I officially declare 2024 as the year of the cowboy romance. I don’t know that I’ve seen as many cowboy romance books in bookstores as I have this year, with Holding the Reins soon to join the masses.

CeCe Ashby has been going through it. After breaking up with her cheating fiancé and losing her father, she returns home to Laurel Creek, Kentucky, to quietly pick up the pieces of her life. When her brother’s best friend and retired NHL star, Nash Carter, hires her to manage his skating rink’s financial accounts, the two move from family friends, to coworkers, to something a little more.

Holding the Reins has some of my very favorite tropes: small town romance, brother’s best friend, and work place romance. I enjoyed the dual points of view as well, and felt like it gave more depth to the characters, particularly Nash. I have a feeling more books will come in this series and am keeping my fingers crossed for one featuring Cole and Ginger (if you know, you know). There were definitely cringy moments and dialogue, but it was a fun read overall. If you’re in the market for a “cowboy-esque” romance with lovable characters, this is the one for you!

Thank you to Netgalley and Dell Books for the ARC!

Thank you Netgally for providing me with an E- ARC for my honest review!

Super cute small town cowboy romance! Throw in an ex hockey playing brother’s best friend from your childhood… perfection!!
This book had me giggling constantly, absolutely loved the banter. Great side characters that I am hoping we get to see more of!
Nash…. Whew, the mouth on this man is scorching…
I ate this one up in a couple days. Definitely recommend.

4/5 Stars

Thank you to Dell Romance for providing me with an e-arc to read.

I absolutely love a good small town cowboy romance and add in the fact he also is an ex-hockey player and I was sold. This book was a fun take on ex playboy hockey player and brother’s best friend trope with our fmc who just got out of a long term relationship and has returned home. I can’t wait to continue this series as I really loved the cast of characters.

CeCe Ashby is finally returning home to escape her toxic relationship that has consumed most of her adult life. She isn’t sure what her future holds but she knows it can’t be with her ex and it was time to come home. Nash Carter, is a retired hockey player and CeCe’s brother’s best friend and overall he has been unofficial adopted into the Ashby family. It has been years since they last were really together but now there is undeniable chemistry between CeCe and Nash and they don’t really want to fight it when they could jump off the deep end together.

I loved how into CeCe, Nash was the entire time. Whenever she would be at the bar he worked at he would basically scare of men that likely wanted nothing more than her body and he was protective even if he didn’t realize why. CeCe is just coming out of a long term relationship but she had known for months it was over she just had to find a way to leave. She never expected the playboy brother’s best friend to be the one she catches feelings for but she can’t deny what she feels. I loved their relationship and I really liked the conflict towards the end and how it was handled.

Overall I can’t wait to continue this series soon and I recommend this one if you want a spicy small town cowboy romance who also is a retired hockey player. It was really fun and a solid read.

The premise of this sounded fun to me but the execution didn’t quite work in my opinion. The attraction between CeCe and Nash seemed purely physical and the intimate scenes were centered on Nash’s pleasure and his demands. I didn’t really understand or get to know CeCe at all other than what we’re told - she’s super hot and amazing at her job. I’m not sure how Nash is able to juggle the million jobs he seems to have either.

Anyway, while this wasn’t for me, I think readers who like cowboy/hockey/forbidden romance may enjoy this.

Thank you to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

“Where do you want me, Mr.Carter?” 🧾

“I’m starting to think I’d stay with CeCe as long as she let me” 🥃

ARC Review:

This book had all my favorite things! Hockey, cowboys, and brother’s best friend trope! These characters were so obviously obsessed with each other from the first chapter and watching them fight that was half the fun of reading this book. This book does a great job of showing grief in many forms and showing that you can still experience grief and guilt years after a traumatic event. I’m always appreciative of a story that holds truth behind it. I loved that Nash really proved that he wasn’t a player anymore, but you still saw the sexy side of him in the bedroom. I also loved that CeCe and Nash were vulnerable with each other! Once I really started reading this book I couldn’t put it down! Ginger and Olivia brought the comedic relief and Mabel was a shining star!! The spice was giving in this book and it was so expertly done that it made complete sense when it was included! I can’t wait read Paisley Hope’s next book!! 💚🫶🏻

This book releases on October 21st in North America and I will be preordering my copy ASAP! 🩷

I requested this because it felt like my vibe. I love a cowboy romance. Brother's best friend is a guilty pleasure. Protective MMC. It's sort of forbidden, but they can't stop thinking about one another. Holding the Reins had all the right ingredients for me, down to a gorgeous cover.

