This review has been published on Goodreads, 19th September 2024.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6861340036

I really wanted to love this book, because the premise sounded quite interesting, and I really tried, don't believe I didn't, but I'm sorry to report this book wasn't for me.

I have to give props to the author for keeping this book country, because I believe sometimes, even when it implies the book is *country* the essence gets lost in translation. However, that and the cover might be the only things I liked about this book.

Let's start with my main issue: this book was pretty uneventful all throughout. I felt like even as I reached the 45€ mark, nothing had happened yet, and on top of all that I could not fell a single ounce of connection betweeen the main characters, other that a s*xual one, because oh boy do they have s*x.

I have to say, the only portray of southern people I have comes from southern charm, and it’s not like they behave that well—if you know, you know— but I don’t really think they act the way the author portrayed them (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong).

One aspect of the premise that made me want to read this book was the age gap. I normally don’t have trouble with age gap—unless one of them is older by a mile and they knew the other MC when this one was a baby—, but for some strange reason, I din't feel entirely confortable with that. What do you mean he grew up with her brothers, acting like another brother when she was just a kid?

Maybe I've reached the point in my reading journey where reading books with smut is not the main attraction anymore, but must there be so much s*x? It’s like they were constantly having some sort of s*xual encounter, and it made it uncomfortable to read. Also, CeCe, honey, if you are old enough to have s*x, you are old enough to call a dick exactly that, because what to you mean she was calling it a freight train? *eye roll accompanied by a gag*
*Come, little queen, soak my face. Baptize me…and then, I’ll fuck you like the king that owns this pussy.* no words, but not in a good way

They got engaged way too fast imo, like I don't think this couple has what it takes to put in the work and have a happy life, or maybe I'm wrong and they'll be misserable together forever.

A note · His nickname for his daughter is little tendy, and all i could think about was chicken tenders; also, their baby boy is called Rex—like a dinosaur.

Thank you to Paisley Hope, Random House Publishing, and NetGalley for the review copy of Holding the Reins!

Thank you NetGalley & Dell Romance for allowing me access to this ebook!
Holding The Reins by Paisley Hope will be released on October 22. It's a cowboy romance where Cecilia "CeCe" Ashby returns to her family’s ranch in Laurel Creek, Kentucky, to rebuild her life after leaving a toxic relationship. Nash Carter, a recently retired hockey star and long-time family friend, can’t help but notice that CeCe is no longer the little sister he once teased.
Read this if you want a cowboy romance with a former hockey player (!!), plenty of smut, dual POV and little sister best friend who is off limit!

This felt like a lot...like from the dedication up to the first chapter I knew it was going to be a wild *literally* ride. This is definitely a quick, spicy, comfort read with a whole lot of tropes. Thanks for the ARC!!

Okay, this book is hands down, one of the best books I've read! It is so far my favorite ones of this year. It was DARLING! Prep yourself for all your heartstrings to be pulled with this one. It was precious. The sweetest story.

With books like this I’m certain I’ll always be in my cowboy romance era. No exaggeration, I binge read this in one sitting. 𝑯𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒔 was such a feel good read. It was sweet, funny, emotional, and everything I want in a romance. I loved the leads, 𝘕𝘢𝘴𝘩 + 𝘊𝘦𝘊𝘦. Getting both of their POV’s was so enjoyable because I genuinely liked each of these characters. Their love story was perfect. The spice had me blushing. The family dynamic was incredible. I just really loved this book.

I am looking forward to the next book in the series. This 𝚂𝚒𝚕𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝙿𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜 𝚁𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚑 series is definitely going to be my newest cowboy romance obsession. I definitely recommend checking it out. 𝑯𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒔 is a must read for Cowboy romance fans.

ᴛʀᴏᴘᴇꜱ:
🤠 Cowboy Romance
🏘️ Small Town Romance
💕 Brother's Best Friend
😍 He Falls First
💪🏼 Protective MMC
✨ Age Gap
🏒 Former Hockey Player MMC

“𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘦.”

