This book was 100% what I expected it was going to be, which also means it was 100% predictable; but you know what? That’s okay, because this book is also 100% what I needed it to be right now. Which is something silly, fun and cute with likable characters that I could just sit back and enjoy! And with Stefanie Kay’s great narration, it made it even easier to do just that.

My only complaint was, I get it, in these rom-coms if there is another love interest involved, the author wants the reader to prefer the primary love interest; but at this point, making the fiancé or boyfriend totally unlikable is just so cliché. It just feels so lazy to me and if the story and main romance suffer because of this other love interest, that’s a problem. It made me question if Parker was just gonna be a walking cliché, why couldn’t we at least got rid of that part of the storyline sooner? I like slow burn as much as the next person, but not if the slow burn is just because it took too long to get rid of the annoying fiancé. Maybe this is why I don’t read rom-coms much anymore these days, because I find small things like this frustrating. I think I might have even enjoyed it more if it did not include Parker at all tbh but that’s just me.

Anyway, with that said, this book was overall enjoyable. With a protagonist like Kelsey, who is not only likable but also very relatable, a love interest like Cade who is loveable from the start and a silly cute romance to root for, this is must read for any rom-com fan.

This book was such a delightfully fun listen with frequent pranking and some great chemistry. I think CIndy is definitely an author to watch and I'm so glad this was made into an audiobook so I could prioritize it. My parents have lived in Idaho for years and all I know of it is that potatoes are not the only thing grown there. There's beets and alfalfa and corn. Cindy opened my eyes to the knowledge that swoony pranksters are raised in Idaho too.
Kelsey returns home for the summer to help her dad while she finishes planning her wedding. These last few months back home are supposed to be the opportunity to spend time with family and friends. Unfortunately, her dad's newest hire is her nemesis and she's desperate to avoid Cade and his pranks.
The only thing I didn't absolutely adore was how long the love triangle (that wasn't) lasted. It was pretty clear from the onset who Kelsey would ultimately end up with and I simply wanted them to have more free and clear page time without the ultimate clinger in the background under foot.
I'm very much hoping and looking forward to another audiobook coming from Cindy soon as this one had me laughing out loud a handful of times. I've heard nothing but good things about Double or Nothing and since listening is easier these days, I need it produced asap.
The narrator, Stephanie Kay, was a good choice to perform Kelsey's POV. I had zero issues bingeing this audiobook.
Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for the alc. All thoughts in this review are my own.

That Fine Line: An Enemies to Lover’s Small Town Romance (A Pride and Pranks Romance)
Cindy Steel
Cade and Kelsey have been frenemies since the first grade. It all started with show n tell when Kelsey was attempting to demonstrate a lasso and Cade made fun of her. She lassoed him and later barfed on him from that moment on it has war. At first the pranks were mean but eventually they turned into fun.
Kelsey returns home to the ranch after college, she wants to spend time with her family as she plans her wedding. When she arrives home, she discovers Cade has been hired by her father to work on the ranch. Kelsey is horrified, she doesn’t want to spend her summer playing pranks on Cade or him playing pranks on her. Or Does She? Her plan for the summer is wedding dress shopping and wedding planning with her mother, enjoying life on the ranch and spending time with her best friend.
Kelsy’s fiancé, Parker, lives in California and is from a snooty affluent family. His mother seems to want to take control of the wedding. She has chosen the dress and the flowers. Parker is afraid she won’t fit in the dress and puts her on a diet and workout regimen. When his family come for a visit to meet her family things don’t go well.
I love this tale.! Kelsey is a delightful character; it was fun watching her grow and mature. I enjoyed watching Kelsey and Cade as they discovered their love for each other. It was terrible watching her Parker and his mother thumb their nose at the life she loved. I did not like Parker nor his family from the beginning! Cade was sweet and he sure could plan a good prank. I believe he was in love with her since high school and the pranks were his way of showing it. This is an adorable summer romance.

This author is new to me and I didn’t enjoy the writing or the narrator. I couldn’t get use to the narrator and I thought the book to silly (over emotional) for the situation. I found myself not listening more than I was listening. This just wasn’t my kind of story.
Thanks Dreamscape Media via Netgalley.