However, a book needs to be more than its tropes, and this wasn't that for me. The characters are flat. I found myself cringing most of the time. HTR felt like a wishlist of tropes with characters that annoyed me more than they entertained me. This had potential, but it wasn't met with the final draft. I had to force myself to reach 50% of this book before accepting it's not for me.

Thank you, Random House for this e-arc in exchange for an honest and free review!

If you need me, I’ll be at Silver Pines Ranch with the Ashby’s and everyone else from Laurel Creek, Kentucky.

Cece returns home to her family ranch after ending an 8 year relationship. She’s ready to get back to her roots and start over, but she wasn’t ready for her brothers’ best friend and town golden boy, Nash Carter, to be who she wants to spend time with.

Did I mention he’s her new boss? YEAH.

Holding the Reins is a fast-paced romance that will have you laughing, crying, kicking your feet, and gasping (I’m looking at you, Nash Carter).

Read if you like:
🤎 Small Town Romance
🤎 Brothers’ Best Friend
🤎 Cowboy Romance (part time still counts😍)
🤎 Hockey Romance from the Part-Time Cowboy
🤎 BANTER
🤎 Found Family

I’m so happy this is going to be a series and cannot wait to see what happens with the next love story!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

I love the cover and the title! This is going to be a catchy series. The writing pulled me in from the start and I liked how the story unfolded. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I am a sucker for a small town cowboy romance and I think Paisley Hope may just be a new favorite author for this ! Holding the Reins is book one of the series Silver Pines Ranch and I feel in love!

Cece Ashby is back at her family ranch after living away for almost a decade. She has just broken up with her fiancé and needs to be with her family in her small town.
“Note to self: you’re home now, where everyone will know everything you do before you even think of doing it.”

Nash is dedicated to work and being there for his pseudo family. The Ashby’s took Nash in when tragedy struck and he will forever be grateful for the life they gave him. But he isn’t prepared for when the youngest Ashby comes home and turns his world upside down.
“What’s slowly becoming apparent to me is what CeCe Ashby wants from me, she gets.”

Cece and Nash were a perfect one night stand that was destined to be so much more. They were great for each other in every way. The side characters of Cece’s brothers and her two best friends were also so fun. I’m excited for Wade Ashby’s story next!
Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔥: “Crawl to me, baby”

Holding the Reins has become one of my top favorite cowboy romances. The story follows our MMC Nash, a part time cowboy/ex NHL/businessowner/cinnamon roll and our FMC Cece, who works for Nash as his new accountant/administrator for one of his businesses. Cece is a strong and badass woman who had just recently broken off her engagement from her lying and cheating fiance. Nash and Cece are characters that are so beautifully written that you cannot help but root and cheer for them. Nash is understandbly going through some guilt and trauma that makes him very scared of commitment. Cece being fresh off of her relationship was not looking for anything serious. Of course as it always goes, nothing is casual and they both fall in love. I truly love the dynamics of their relationship. Nash and Cece have been together since childhood and Nash being her brothers' bestfriend has also caused some doubts and ripples in Nash's mind. I love how even though there is some miscommunication it all worked out in the end. I lloved their love story and was giddy throughout the book. The spicy scenes were also beautifully written. You could just feel the love they have for each other, not just in those scenes but in everything else outside of their bedroom. The other great thing about this book is the side characters. I wish all of them will have their own book, but I love Cece's friendship with the Not Angels. I especially loved Ginger and am very intrigued about Ivy. As for the boys, I love Wade and Cole and I'm so excited to read their books too. They are the best brothers for both Cece and Nash. Their Grandpa Dean was so funny! Lastly, I love Mama Jo. She is just that perfect mother that Cece and her family and eventually Nash needed.

Overall, such an amazing read. I love all the tropes. I love how it showed more than the love story of Nash and Cece but also how they dealt with heartbreak, grief, doubts and anxieties. The family and friendships dynamic in the book worked so well in the book too! 5⭐️ and is definitely high recommended.

Thank you to the author Paisley Hope, her publisher and NetGalley for this copy. I am looking forward to Taming The Heart. ❤️

⭐⭐⭐⭐ This was a solid brother's best friend romance, which is one of my favorite tropes! Also love the small town vibes and all the shenanigans that come with it. Our MMC, Nash, was everythingggg. He was definitely giving "touch her and die" vibes. Also, the fact that he was a reformed playboy and even tried to deny his connection to CeCe by going on another date was *chef's kiss* 👌👌👌. CeCe, the FMC, was learning to rebuild herself now that she was single, and it was giving *queen*. I loved that Nash took care of her and she deserved it. Overall, a solid cowboy/small town romance that I'd recommend to others.