Thank you to Paisley Hope, Random House Publishing, and NetGalley for the review copy of 𝑯𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒔!

This book was cute, though I think I may have hit my spicy limit with it 🥵 It was verrrry, very 🌶️🌶️🌶️ & not at all for the faint of heart. While it’s not the spiciest book I’ve ever read, it certainly comes pretty close.

If you’re a fan of ultra sexy rom-coms, this one will be right up your alley.

That said, I’ve come to realize that cowboy romances might not be my personal favorite. However, I still found it enjoyable and appreciated the chance to dive into this world. I do plan on reading future releases from the Silver Pine’s Ranch series!

The characters were charming, and the chemistry between CeCe and Nash was undeniable + sizzled right off the page.

Overall, it was a fun, very sexy read, and I’m glad I gave it a shot! #yeehaw

Holding The Reigns will be released on October 22nd, and will definitely be a must-read for all of my Cowboy-romance loving friends

Holding the Reigns is the perfect small town romance. I loved the inclusions of found family, brothers best friend, the part time cowboy, and NHL star. In true small town fashion the town gossip from the very beginning had me hooked.

CeCe and Nash have my heart. Getting to know eachother again, working together and spending time on the ranch together builds their relationship, while you get to see both of their lust and emotions develop during the dual povs. Their banter was so perfect for people who have known eachother their whole lives.

The discussions on their shared and separate grief were written so well. The topic of parental loss was handled carefully and I love the way CeCe talks to Nash about it on page. Both characters build on a personal level but Nash's character development definitely stole the show.

The bourbon scene 🫣

The inclusion of CeCe's brothers and her friends have me waiting (not so patiently) for everyone's stories. This was an amazing start to the Silver Pines Ranch series.

I loved both Nash and CeCe so much, but also this book was filled to the brim with incredible side characters it was impossible not to love this! I loved seeing Nash’s growth and learning to trust and love CeCe despite being scared of getting hurt due to last trauma. He was protective of her, so sweet, and so dang spicy.. the MOUTH on this man 🤤 the bourbon, the crawling to her, the “SIT ON YOUR THRONE” hot diggity dog 🔥🔥🔥 seeing his growth throughout this book was incredible. Top tier book BF.

CeCe is an incredibly lovable, down to earth and brilliant FMC. She is healing from a past horrible relationship and learning to find the love she deserves. She also is dealing with the grief of losing a parent (which I unfortunately know all too well) and her journey was so relatable to me. Seeing her slowly heal, love herself and figure out what she deserves was great. Her girl gang was so funny and I wish I could join them at sangria Sunday! I was rooting for her the whole time, she’s a queen.

Overall this was an incredible read, it was everything you want in a romance with the tension, angst, and spice. The plot was amazing and the pacing was perfect to keep you hooked the whole time! The characters were all so lovable even the side ones! I cannot wait to return to Silver Pines and see what comes for the rest of the gang! 🩷🩷

~Romance, Small-town, Brother's Best Friend, and more!~

Holding The Reins by Paisley Hope follows recently single CeCe Ashby. After leaving her long-term toxic relationship, CeCe is finally home at her family's horse ranch in Laurel Creek, Kentucky. CeCe finds out that even though she is home, things have changed. Since her father's death, Nash Carter, her brother's best friend, has taken a bigger part at the ranch and in the town. It seems like everywhere she is, he appears. So when CeCe goes to apply for the one job in town that uses her degree, its no surprise her new boss is Nash. Still, CeCe is not past the years of tormenting her brothers and Nash put her through, not to mention his constant need to protect her from everything and everyone. So when things between them start to cross the line from friends to more, they are determined to keep things professional. But sometimes, feelings can't be hidden, and chances have to be taken.

4.5| This is an adorable and quick read. I sped through this book in one sitting because it was so hard to put down. I absolutely loved the family dynamic in this book. I enjoyed how well-balanced all the characters were; they all had quirks and interesting backstories. While I do wish certain characters were elaborated on more, I assume it was done intentionally, and I am excited to read more in future books. A part of this book that I was glad was touched on was grief. It was discussed on both sides and showcased how people deal with situations differently. Neither character's pushed the other to talk about certain things. While some parts of this book were over the top and a little much, I was pleased that the grief portion was dealt with in a realistic and gracious way. CeCe's father was always remembered, and his memory was never far from both characters. He was remembered in such a sweet way throughout the book that it was heartwarming to read. I wish we had seen more of Nash's relationship with Cole and Wade. While we see glimpses of it throughout his POV, I wanted to see more.

I loved the descriptions of the scenery in this book. Especially when compared to where CeCe used to live, that contrast was significant and said a lot about her character and her past. One part I didn't enjoy was in the beginning, where Nash constantly mentioning CeCe is like family. I understand he is trying to convince himself, but it just seems weird. I found the balance of the day-to-day life and romance was well done. We got to see some bits of CeCes job while also seeing how her relationship was developing. I liked how CeCe had a soild group of friends. She had a strong support system that continued despite everything going on. I initially disliked Ginger but eventually warmed up to her because of her unwavering loyalty to CeCe. The epilogue was cute and did a great job wrapping the book up.

Overall, this was a great read and a more amazing debut book. The characters had great chemistry, the side characters had depth, and the scenery was picturesque. This book is a perfect mix of different tropes that it has something for everyone! I am excited to see what's next for this series and for this author!

I love a good country romance, and this fit the bill nicely. Best friend’s little sister is a trope I enjoy very much, so I adored Cece and Nash. I skipped through the love scenes a bit because they get a bit too graphic for my taste, but that’s a personal preference.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

CeCe Rae returns home after 7 years away. Leaving her cheating ex-boyfriend and moving on to greener pastures. Upon her return sparks fly between her and former bad-boy Nash Carter. CeCe is off limits to Nash because he’s basically her third older brother. But as they spend more time together their chemistry becomes impossible to deny. But Nash doesn’t do feelings… or does he?

I wanted to love this book so much. I was excited for the cover, I love a hot cowboy, and the dedication was amazing! But man I was cringing my way through this. The dialogue is beyond cheesy and just unrealistic, there’s a ton of internalized misogyny, and the sex scenes are all spice and no tenderness. I think this is probably for Elsie Silver fans, but probably not for the Lyla Sage girlies. Not to rant but like the two evil ex-wives? Like why? And the grandpa’s fingering jokes? I wanted to put the book down then and there but I persevered. Just so much to unpack here.

Hot Cowboy
Brothers best friend
NHL player (because that’s a trope now?)
Small town

Thanks netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for this ARC! I was just approved and ate the entire book up in 3 hours accidentally. Such a fun cowboy romance with a touch of sports romance too!

LOOOVED this book and the note to the readers. Fell in love with this author the moment I read the dedication. Story is overall great and very relatable.

I don’t even know where to start. I laughed, I blushed, I kicked my feet with happiness. How this was a debut novel I’ll never know. Paisley Hope slayed with this book.
Nash freaking Carter. Former pro hockey player. Part time cowboy. Absolute king and boss. I loved his character so much. This book has a lot of amazing spice and i highly recommend.
Cecelia and Nash were perfect for each other. CeCe was coming from a bad marriage and Nash had past trauma. Their story was incredible and their chemistry was off the charts. I really enjoyed their banter.

Also, all of the side characters added so much depth to the story. I couldn’t put it down.

SHIT THIS WAS SO GOOD.

I really needed a nice lighthearted read and this hit all my spots. The banter, the side characters, the chemistry between Nash and CeCe and just the overall vibe was so good.

I am SO excited for all the rest to come!

Star rating: ★★★★★
Spice rating: 4 🥵🔥

This is now my new personality, IT WAS SO GOOD 😫🫶🏼 CeCe and Nash kept me hooked, giggling, kicking my feet and gasping throughout the entire thing🥹

Please please pleaseeee go read this book! Utter cowboy romance perfection 🤭