Thank you to The Dial Press for letting me read this book early. All thoughts are my own!!

As a fan of Lyla and the other books in this series, I was so disappointed in this final book. From almost the start, I could tell this wasn’t gonna be a favorite for me, and it just got worse the longer I read it.

I think one of my main issues with it is that Dusty is mentioned in the beginning of this series, but we don’t actually meet him until Lost and Lassoed. We barely see him and Cam interact in that book, which made it harder for me to believe they had chemistry. Lost and Lassoed was so good because we watched Gus and Teddy banter for three books before they finally got together, but the lack of Dusty before this book was not a good thing. Even with Swift and Saddled, I had a difficult time with Ada being a new character. We had to hear all of the character info and world building AGAIN after getting it all in Done and Dusted. Introducing Dusty one book prior to his book made it harder to connect him into this universe and connect him with Cam.

Because I had a hard time seeing chemistry between these characters, I had trouble getting invested in their relationship. The flashbacks to high school helped a lot to build their connection and dynamic, but we were basically just told they were so desperately in love and expected to believe those feelings were still there fifteen years later, with minimal present day interactions to back it up. The way that they interacted, or I guess the lack of interaction, as adults led me to believe that the reason they broke up when they were younger was going to be this huge dramatic conflict, just for it to be basically the opposite. They had one argument, and Cam just up and left Dusty. I understand that they were young, but the way it’s written makes you think Dusty was the problem, when Cam was the one who left.

I don’t really think they spent enough time together as adults to get to know each other again. They spent so much time in this book talking in circles in their heads about why they would or wouldn’t work, so their actual relationship was underdeveloped. Dusty had one one-on-one interaction with Riley and maybe three other interactions with her and decided that he loved her and was ready to co-parent?? I feel like that’s such a huge thing that requires communication with both the child and the parent, just for them to not really talk about it.

Not talking about things seems to be a theme in this book, as we watch plot points be introduced and dropped halfway through the story. There is foundation laid at the beginning of this book for her parents to be a major problem in this story. Every decision Cam makes in the first half of this book is made with her parents at the forefront of it. She was going to get married to secure money for Riley’s future. She worked at a job that her parents deemed correct. After she left Dusty the first time, she went back to follow the path they wanted for her. So, for there to be no real resolution to that and for her parents to just disappear halfway through the book was so frustrating for me. There wasn’t any development with Cam in terms of changing how she lived her life. She was so concerned with making sure Riley would have money in the future, just to not mention it again after she and Dusty confront her parents at that event.

Emmy and Brooks and Wes all kinda disappeared too. I know that there are a lot of other characters, and it would be hard to have them all there constantly, but to have them be so present in the first half and just gone in the second half was wild. We did see Wes again towards the end when he called Cam out on her reaction to Dusty, which leads me to the most unnecessary third act conflict ever.

The third act conflict in this book was so short lived but so extreme for no reason. It came far too late into the story. A third act conflict in the last ten percent of a book makes it extremely hard for me to care whether or not they even resolve the issue. I do understand where Cam was coming from and her reaction to finding out Dusty owned the house she wanted and hadn’t told her. I GET IT!! I just think that she said some really terrible things to Dusty in their fight, just for them to reconcile THE NEXT DAY. I don’t think she even apologized to him either. He gives her the letters he wrote to her over the years, and the book just ends. There’s an epilogue, yes, but the way Cam reacted to that conflict leaves me less than hopeful that they stay together long term.

Overall, this book felt so rushed. It seemed as though Lyla was ready to wrap it up and move on to her next series, and with how quickly this book was released after Lost and Lassoed, I really think that’s what happened. I’m really sad I didn’t like this book as much as I wanted to, but I’m willing to read Lyla’s next series when the time comes.

⭐️: 5/5
🌶️: 4/5

WOW!! 🤩 What a way to end the very heart warming Rebel Blue Ranch series!!

Of course everyone gets their happy ending in this series, but this one definitely hit different! Cam and Dusty were best friends to lovers in high school and the fact that they never truly lost that love is incredible. They were each other’s first and they have always had a special connection. When they broke up after high school, it wasn’t because they didn’t love each other, so there was no real closure. I am so glad that everyone on the ranch has found their person and will continue to raise their families on/close to the ranch made of hopes and dreams!

Marrying for any reason other than love is not worth it!

Thank you Lyla for all of the HEAs and for allowing Riley to have so many people in her circle to love her!!

Thank you Random House Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Will also be posted on Goodreads.

