I received an earc of Wild and Wrangled by Lyla Sage for review in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings.

I've been waiting to read this one since I finished the rest of the series last year, and it was worth the wait. Camille and Dusty were fire; they belonged together. It took them a while, and I feel like they both needed to experience life and everything that it throws at them. But now it's their turn.

Camille has just been left the altar, and while she wasn't exactly marrying for love, she thought she would have the safety of a marriage. Now, she has to face her friends, her family, and that is the last thing that she wants to do. But she is going to have to do it because most of them want to be there for her, including Dusty. Ever since Dusty returned home, he hasn't seen much of Cam. They are both pretty good at avoiding each other. But then Cam and her daughter practically become neighbours with Dusty, and well, they can't hide as much anymore.

I loved Cam as our FMC. I’ve come to really love her through the series, but she stands out in Wild and Wrangled. I adore the way she co-parents with Gus, and even Teddy. It honestly shows her character in such an easy way. But Cam has a lot of doubts, and they seep through throughout the novel. We see her struggle quite a bit in Wild and Wrangled, and well it was hard to see, Cam’s character development was spot on.

Dusty, Dusty, Dusty. May I please have him? He is soft and mushy but also so manly. How does that even make sense? But it works for him. From the start, we can see how much Dusty cares about and even loves Cam. But we can also see that there is something else between the two of them, and as the book goes on, we find out exactly what.

The romance in this one was so hot and cold. Cam and Dusty clearly love each other, but the history between the two of them is thick and heavy. I’m not a massive fan of dual timelines and flashbacks, but they worked here really well. I liked seeing baby Cam and Dusty and messy first love.

And that’s what the romance in this book is like- messy and not in a bad way. Cam and Dusty had a lot of firsts together. They both made a lot of mistakes, and a lot of things worked out exactly how I think they should have. They both hurt each other, and they needed to work it all out. And it wasn’t a quick and easy fix.

Overall, I loved how complicated Wild and Wrangled was. It made perfect sense for Cam and Dusty, and in the end, well, it was pretty messy and perfect. I adore the found family, the second chances and all the love that both Cam and Dusty have for one another and that others have for them. This was a fantastic ending to this series, and I am so excited to see what Lyla Sage has next.

3.5⭐️

I was so incredibly excited for this book because the cameos of Cam & Dusty in the previous books had me feeling unhinged!!! So I’m so sad that this sadly didn’t live up to my expectations💔 I feel like the Cam & dusty we saw in the previous books gave everything, but the cam & dusty in their own book weren’t giving much… It was short, fast-paced & sweet, however nothing really happened so I felt bored & found myself constantly putting the book down. The third act conflict was so stupid & Cam overreacted for no reason- it genuinely made me so angry how unfair she was towards dusty. I really wanted to love this one & thought it would be my fave but unfortunately not😕 although I still think that plenty of people might find this one to be their fave! Just wasn’t for me.

Dusty is flirty, cheeky, charming & easygoing. He was such a sweet character & deserved more than Cam (I’m sorry💔). Cam is reserved, quiet, & strait-laced. I didn’t like how shitty she sometimes acted towards Dusty & the fact that she kept running away for no reason.

The first flashback chapter was so cute & showed an instant connection. Young cam and Dusty had the sweetest friendship/relationship & I always looked forward to those chapters rather than the present-day chapters, as I could actually FEEL something in those flashbacks. I didn’t feel much for present-day Cam & dusty. There was no spark or excitement, however there was a little bit of tension & a natural pull between them. The longing from Dusty was the best part tbh. He gave SO much meanwhile cam gave nothing😩 UGH I’m so sad the series ended on a not so great note…

Thank you to Hachette Aus for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

“i’ll love you until we’re dust, camille ashwood”

ahhhh 🥲🥲🥲 i loved this so much! i’m a sucker for a second chance romance and honestly dusty the MAN THAT YOU ARE.

i ate this up. i loved the flashbacks to when they were teenagers. i loved riley + her relationship with dusty, i loved the found family as always with this series. amos 🥹🥹🥹

to see cam overcome so much in her life, it warmed my heart to know that her and dusty made their way back to eachother and that dusty never gave up hope

4.5 Stars

*Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a copy of the eARC - this is my honest review*

Dusty is an absolute top-tier book man. I loved everything about him. My heart broke for him hearing about what went down when he and Cam were 17, during Cam’s wedding at the beginning, and when he thought Cam was with Gus. His pining and yearning were *chef’s kiss* especially coupled with how patient and understanding he was throughout the book in wanting to win Cam back.

