AUTHOR: Lyla Sage GENRE: Romance PAGES: 356 RELEASED: 6 June 2023 SERIES: Rebel Blue Ranch #1 SYNOPSIS: She’s off-limits, but he’s never been good at following the rules. For the first time in her life, Clementine “Emmy” Ryder has no idea what she’s doing. She’s accomplished everything on her to-do list. She left her small hometown of Meadowlark, Wyoming; went to college; and made a career for herself by doing her favorite thing: riding horses. But after an accident makes it impossible for her to get back into the saddle, she has no choice but to return to the hometown she always wanted to escape. Luke Brooks is Meadowlark’s most notorious bad boy, bar owner, and bachelor. He’s also the unofficial fifth member of the Ryder family. As Emmy’s older brother’s best friend, Luke spent most of his childhood antagonizing her. It’s been years since he’s seen her, but when she walks into his bar and back into his life, he can’t take his eyes off her. Despite his better judgment, he wants to do a whole lot more than just look at her. Emmy’s got too much on her mind to think about romance. And Luke knows he should stay away from his best friend’s younger sister. But what if Luke is just what Emmy needs to get her spark back? Or will they both go up in flames? Getting back in the saddle has never felt so wrong yet so right…
After a bad horse riding accident, Emmy has literally struggled to get back on the horse, suffering from a panic attack at every attempt. Returning to the family ranch - Rebel Blue - she is ready to hang up her boots and reconnect with the town she spent so long waiting to escape from. The last person she expects to have any connection with is her brother Gus’ bestie Luke, who has been a fixture in her life since forever. She’s still salty about him publicly turning down her crush in high school, and she’s sure he’s still the irresponsible teen from her childhood. Turns out, Luke has matured a lot in the time she’s been away from the ranch. When he witnesses one of her panic attacks, he offers to help her overcome her riding fears and return her to the place she belongs - in the saddle. Luke has no right to be lusting after his best friend’s little sister, and he’d be a dead man if Gus ever found out, but Emmy is no longer the annoying kid he grew up with. She’s now a stunning woman he can’t stop thinking about, friendships be damned. As they grow closer, they can’t help but cross that forbidden invisible line, no matter how Emmy’s family will react. They hype? It’s REAL! There’s a reason you’re seeing this series all over your feed, because it is an absolute MUST-READ for romance lovers! The setting, the characters, the chemistry, the spice - Lyla absolutely DELIVERED on all fronts!! I know I say this with every review and every trope, but brother’s best friend has got to be one of my faves! There is just something about long-held crushes and finally seeing that person as more than their relationship to your sibling/friend that always makes for such an enjoyable read. The chemistry between Emmy and Emmy was INSTANT, even when they didn’t initially like each other very much. Following them growing closer and closer, and their attraction to one another becoming stronger and stronger was absolutely fabulous. Lyla handled Emmy’s anxiety, PTSD, and panic attacks so well, and I ADORED seeing Luke instantly step up to help and support her, listening to what Emmy needed rather than forcing his own idea of help onto her. It was such a positive portrayal of being their to support someone, and helping them through at their own pace. There was so much trust and understanding between them, even before they truly started to develop feelings for one another. I also ended up listening to some of the audiobook for this, and let me just tell you that Stella Hunter and Aaron Shedlock were phenomenal as Emmy and Luke, and I’d highly recommend checking out the audiobook if you’re wanting to read on the go. I’m definitely going to be dipping into the audiobooks of the rest of the series. Speaking of rest of the series, I am VERY excited to read about the rest of the Ryder family and see them get their own HEAs - they are all really interesting characters and have such a fun dynamic that I know Lyla is going to serve up even more fabulousness throughout the rest of the series. I’ve only read book one and I’m already dreading when the last book is released. If you’ve seen this book floating around your feed and wondered if it is actually any good, I can tell you now that it is 100% worth putting at the top of your TBR pile! |
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