I really enjoyed this! A down on her luck author and a German Shepherd cowboy falling in love? Yes please!!

This was my first cowboy romance novel and I am HOOKED! Rider’s Block follows author Amelia Greene. She just got the news that her latest book (a cowboy mystery) has been denied by 14 publishers! The main reason being that she has never been to Colorado, where her novel takes place. To rectify that, she books a small cabin on a ranch in the Colorado plains to fully immerse herself in ranch life.

I had a great time reading this book! Amelia was a lot of fun and it was really neat seeing her go to a new place and make new friends. As an adult, making new friends is hard!!! I now also want to go to the rodeo and get myself a pair of cowboy boots.

Rider’s Block will be out on September 24, 2024. Run, don’t walk, to get your hands on this book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I wanted to love this so much but I felt like it was missing a lot of the meat of the story. The dialogue was a bit bare bones, the dialogue itself worked but there was a lack of interiority. Considering the entire book was from Amelia's point of view, I didn't get enough of her thoughts and opinions. The base of the story was so fun and I would have enjoyed it a lot more if it had that interiority and addition meat.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review

Thank you netgalley for the ARC of this book!

Waitlyn Andrews really out did herself with this book! Grumpy sunshine, and rodeo count me in! This is such a sweet little romance book based in small town Colorado! I will be giving this book 4 ⭐️!!! Not only did I love the main characters in this book, but I also really love to supporting characters. I felt like they really added to this book and she nailed it. She even got the rodeo and rancher aspects right in this book!

Love, love, love this book. This will give you all the hearts in your eyes. This is one of those books you go to when you are feeling down and want something to lift you up. I can reread this book and find more things to love about it. At first it was Amelia who melted Eric’s grumpy heart, but Eric had to be strong and patient to knock down those walls blocking Amelia’s heart. We all need an Eric in our lives. Makes me want to go enjoy the cowboy life. All the characters are wonderful, from his brothers to Amelia’s new friends, to the loveable horses, even Denis, they make this book so much better. This is a must read and will not disappoint. Kudos to Waitlyn and I cannot wait to read more from her. Thanks NetGalley for an advance copy for a review.

Waitlyn Andrews has become a must-read author for me, following her swoony romance debut, YES, CHEF, and now with her first Western love story. And I usually don't read cowroms, but it's Waitlyn and I had to and I'm so glad I did! Contemporary romance fans will adore it too!

loved this romance about a writer and cowboy and slowly falling in love. I loved dean and penny and the whole family. Loved that she figured things out and found love.

*Thank you NetGalley for the E-Arc*

4.1⭐️

I had mixed feelings about this book towards the beginning but ultimately I ended up really enjoying it. I love a grumpy cowboy and so many of the side characters were really enjoyable.

My 2 biggest complaints were for 300 pages it felt very drawn out and sometimes the writing felt more like talking rather then an descriptive story.

But overall I really liked it.

As Mia says partway through the book, “I’m living for it.”

Mia comes to a Colorado ranch to do some research for her latest novel. There she meets Eric; he’s a handsome cowboy whose surly attitude hides the fact that he is smitten with her. As the months roll along, their relationship grows naturally and you’ll swoon alongside Mia every time Eric calls her “Babe” or “Red.”

This book has two mature characters navigating their feelings by communicating. It is extremely refreshing. Mia doesn’t back down from her non-negotiables in a relationship. Eric understands that and meets her where she is. The patience and understanding that Eric shows to Mia is steadfast. In return, she envelopes herself in his family and community.

Absolutely recommend this book. It is standalone and closed door.

4.5 ⭐️!!!!!!

I so sincerely loved this book and am so grateful to be an ARC reader for it. This book is the beautiful story of two strangers who get off on the wrong foot (because he’s a grumpy cowboy, yee haw) but who find common ground in a friendship and reconcile into something so much more!

This book captures the concepts of a found family and just showing kindness in such a beautiful and thoughtful way. I truly hope this isn’t the last we see of this Eastern Colorado crew!

A multi-successful book author finally hits her goal of financial stability and decides that instead of writing the way she always has, to finally follow
her heart and lean into her latest book. Instead of following her previous formulaic approach, she goes for a cowboy mystery based in Colorado. This promptly gets rejected by 14 publishers for her missing the mark. After feedback that she really didn't know the cowboy life she wrote about, a friend offers for her to stay at her aunt and uncles ranch for the summer to immerse herself in the life, and figure out where her book went wrong. She packs her bags in California, heads out to Colorado and meets surly and massive cowboy Eric, and his sweet and charming parents Nancy and George. They run the ranch with his two brothers, spouses and partners, and a bunch of ranch hands in tow.

This starts off as a grumpy/sunshine vibe, with Eric being openly hostile and Amelia trying to fit into a brand new world for book research. I loved how much you truly learn about Saddle Bronc and other rodeo events to the point you feel immersed in the atmosphere. The small-town vibe was sweet and lighthearted, with the big family being meddling and comical, made the book an easy read.

I did find parts of the novel to feel long and repetitive. I can understand that Amelia had to work through her own trauma, but 100 pages of progress started to feel a little redundant over time. It also felt like there were some pointless extra characters. Her family trauma was one thing, but adding on a lackluster boyfriend and friends just felt a little excessive. It didn't take away from the story, but it felt like more background than needed.

I personally am also not a fan of grown adults with previous relationships being overly chaste. Closed-door books are one thing, but the idea they only kissed for over half a year before abruptly taking a massive leap in their relationship just stood a little too far outside of reality for me. Again, not that it took away from the book overall, it just drew me out of it enough to not have that same satisfaction of a romance well told.

