This is a book about second chances and learning to love after heartbreak. Ryder is a simple man who is trying to move on after he lost his wife and young son tragically. Lorri is starting over after a divorce (from a man I don’t think ever loved her). When their worlds collide, literally, each decides they want to be friends and friends only.

Faith and forgiveness are big in this book and drive the characters a lot. The Wedding Ranch sounds beautiful and his family are supportive and great. Her friends are also supportive and help Lorri along the way. I really enjoyed this book, I just wish it would have moved a little faster.

I received an ARC and this is my honest, voluntary review.

This is a really sweet story of two unlikely people who get to know each other. Both are hurting from the past and just are not ready for a relationship beyond friendship. In a lot of ways, I saw what was going to happen and knew trouble was ahead, but it didn't take away from my investment in their story. The author did a nice job of working things out. This is a great story of forgiveness and moving on beyond past hurts, intertwined with a faith thread and really likable main and secondary characters, set in a lovely background. The ending brought a happy smile to my face. Highly recommended. I received a complimentary from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley. All thoughts are mine only.

The Wedding Ranch by Nancy Naigle
Contemporary romance. Slow build and closed door.
Lorri moves to a new subdivision after her divorce is final. It’s on five acres and perfect for working from home, farmers markets, county fairs and her huge mastiff dog, Mister.
Ryder is unhappy with his parents decision to sell parts of the farmland. Meeting Lorri has him thinking maybe it’s not such a bad thing.
The two don’t want a relationship. They get to know each other slowly and overcome obstacles as they come up.

An emotional story of love, lose and rebuilding. Sweet and charming.

🎧 I read this book first and then did a second reading by audiobook. The performance was nicely done by Lisa Larson. The tone and cadence is exactly as a soft and emotional romance should be. There are specific voices for the two main characters and changing from one to the other is smooth. Both reading and listening were pleasant and romantic. I think I preferred the audiobook just a smidge better for getting to know each character and what was in their hearts.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and St Martins Griffin and Dreamscape Media.

Title: The Wedding Ranch
Author: Nancy Naigle
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Five
Review:
"The Wedding Ranch" by Nancy Naigle

My Assessment:

'The Wedding Ranch' was a wholesome heartwarming, emotional story featuring Lorri and Ryder in a second chance read. The story showed how one could find happiness through forgiving and, in the end, finding love through healing and learning! With Lorri being a divorcee and Ryan losing his wife and son in an accident, this author did an excellent read. It was so good seeing how Lorri was able to get over her sorrows and Ryder, and trust, in the end, can work it all out in this sweet romantic read. Let's not forget, Mister...the dog that brought smiles to all!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Lorri is starting over--new house, new town, and she got the dog in the divorce. As she's learning the ins and outs of her new town, she bumps into a guy. Things are really going her way with her job and a potential new love interest.
Ryder has spent the past years going through the motions of life after a tragic loss. Helping out his niece and nephew with their new Wedding Ranch business helps him get through. He wasn't looking for love, but spending time with Lorrie brings a new spark to life.
They're getting along great, spending time together, until they discover their lives are entwined in an unexpected way. This event threatens to tear everything apart in the burgeoning romance. It will take a lot to work through, including forgiveness, and reckoning the past inorder to move forward to embrace the chance of love again.
A beautiful story as two people with broken hearts find trust, forgiveness, and a reason to love again.
Received an ARC from Netgalley

The Wedding Ranch is a lovely and charming tale of second chances that took me on a journey with likable characters and a delightful setting!

4.5 Stars
I loved that this book dealt with characters who were a little more mature. They've both been married before, both suffered loss and had to move on. It may be up for question how well they've moved on, but they're working on it.

Lorri is finding her way after her ex-husband cheated on her and then left her. She has her beloved Mister, a mastiff, to help her along. Ryder lost his marriage in another way. They come together to be just friends--they both need one. Friendship shifts toward more feelings for each other, but things are complicated.

I really loved the way both main characters struggled to return to their former selves before their losses and how they seemed to bring out the best in each other. Another heartwarming story from Nancy Naigle.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.

Ryder is still grieving after the death of his wife and son. Lorri is getting over her divorce from her cheating husband. When they meet they have an instant connection. But they both insist that they are only friends. This is a wonderful story about second chances.