I absolutely love this series and everything Rebel Blue Ranch. I'm so sad this is the last one. Emmy's wedding at the end of the book... *Chefs kiss*. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book early.

As the last book in the Rebel Blue series, we've been waiting for Cam and Dusty's story for awhile now and what a waste of a wait. I was so bored by 60% in that I skipped to the end. There were a couple flaws that didn't draw me into the story. First, I found Cam unrelatable and her waffling quite annoying. She has no female friends as a grown adult, kowtowed to parents who in no way supported her, and was so indecisive I couldn't tell if the character didn't know what she wanted or it was bad writing. In one paragraph Cam is unsure she wants to be with Dusty and in the next she can't stop thinking about him. Truly ridiculous to read. Secondly, there was not enough emotional stakes for me to understand why Dusty fell in love with Cam in the first place and then stayed in love with her. The flashback scenes didn't do enough for me to understand why Dusty loved her so much. It read as bland teenage love story. Dusty in general felt flat as a character, solely existing to be in love with Cam. And third, there was no plot! Barely anything happened in the whole book for the characters to grow and transform, especially for Cam and the drama at the end with the house did not feel like a satisfying enough conflict. This one is a skip.

GoodReads Review:
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC

Out of the entire Rebel Blue Ranch series, Cam's story has to have been my favorite to read. It was great getting to hear from a character that is not ~technically~ a Ryder, but is one in every way that matters. Camille's internal thinking and external actions are very different from Emmy, Wes, and Gus's. She is incredibly hardworking but zones in on unrealistic expectations and then runs away from any true feelings to avoid hurt and doesn't look back to whats left in the wake. She's a bit reminiscent of Ada from Swift and Saddled.

Dusty was a breath of fresh air in the long line of complicated Ryder love interests. He was head over heels, knew what he wanted and chased after it while also respecting Cam and her boundaries. He was respectful, caring, and a real light to Riley. I wish there was more interaction between the two because their scenes together were precious and were everything to Camille.

Camille was infuriating at times because of her fear to fall all in. Despite this, their love was fun to read and indulge in ! I was left wanting more depth from the two, especially Camille. I feel like their story could've gone deeper and more detailed.

Here's to second chance love and coming full circle !

*I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Overall, I enjoyed this story. I liked the flashbacks to Cam and Dusty's relationship in high school and how all of that filled in the details that have been hinted at throughout the series. They're both great characters and fun to read.

The only nitpick is that we're constantly told that Cam's parents are overbearing a**holes, and we see hints of that. But there's never a real sense of how much they hold over their daughter, and almost no indication of how they feel about Riley. I can certainly deduce that they only want to help Riley as long as Cam does what they want, but the overall "evilness" of these evil rich people is kind of lacking, as far as a credible threat to Cam and Dusty's relationship goes.

But still - a good story and a solid send-off to the series (if indeed this is the end. I wouldn't mind a prequel with Amos and Stella, or something like that).

Lyla Sage is a romance genius. I’ve gobbled up this entire series, and was certain nothing could top the love I have for Lost and Lassoed. Wild and Wrangled proved me wrong. This is her softest and most emotionally intimate book yet, with both Dusty and cam showing so much vulnerability. A dang masterpiece.

Cam and Dusty's second chance romance was the perfect end to the Rebel Blue Ranch series!! I really enjoyed this dual POV childhood friends to lovers story that we see through flashbacks from their time in high school first falling in love to how they broke up and then found their way back to one another years later after single mom Cam gets stood up at the altar.

Moving and heartfelt, this packed a big emotional punch and was FANTASTIC on audio with a must-read author's note and bonus epilogue of Emmy and Luke's wedding. If you haven't read any of these books yet you are missing out! Perfect for fans of authors like Elsie Silver and the Chestnut Springs series. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!

I completely devoured this book and it was so bittersweet. I promise I tried to savor it, but I just couldn’t put it down.

The Rebel Blue Ranch series will always hold a special place in my heart and this finale just permanently cemented it there. I can see myself returning to reread for years to come because there are moments in each of these books where I felt uniquely seen. In Wild and Wrangled, there is a conversation between the MCs that I have had in my head for years, but I have never been able to find the proper words to voice out loud. So seeing it written out here so eloquently just took a weight off of my shoulders and made me feel so much less alone.

If you haven’t read this series yet, stop reading reviews and just get to it. You will not be disappointed.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for this ARC and the opportunity to give my candid feedback. Just a note for the future, I will read anything Lyla Dave writes.

Love these characters, they just keep getting better and better with each book she writes! The chemistry between the two main characters was sizzling

Wild & Wrangled is the final installment in the beloved Rebel Blue Ranch Series--and one that many fans (including me) have been waiting for--Dusty & Cam's Story!

