, I can’t get over it. I love a good cowboy romance, this book was perfection!

After ending her 8 year relationship, Cece is back at her families ranch in Kentucky. She keeps running into Nash, a former pro hockey player who happens to be her brother’s best friend. These two are like magnets, they can’t stay away from each other. But when Nash becomes her boss, can they keep it professional?

The chemistry between these two was insane, the spice was phenomenal. Cece was such a fierce FMC, I adored her. Nash was pure perfection, the playboy turned golden boy. I loved Cece’s friends, Ginger and Olivia, their text messages were hilarious. I also loved the found family, Nash losing his parents so young and finding a family with the Ashby’s. I will be thinking about this book forever!

I can’t wait to read Training the Heart soon 😍

Thank you Paisley Hope and NetGalley for the ARC!

There is quite literally nothing i love more than a brother's best friend romance. I very much enjoyed the character development and appreciate that there was no miscommunication trope. I adore Nash Carter. Cowboys, hockey, AND brother's best friend? SIGN ME UP!

First of all, thank you so much to NetGalley, the Publisher, and Paisley Hope for giving me the opportunity to read this book as an ARC.


This is absolutely at 5 star read. I’ll give it 4/5 spice.

Tropes:

Brothers best friend
Found family
Small town
Former NHL player turned cowboy
90s country music
Mine
Close proximity (boss/employee)

Guys, I’m a total sucker for brother’s best friend. Throw that in with workplace romance and give the MMC a protector complex and I’m absolutely MELTING.

I absolutely devoured this book. I could not get enough of Nash Carter. He is really such a swoon-worthy MMC.

This story kicks off with Cece returning home to her family’s ranch after her fiancé cheats on her. In the time she’s been gone, her family has endured loss and drama in their own love lives. Her “adopted” brother/ brothers’ best friend, Nash has also returned home after retiring from the NHL.

When Cece returns home, Nash suddenly realizes that little Cece has grown up into a woman….. need I say more…

Throw in some Shania Twain, forbidden romance, and sexy cowboys… this story is a great read and I immediately pre-ordered both #1 & #2 as soon as I finished reading the e-ARC because I absolutely needed the book trophies.

Cece and Nash are such a cute couple! Who dosent love a former pro hockey player turned cowboy?! it’s the best of both worlds. I would definitely recommend to any romance reader!

tropes:
Brothers best friend
age gap
small town
found family
cowboy romance

I really enjoyed reading Holding the Reins by Paisley Hope. Hope executed the brother’s best friend and small town romance tropes really well and the steamy scenes were so good. I loved how the author gave breadcrumbs of Nash’s trauma throughout the book as we saw CeCe also dealing with her own sadness from the loss of her father and dealing with the aftermath of a toxic relationship.
Thank you Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.

Perfect for fans of Lyla Sage, Devney Perry, and Elsie Silver. I loved the cowboy meets hockey meets small town romance this book delivered. The steam, the characters, and setting including small town vs. big city made this a delight to visit. I can’t wait to go back and spend more time with cast of characters

“I love you so much it consumes me. but I want it all. I want you, in every way.”

If you want a quick enjoyable read with an NHL player turned cowboy then this book is for you.

The romance between Cece and Nash was well written and had all of the cute/spicy moments that one’s heart desires.

Tropes:
Brother’s best friend
Age Gap
Small Town
Found Family

Thank You To NetGalley, Paisley Hope, and Random House for the eArc of this book. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book so much and look forward to reading more from Paisley Hope. I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy cowboys and romance.

I had this book in my tbr for so long and I'm happy it's gonna get republish bc deserved!

CeCe Ashby's home for good now since she broke up with her cheating ex-fiance. As she go about her life, she started seeing Nash, her brothers' best friend in new light. Not to mention, she got a job in his business.

Ngl, it got a lot of tropes in here but I always adore small town cowboy romances and this nailed it. I love the picturesque ranch and town they were in, such a good setting.

Their relationship seems very physical and I did not like that aspect. As we go along the story, we saw why Nash was built that way considering his past and traumas. Cece's a great character, and I love her! Overtime, we saw how they both struggled with their attraction to each other but took action. Nash is the king for act of services, and I swoon every time he did every little things for CeCe.

This book was long and it got no business being this long. I struggled reading because it's not capturing my attention. Maybe I was not in the mood or something, but that's on me. However, I love the side characters, and I especially cannot wait for Cole and Ginger that I immediately followed the author in instagram so I'll be updated. I will def be reading this series.

This was my first book by Paisley Hope and she did not disappoint! I loved this book so much it was a mixture of my favorite tropes:
Small Town
Found Family
Hockey Romance
Cowboy Romance
Brother's Best Friend
From the very beginning I was hooked on this book!
The tension between Nash and Cece fo and both
characters were absolute perfection. I love a story that can keep you hooked from start to finish and this one definitely did. I can't wait to dive into the next book in this series!
Thank you Paisley Hope and NetGalley for the ARC!

So steamy and sexy but with a sweet love story too!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you NetGalley, Random house publishing group - Ballantine and Paisley Hope for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

CeCe has returned home after ending her 8yr relationship and engagement after discovering her ex was a serial cheater. She’s thrilled to see her mom, 2 brothers and niece but is surprised as she discovers how much Nash, her brother’s best friend and small town hero, is involved in her family, family business and community. She has some assumptions about him that is tainting her perspective of him but as he keeps showing up for her family, community and herself she starts to realize his true colors.

This book was really fun. Lots of spice but still an interesting story line and some conflict to keep you hooked. Looking forward to the next one!

Open door.
Brother’s best friend.
Boss.
Small town.
Just one night….