This review has been published on Goodreads, 19th September 2024.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6861340036

I really wanted to love this book, because the premise sounded quite interesting, and I really tried, don't believe I didn't, but I'm sorry to report this book wasn't for me.

I have to give props to the author for keeping this book country, because I believe sometimes, even when it implies the book is *country* the essence gets lost in translation. However, that and the cover might be the only things I liked about this book.

Let's start with my main issue: this book was pretty uneventful all throughout. I felt like even as I reached the 45€ mark, nothing had happened yet, and on top of all that I could not fell a single ounce of connection betweeen the main characters, other that a s*xual one, because oh boy do they have s*x.

I have to say, the only portray of southern people I have comes from southern charm, and it’s not like they behave that well—if you know, you know— but I don’t really think they act the way the author portrayed them (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong).

One aspect of the premise that made me want to read this book was the age gap. I normally don’t have trouble with age gap—unless one of them is older by a mile and they knew the other MC when this one was a baby—, but for some strange reason, I din't feel entirely confortable with that. What do you mean he grew up with her brothers, acting like another brother when she was just a kid?

Maybe I've reached the point in my reading journey where reading books with smut is not the main attraction anymore, but must there be so much s*x? It’s like they were constantly having some sort of s*xual encounter, and it made it uncomfortable to read. Also, CeCe, honey, if you are old enough to have s*x, you are old enough to call a dick exactly that, because what to you mean she was calling it a freight train? *eye roll accompanied by a gag*
*Come, little queen, soak my face. Baptize me…and then, I’ll fuck you like the king that owns this pussy.* no words, but not in a good way

They got engaged way too fast imo, like I don't think this couple has what it takes to put in the work and have a happy life, or maybe I'm wrong and they'll be misserable together forever.

A note · His nickname for his daughter is little tendy, and all i could think about was chicken tenders; also, their baby boy is called Rex—like a dinosaur.

Thank you to Paisley Hope, Random House Publishing, and NetGalley for the review copy of Holding the Reins!

Thank you NetGalley & Dell Romance for allowing me access to this ebook!
Holding The Reins by Paisley Hope will be released on October 22. It's a cowboy romance where Cecilia "CeCe" Ashby returns to her family’s ranch in Laurel Creek, Kentucky, to rebuild her life after leaving a toxic relationship. Nash Carter, a recently retired hockey star and long-time family friend, can’t help but notice that CeCe is no longer the little sister he once teased.
Read this if you want a cowboy romance with a former hockey player (!!), plenty of smut, dual POV and little sister best friend who is off limit!

This felt like a lot...like from the dedication up to the first chapter I knew it was going to be a wild *literally* ride. This is definitely a quick, spicy, comfort read with a whole lot of tropes. Thanks for the ARC!!

Okay, this book is hands down, one of the best books I've read! It is so far my favorite ones of this year. It was DARLING! Prep yourself for all your heartstrings to be pulled with this one. It was precious. The sweetest story.

With books like this I’m certain I’ll always be in my cowboy romance era. No exaggeration, I binge read this in one sitting. 𝑯𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒔 was such a feel good read. It was sweet, funny, emotional, and everything I want in a romance. I loved the leads, 𝘕𝘢𝘴𝘩 + 𝘊𝘦𝘊𝘦. Getting both of their POV’s was so enjoyable because I genuinely liked each of these characters. Their love story was perfect. The spice had me blushing. The family dynamic was incredible. I just really loved this book.

I am looking forward to the next book in the series. This 𝚂𝚒𝚕𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝙿𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜 𝚁𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚑 series is definitely going to be my newest cowboy romance obsession. I definitely recommend checking it out. 𝑯𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒔 is a must read for Cowboy romance fans.

ᴛʀᴏᴘᴇꜱ:
🤠 Cowboy Romance
🏘️ Small Town Romance
💕 Brother's Best Friend
😍 He Falls First
💪🏼 Protective MMC
✨ Age Gap
🏒 Former Hockey Player MMC

“𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘦.”

Thank you to Paisley Hope, Random House Publishing, and NetGalley for the review copy of 𝑯𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒔!

This book was cute, though I think I may have hit my spicy limit with it 🥵 It was verrrry, very 🌶️🌶️🌶️ & not at all for the faint of heart. While it’s not the spiciest book I’ve ever read, it certainly comes pretty close.

If you’re a fan of ultra sexy rom-coms, this one will be right up your alley.

That said, I’ve come to realize that cowboy romances might not be my personal favorite. However, I still found it enjoyable and appreciated the chance to dive into this world. I do plan on reading future releases from the Silver Pine’s Ranch series!

The characters were charming, and the chemistry between CeCe and Nash was undeniable + sizzled right off the page.