Cam, on the other hand, frustrated me a little (probably because she was so relatable). I wished she would give Dusty a chance and her constant resistance felt a bit too much sometimes. I think the shift from her resisting to being all-in also happened a bit abruptly and could have been a bit better paced.

I also adored being back with all our old book friends (shout out to Teddy & Gus being my faves) and how sweet the whole gang was for Reily.

I want to also shout out how pleased I am that Lyla touched on the topic of Cam not wanting to have any more kids, that she hated pregnancy, and Dusty being unquestionably supportive of that. As a member of the CF community I love to see us and people like us represented in romance more.

Wild & Wrangled was a great addition to the series and I am so glad I got to read it early. I can’t wait to see where Lyla Sage goes next and I really hope it’s about Dusty’s little sister in Alaska.

“I’ll love you till we’re dust in the wind, Camille Ashwood”

This book had me squealing!!!

Dusty is honestly the sweetest character - he is such a sentimental, kind, and perfectly imperfect soul.
And while Cam wasn’t really my cup of tea I just loved how well written and at times, relatable, she was.
Honesty, I do think that’s what makes this series so special is how realistic and relatable all of the characters are.

I loved Dusty’s involvement with Riley - every moment kinda had me wishing that Riley was a little more involved in that regard but I also loved all the extra moments we got of Teddy and Gus, who are without a doubt my favourite Rebel Blue couple. It was really fun to see more of the coparenting aspect and how Teddy and Dusty both fit into the equation.

I didn’t love the main conflict, but I did enjoy the way it was resolved. It was so sweet to see Wes step into that role of comfort. His advice was so satisfying too.

Honestly, i loved this book and I can’t believe this series has come to an end 😭 Rebel Blue Ranch will always feel like home to me, I’m so glad I can visit whenever I want 🤍🤠

⭐️ - 3.5
🌶️ - 2/5

Wild and Wrangled comes out on the 15th of April.

Thank you NetGalley & Hachette Australia and NewZealand for supplying me with this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
All opinions are my own.

"You're a privilege, Cam. Being in your presence is a goddamn honor."

Rating: 4.25/5

- small-town romance
- second chance romance
- single mum
- neighbours
- flashbacks!
- 🌶️.5/5
- dual pov

POV: You get left at the altar and have to move, leading you to live on the same property as the one who got away!

We all know I'm a sucker for a second-chance romance, and the 'it's always been you' vibes between Cam and Dusty are perfect. The flashbacks help us understand not only the depth of their feelings for each other but what went wrong.

Cam's character development – from an unhappy jilted bride to a happy mom-of-one reunited with her everything – is definitely one of my favourite parts. It's a slow burn as she hesitates to let Dusty in again, but the man patiently waits and shows her that his wandering days are over. It also helps that he builds a bond with Riley – she's a STAR!

I love how Lyla brought everything full circle in Wild and Wrangled. It's truly the perfect ending to the series, with Cam and Dusty finding their home amongst the Ryders and Rebel Blue Ranch. You have Gus having moments with Dusty and Cam, Amos giving sage advice, and even Ada and Cam becoming besties. It's the BEST 🥹.

While it's sad to say goodbye, I'm excited to see where she takes us next.

Thank you to Hachette ANZ for the early copy!

I sadly couldn't get into this one, at 30% I was still dragging through it. I feel as if the re-connection between the two happened so quickly, there wasn't any build-up or anticipation.

My gosh I loved Dusty and Cam's story. Those flash back chapters were everything 🥹 this book was the perfect ending to this series.

High school sweethearts who went their separate ways and found their way to back to each other 15 years later.

Dusty is just the kindest man ever and he loves hard. Cam is strong willed and she struggles to let anyone get too close. Loved all the sweet moments with little Riley too, her soccer game they all went to together was priceless 😍

Cam spends alot of time finding herself in this book and I really loved watching her journey. The co-parenting between herself & Gus was really special too, she was just as much apart of the Ryder family as they all were 🥰

Overall a nice, quick and easy read. I've really enjoyed this series 🤠

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 -
•Second Chance
•Friends to Lovers
•Single Mum
•Small Town
•Found Family

Sage's storytelling is lauded for its emotional depth and authentic portrayal of complex relationships. The narrative seamlessly weaves past and present, delving into themes of love, loss, and redemption. Sage's authentic portrayal of complex emotions and the enduring bonds of found family resonates deeply. Fans of the series will find this a satisfying and emotional conclusion, leaving a lasting impression.

Bride in a wedding dress, alone in a bar, downing vodka? And here's the kicker, she's not a runaway bride. Who else might be in that very same bar? Her highschool sweetheart from 10 years ago...
Cam and Dusty are acquaintances at best now days. From acquaintances to maybe friends again and then more? It's a long journey to heal the rift that's grown between them over the last decade.

