This was the PERFECT read for me while I’m in my sports & cowboy romance era!
CeCe Ashby returns to small town Kentucky after a broken engagement. She isn't quite sure what path to take next, so
her brother's best friend, retired NHL player Nash Carter, offers her a job. Nash has always been super close to the Ashby siblings and has felt protective of CeCe, but he's blindsided by his attraction to her now. As the days go on, Cece’s dislike for Nash turns into desire.

I adored all the characters as well as the immaculate tension and spice. I can never get enough of small town brothers best friend romances!

The mouth on this man was FILTHY in the best way possible. I will hear Nash Carter in my dreams.

Not me a girl that’s been thriving in her dark/bully romance era picking up this Brother’s Best Friend Cowboy romance and ADORING it!

"We're not a phase. We're the exact opposite of a phase. You're my always. I fucking love you more than I've ever loved anything in this life and I came here to make sure you knew it. Following you across the country is nothing. I'm going to follow you everywhere you go for the rest of this life. And then, I'm going to follow you into the next.”

A tall, tatted, hockey-playing, part-time cowboy with a tragic past, a filthy mouth, and a heart of gold?! SAY LESS! Nash is HERE to make me swoon. Over and over. Then blush 🤭 then we had CeCe who is a sassy, strong FMC. Their coupling was just precious, and with the great banter and quirky small town, it just made the story so quick to become invested in!

“Right here on the shore with CeCe in this simple moment, I know I want more moments like this with her. I want to be there for more firsts and I want her— not just for one night, and not in secret. I think I want her for as long as she'll have me. The thought causes my heart to beat faster and fucking terrifies me all at the same time.”

🩷 Brother’s Best Friend
💚Small Town Romance
🤠Retired Hockey Player turned Part-Time Cowboy, Part-Time Bartender

As a girl that is VERY critical of a Brothers Best Friend trope, I for the most part enjoyed how this was written! Why the brothers are concerned over Nash & Cece MAKE SENSE and it’s not filled with heaps of gross toxic masculinity!

I love this woman like I've never loved anyone or anything. I love her more than the sun on my face rising over the mountain, the feel of fresh ice under my skates, or hoisting that cup over my head. I love my little firefly like I have no other option, and the truth is maybe I never have.

Final Rating: 4.25⭐️, 3.5🌶️

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange of my honest review! Sorry it’s so belated 😅Now off to devour Training the Heart! WADE AND IVY BRING IT ON!

Picture this: a tall, tatted, hockey-playing, part-time cowboy with a tragic past, a filthy mouth, and a heart of gold. 😍 Nash is EVERYTHING—a swoon-worthy mix of charm, spice, and depth that sets a new standard for book boyfriends. Ladies, brace yourselves!

This small-town romance brought ALL the feels. CeCe is a sassy, strong FMC with a relatable journey that totally snuck up on me. Watching her character growth alongside Nash’s (hello, that unforgettable scene near the end!) was so satisfying. Their banter? Perfect. Their chemistry? Off the charts. The spice? Chef’s kiss. Paisley Hope, you did THAT. 👏

And let’s not forget the supporting cast—the Ashby family and CeCe’s friends were pure joy. I was laughing, blushing, and soaking up every second. Special shoutout to Mama Jo and the hilarious Sangria Sundays! 🍹

If you’re into small-town vibes, brother’s best friend, found family, cowboys, hockey, and some "touch her and I’ll unalive you" energy, this one’s for you. Oh, and the spice lovers? Yeah, you’ll be thanking Paisley too. 😉

Huge thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and Paisley Hope for this amazing ARC. I’m already counting down the days for book two—because I NEED more of this series in my life! 🖤🔥

Holding the Reins reminded me why I love small town cowboy romances so much, not to mention that it’s brother’s best friend trope which was the cherry on top for me.
CeCe’s a kind of heroine I’ll always root for, seeing her find herself again in her hometown after a broken engagement and fall in love with her brother’s best friend Nash, who is a dirty talking cowboy that I would read multiple books about.
The small town Kentucky setting was dreamy and the perfect escape from the real world.
Anyway, CeCe and Nash were red hot and I can’t wait to see what this series has in store for us next.

wow do I love me a cowboy romance!!!

I loved Nash and Cece’s relationship in this story, they’re such strong hearted people who’ve dealt with pains & grief in their life. they find a way to truly know and love each other in the way they haven’t before that lets them really have such a strong, tender, spicy love story!

