I am a big fan of cowboy romance and this one was fun to read. This is a slow burn which is always a favorite - but being closed door it is much lighter on the spice than my typical read. I was glad that there was a well rounded cast of side characters to keep me engaged. I felt a lot of similarities between some of my long-standing favorites like the Blue Moon series by Lucy Score and Elsie Silver's Chestnut Springs - large, meddling "found family" with some good humor.
I like the premise of an author spending time on a ranch for research, with the slight misunderstanding/grumpy x sunshine/enemies to lovers vibes at first. And I really enjoyed two main characters who communicate very well!

Thank you for the chance to read this arc!

Such a cute story of a writer struggling with a book and making the decision to travel to the setting to help with her writing only to find herself going head-to-head with a grumpy cowboy who she ends up falling in love with but his life is in Colorado and hers is in California. She doesn't want to give up the life she thinks she wants and doesn't want to ask him to do the same either but eventually she has to pick what's more important to her. I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more from the author.

I was 100% sure that I would love this book, I mean, she is a writer, he is a cawboy, a wholesome found family, he fell in love first. And I have indeed loved it, but the men of this author have left me very high standards.
I don't know much about cowboys, so don't know how acurate is the author, but she has convinced me, and she made me feel part of this story from the first page. The atmosphere, the rodeos, made me need more books like this one in my life, it has become my new obsession.
One thing that I value very much is that it's not one of those stories in which their love interests fall in love, argue for nonsense, and reconcile to be together. We can see how the relationshipbetween them evolves and how they fall in love, and that makes this book more special for me.
Definitely I need everyone to read it so I can talk about it with more people.

Rider’s Block is such a sweet love story! I loved every character and you can imagine/feel as though you’re there in the story the entire time. Really made me want to get away to the Colorado plains and stay on a ranch for a summer 🤠

This book releases on September 26th!

Cowboy romance
Grumpy x Sunshine
No spicy scenes
Forced proximity
Little bit of family drama
Healing old wounds
Feel-good romcom

I really enjoyed this book. Small town, romance, grumpy cowboy, author with writers block, really can’t go wrong. Super cute story of people overcoming their fears with letting people in and realizing the power with having a great supportive partner and family unit.

I do wish Dean and Penny had their own book for their side love story in this, I think that would have been a really great book to read.

I feel a couple parts of the story were lengthy and didn’t add much to the story for me at least.

Over all I really did enjoy this book and the characters. Eric is just the perfect swoony grumpy cowboy! Amelia was a great relatable fmc that I loved, her dad is a pos who deserves nothing good in this world!

This is a clean romance, so if that is what you look for this is really great option to cure the small town romance without spice itch. Even for readers that enjoy or want spice, this is a great read.

Go check it out!

Rating: 4.25 ⭐️
This book is what you’d get if an Elsie Silver book had a baby with a Hallmark movie, and I mean that with the highest praise. Everything about Rider’s Block felt really wholesome and earnest without being sickeningly sweet.

I loved the characters so much! The personalities balanced one another out so well and I loved discovering new things about them as the story went on. The pacing was fantastic and really made sense given Amelia and Eric’s backstories.

I flew through this book simply because I couldn’t put it down. It was so funny and such a quick and easy read.

Read if you like:
- German Shepherd cowboys
- Learning about ranch life & rodeos
- Family and found family
- Lots of swoon with no spice
- Horses with lots of personality
- Injury tending
- Red cowboy boots and drunken confessions

e-ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

I would note first, because I didn’t see this mentioned anywhere and was hoping for the opposite - this is a sweet romance. I am a spicy reader, so my critique may be in part related to that letdown. I didn’t find the actual prose to be stellar, the length was a little long, and the MMC (while VERY endearing and sweet) came off a little too predictable? I would recommend it for a light, easy, sweet read. But it doesn’t meet my typical rating criteria of uniqueness, heat, or complexity.

Wow! I wanted to read this book because of the clever title. I loved every moment of this story. The romantic tension, the found family, the relationship that is a true partnership, the town, the ranch life, the bond with the animals, the rodeo circuit. Loved it all. This is a clean romance but there’s plenty of chemistry. This book is also so funny! A new favorite for sure! Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4 stars)

Waitlyn Andrew delivers again with her sophomore romcom, Rider’s Block. After whisking us away on a delicious adventure in Paris with Yes, Chef, she now brings us a love story set in the stunning Colorado plains, pairing a cowboy with a romance writer.