The Wedding Ranch
by: Nancy Naigle
St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: 12/06/22
Genre: Romance, Women's Fiction

Just in time for cozy December Winter Reading is Nancy Naigle's new romance, The Wedding Ranch, arrives just in time for cozy reading in Winter and December. If you love dogs, second chances at love, and romantic atmosphere, this book is for you. The small town of Dalton's Mill, North Carolina provides the warmth of a small town, a perfect backdrop for Lorri and Ryder's story.

Naigle's writing is comforting and engaging, making this a wonderful book to relax with. Consider getting a copy for a friend as a stocking stuffer or to tuck in a holiday gift bag or box.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for the advance reader's copy and opportunity to provide my unbiased review.

Lori Walker, a successful graphic designer's marriage comes to an end. Her husband leaves her for a younger woman. Lori deals and grieves with the betrayal of her marriage. She pulls it together and continues doing what she loves. After the divorce and the sale of their house, Lori moves to Dalton Hill. A lovely and friendly town an hour away from Raleigh and works from home.

Lorri meets and enjoys getting to know the local people, including Ryder Bolt, a rancher who has lost his wife and son 7 yrs. ago to a drunk driver. Both are attracted to each other, but only want to remain friends. As that friendship grows so does the love between them until tragic circumstances are revealed that connect them both. Can their love survive with forgiveness, love and a little faith?

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was the first book I've read by Nancy Naigle.
It was a sweet romance with a great storyline and easy to like characters. It was a great standalone, with character couples I'm itching to see of she's written their story as well. There was heartbreaking moments as well as warm, happy moments. I did get a bit confused as to how Lorrie's brother's accident occurred? There was some mixed messages there. A great overall read though.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book. This is my voluntary and honest review.

I usually associate this author with Christmas novels, so I was surprised to discover The Wedding Ranch had nothing to do with Christmas. It turned out to be a pleasant surprise as I alternated between smiles and tears throughout my journey with Lorri and Ryder. The Wedding Ranch is one of those novels that I would love to magically step into because Nancy Naigle made Lorri's new home and community sound so inviting. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the advance copy to read and review.

The Wedding Ranch is my first read by Nancy Naigle and it reads like a cozy Hallmark movie. Even before focusing on the story, I absolutely love that the dog is a mastiff! This automatically was a huge plus in my book as there are millions of dog breeds and mixes out there, so it is refreshing to read about a different type of dog. One thing this novel is not widely marketed as is that it reads as a Christian fiction where it’s clean with some religious elements. This is not my normal genre as I do not enjoy books that become too “preachy” where it distracts from everything else in the story, however, this novel did a great job at including the faith-based elements that can appeal to all types of audiences.

The story follows Lorri Walker after her husband, Craig, leaves her six months after she thought he was helping to save the marriage with a mastiff puppy, Mister, as a gift. In the real world, I am not a fan of giving animals as gifts, especially as a last-ditch effort to save a relationship as statistically the animal suffers in some way through the process; however, in fiction, I am a huge fan of giving everyone a puppy (or adult dog)! Mister was a great character and becomes the star in his own way, so I love that this amazing boy was added to the story! Unfortunately, Craig ends their 15-year marriage by leaving Lorri for another woman, which leaves Lorri trying to heal. She moves from the bigger city of Raleigh to the small town of Dalton Mill in North Carolina. While in her new home, she runs into local rancher, Ryder Bolt, who is going through his own traumas after losing his family in a tragedy.

This novel is not marketed as part of a series, but there are some background characters where it seemed the reader already knows information about them. It does not take away from the main story, but it came up a few times throughout where it was noticeable to me. As the story is call “The Wedding Ranch,” I was surprised it wasn’t front and center. It was still featured a lot, but it wasn’t as spotlighted as I thought before reading. Once Ryder is introduced the chapters alternate between his and Lorri’s POVs, so the reader follows along this classic small town romance story. The writing delivers the Hallmark-style story that is promised to the readers, which is all you can really ask for. It is a quick and cozy read that is perfect for those who want a nice clean romantic story. Overall, there were a few details that I felt needed a little more, but it was a novel that was well-worth the read.