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House - Ballantine, and Paisley Hope for this ARC! What a lovely start to the Silver Pines Ranch Series! When I started this book, it became apparent quickly that this book would be perfect for fans of Powerless by Elsie Silver and Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage. I’ve read a handful of cowboy romances and this one did not disappoint.

I really loved the family and how they were incorporated into the story, especially Cece’s mother. Her friends were also a hoot. They were hilarious. I really laughed reading some of their text messages. I think text messages made the story feel more real and kept me engrossed in it. I enjoyed learning about the town, the bar, and the projects that Cece and Nash were working on together. I think it sets a perfect backdrop for the series.

Nash and Cece were just on fire for each other!!! They could not keep their hands off each other. Their chemistry was just insane and it was just so fun to read about them.

At a few points I did feel like the dialogue was a little cringy and brought me out of the story but I got used to their diction by the time I got into the story.

Warning that this book has a lot of spicy and the relationship starts off a bit lusty.

Overall, I would recommend this book/series to someone who loves a good spicy cowboy romance! Excited to read the rest of the series.

Mr. Carter may very well be the best part-time cowboy i’ve ever read and I never wanted this pages to stop turning!!!! This entire book was written so well, with so many important and heavy emotions navigated and addressed. I loved Cece’s resilience and strong will, and Nash’s emotional intelligence and drive. There was love on every page, even when their story hadn’t kicked off. The Ashby family is incredible and the dynamics between everyone and their stories was DELECTABLE!!!!!! I can’t wait for the next books because these characters?!?!!? STOP. IT!!!!!!!!! The spice in this was really really well. There was a lot of it, but not in a way where you were skimming by the end, or hoping for more/less. It felt like the perfect amount for Cece and Nash’s dynamic, and that was truly impressive to me. Bonus points for the dedication because, truly, nothing is better than a spicy dedication that lets you KNOW you’re in for an incredible ride.

3.5/5 ⭐️

I liked this and it started out quite good but once Nash and Cece got together I was kind of over it lol. This book was just simply too long for a romance book. It needed to be edited down, 50 pages could have easily been cut out (we didn't need multiple spicy chapters, back to back, that were basically just the same thing). There was some tension with the ex-fiancee and the family dynamic keeping Nash and Cece from fully committing to one another but once it got resolved we still had multiple chapters to get through.

I think with some editing this could be a great book but as it stands I found it quite boring from the mid-point on and was struggling to finish reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Paisley Hope, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for my early access to this.

I’ve been seeing this book recommended by everyone so I was so happy to finally be able to pick it up once it’s been picked up by a publisher. I loved this story so much, and I can’t wait to continue the series!

Nash is Cece’s older brother’s best friend, and once Cece moves back to town, these two are all the sudden always near each other, and while Cece’s feelings for Nash are old from childhood, Nash suddenly can’t stop thinking about Cece until they finally break. These two have CHEMISTRY, I’m honestly not sure how they kept it a secret from Cece’s brothers, but boys can be oblivious so it makes sense.

But at the same time, these two become good friends and are always there when the other needs each other. They help each other through some deep stuff, and it’s so easily to see why they fall for each other throughout the story.

I will say, I CANNOT wait for Cole and Ginger’s book, I was so hoping it’d be the second, but best for last I hope! Wade and Ivy will be fun based on the ending of this book too, so I can’t wait to dive in!

I am LIVING for small town cowboy romances and Holding the Reins was no exception. From the very first page I knew I was going to love every moment I spent with CeCe and Nash and I was so right! This book was the perfect amalgam of brothers best friend/secret romance/friends to lovers/grumpy sunshine UGH it was just perfection. The spice was extra spicy without being completely over the top or gratuitous. The emotional growth from both CeCe and Nash was heartwarming and their relationship was so dreamy but at the same time realistic. I cannot wait for the next book in this series and I can only hope that Paisley Hope keeps writing forever and ever because I want more and I cannot be sated.

Perfect for fans of Elsie Silver, Lyla Sage, Devney Perry… but make no mistake, Paisley Hope has her own unique style and she certainly holds her own. Loved this so much!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

5⭐️
🌶🌶🌶

Another sexy 5 star read from Paisley Hope. I absolutely devoured this and I loved every minute of it. This story checked all my boxes because who doesn't love a friend's to lovers & brothers best friend trope? Also, if you have a praise kink, well, you will be FED.
SAY LESS!

Cece has moved back home to Laurel Creek, Kentucky, after ending her engagement to a total piece of shit. Her family owns an equestrian ranch that is being ran by her brother with the help of his best friend Nash.

Nash is the unofficial 4th sibling of the Ashby family and the local town bachelor. He is a retired hockey player who owns his own business, and when he hears that Cece is back in town and needs a job, he feels obligated to help her out.

Cece and Nash have know each other for years and Nash has always felt protective of her. She quickly makes it known that she wants nothing to do with Nash, but her walls crumble pretty quickly because this man is just so delicious.

Nash Carter is possessive, but in the best way. The way he wants Cece all to himself and is absolutely obsessed with her in every way. It was so HOT. Not to mention the huge heart this man has for Cece's family and the community. You can't help but love him and his charming delicious ass.

The small town vibes of this story and the southern charm and sayings just made my heart happy. Mama Jo reminded me of my own mama. She always had a meal ready and her love language was feeding those she cared about which is something that I connect with.

This book was a sexy warm hug and just made me so happy. I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

Tropes-
✨️Brothers best friend
✨️Friends to Lovers
✨️Former Hockey Player
✨️Reformed Playboy
✨️Age Gap
✨️Small Town
✨️Southern Charm
✨️Part time Cowboy
✨️Protective MC
✨️Grief & Loss