I also loved meeting all the characters in this story, getting excited to read more from this author and this series!!!

the only thing I didn’t love in this book was some sexist language used toward a side character, who is admittedly not a good person, I just didn’t like the use of the words (tramp, slut, etc.) in describing them, even though I understood the disdain toward this character.

thank you for the arc!!!

I'm NOTHING if not constantly on the prowl for new small-town cowboy romance series to get lost in. HOLDING THE REINS made me see that Paisley Hope has some potential!

A cute cowboy romance for lovers of Elsie Silver and Lyla Sage!
I enjoyed the dynamic between Cece and Nash a lot. The banter was great. Tropes: brothers best friend, somewhat workplace romance and small town.

I started out loving this book! Cowboy romance sign me up! I did end up falling into a reading slump, I'm sure if read this at another time it would of been a 5 star.

DNF @30%

There didn't seem to be much of a plot. There wasn't any chemistry between the couple and I hated the way he treated her. I'm also not a fan of insta-lust.

SO SO SO GOOD from start to finish!! The spicy was spicy, the tension was tensioning, everything was perfection. I am so excited to see what is going to happen with the rest of the series.

This book was such an adorable cowboy romance. Cece is such a fun character. Her point of views were my favorite and I absolutely loved her group of friends. The whole sangria sundays at the bar was hilarious and I wish my town had a tradition like that. I loved the romance so much. Nash and Cece are perfect for each other. They compliment each other so well and I love their banter. I can't wait to read more in this series because the side characters were just as strong as the main characters in this.

Read this steamy romance if you like:

✨dual pov
✨small town, cowboy romance
✨brother's best friend/best friend's sister
✨age gap
✨forced proximity
✨ touch her and 💀
✨shower and hair washing

Thank you Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

SPOILER-FREE THOUGHTS 💭

🤠 A HOTTT cowboy romance that's perfect for fans of Lyla Sage and Elsie Silver

🤠There's a tender hair washing scene, I repeat THERE'S A HAIR WASHING SCENE and holy mother of cowboys, I love this microtrope 🖤

HYPE UP QUOTE:

"You hold the reins, baby. I'm just here for the ride."

this book made me giggle and kick my feet. this book had my jaw dropped and it even made me shed some tears. I can’t wait to read the next book! Nash & Cece forever!!

Holy heck this is one spicy romance. I love that CeCe is back home, not to run from her problems, but to start over and find something better. Her friends are meant to be fun but were annoying. Hopefully they'll improve in their own books. And they all drink way too much. Nash. Yummy, yummy Nash. He's a keeper. Looking forward to reading the rest of this series. Thank you to NetGalley for a digital copy

Thank you for the ARC!

I always look the brothers best friend trope. Just something about the sneaking around and waiting to see if the characters get caught builds the angst for me. Can’t wait for the other books to come out!

This book is very cute! I loved Nash and his ambitiousness! He literally does everything to help his community. Being an ex-hockey player he has the means to start businesses in the town and help others. Paisley has just come back to town after her ex-boyfriend cheated on her. She was always the little sister of Nash’s best friends but he can not resist her. She starts working at his hockey training facility and the two of them have a hard time keeping their hands away from each other. The spicy scenes are really great in this one! I enjoyed the backstory of each main character and meeting all the secondary characters in the story. This book kept me engaged and interesting from start to finish and that does not always happen! I definitely enjoyed this story enough to continue on with the series. Huge thanks to Randomhouse publishing and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book!

the annoyed look she's wearing fuels me to try to get her to stay even more.

I loved that it has an accounting/business type FMC. The banter through the texts had me giggling. It was a great set up for how the rest of the series will go. The MMC was ex-nhl player turned cowboy , so that was something new. The spice was spicing (3/5).

It registers with me that I not only want Nash Carter, I'd sell my soul for him right now.

Nash Carter is absolutely a walking red flag, but the mouth on that man is perfection. Combining hockey & cowboy romance was something I didn’t know I needed.

I will say, some of the spicy scenes were a little cringe, especially with CeCe calling his dick a “battering ram” and a “freight train.” We get it, he’s big, like every other MMC out there. Can we get better terminology? Also the “tight channel” and “warm rapture” were equally gross.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a copy of this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Cowboy meets hockey meets brothers best friend romance with dirty talking golden retriever Nash, and a girl who won’t take less than she deserves in Cece.

I really enjoyed this storyline! The found family trope in this book was amazing. Nash was down bad for Cece and it was interesting to see how things played out. I thought this was really well written and kept me engaged/entertained throughout the entirety of the book. The characters were funny and sweet and overall the book was everything one can hope for in a small town romance. I can’t wait to continue reading the rest of the series!