I won’t be posting anywhere else.

Thank you, Dreamscape Media and NetGalley, for allowing me to get an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

There are trigger warnings for eating disorder enabling.

This book was a solid 3-star book. The romance was cute, and the way the author described the atmosphere beautifully. The book did a great job not using any swear words or having any gratuitous sex scenes. The romance between the hero and Kelsey was believable, but the book wrapped up too quickly, in my opinion. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes watching the Hallmark channel. Lastly, the narrator was great. She had a pleasant voice, and the pacing was just right.

Growing up, Kelsey was sworn enemies with Cade after she accidentally vomits on him in second grade. That began a prank war throughout school, ending on Prom night. Home for the summer after college to experience the ranch and one last cattle drive before her fall wedding, Kelsey is annoyed that she has to work side by side with Cade. But as the saying goes and she soon finds out, there is a fine line between love and hate.

That Fine Line is a sweet, clean rom-com with two well developed, lovable characters. It has a cute, Christmas movie storyline that left me happy after finishing it. Definitely an uplifting, joyful read!

When I first started this book, I was confused that the female lead was engaged to someone who was not the obvious male lead of this story. It made me a little bit hesitant as I do not enjoy any kind of cheating, but this book did not leave me disappointed. I was listening to the audiobook while doing chores around the house but the story was engaging enough to have me walking around like a zombie listening to the story. Was in the mood for a nice clean romance and this delivered. Will recommend to friends and family!

This was a playful romance. I usually don't enjoy romances with pranks and such but these pranks were harmless and the age and background of the MC made sense for this behavior. Kelsey was super clueless about Cade's feelings which through me cause it was so clear!

I mean who liked the boyfriend - he was the worst - I do wish she realized earlier and there was more time with Cade and Kelsey but it was fine the way it turned out

The narrator did a great job with all the characters and brought the situation to life

3.75 stars, rounded up.

A small town, cowboy-esque, fun romcom.

Kelsey is home following college graduation to spend one last summer at home on her family ranch before she leaves to start her new life with her rich, law-student, fiance. However, when she gets home she finds out that her childhood nemesis, Cade, is going to be working and living on the family ranch. Soon she and Cade are back to their old ways of bickering and exuberant pranks. Kelsey loosens up like she hasn't since she left for college and begins to rethink what she thought she wanted in life...and whom she wants to spend that life with.

Kelsey and Cade are the epitome of fun. The pranks are so entertaining. Her family and friends are so present and supportive. Her fiance on the other hand is neither of those things. Seeing Kelsey dissect the childhood and college versions of herself and figure out who she is now and who she wants to continue to be is so rewarding. It is okay to change and grow.

This was a delightful, quick read. The ending felt rushed, but not in an overly distracting way. Mind the trigger warnings (below).

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Stefanie Kay, via NetGalley. An advanced reader's copy of this audiobook was provided to me via NetGalley by Dreamscape Media in exchange for an honest review.

TW: body-shaming, disordered eating, (wild) animal death

That Fine Line is the first novel in Cindy Steel’s Pride and Pranks romantic comedies. Kelsey Martin has returned to her family’s Eugene, Oregon, farm/ranch after graduating with a communications degree from the University of Idaho. It is there that she met her fiancé Parker Gillette. Parker is anything but a farm boy, he is was raised in Southern California with a silver spoon upbringing. Parker is prelaw and they plan to marry before he enters law school. But Kelsey wants one more summer at home. Time with her parents, time with her horse Ace, time with the cows, and her last cattle drive.

While Kelsey looks forward to this time, she balks when she learns her nemesis Cade Williams is working and living at the farm with his retired veterinarian grandfather. Cade has been pranking Kelsey since the unfortunate elementary school event when she lost her lunch, literally, all over Cade. The next day he pulled down her pants in front of the school to reveal her red underwear and has called her Red ever since.

This summer is very revealing, filled with pranks, a visit from Parker and his parents, and a starlet’s unused wedding dress that Kelsey must truly suffer to fit into. There are events that occur after the not so pleasant visit that give Kelsey pause for thought, and her thoughts are less of a foreign California life and more for a life like her parents have had on the farm.