Overall, it was a fun, very sexy read, and I’m glad I gave it a shot! #yeehaw

Holding The Reigns will be released on October 22nd, and will definitely be a must-read for all of my Cowboy-romance loving friends

Holding the Reigns is the perfect small town romance. I loved the inclusions of found family, brothers best friend, the part time cowboy, and NHL star. In true small town fashion the town gossip from the very beginning had me hooked.

CeCe and Nash have my heart. Getting to know eachother again, working together and spending time on the ranch together builds their relationship, while you get to see both of their lust and emotions develop during the dual povs. Their banter was so perfect for people who have known eachother their whole lives.

The discussions on their shared and separate grief were written so well. The topic of parental loss was handled carefully and I love the way CeCe talks to Nash about it on page. Both characters build on a personal level but Nash's character development definitely stole the show.

The bourbon scene 🫣

The inclusion of CeCe's brothers and her friends have me waiting (not so patiently) for everyone's stories. This was an amazing start to the Silver Pines Ranch series.

I loved both Nash and CeCe so much, but also this book was filled to the brim with incredible side characters it was impossible not to love this! I loved seeing Nash’s growth and learning to trust and love CeCe despite being scared of getting hurt due to last trauma. He was protective of her, so sweet, and so dang spicy.. the MOUTH on this man 🤤 the bourbon, the crawling to her, the “SIT ON YOUR THRONE” hot diggity dog 🔥🔥🔥 seeing his growth throughout this book was incredible. Top tier book BF.

CeCe is an incredibly lovable, down to earth and brilliant FMC. She is healing from a past horrible relationship and learning to find the love she deserves. She also is dealing with the grief of losing a parent (which I unfortunately know all too well) and her journey was so relatable to me. Seeing her slowly heal, love herself and figure out what she deserves was great. Her girl gang was so funny and I wish I could join them at sangria Sunday! I was rooting for her the whole time, she’s a queen.

Overall this was an incredible read, it was everything you want in a romance with the tension, angst, and spice. The plot was amazing and the pacing was perfect to keep you hooked the whole time! The characters were all so lovable even the side ones! I cannot wait to return to Silver Pines and see what comes for the rest of the gang! 🩷🩷

~Romance, Small-town, Brother's Best Friend, and more!~

Holding The Reins by Paisley Hope follows recently single CeCe Ashby. After leaving her long-term toxic relationship, CeCe is finally home at her family's horse ranch in Laurel Creek, Kentucky. CeCe finds out that even though she is home, things have changed. Since her father's death, Nash Carter, her brother's best friend, has taken a bigger part at the ranch and in the town. It seems like everywhere she is, he appears. So when CeCe goes to apply for the one job in town that uses her degree, its no surprise her new boss is Nash. Still, CeCe is not past the years of tormenting her brothers and Nash put her through, not to mention his constant need to protect her from everything and everyone. So when things between them start to cross the line from friends to more, they are determined to keep things professional. But sometimes, feelings can't be hidden, and chances have to be taken.

4.5| This is an adorable and quick read. I sped through this book in one sitting because it was so hard to put down. I absolutely loved the family dynamic in this book. I enjoyed how well-balanced all the characters were; they all had quirks and interesting backstories. While I do wish certain characters were elaborated on more, I assume it was done intentionally, and I am excited to read more in future books. A part of this book that I was glad was touched on was grief. It was discussed on both sides and showcased how people deal with situations differently. Neither character's pushed the other to talk about certain things. While some parts of this book were over the top and a little much, I was pleased that the grief portion was dealt with in a realistic and gracious way. CeCe's father was always remembered, and his memory was never far from both characters. He was remembered in such a sweet way throughout the book that it was heartwarming to read. I wish we had seen more of Nash's relationship with Cole and Wade. While we see glimpses of it throughout his POV, I wanted to see more.

I loved the descriptions of the scenery in this book. Especially when compared to where CeCe used to live, that contrast was significant and said a lot about her character and her past. One part I didn't enjoy was in the beginning, where Nash constantly mentioning CeCe is like family. I understand he is trying to convince himself, but it just seems weird. I found the balance of the day-to-day life and romance was well done. We got to see some bits of CeCes job while also seeing how her relationship was developing. I liked how CeCe had a soild group of friends. She had a strong support system that continued despite everything going on. I initially disliked Ginger but eventually warmed up to her because of her unwavering loyalty to CeCe. The epilogue was cute and did a great job wrapping the book up.

Overall, this was a great read and a more amazing debut book. The characters had great chemistry, the side characters had depth, and the scenery was picturesque. This book is a perfect mix of different tropes that it has something for everyone! I am excited to see what's next for this series and for this author!