Amelia, a successful romance author, hits a roadblock when her latest cowboy-themed book gets rejected 14 times. The reason? She’s never actually spent any time in the Colorado plains she writes about. When the opportunity arises to live on a real cowboy ranch for some hands-on research, the last thing Amelia expects is to meet Eric Randall—a grumpy, handsome cowboy who just might steal her heart. Through rodeos, new friendships, and the warmth of a found family, Amelia and Eric discover they’re at their best when working together to achieve their dreams.

This book was such a delight to read! The character development was especially well done, with both Amelia and Eric growing individually and learning to love and be loved in return. I also adored the side characters (horses included!). Waitlyn did a brilliant job of immersing readers in the setting—you can feel the warmth of the sun, see the night stars, admire the sunsets, and almost smell the cinnamon rolls. It’s an utterly cozy fall read that will leave you smiling.

Highly recommended for fans of closed-door romances, cowboys, and the grumpy/sunshine trope.

Thank you to Netgally and the publisher for an advanced copy for my honest opinion.

Absolutely adored this book! The lush scenery, the vividly three dimensional characters, and an author FMC!? Three of my favorite things. Though it was closed door, the tension between Mia and Eric was palpable and didn’t make me feel like I was missing anything. A great read for fans of Western/cowboy romances!

This was an absolutely amazing book! It was my first cowboy romance and I loved the writing style. I really enjoyed the vivid descriptions of everything, the food, scenery etc. Penny by far was my favorite character, she was so outgoing and funny! I definitely recommend this book.

I got this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.

If you loved chestnut springs by Elsie Silver you will like this book! Waitlyn Andrews had me ready to move to Colorado’s cowboy country! My LONG TBR had me dreading picking up another book not on my TBR but I’m really glad this was the one I picked up.

Gosh! Well my hearts been warmed!! What a slow burn country romance!!!
First before I truly get started I LOVE a book with a playlist so already I had high hopes and this did not disappoint!
Something I truly loved about this book is how everyone at the ranch took her in with open arms and the slow burn .. we love a slow burn over here. I also appreciated how this one had no spice, sometime I just need a heart warming book I can cuddle up by the fire with and this was truly it!
I think this book and this book alone has put me in my cowboy era and I will now only be reading cowboy books!

Thanks to NetGalley and Waitlyn Andrews for an ARC of Rider's Block in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4/5
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Absolutely adored this book! It's the perfect cozy cowboy romance - not overly cliché, but with just enough stakes to make you feel like you're reading your way through a Hallmark movie with extra excitement and heartfelt moments. I'm really hoping this turns into a series. It would be fun to continue the story through the perspectives of the other characters.

I think I might be in my cowboy era. I cannot get enough of swoony cowboy romance books and this one was right up there. I admittedly didn't realize this one has no spice in it, and I do tend to prefer my romance books with a bit of spice, but this one was still cute. At first I didn't really love Eric's character because there is being grumpy and then there is just being standoffish and I thought he was a bit too aloof. As time went on he definitely grew on me and the way he looked out for Emelia was wonderful. I do hate that his name was Eric but that is a personal preference!

Overall this was wonderfully done, and I look forward to reading more from Waitlyn Andrews.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is an excellent book - i don't read a lot of closed door romance because I generally like a little spice in my life, but Rider's Block was great and I didn't miss the spice at all - the love stories (yes, there is more than one) carried me through. It's a slow-burn cowboy romance that hits you right in the feels.

I absolutely adored Eric and Amelia's story: I loved the way Eric was so patient with her and knew he had to wait for her to be ready. And I loved how Amelia not only won Eric's heart, but his family's as well.

If you are looking for an emotional pick-me-up that will make you laugh and believe in love, pick this one up!


Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The quintessential cowboy romance.

Mr Eric Randall - I love you.

This book was perfect it had everything I wanted. Not one romance but two. I love Dean and Penny paving their story on the side, and how the four of them were constantly giving each other advice but unable to sort their own lives out.

Get me some red cowboy boots. I’m off to Colorado.

4.5⭐️
such a cute slow burn cowboy romance!!!! when ameila an author is writing a cowboy romance she decides she needs some hands on experience- her friend offers for her to stay at her family's ranch in colorado. so she can do some research. being there she meets eric a wild cowboy who has a lot to show her about the rodeo life and farm life. they have insane chemistry but, mia is too guarded to let him in. luckily though eric is persistent and knows she is the one he wants. his family welcomes her with open arms and soon enough they are falling in love. this book was so so good and i truly enjoyed it.

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.