This is a delightful, humorous, heartfelt story by an emerging author. I very much enjoyed this story and certainly do recommend it!

I grew up on a farm, so I was excited to listen to this audiobook. The narrator did a great job. It was an easy listen, but I just couldn’t connect with the heroine. She was immature and drove me crazy. I couldn’t really connect with the story either. I had to stop listening 3/4 of the way though the book. It just wasn’t for me. Huge thanks to Netgalley and the audiobook publisher for allowing me to read and review this book!

September 2022 Re-Read on Audiobook ARC: I still loved this story as much as I did with my first read through it earlier this year. When I saw it available on NetGalley as an audio ARC, I had to request it. I was thrilled when I got approved. Cindy is the queen of sweet, closed-door swoon and this book makes me smile so much as things start to happen between Cade and Kelsey. I still wish the fiancé was out of the picture earlier but the pranks and tension between these two is so good. I loved the coming home theme, the “it’s always been you even when I didn’t realize it” at the end and the small town antics. The narration was well done and I thought worked well with the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC. These are my honest thoughts.

This has been on my rader since its release and when I saw the audio come up on Bookstagram and Net Galley - I jumped on it!

This was a fun and sweet romcom. There were some unique moments, some predictable and some that had me smiling like a fool.

Kelsey comes home to work her father's ranch one more time before she gets married. She has everything planned out, hanging with her bestie, wedding dress shopping with Mom. What she doesn't plan is her high school nemesis isn't only in town but working for her dad! Cade is sweet, a nuisance and everything in between and worse he knows it.

I think Kelsey's growth is great, it takes her a while to see what she really wants and needs from a partner. The narration was fun and kept me interested. Forced proximity, enemies to lovers, pranks, love triangle with slight action/near death experience/mild fear.

Content: minimal language, near death experience, body image issues

This is my first Cindy Steel book and it won't be my last! I received the alc from Net Galley and Dreamscape. These are my own thoughts and opinions.

Kelsey has just finished college and thinks she knows exactly what she wants. She has a gorgeous, rich fiance and a wedding on the horizon at the end of summer, and then off to pursue her dream job!

She returns home to Eugene, Idaho for the summer to spend time with her family before going off to start her own life. They live on a dairy farm and she's helping out, hanging with her family, and spending time with her best friend. Her fiance is off doing an internship and preparing for law school.

Kelsey is not thrilled to learn that Cade, her childhood nemesis, is working on her family's farm this summer. They had a prank war since elementary schoo that Kelsey has outgrown. But she fears Cade will want to continue it, and vows to stay away from him. Easier said than done.

Wedding plans progress. A wonderful dress opportunity arises, but this causes Kelsey to have to work to fit her body into a dress a size too small, all to make her fiance and his mother happy.

Her fiance and his family come to visit for 4th of July. They were dreadful! Didn't like him.
Didn't like his mother even more. They head off, not impressed by the small town and dairy farm, and continue with wedding plans.

The prank war returns! The banter and tension between Kelsey and Cade is fantastic. She realizes she is so at ease with him, and the he doesn't actually hate her and never has. Quite the opposite in fact! Kelsey begins questioning everything about her life - wedding, job, where she wants to live.

And I'll stop here because you need to read it to find out what happens. Where will she end up? And with who?

Many thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for my audio ARC copy in exchange for my honest review!

Do you love the movie 'Sweet Home Alabama'? If so you will love this book! I found myself not able to put this book down! Our engaged main character moves home to her parents farm while planning her wedding. Her fiancé is moving to California to get their life started until she can break away. All goes according to plan until Kelsey (our main character) sees her childhood rival and finds his plans seem to impact her date to day.

Who knew a prank war would be such good foreplay? I loved seeing Kelsey struggle with what she feels she should want mixed with what she really wants. Cade is someone you know has good intensions but is too scared to express his feelings so does what most people in that situation do, make things worse. The banter and back and forth was fun and flirty. It was like 'Sweet Home Alabama' mixed with Wade from 'Hart of Dixie' (if you know you know).