The Wedding Ranch by Nancy Naigle was an interesting read. Lorri had just split from the man she had planned to spend her life with. He had cheated and she had caught him. Now, she had a bad attitude. He had excuses and explanations, but it was obvious. Then he admitted it. The one good thing he had done was get her a puppy. Gosh, she loved that dog. Mister, the dog, grew and grew. They sold the house and with her half of the money she moved to the country. Why not? She could work remotely. She loved it. She did some of her best work there in Dalton Mill. She decided to take an afternoon for herself and go to the fair. There she had a blast, until she got in the way of an oncoming cow and a man tackled her to save her. He then adopted her for the rest of the day, where she had an even better day. Ryder was a local man. A widower who had stopped living when his wife and son died in a car accident. But he liked her, and he could use a friend. There were misunderstandings and miscommunications, like always, but they got closer, until Lorri discovered some information that would blow up the friendship.

This was a sad story in some ways, but also a story of forgiveness and redemption. It was about starting over, a topic Ryder and Lorri thought was useless, until it happened. Lorri got involved in the community in a way she never had been in the city and Ryder discovered he could add to his extended family in a meaningful way. It was a different plot, one I could see coming, even if Lorri couldn’t. It was a comfortable, positive read. I really enjoyed it.

I was invited to read The Wedding Ranch by St. Martin’s Press, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #StMartinsPress #NancyNaigle #TheWeddingRanch

Happy Publication Day and Thank You to Negalley and St. Martin's Press for this ebook. This book had me in all the feels and I was here for it. The wedding Ranch was so beautify written with characters that were flawed and very real. I loved not only how each MC evolved learned about forgiveness in order to live in the present.

this was a super sweet book. A women with a failed married now better off. A man upset about his family land being sold for houses. WHe ntheir worlds crash many things bloom..

this had all the romance i enjoyed it

The Wedding Ranch by Nancy Naigle is a story of recovery, overcoming past trauma, forgiveness, and finding love along the way. Big city meet country with Lori moving to a small town. Ryder has a business there and also lives there. Neither are looking to become involved in a relationship. Like a Hallmark movie, Love comes looking for them.

One of the great thing a about this story is how you feel as if you are right there in this small town. The vivid descriptions are wonderful but there is a little something more so that you actually clearly can see this place in your mind. Well done.

If you’re a fan of Karen Schaler and Debbie Macomber, you will want to be sure to give Nancy Naigle’s books a try.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Life is a winding road & this book illustrates that so well. There were so many emotions in this story. Lorri and Ryder each have traveled different paths up until their paths cross in Dalton Mill. The story was uplifting & heartwarming. It left me content & happy. I am a fan of Nancy Naigle & this one is great! I received an advance copy from NetGalley & am voluntarily leaving a review.

This is a charming story that includes some very serious backstories. Lorri is a woman who is coming from a marriage where her husband cheated on her time and time again. She’s still angry at her late brother whose drug abuse and alcoholism ruined life for her and her parents. She decides to take her bull mastiff Mister and move to a small community ninety minutes away where no one knows her story.

Ryder is still reeling from the death of his wife and four-year-old son at the hands of a drunk driver. He feels guilty for not having been in the car driving his family that fateful day. He’s thrown himself into work on his working ranch and helping his family on The Wedding Ranch.

The two meet and make a pact to try and help each other cope with their losses – to live in the present instead of the past. A romance slowly evolves until one day Lorri sees how their pasts have merged.

I appreciated the book discussing more serious subjects such as drug and alcohol addiction and the role of mental health in addiction. The story of Lorri’s brother brings to light how two people can be raised by the same set of parents yet have completely different life choices.

I loved the many romantic moments in this story and the North Carolina setting. The author does a fantastic job of describing the landscape and setting the vibe of this small town.

I recommend this book to those readers who enjoy sweet Romance or Women’s Fiction.

I received a DRC of this book from the publisher but the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

The Wedding Ranch is the second book I have read by Nancy Naigle. While I liked this book a lot more than the other one I read, I was not blown away by it. The story revolves around Lorri and Ryder who are connected in a way they don't realize as their relationship progresses. When this connection is revealed, they have to decide if they can forgive the past and move on to a new future together. There is a wedding venue called the Wedding Ranch which is operated by members of Ryder's family. Lorri also owns a Mastiff named Mister who was given to her by her newly ex-husband who leaves Lorri and Mister for the dog trainer.

While the story is developed pretty well, I found it predictable and slow. My mind wandered away from the story often. It just didn't keep me engaged. Overall, it was just fine, but I had hoped for more.

My sincere thanks to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book and give my unbiased opinion of it.