4.5 stars!
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A romance author goes to stay on a ranch in Colorado as research for her book that has been rejected 14 times for not portraying the cowboy lifestyle accurately. The grumpy cowboy is immediately not a huge fan of Ms. California girl, but a tornado and a 4 day horseback excursion orchestrated by the cowboy's meddling family force the pair to get to know each other. "Only one bed" becomes "only one tent" and "only one horse".
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Honestly, this book rivals so many of the current popular cowboy romance books. I have not read a cowboy romance that is so descriptive of a 'true' rodeo - there's much more than just bull riding! Waitlyn Andrews clearly knows her stuff. And aside from the cowboy lifestyle and rodeo knowledge, this is just such a well-written and developed book. Every character felt real and I loved not only the main characters but several of the side characters as well (Dean and Penny!!!). The romantic gestures from both the MMC and FMC were perfection. I also loved the inclusion of a country song to fit the vibe at the beginning of each chapter. There were times I felt like the pacing was a little strange, but overall I was/am obsessed with this book!!
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ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5⭐️
No 🌶️

I love cowboy/small-town romance so it is no surprise that I enjoyed this! The premise of a writer needing to get some real experience for her book and traveling to Colorado was fun. I liked all the side characters, the setting and I think the romance was fine. Why I am knocking it down a bit is simply due to me wanting a bit more tension. This book has no spice and for me it doesn’t have to have that but I would’ve wished for just a bit for sexual tension at least. This might be a personal preference but that is where, for me, I felt the book lacked a little bit.

Normally I don't like closed door romances, but this one was an exception!

I love cowboy, small town romances so much, I just wished it had spice. Reading about Eric in a spicy scene would have made the book a 4.5 stars.

The book had a lot of potential but I did not really enjoy the main female character. I thought she was very whiny and got lost in being in a relationship with Eric.

I think the idea of this book is really fun and I really wanted to like it but it just wasn’t for me. Especially at the start I was hopeful as I liked the premise of going to do research for a book and I love a fun small town romance with cowboy vibes. But then it just kinda dragged on even though so much was happening. Half way through it felt like there had already been so many big events and I couldn’t imagine what else could even happen.

The book definitely has potential but I would’ve enjoyed it a lot more if it had been shorter.

5/5⭐️
To any book besties that love cowboy romance, this book is for you!
This was definitely a slow burn romance but it captured them both falling in love at different times perfectly! I loved seeing Eric get out of his grumpiness and finally let Amelia in little by little. Honestly was adorable. And I loved seeing Amelia learn how to let people in and open up to the idea of romance being a good thing.
This was such a cute clean cowboy romance and I liked it so much more than I thought I would.
I also loved how welcoming Eric’s family was to Amelia and how much they took care of her! And the side characters were definitely my favorite, I loved them all!
I wish this was a series because it was so good!

This was my first ‘proper’ cowboy romance book and I just absolutely loved it. I loved how everything was explained so the reader could understand fully what was going on and why things were the way they were. I found the family dynamics and the setting really heartwarming and the whole book just made me feel all gooey inside. I loved this book so much and can’t wait to re-read again!

This was my first cowboy romance and it did not disappoint. I loved everything about it - the setting, the characters, the family dynamics - it all came together in a way that was just magical. This book made me feel exactly what Waitlyn wanted us to feel (according to her thoughts at the end of the book). I truly believe in feel good romances and what they do for the people reading them. Reading Rider's Block was like a warm hug and I will be recommending this to anyone who reads romances.

Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc of this book! I got it from the read now section and you should too. It’s launching September 26th.
Amelia has written quite a few books and met her financial goals. But now she wants to switch genres. She gets denied by publishers 14 times! She decides to do some more research on the subject and finds herself in Colorado. Eric Randall is a grumpy cowboy who helps his parents and brothers run the family ranch.

I loved the songs on top of the chapters so I had to create the playlist to go with it! This book is a very sweet rom-com. Making this such an easy read. I loved the side character Dean and Penny.

