I loved this fun and dirty read! Especially the small town, brother's best friend, secret dating, and found family in this book. I loved Nash's development and his love for Cece, he was so desperate for her and willing to do anything to make her life easier. I also loved the found family aspect of it. You could tell how much the family loved Nash after taking him in and that he was really a part of their family.

Can't wait to read Wade's book!

A solid book! I enjoyed my time at Silver Pines Ranch, and am looking forward to continuing the series.

I’d recommend if you’re a fan of the following:
* brother’s best friend trope
* cowboy romance
* hockey romance
* close-knit families (ranch fam)
* super cool female friend group

first, what I loved about this book

lovable fmc
I loved CeCe! She’s whip smart, quippy, and ready to not chase another man. She gave Nash a run for his money, so to speak. Their banter was great!

cowboy + hockey mmc
Making Nash Carter both a hockey player and a (part-time) cowboy? Yep, that did it for me! I am a huge fan of both cowboy and hockey romances, so this was a happy medium.

cool group of gals
I love me a good group of super cool, close-knit, firecracker women! I want to be Ginger’s friend so bad (I also wish I could join them at Sangria Sundays). The Not Angels, you will always be famous to me!

guessing who will be paired up in later books
The best part about starting a romance series for me, is getting glimpses into the pairings we’ll see later on and making my guesses for the next book.

next, a couple of bumps in the road for me with this book…

accents in dialogue
I felt like some of the dialogue wasn’t coming out smoothly. Just a few instances of this. It felt a little like the author was picking and choosing when to use a Kentucky Appalachian accent in the dialogue. Granted, it was there most of the time— but there were times where I was just like…this is not how someone would’ve said that. I don’t think most readers, or a very broad audience, would take issue with this. I think it’s just because I’m very close to the region (yes, I know Appalachia is very large and there are many different dialects, but my point stands) that this kind of thing sticks out to me.

nicknames/pet names
The nicknames Nash uses for CeCe were a little cringey for me…but to each their own!
I could never take a man seriously who called me his “little firefly.” When I read this, I would just mentally skip over it and try to pretend it never happened…internally and externally cringing!

timelines
So much was happening during the course of the book, and I felt a little confused toward the end trying to keep track of where we were in the month. I had to actually go back through the book and start marking down dates and events to make sure I remembered everything correctly.

Overall, I did enjoy this book + I’m looking forward to reading about Wade + Ivy later this year. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Reviews posted 10/1 on Goodreads, StoryGraph, Bookmory, Fable, & Instagram.

This was so so adorable and I adored Nash!! Some parts were a bit slow for me but I still adored this story. It was cute, but nothing really stood out to me. I struggled to connect with the main characters, which is probably why it took me longer than usual to finish. However, if you're looking for an easy read with a bit of some spice this is a great bool for you!!

I was extremely underwhelmed with this book. It has such a cute cover and premise, but just did not deliver.

I have to start first by saying, why were there SO many commas? Like seriously, I felt like I was constantly taking a break in every sentence. Because of the overuse of the commas there were also a lot of run on sentences. The whole thing just annoyed me to no end.

I think my biggest issue with the book was the amount of tropes in it. We had brothers’ best friend, hockey player, small town, and cowboy romance. It was just too much rolled into one. There was so much in it that I found myself bored with each part. Cece as a character was fine I guess, nothing particularly good or bad about her (though I couldn’t remember what her name was until 75% through oddly enough). Nash was also okay, but I felt like we could have had so much more depth from him and all we got were surface level emotions. I would’ve love for there to have been more anecdotes from when the tragedy happened or when he was in the NHL, even a time jump would have been appreciated (and I personally hate those) because it would’ve given so much more to his character.

Another issue I had was that it felt like half the book was setups for the rest of the series. Like yes, Ginger and Cole are flirty - we don’t need to see it every 5 pages! Same with the new girl Ivy and Wade. As soon as she was introduced we all knew she was his love interest - you didn’t have to keep showing us!

Even the epilogue was bland for me - and I LOVE an epilogue.

HELL YES
im ngl some of the later open door scenes gave me the ick but overall this book is iconic
like actually so well written, i am so so invested in this plot, this couple and now this FAMILY WHAT?????
AGHHHHH I LOVED!!

It took me awhile to get into this book but once I got into it I loved it! The spicy scenes were well written, Cece and Nash are just so cute. I can’t wait to read the next one!