I absolutely love the Swift and Saddled series so far. Wild and Wrangled's storyline was plotted out so well. It has you assuming one thing then happily drops a bomb on you that you don't see coming.

Lyla still somehow has me swooning over moody cowboys without fail.

"She’s the one that got away. He’s the one that never let her go."

Ahhh I love Cam and Dusty. After being left at the altar, Cam is ushered away by Dusty to allow herself a few hours to compose herself before going back to the real world and facing her family, and her broken plan. Despite Cam's best attempts to just be friends with Dusty, sometimes second chances are meant to be.

If you love these, then you'll want to pick up Wild & Wrangled:

🐎 Second chances
🌲 Small town
🐎 Single mum
🌲 Cowboy romances
🐎 Slow burn

Thank you to Hachette ANZ for an arc of this one! All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette for a advanced copy of this book, in return of a honest review !

I was really contemplating whether to give this book three stars, or 2.75. Honestly, the most suitable rating is 2.85, but I will just round it up to three LOLS.

I had high hopes for this book, as I had this trend within this series that my rating to higher each time. Unfortunately, it did plateau after finishing off this one. Lyla Sage's writing makes all her books quite a breeze to get through. There isn't a lot of heavy context, the the writing flows quite nicely.

However, the romance in this was book was severely lacking. With second-chance romances, I long to feel the characters' passion, tension and deep connection. And sadly, this book did lack all three. I thought the use of the second-chance romance was used a cop out to not truly express their love for one another. We are just supposed to assume it's there, since they have been in love before. But, it just didn't work with the brief and concise writing style that Lyla Sage was.

Both Camille and Dusty read as quite flat characters, and there wasn't a lot of complexity involved with them. I wish they were fleshed out just a little more (especially Camille, considering her complex family situation). I understand wanting your romance book to be comprehensible, but you could also juggle that with having rounder characters.

Was this book average and easy to get through? Definitely. But it had A LOT more potential than what was shown. Especially considering that I know Lyla Sage can write better!

I'm still keen to read her new releases :)

What a last book. 😭 it was beautiful and my favourite of the series hands down, but they were all amazing, there’s just something about these two’s love that had me in a choke hold.

Dusty, GAH! The way this man fell hard and never stopped was everything. I loved everything about him. Absolute perfection. I loved the way he brought Cam to life. She has baggage past and present that made my heart ache for her, but Dusty helped her remember how strong she was and it was so wonderful.

The way I loved the journey of these two. The past flashback scenes killed me, the anticipation of finding out things?! Man oh man it was just so good. And then the slow burn and the tension was woven so tight it was tangible. So when it snaps, good golly miss Molly, it was incredible. PHEW. Who knew Dusty could talk like that?! I did haha and damn did I love it.

This whole book had me hooked from the get go, it was so hard to put down, I loved every single second and then some. Having all the characters from the previous books and how they all interconnect was a thing of beauty. Definitely recommend this book and this series.

🌟 5
🌶️ 2.5

Part of a series of connected stand-alones that are best to read in order (it is so cute that way with cameos and flash backs etc. )

🐎 Contemporary cowboy romance
🐎 Slowburn - wrong time right person
🐎 Second chance - high school sweethearts, first loves
🐎 Single mum
🐎 Small town
🐎 Yearning, angst and heartache
🐎 Found Family
🐎 Dual POV
🐎 He's only ever had eyes for her
🐎 Dual timeline / flashbacks

Tagline: She's the one that got away. He's the one that never let go.

She’s back at her hometown, neighbouring with her childhood love; the one that got away and the one that got left behind. Love that never ran its course, even through distance of time and distance; a story that still has so much left to play out between the two. 💕 I’m a sucker for pining and heartachy stories and this one had me by the heart-balls.

Absolutely a great read!!!

Such a beautiful story of true friends to lovers second chance.

Dusty is the definition of an obsessed cowboy 🤠

A quick and fun read!

Loved it!!!

Wild and Wrangled by Lyla Sage 🤠
☆☆☆☆/☆☆☆☆☆

“No. You’re a privilege, Cam. Being in your presence is a goddamn honor.”

Review:
I was really looking forward to Wild and Wrangled! Who doesn’t love a cowboy romance ❤️‍🔥 I also love a second chance romance 🥹

Cam and Dusty have my heart. I really enjoyed the flashbacks in this one. Sometimes they can feel unnecessary and like we’re stuck in the past but Lyla wrote these flashbacks in a way that had me interested. It was information from their past I wanted.

I also think there was a really nice coparenting situation represented between Camille and Gus. Camille was a Ryder and the family element was so lovely 🥹

Cam spent a lot of this book finding herself for herself and not for anyone else and it was a nice journey to see her on. Dusty was there to remind her that she was great but she also needed to find that out for herself.