A fab read. Amelia is in Colorado to research her cowboy book and in not expecting to fall for a cowboy of her own. Both great characters and you want everything to work out for them. A great setting for a book. Looking forward to more from this author.

Calling all Chestnut Springs and Rose Hill lovers to their next cowboy read. Waitlyn Andrews might just be one of my new favorite writers. I ATE Rider’s Block up.

What I loved:
-Each chapter had its own song (chefs kiss!)!
-Eric & Roper. Their relationship is the true star of the show in my eyes.
-I like how Waitlyn goes in depth on explaining everything “cowboy.” Readers are learning alongside Amelia.
-I think it’s interesting seeing the thought process behind writing a book. Amelia struggles with writing her cowboy mystery novel. Throughout the book Amelia ‘learns’ through experience. I could only imagine this is similar to Waitlyn’s writing process.

What I didn’t like:
-chapter 36 didn’t have a song ☹️
-The book ended!! I would love to see this become a series!

Grumpy sunshine. Check! The slowest burns of all slow burns. Check! This book wasn’t just your typical cowboy romance, it felt refreshing. I loved that the FMC and MMC were in their thirties. I would have been moving to Colorado within the first month that’s for sure. The bestie relationship between Dean and Mia was so sweet I loved their bonding. Overall loved the concept of the FMC going on a trip to explore her book concept I feel like I got so much insight into how a book is written.

This book made me want to pack up my things and move to a ranch in Colorado immediately. I love cowboy/small town romances, I binge and eat them up every time, so it's no surprise that I enjoyed this one. It hooked me immediately! Loved the characters, loved the grumpy x sunshine, and especially loved the found family on the ranch, it was a sweet and easy read that would be perfect to pick up during the fall!

This is my first book to ready by Waitlyn Andrews, and overall I enjoyed reading Rider's Block.

Amelia 'Mia' Greene is a multi-successful author who just got her latest book rejected, for the 14th time. It's time for Amelia to go do some research, which leads her to friends' family farm in Colorado to immerse herself into the cowboy culture and see where exactly she went wrong. Upon a bumpy arrival, she meets Eric, the gruff, and a touch hostile, cowboy who runs the ranch with his parents and siblings. Amelia starts to get engrained into life with Eric's family, and starts to fall for the
small-town charm and falls in love with the rodeo.

The parts about this book that I appreciated and enjoyed the most, where the knowledge and appreciation for the cowboy way of life and how it was written. The author lets us explore what being apart of a ranch is truly like through the eyes of someone who is a novice. It makes you fall in love with it as the same time as Mia. I also loved the development of Mia and Eric's relationship. Waitlyn sets the foundation of attraction and let's the two MMCs build upon it.

That being said, I did feel like parts of the book were drawn out and it took too long for certain parts of the plot to develop. It started to feel redundant and I found myself wanting to skip ahead to get through what I felt like was being repeated and unnecessary.

Overall, this is a sweet, smalltown, cowboy romance that I recommend to those who love closed-door romances. I also think it's a great book to help you get out of a reading slump!

******

Thank you, NetGalley, for the digital ARC copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

First, thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for this review! This is my review I left on Goodreads, as well as StoryGraph.

I really enjoyed this story. In a huge cowboy fan and i felt like this was an original take on the trope!

Overall this was like a 3.75 for me! It was a very sweet closed door romance and I fell in love with Mia and Eric instantly. I’m a little happy he gave up the grump act quick and he wasn’t exactly mean to her. Grumpy/sunshine is a favorite of mine, but sometimes people toe the line between grumpy and mean/bully. Eric was just a closed off guy afraid of showing his feelings 🫣 it was sweet and beautiful.

The writer plot I think was also done very well. Often it can be too cliche or written weirdly around tropes but I loved the angle take here.

Dean and Penny also made for very loveable characters and before realizing we’d see their story play out here, I found myself hoping they get their own book!