We've gotten bits and pieces of these characters in previous books, but now is their time to shine. After getting left at the altar on her wedding day, Cam should feel a little more sad, right? I mean she's embarrassed, sure. A little lost, definitely. But in her spiral there's only one person to bring her back, her first love Dusty.

After 10+ years of exploring the world, Dusty is finally ready to come home and put down roots in his home town. This is decidedly more difficult when his first love, and the one who got away, is finally single. Does he act on those long buried feelings? How does he see that they were meant to be without scaring her away?

Told in two timelines and in dual POV this book perfectly tells a story of what happens when you meet your person when you're just a little too young. The love is real, despite what everyone says, but there is still so much left to do in life and so much growing you have to do as a person.

I recommend this book for people who love
pining
dual timelines & POV
a fun cast of side characters
that perfect Lyla Sage humor, emotionality, and spice

I have to be honest, I've loved all the Rebel Blue Ranch series. They might be predictable but there is a lovable cast of characters that feel like family and a small town that feels like you might call it home. The books are spicy with sassy heroines and very capably cowboy heroes. If you love these tropes, this is the series for you.

Wild and Wrangled is the final Rebel Blue book and tells the story of Cam -- mother of the precocious and adorable Riley -- and Dusty Tucker. Teenage sweethearts who didn't quite work out and now have the chance to reconnect. The story was the perfect blend of sexy and heartwarming. It's the perfect feel good ending to a fun series.

4 stars

Thank you to Random House/Dial and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this title.

I think this book wrapped up the series quite well! I think Lyla Sage's decision to make Cam and Dusty the last couple of the series and be second chance romance was a good one at the end of the day! If we could be at Rebel Blue again, I'm counting down those days because I already miss it so much.

Throughout the series, we've gotten little snippets of Dusty and Cam and the overlying tension between them - it did not lack in this story as well. You could cut the tension with a knife and I was honestly so obsessed!! Dusty was a shameless flirt and I ate it UP! I was really looking forward to his character after seeing his friendship with Teddy in Lost & Lassoed and he did not disappoint y'all! I fear he may have been a little too perfect and Lyla spoiled us with him. He was so sweet, attentive, thoughtful (the letters), and absolutely obsessed with Cam.

Cam's character was a bit difficult to handle sometimes. In the beginning of the story, I found it difficult to follow her character because although we were in her pov, it sometimes felt like she was keeping secrets from us as well?? She was so closed off to the point where I felt closed off from her as the reader. Maybe that was intentional?? Her backstory was something that touched the academic weapon in me... and that little yearning to be good for everyone. PEOPLE PLEASER GIRLS >>> As the story went on, I found her opening up some more and then becoming more relatable. The foundation she has at Rebel Blue is the only reason why my girl didn't self sabotage!

Overall, as a couple I thought they were a bit hard to connect with at first. I hadn't really felt super into them as I had with the other couples??? Regardless, they were a love story for the ages. I have a few favorite quotes and moments from them:,) Cam's personal growth throughout the story and her relationship with Dusty was so healing and comforting. They both deserved each other and are the epitome of right person, wrong time. That trope always gets me I fear.

I guess this review is also my love letter to Rebel Blue. It was such a special place Lyla created for her readers (me being one of them) and I can only hope she brings us back one day. I was in tears by the end of it all and I can't wait to read more of her upcoming works!
 
Thank you NetGalley and Dial Press for the ARC! <3

“The bravest thing you can do when you love someone is work hard to keep them- to hold on to them with everything you’ve got- and even when you loosen your grip, you don’t let go.”

This was the perfect conclusion to the series. I literally got teary eyed every time I got crumbs of all the characters knowing it was the end. This book definitely took the second chance trope to another level for me.

Dusty the man that you are. We love a yearning man and you did not disappoint. From the nickname to the tattoo to the notes throughout years . PLSSSSS 🧎🏾‍♀️ Cam deserved this and it was such a good feeling to see Dusty give her the life she deserves.

I am so sad that this series is over! I didn’t like this story as much as I loved the others in this series but Cam and Dusty definitely deserved their dues. Throughout this book it was fun to go back and forth between the past and present and learn all about how their relationship’s foundation was built. I love the second chance romance especially because Cam was left at the alter because her arranged marriage fell apart because her fiancé found someone he truly loved and couldn’t go through with it - which 100% good on him. I hate her parents and everything they stand for but the Ryder’s definitely make up for them, especially Amos. Loving her and her daughter with open arms. Riley is 100% a ray of sunshine who deserves all the good in the world and giving her Dusty is just the icing on the cake.