Ohhh, M Geeeee!!
This was the small town, hockey star, part-time cowboy romance I didn't know I needed in my life! The flirting and dirty talk=🥵🥵 The forbidden best friends little sister trope mixed with spice and giggles. This book left me in a chokehold. The second book of this series is coming but not fast enough!

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

When CeCe Ashby returns back to her hometown, she is trying to move on from a recent breakup. Unsure how and where to start over, she finds herself back on her family's ranch.

Nash Carter is now a newly retired superstar hockey player, local business owner, and well known Bachelor. He's also the unofficial 4th Ashby sibling and off-limits. When CeCe unexpectedly returns home and she's looking for a job, Nash knew his business needed her.

There's so many reasons why this relationship should never be, but the sparks ignite a fire inside both of them. They each agreed to one night. One night, to get this out of their system and put out the flames. Except one night turns into two, three, and so many more nights together. Nash is forced to face some pretty deep trauma head on as his heart softens for CeCe. He's terrified to let her in, but he's also terrified to see her go.

This book has everything! Found family, a little western vibe set in Kentucky, brother's best friend, protective/sexy MMC, the best flirty banter, overcoming heavy trauma, and some spice to get your cheeks red! I struggled to put this one down. SOOO GOOD!!

“He's holding tight on to the reins. Only she can help him let go.”

A spicy small-town romance following Cece’s return home after leaving her toxic ex-fiance. Here she’s reunited with former NHL player turned part time cowboy, Nash, who is also her brother’s best friend/unofficial member of her family.

I loved everything about Cece and Nash! Their character development throughout the book, their chemistry, their banter, and their love for those around them (friends & family) made this such an enjoyable read. Oh what I would give for a Sangria Sunday night at The Horse & Barrel with the “Not Angels” girl group! Paisley Hope captures small-town life with a close knit community perfectly. She also laid out all of the supporting characters so well, hinting at who the future books of the series are going to be about, and making you fall in love and root for them already!

This book will be joining my list of go-to cowboy/small town romance recommendations. If "Powerless" by Elsie Silver and "Done & Dusted" by Lyla Sage had a baby, it would be Holding the Reins!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine, and Dell Romance for the digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Themes/Tropes:
*Dual POV
*Strong/Free Spirited FMC
*Former Hockey Player/Part-Time Cowboy
*Brother’s Best Friend
*Spicy Small Town Romance
*Found Family

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Spice:🌶️🌶️🌶️
Pub Date: October 22, 2024

Holding the Reins is the first book of the Silver Pines Ranch series of interconnected standalones. I can already tell that this series is going to be a favorite of mine! Give me a cowboy romance any day but then add in hockey and it is the perfect combination!

Cece has moved back home after leaving her cheating ex. She wants to find herself and is ready for a fresh start. What she isn’t ready for is these new feelings she has for brother’s best friend and the man that annoyed her while growing up. I love her sassiness and her determination to prove to herself and everyone else that she is strong and can stand on her own. I also love her relationships with her brothers and mom. They are close and will do anything for each other and Nash is right in the middle of it all.

Nash is still dealing with losing his parents as a teen and is grateful for Cece’s family for taking him in and being there for him. He doesn’t want to find love just to lose someone close to him again. He might be emotionally closed off but holy heck this man has a mouth and he definitely knows how to use it! I loved how he was always there for Cece and her biggest supporter. These two were perfect for each other. I loved all the side characters and can’t wait for their stories! If you are a fan of Elsie Silver then you are going to want to pick this one up!

4.5⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

✔️small town
✔️age gap
✔️brother’s best friend
✔️cowboy
✔️ex-NHL player
✔️dual POV

This was such a cute small town romance! The story follows Cece & Nash, who have known each other forever & are now both living back in their hometown. Cece, needing a job, starts working for Nash & they both can’t help looking at each other in a different way.

It combines a lot of my favorite things: cowboy romance, sports romance, & small town romance just to name a few. The banter & spice were well written & not too cringey & I love the relationships between Cece & her family/girlfriends. I also like the fact that Cece is in her mid-20s & not late-20s/early-30s like most other romance books . I personally just enjoy seeing characters closer to my age because it makes it feel more relatable.

It seems like this is going to be a series, with the next books following Cece’s brothers & I hope Ginger & Liv get their own books too!