Overall I really enjoyed jumping back into this world ❤️

Thank you @NetGalley, @hachetteaus, @thebookishtype_hau and @authorlylasage for the opportunity to read this one early.

Wild and Wrangled is out on the 15th of April here in Aus ❤️‍🔥

“I’ll love you until we’re dust, Camille Ashwood”

Cam and Dusty have just been added to my favourite couples list. This story had so many layers to it. There is so much innocence and depth. They had so many fractures in their relationship that could have been the breaking point for them and yet they could never fight their connection.

There is so much genuine emotion within this book. The romance is delicate and we love a soft boy.

Thank you so much @hachetteaus for the arc of this book.

Wild and Wrangled will be available from the 15th April.

Tropes—
🤍 Second Chance Romance
💚 Slow Burn
🤍 Small Town
💚 Cowboy
🤍 Single Mom

4.5⭐️2🌶️

This was a fucking slay!! I am a professional hater of the friends to lovers AND second chance tropes. This book was BOTH of those things, AND YET. Gurl. I fear I’m obsessed. WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE WROTE HER LETTERS AFTER THEY BROKE UP AND KEPT THEM ALL THIS TIME???? Tears were shed! The flashbacks to them being each other’s first EVERYTHING in high school? Like I actually can’t.

Final series ranking & ratings:
1. Lost & Lassoed 5⭐️
2. Wild & Wrangled 4.5⭐️
3. Done & Dusted 4⭐️
4. Swift & Saddled 3.5⭐️

Wild and Wrangled by Lyla Sage

I was really excited for Wild and Wrangled, especially to dive into Cam and Dusty’s story. However, I felt like the pacing was a bit off at times. Cam seemed like she needed to let go more and embrace her feelings, but it felt like something was holding her back.

As for Dusty—he’s an actual angel. I found myself feeling sorry for him, particularly because of the situation with Cam having a baby with Gus. That whole dynamic was a bit messy, and I wasn’t a fan of how they were together for just one night it seemed? But in Gus’s side they tired for a few months. I think there was a missed opportunity to explore more depth in that relationship, as well as how Dusty really felt about no kids.

There were also some unanswered questions about Cam’s parents that I wish had been explored more. I would have preferred a bit more drama in that area. That said, Cam’s constant frustration with Dusty started to wear on me—she got upset with him a little too often for my liking.

On the positive side, I absolutely loved the bonus scene, especially getting to see the other characters from the previous books. It’s definitely a series you need to read in order to fully appreciate the connections.

All in all, I enjoyed Wild and Wrangled. I’ve loved the entire series, and I’m super excited to have it on my shelf when it releases in April!

A big thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Australia & New Zealand for the ARC copy.

”I’ll love you until we’re dust, Camille Ashwood.”

This book made my heart MELT. The history, the pining, the sweetest meet cute and the unravelling of Cam and Dusty’s story is EVERYTHING.

Wild and Wrangled is all the right reasons why friends to lovers with nostalgia and slow burn, finding each other again is chefs kiss and like reading small town magic 🩵

I adored the flashbacks and how Dusty sees all of Cam before she’s ready to. He’s an absolute honey bear and I loved his gentle parts but this man is no pushover by any means (the MOUTH on this cowboy dreamer had me blushing 😮‍💨)

Cam is quietly fierce and Dusty’s forever. Seeing them be each other’s first and last made me giddy!

I particularly loved the friendship between Cam and Ada: they are the protective still waters to Emmy and Teddy’s firecracker energy and I loved the sisterhood that Lyla writes so well 🧡

Themes are: small town x second chance romance, We Got History, she’s the one that got away x he never let her go

Shoutout outs (No Spoilers) are:

🩵 Passing notes
🩵 Mixed CD love language
🩵 “His favourite colour is blue.”
🩵 “I want you to be everything.”
🩵 Bonus Content Chapter bringing All the Feels 🥹

While it feels a little bittersweet to reach the end of the Rebel Blue Ranch Era, Lyla crafted Cam and Dusty’s story so beautifully.

It’s sweet and spicy, emotional and tender, a goodbye and a hello.

Wild and Wrangled feels like coming home and a breath of fresh air. I truly appreciated the depth and care, Lyla put into these characters and this whole series. They’re imprinted on my heart forever 🩵🧡

TYSM to Hachette Aus and Lyla for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This was a darling 5 ⭐️

Wild and Wrangled is avail 15 April and can be preordered now!

I’ll leave one of my fave quotes here:

“I’ve got you, Ash.”
“Permanent?”
“Permanent.”