Thanks NetGalley and Dial Press for the ARC! I feel like we've been waiting on Cam and Dusty's story for forever! I was so excited to receive the ARC and get a sneak peak.

I really enjoyed Cam and Dusty's story! It's not easy to pull off a second-chance romance. So many times authors use miscommunication to cause the original split or have their characters living in regret of the breakup. This was not the case here. I really appreciate that both characters understood they needed to be apart in order to grow as individuals, with the hope that they might one day find each other again.

The flashbacks to the beginning of their relationship were some of my favorite parts. They really helped me understand these characters and how they ended up where they did. Watching Cam and Dusty learn to be in the same place again and create a space where they could be "friends" again really impacts their inevitable reunion. Their lives have changed, they have changed, and they figure out how to fit those two lives together.

I was a little disappointed in the ending. I felt that it was too abrupt. I wish there was at least one more chapter in between the last one and the epilogue. I want to see them be happy before the end, not just solving the conflict and cut to the epilogue. But maybe that's just a me problem.

Overall, I enjoyed it, and I'm so sad this is the last book in the Meadowlark series! I've loved being in the world of this family and fingers crossed Lyla Sage returns to it one day. Can't wait to see what's ahead from this author!

i was so excited to read this because the other books have been so great! but i’m sad to report (in my opinion!!) this series ended with a thump. not a bang. i did not feel the connection between these two and i was confused for about 70% of the book on why they were avoiding each other so much. they were both crushing hard AND single.

also i hate “angel”. just as much as i hated when she used “sugar” in the first book. she loves these cutesie pet names and it’s turning me way off.

i don’t think i liked cam very much. but idk i relate in the way of saying things i don’t mean when im mad so i get it. but it really seemed like dusty was more into cam than cam was into dusty.

i just got super zoned out and bored at the last half of the book, there was some tension but i was mostly confused on WHY. they were both single and in the same place.

anywhoooo i was very excited to read this and now im underwhelmed and sad): maybe its just me! i think everyone should still read it and see for themselves. (it was giving powerless by elsie silver, i was so bored reading that book..)

sorry im so harsh! i’m just being honest lol. thanks netgalley and random house publishing for this arc in exchange for a (brutally) honest review lolll

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and Lyla Sage for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was probably the book that I was the most hesitant to read because I really liked the Cam that we have been seeing in the other books, but I didn't know yet how to feel about Dusty as a character.

Right off the bat, I was intrigued by the history between them and what caused the eventual end of their relationship when they were younger. I really liked the exploration of Cam's character and seeing her complex relationship with the Ryder family. Cam's eventual role in Meadowlark was predictable but I do like how at the end of the day, it was her decision to stay and be closer to everyone she loves.

Dusty took a little more convincing for me, but eventually I grew to like him. I don't think his character had the same level of depth that Cam had and I really wish that we could've explored past vs present day Dusty way more, but he did make for an interesting partner for Cam. I could clearly see why she ended up falling for him and it was pretty sweet that some sides of him were reserved just for Cam.

I'm so sad to let this series go, but I'm so glad that the series ended exactly where we started.

I absolutely loved Wild and Wrangled! After finishing Lost and Lassoed, I knew I had to dive right into Cam and Dusty’s story—and it did not disappoint. This book masterfully weaves heartfelt emotion, sizzling chemistry, and the kind of deep, soul-stirring romance that lingers long after the final page.

One of the things I adored most was how it brought back familiar faces from the Rebel Blue Ranch series, seamlessly blending their stories with Cam and Dusty’s journey. Their pasts are complex, their struggles raw, and their love story is epic. Watching Dusty grapple with his instinct to run and Cam fight to open her heart again hooked me from start to finish.

This book is everything you want in a romance—passion, redemption, and a love so powerful it makes you believe in second chances. If you’re a fan of romance with depth and heart, Wild and Wrangled is a must-read. I couldn't put it down and, honestly, I just loved every page!

Lyla Sage has done it again with Wild and Wrangled! This book hit all the right notes for me—second-chance love with perfectly timed high school flashbacks, which happens to be one of my absolute favorite tropes. The tension, the longing, and the undeniable chemistry between the main characters had me completely hooked. I loved how the past and present wove together seamlessly, making every emotion feel even more intense. Sage’s writing is heartfelt and addictive, and the small-town charm just adds to the magic. If you love romance with depth, nostalgia, and all the swoon-worthy moments, this one is a must-read!