All in all, I'd recommend this one, it was sweet, funny, and a good read for when you're in a slump!

“I like you in my hat.” “I like wearing your hat.”

Amelia decides to finally head to Colorado, after getting rejected by multiple publishers, because apparently she didn’t have enough knowledge about the theme. And how the life there was. So she rents a little cabin at a ranch where she gets invited into a family quickly. When she also meets Eric, the grumpiest cowboy ever. For weeks she tries to not be in the way for him. Or annoy him. But what if he doesn’t think she’s that annoying after all.

Okay, so I picked this up because I was mindlessly scrolling through goodreads and netgalley, trying to find my next read. And then I stumbled across this one. I had never heard about the books or the author before. But the cover and description was calling my name.

I really loved the writing, and now I’m intrigued to read her other book. (Fun fact: this is her second published book) I really love finding new authors like this! There are so many good ones out there that are just waiting to be discovered.

Anyway, I do love me a good first person pov. But I would have looooovvvveeeeedddd to read about his thoughts. Like I mean he’s a grumpy cowboy. Why would I not? But I can’t really complain about that when everything else was so perfect.

And I loved all of the characters, even all the family members bla bla (not her dad). I really wish she would turn this into a series. A dream come true. Like Penny and Dean (that was his name right) and also all the others.

I really loved this whole universe. And I will be thinking about this book for loooooong.

Okay, now my likes. First of the setting, because like imagine yourself on a ranch. With horses and hot cowboys?!?!? Then, the characters. I would die to have Eric. And I'm being serious. And just the whole aesthetic is such a vibe. I felt like I was there. Gosh, I really wish I was.

To the hard part, dislikes… I cannot come up with anything. I do have a wish though. That I mentioned earlier. I wish that we got Eric's pov. Like I could read a book with only his pov. And I wouldn't be bored.

I recommend this for anyone that loves a hot grumpy cowboy. 🤠

Also a big thank you to netgalley and Waitlyn for providing me with this fantastic earc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun, quick read that I enjoyed, but I also wish there was some spice to it. I kept waiting for it to happen… and it never did. I know some people seek out closed door romances, so this would be a great book for those readers. In the foreward, the author mentions that she is self published, and I hope publishers will pick up this book because it’s so much better than a lot of books I’ve read on KU.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for this digital ARC.

I DNFed this after two chapters, so I can't really speak to the characters and/or story.
I just feel like this hasn't been edited yet and I really struggle with that. I understand ARCs aren't the finished product just yet, but I can't go through with this.

4.5 ⭐️

This book was adorable! It was a quick read and you can’t put it down once you start.

The MMC Eric is a great book boyfriend! He is grumpy on the outside but a loveable teddy bear on the inside. It wasn’t insta love like so many romances it was a well developed slow burn. Not only do the leads have great character development but Eric’s family does too. I’m hoping we get more books with this family.

I do wish we got dual POV as this is my favorite way to read romance.

Waitlyn Andrews has me in a chokehold!! I was captivated by Yes Chef!, so when I got her email that Rider's Block was available on NetGalley, I ran to grab it! Cowboys are my kryptonite, and this book definitely had me weak. A grumpy, gruff, rodeo-cowboy/bibliophile with a soft spot for Jane Austen??!! I was drooling. This book was laugh out loud funny, heart warming, and tear jerking at times. The scenery descriptions were so vivid and beautiful that the reader feels like they are a part of Colorado ranch life. I absolutely adored the peppered references to Jane Austen works, Frozen, and even Friends. I absolutely could not put this book down. I will be rereading it and will probably be purchasing a pair of cowboy boots and planning a trip west. I am for certain anxious for the next Waitlyn Andrews book!
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC early in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are 100% my own.

This book had me hooked right from the beginning! I loved all of our character and the development they go through. I love how broody Eric is right from the start. These characters are so well written they could jump off the page and be people you meet in real life. I also love Eric's family dynamic they seem so wonderful you wish you could be apart of their family. I also love how Amelia makes friends with the local western store owner. This being the first book I have read from this author I wasn't sure what to expect. It hit all the marks for me.

Overall I'm giving this book a 5/5 stars. The only thing that would have made me like this book even more is if it had been dual POV. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a cowboy romance with well written characters that you just can't help but fall in love with.

The blend of romance and humor is spot-on. Amelia and Eric’s banter is electric, and the simmering attraction adds so much depth. It’s a perfect mix of charming, funny, and romantic that feels genuine and refreshing. In short, this read is like a fun, emotional rollercoaster, and I loved every minute of it!

This was such a fun romance! I know it’s a great book when I look at the percentage read on my kindle and am relieved to see I have a lot left. The characters were lovable, the descriptive settings were immersive, and it was a fun glimpse into cowboy life.

Amelia + Eric 🫶🏻

This book gave me aaalll the feels 🥹 I love the idea of an author visiting a ranch to really learn what ranch/cowboy life is. After one too many rejections on her book, Amelia flies to Colorado to see what she’s missing. Amelia is such an easy character to love. She’s willing to learn and be involved on the ranch and she’s respectful to how the life is 🥰

Eric 🥹🥹 he starts off as grumpy and moody but really he is kind-hearted, respectful and patient. Once he was ready to go all in, he was there for Amelia until she was ready. The slow burn in this was absolutely perfect and I loved that they took their time and really grew with each other before labeling anything.

The Randall family made their way into my heart and I hope to see more of them! Found family has been one of my new favorite tropes and I’m definitely adding this book to my suggestions.