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cutie small town romance with found family, brother's best friend/secret dating, and a really great cast of side characters! I loved Cece's relationship with all of her family members, but especially the banter she had with her mom. While there were a lot of spicy scenes that were fun to read, some of Cece's inner monologue during them had me cringing. I also usually find it swoony to read about men being overprotective of the women they care about (and vice versa) but some of the things Nash says in an effort to protect Cece were SO DRAMATIC. Maybe in a fantasy book a character can get away with saying they'll rip out someone's tongue, but it just didn't feel realistic for Nash to be saying it. Still a fun read and I'll definitely be continuing the series! Thanks Netgalley for the e-ARC!

Oh man give me ALL the cowboy brothers best friend romances!!!! I really liked this one, the character growth was amazing and I loved how they were obsessed with one another for some long period of time. It was more like oh maybe I more than like you. Defiantly cant wait to continue the series!

Paisley wrote quite possibly one of my top fave small town cowboy romances of the year, if not that I have read yet. These two are pure perfection. The town and setting is magical. The character development is magical and makes you swoon all over the place. I got butterflies right along with the characters. I just love this world and I can’t wait for more and just wish she had the whole series out already so I could binge it all.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced reader copy of this book!

This book has everything I hope for when I want a small town romance. I thought Nash and Cece were great for each other and both showed growth throughout the book. I enjoyed their story and cant wait for more from Silver Pines!

A great easy romance read! Similar style to Lyla Sage or Elsie Silver. The MMC is a part-time cowboy and retired hockey player, and it checks the boxes for so many cute romance tropes! If you’re looking for something deep with a lot of character development, this isn’t it. If you’re looking for an easy read with great chemistry between the characters, a feel-good story, and open door spicy scenes, this one’s for you!

This was 💫iconic💫

•Small town romance
•Former NHL star turned cowboy
•Found family
•He’s 33, she’s 25
•Bold, sassy FMC
•Brother’s best friend
•Shania Twain dance parties

Nash and CeCe’s story was such a fun ride! I’m dying to read the rest of the series now.

4.5 stars! I loved this first book in the Silver Pines Ranch series. Incredibly spicy and Nash is the best dirty talker around. Can’t wait for the rest of the series.

Set in a small town in Kentucky, CeCe comes home after leaving her cheating fiancé and starts seeing her brother's best friend everywhere. Nash has retired from hockey and among other things is a part-time cowboy on her family's horse ranch.

What I liked:
- Sibling's best friend is a top tier trope for me, and this delivered! Nash has been best friends with her older brothers for years and was also close to her father.
- I loved the variety of small town characters that surrounded CeCe and Nash. I especially loved her grandpa and niece as well as co-worker Sonny. Hoping Ginger gets her own book!
- I also really loved how CeCe got to use her accounting degree. She gets to stand on her own there.
- Any scene where The Ex gets what he gets is awesome.

A few parts that weren't for me:
- Overall, I did feel the spice started to take over the plot.
- Also, it centered more on their work together at the hockey arena and ended up feeling more small town romance than cowboy. I would have liked a bit more time with the festival they had worked on together.
- Finally, the cover is so cute but does mask a bit how spicy this book is. I think the author does a great job setting the tone from page 1 though.

I'm excited to see what the author does next with the series!

✨Cowboy vibes
✨Southern small town
✨Brother’s best friend
✨Age gap
✨Grumpy/ sunshine
✨Grief/ trauma

Rating: 3.5/5 (rounded up)

Spice: Open door / very spicy!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the author for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

4⭐️

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤: Nash, Wade and Cole! Three amazing men and I can’t wait to read the next two… Nash is a NFL star still dealing with the horrific loss of his parents years ago. It makes him afraid to love anyone again. But when the younger sister of Wade and Cole returns home after a toxic relationship, he knows he cannot help but to fall for this girl.
Cece is adorable and a bit wild, and is done with chasing men. After a bad relationship ends, she wants to heal and be happy. Nash is everything she craves and the two start a ‘no strings attached’ relationship that quickly becomes a lot more. Yet this means working out those tough spots ( Nash’s fears of relationships and facing her brothers ) to see just how solid this love can be.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞: cowboys, a former NFL hockey player turned cowboy, girl squad/loyal besties, secret relationship, text message banter…

Very cute in concept, but I didn't jive with the writing style - it was pretty surface level and repetitive - and the MMC was too alpha for me.

Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC!