This might be my fault and I’m just burnt out on cowboy romances, but this felt like the same plot of at least two other books I’ve read and for me, it struggled to stand out.

The woman who left town is now back after a big breakup with some guy who works too much and cheats on her, now she’s back and her brothers best friend, who is also a bartender (hello done and dusted) sees her in a new light. Even the best friend being the troublemaker and the single dad brother foreshadowing felt too familiar.

I also felt like the MMC character was trying to be made into too many things. And why was it so long ?

The writing was okay but overall I was underwhelmed from the beginning.

Oh my gooosh.

I am absolutely obsessed. This book was everything! Former NHL player turned part time cowboy and he’s her brothers best friend?! Yes yes yes.

God I really loved the way their relationship went from friendship to more. The banter. The lust filled tension. Obsessed with all of it!!

CeCe is everything I love about about an FMC. Sassy, strong willed, independent.

Nash. Well Nash. 😮‍💨😮‍💨 need I say more?! I’m so freaking in love with this man and that dirty mouth!! Mr. Carter, sir!!!!

Can’t wait to read book two!! Already obsessed with them too😆😆

Thank you Ballantine/Dell for the early copy! 🫶🏼🫶🏼

Let me just say this is a hell of a debut. I absolutely loved this.

This story follows Cece and Nash. Cece has just moved back home after catching her ex-fiancé cheating on her. Nash is a retired hockey player and has been back in their hometown for a few years now. Cece ends up having to take a job working for Nash and let’s just say Cece being back has brought up some pining and tension between these two…

Cece was such a firecracker and I loved that she was able to help Nash work through some of his grief. Loved that they could each be there for each other. Plus her girl gang!!! Loved them so much…Ginger needs a book now. 🤣
Nash…where do I even start. I am absolutely feral for this man. I loved his protective he was of Cece and his nickname for her! 🫠 Plus he is cowboy and a hockey player…two of my faves in one. YES PLEASE!
Their tension, banter and chemistry was so 🤌🏼🤌🏼. There are a few scenes in this one that will forever live rent free in my head. “Crawl to me, baby.” IYKYK 😮‍💨

It's possible I requested this based on the cover alone, and since I'm still in my Elsie era, I was so excited to dive right in!!

When Cece returns to her hometown and reconnects with retired hockey play and part tiem cowboy Nash, sparks start flying every which way in this sweet and spicy brother's best friend, they both fall first and both fall hard with a whole slew of found family i can wait to revisit in the rest of the series (let's be honest, real curious about where Ginger and Cole end up!)

Reminiscent of the boots and bouquets series by jaci burton, this is a great read for those in their cowboy era!

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for my review!

3.5 Stars If you love Shania Twain and hockey playing part-time cowboys, you are going to love Holding the Reins!

Returning to her small hometown in Kentucky after a broken engagement, Cecelia "CeCe" Ashby is unsure of what the future holds. Luckily, her brother's best friend, retired NHL star Nash Carter extends a job offer to get CeCe on her feet. As the unofficial fourth Ashby sibling, Nash has always felt protective of CeCe, but he's surprised by how drawn he is to the grown up version of her. It isn't long before CeCe's initial dislike of Nash turns into a burning attraction.

I love both the cowboy romance and hockey romance tropes, so getting a mix of the two is the best of both worlds! I'm always a fan of the reliable small town and brother's best friend tropes as well. The characters are cute and the banter is both hilarious and delightful! Holding the Reins is a sweet romance with a lot more spice than the cute cover lets on.

Thank you Dell and Paisley Hope for the ARC 💗 Holding the Reins is out now!

I must be in my cowboy romance era because I really liked this book! It was absolutely adorable with just the right amount of steam/spice without going over the top. I am always a sucker for a “Brother’s Best Friend” romance and this one was no different. If you like books by Elsie Silver, Devney Perry, or Lyla Sage, this is a great go-to for the same vibes.

For fans of:
✨ Small Town Romance
✨ Cowboy Romance
✨ Brother’s Best Friend
✨ Spice

A very special thank you to the publisher, NetGalley, and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

mostly smut - which is fine! but plot/characters not well written or captivating enough to carry me through personally. Could be a 3 or 4 star read for someone with different taste. I just wasn't charmed.

This was very cute. Sure it was predictable but you know what you’re getting yourself into and I had a blast. If you’re looking for a romance that will deliver with all the right tropes and not severely cheesy that will put you in a good mood, this is for you.

This was the perfect crossover between a sport romance and a cowboy romance. I loved the duality. The characters were complex and I appreciate the backstory. This book made me giggle and kick my feet but also cry at times. And boy is it SPICY!!!! It’s the perfect book at add to your 2025 summer reads!

3.5 stars, this was a great debut novel! Fans of Elsie Silver will gobble this brother’s best friend/ close family friend love story. I loved both main characters and how they grew and changed throughout the novel. I felt the pacing of the novel was a little slow at times otherwise this would have been a 4 star read for me! Some of the dirty talk didn’t work for me either. At times it felt like too overdone and drawn out rather than a build up moment. I’m looking forward to the other books in the series.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!!

What a good book! I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I loved the main characters! They had great chemistry and worked so well together. I loved how the book just flowed. My first by this author but will not be my last!!!

This book was a delightful read. Cowboy romances are always a win for me personally.
I loved the family moments and connections. The romance was hot and sweet at the same time. The only thing is that I wish we had more slowburn.
But overall I still had fun with it!

That beautiful cover, I loved the story at first, but it started to fall flat towards the end. This book mixes together the best aspects of all my favorite cowboy romance novels, and I loved every second of it. excited about the next book, and the covers are fucking stunning.

Thank you again to NetGalley & Penguin for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. I cannot wait to read more from Paisley Hope and have these stunning covers on my bookshelf.

Friggin OBSESSED. Nash owns my heart. THE book boyfriend of my dreams. He can sweet talk you like no other but the dirty talk? The dirty talk had me gasping 😮‍💨😮‍💨I can’t wait to read book 2. Thank you Paisley Hope, NetGalley, & Random House Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 *

This was cute! A solid little romance with likeable characters. It did kind of feel like every trope imaginable was thrown in for the heck of it (a cowboy AND a hockey player? Really.), but it worked!

This could have benefitted from someone reading the dialogue out loud and asking, "is this how people actually talk?" That did improve as the book went on, but the beginning was a little bit rough.

Retired pro hockey player & part time cowboy… I’M SAT. Oh and he’s tatted 🫠
This book was a whole vibe, IYKYK 😂

Cece is your small town girl to moved to the big city and is now moving back home after a bad breakup. Nash AKA “Mr. Carter” is the sweetest man with a traumatic backstory and a FILTHY mouth. This book does touch heavy on grief from multiple angles, so be ready for that.

Sometimes felt a bit trope heavy with being brothers best friend, found family, hockey, cowboy and workplace romance but it works since it’s a very small town.

Cece and Nash may have won my cutest couple award but something tells me Wade and Ivy may give them a run for their money… I will for sure be reading the next book!

This was pretty good although not sure why the hero Nash was a retired ex hockey player when it was really not an integral part of the story. I just feel like it was to add sports hockey trope to the story, but that’s just how I see it.

Now Cece returns to her families Kentucky ranch after a breakup from a long term toxic relationship. Nash is Cece’s two brothers best friend so they’ve know each other for since childhood. He’s the small town bachelor hasn’t settled down and is a local business owners and teaches kids. The two spend a lot of time together and can’t deny their attraction. Nash is one jealous /possessive diirty talker though. Not bad for a debut and I think it was a bit lacking for the climax as it seemed just basic to me. I’m excited for Wades story next though.

I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

4.25 stars

If you want a mix of hockey and cowboy romance with a bit of age gap and a little brother's best friend plus boss/employee, well this book is for you. CeCe returns to her hometown and her family's ranch after being cheated on by her fiance. There she falls for the the reformed playboy, retired NHL player who is basically a part of her family already and also becomes her boss. This was a fun romance full of some beloved tropes without feeling overwhelmingly tropey if that makes sense? There was also a ton of spice (and good spice!) if that's your vibe. I am looking forward to the next book in the series and more from this author.

I do feel like we could have taken out one or two tropes because there were a lot of major ones that I don't think was necessary. And at times the dialogue about sex (but not during it) got just a tiny bit cringey. Also, how the hell did she take off tights without removing her heels??

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

He’s a retired hockey player turned cowboy, it’s an instant 5 stars for me because what more could you want past that? Maybe a lil dash of spice, and trust me, there’s plenty🤭

𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚’𝙨 𝙣𝙤 𝙙𝙤𝙪𝙗𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝘾𝙚𝘾𝙚 𝘼𝙨𝙝𝙗𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙚 𝙄’𝙫𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚. 𝙎𝙝𝙚’𝙨 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙗𝙞𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙡, 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙠 𝙗𝙮 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙠, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙖 𝙛𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙩𝙧𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙪𝙥.

Cece comes home after ending her engagement and really won the lottery when it comes to brothers friends. Because Nash? That’s a whole man😮‍💨

“𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚, 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙡𝙮, 𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚”

Nash is the regular protective, hot cowboy. But enhances, because of the hockey. He went so above and beyond to make Cece feel secure, even when she wasn’t aware of it. And then plans a Shania Twain cover band girls night for her… she won.

Brothers best friend, third act fight, cowboy romance, retired hockey player, spicy

I overall enjoyed this book snd it was a very fast read. It is definitely one of those books that is more spicy scene heavy than character development heavy, but the story plot was still there. There were places where the spicy scenes came out of nowhere and there maybe could've been more focus on the characters themselves, but the characters were also well written so it helped with the flow.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for an early read. Al thoughts are my own, I do not accept money for reviews.