Fantastic. I really enjoyed and I am happy I picked it up! Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this story!

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC! The enemies to lovers trope has never been done this good. This rivalry started in the 2nd grade! Ii loved the small town/country/farmhouse setting. Ii love imagining a rugged country boy driving a tractor. love all the tension and passion and fun that the two main characters of this book have. I hated Parker right away.and his mother was exactly who I imagine would raise a punk like him. I listened to the audio version and the narrator was fantastic. I can't believe I've never read this author before, and my favorite thing about Netgalley is discovering new authors that I love so I can go devour all the things they've written.

I adored Cindy Steel’s Pride and Pranks Book #4 Double or Nothing and nothing gets me through a stack of stuff to do at work like a great audiobook! So, you can imagine how excited I was when approved by @netgalley for this audio version of That Fine Line (Pride and Pranks Book #1)! Although Logan and Tessa are still my favorite, Kelsey and Cade’s long standing enemies to lovers vibe and endless pranks were quite entertaining!

Kelsey has returned home for the summer to plan her wedding with her mother and work on the family farm in Idaho while her fiancé does an internship in California. She has no idea that her high school nemesis, Cade, has also been hired on the farm this summer. Their prank war began in childhood and when Cade returns, Kelsey refuses to sink back into old habits. But, you know what they say, “old habits die hard”. Before you know it, there are mice running through trucks and up pant legs, laundry strewn on hay bales, and much more!

Kelsey and Cade fall easily back into their childhood antics, but this time it was filled with a little more flirty fun and chemistry. Their banter was spot on and full of laughs! Cade was a swoon worthy farm boy with a heart of gold hidden behind his hijinks and Kelsey was a lovable heroine who I enjoyed watching rediscover the joy of her roots.

Although engaged much of the book, Kelsey and Cade’s relationship stayed innocent and friendly until the her engagement was broken off (thank goodness because Parker was an … ugh!). However, once they were together, their relationship progressed a bit too quickly for me. I absolutely knew they were meant to be, but I wished for just a bit more time with them as a true couple because they were so adorable!

TW: There is mention of extreme dieting due to pressures to lose weight placed on the heroine by another character (not the hero). Please be aware if this is a sensitive issue for you.

Audiobook Performance Review
The narrators voice was so pleasant and match everything I pictured Kelsey to be; however, I struggled occasionally when the male character lines were read, as they sounded more immature and younger than I pictured the characters in my head. Overall though, it was a great listen and I would definitely pick it for cozy, sweet story!

Pub Dat Sept. 20

*I received a free review copy of this audiobook from NetGalley. I was not required to leave a positive review. All opinions are my own.*

Featuring ~ single 1st person POV, dual timeline, enemies to lovers, pranks, characters in their 20's, clean romance, body shaming, farm life

Kelsey and Cade didn't get off on the right foot when they were in second grade, which led to years of pranks. Kelsey went off to college and leaves the pranks behind.

Now she's back in her hometown helping her parents on the farm all while planning her wedding to Parker. She wasn't expecting to have to work side by side with Cade for a whole summer. One thing leads to another and they're back to their old pranking ways. You know that old saying that when a boy picks on you it means they like you.

I enjoyed this one. I thought it was super cute and fun. Kelsey kept a journal and noted all the pranks, which was a great addition to the story. Most characters were lovable, expect Parker and his family.

Narrated by Stefanie Kay for 8 hours and 48 minutes, easy to follow at 2x. I thought she did a wonderful job.

I am hoping to get my hands on the next book in the series soon.

This Fine Line is romantic comedy perfection.

The humor is funny. The people are real. The kisses are sizzling.
It's JUST. SO. GOOD!

The narration on this audiobook was great. I love that I can listen to this story while cleaning my house and not feel like the audiobook is lacking compared to the paperback version. ;)

5/5 would recommend!

This was such a fun read!
The pranks were hilarious and the characters were charming. It held my interest and made me happy listening to it.
There was lots of humor and plenty or romance but everything was clean no bedroom scenes.
I was able to listen to this as an audiobook and I loved it- it was well done and once I started listening I didn’t want to stop.
This is the first book I have read by this author and it won’t be my last.