I’m happy I was able to read this, would recommend for cowboy lovers :)


There were a few spelling and grammar issues within this version of book itself and white it didn’t exactly impact the rating it definitely stuck out to me here, so if you’re a stickler for that keep in mind. Hopefully they’re found before release 🤞🏽

Small town romance with grumpy guy and sunshine girl? I thought this book was a very good choice for me for the autumn days. I read it in an afternoon and was sad because I wanted more. It was relaxed, humorous, with interesting thoughts. I liked the dynamics, the character development and the atmosphere of the town. It was a nice relaxation, it recharged my soul and put a smile on my face. I fell in love with the characters and I feel like I want to live in a small town like this. I got the usual cowboy romance elements in the book, which makes a book good and makes it pleasantly hip.

I really enjoyed reading this book! It was a cute western romance and the plot was very well written. The characters were adorable and I loved their storyline. The setting feels like a real place and the characters feel like real people.

"- 𝙰𝚛𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚏𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗?
- 𝙸'𝚖 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚏𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚢 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚢𝚘𝚞.
- 𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎.
- 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝙸 𝚠𝚒𝚗."

If it took me a while to get used to the author's writing style, once I did, I had a silly grin on my face as I discovered the characters, saw their personalities evolve, loving the side characters as much as the main ones, kicking my feet and giggling.

I loved the strong, self-assured, confident woman that Amelia is, with a good repartee, sweet, open to new adventures and experiences, while being calm, thoughtful and protecting her heart from the risk of reliving her traumas. I enjoyed watching this Californian adapt to ranch life and its inhabitants.

As for Eric, I loved this loyal, chivalrous cowboy who became grumpy and lonely after an accident. I loved his patience, devotion to his people, sensitivity, strength and love of his land; the fact that he opens up to Amelia, understands her, legitimizes her fears, pacing himself while knowing when to push her to make her understand the obvious.

It was cute, tender, head-free, full of light and sometimes pain, with lots of love and above all light. Without smut, the emphasis was on building a relationship, overcoming traumas and fears, and the unexpected paths we take that change the course of our lives, opening our eyes to what's really important.

The atmosphere was funny, romantic, prickly, teasing and then comforting and vulnerable, with that warm, close-knit, protective family atmosphere, looking out for each other. I can't wait for the world to discover it on September 26.

What a delightful slow burn! I loved this title and the characters were delightful. I enjoyed the family aspect of it and the story as a whole. I can't wait to read more by this author!

Once I started reading this book, I could not put it down! As a huge fan of cowboy romances, this is a standout, especially for those looking for a sweet, closed-door romance.

Our main character, Amelia, is a writer whose latest book has been rejected and needs to do in-person research on cowboy country in Colorado. Luckily, her friend has family in Colorado that she is invited to visit. At first encounter, Eric is your typical grumpy cowboy not wanting to deal with the city girl, but the two start catching feelings and start a budding friendship that turns to more.

While the romance part of the story is slow-paced, I loved watching Amelia find her footing with the Randall family and become part of it. Eric was patient with Amelia and let her set the pace for their relationship, instead of leaning into the overbearing stereotype that can often be found in these types of stories, which I appreciated.

The side characters, especially Dean and Penny, add to the enjoyment of this book, and so do the horses! Getting an inside look into the rodeo circuit was also a fun addition to the plot.

Thank you to Netgalley and Waitlyn Andrews for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to @netgalley for the ARC.

I had high hopes reading this book. I loved “Yes, Chef” and hope that this book would measure up to it.
I was not disappointed. Amelia is a writer that has had her most recent effort passed on 14 times. She is speaking about the book to her friend, and what it is about, and her friend offers her to go to the family’s ranch in Colorado for research.
Amelia goes to Colorado for a month, which ends up being the Summer. She gets a lot of information for her book and is embraced by the family as if she was one of them.
Being a romance, she of course finds her person, but this book was well written with the story and the slow burn of Amelia and her hopeful partner. I felt I was in Colorado, Even with the high temperatures here at home, I could feel the autumn chills described in the story.
As with “Yes, Chef” there were some story lines that I could have had more of, but all in all, I enjoyed the book and look forward to the next one!