This was a cute cowboy romance.

I wanted to love it more than I did, the pacing wasn't always on track, at times it was slower, and then faster, but it didn't feel like it was needed for the story.

I really enjoyed the open communication between the MMCs until they went to not communicating, it felt like regression in the book.

I am in my cowboy era he-yah

This will be as spoiler free as possible

First of all a huge thank you to Avon books for asking me to review the book it was such fun .

The story starts with the character Caroline who is starting over after a not so nice divorce,she meets Hunter hello hot stuff,my new favourite cowboy .
The book is full of emotion heartwarming moments and also felt very cosy . the feeling of starting over i thought was scary yet refreshing at the same time .
now you spice queens i know your waiting to know if there are spicy bits Yes ,there are happy days I loved the romance to the story perfect in every way .

i loved the plot the writing was so on point It was very well paced It was just what i needed ,and the setting of my gosh ,I would not mind moving there .

i think Maggie has brought us such a brilliant cowboy romance i will be rereading again thank you for bringing such a fun cowboy romance to life i am giving the book 5 steamy cowboy romance stars

Back in the Saddle starts out strong, and has great bones for a good story. Caroline is a smart and capable FMC, that you can't help but root for. Hunter is a swoon worthy love interest with a heart of gold. I love how they meet and the general plot of this book, but it lacked the depth that I was hoping for and felt very surface level. The romance was insta-love, and all of the main conflicts were based on miscommunication. Two of the most frustrating tropes in any romance book. Although I believe any trope can be executed well, this unfortunately did not hit the mark.

3 ⭐️

Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for the e-ARC of Back in the Saddle in exchange for an honest review.

This story had so much potential, and it started off really strong with the way Caroline and Hunter first met. Their meet-cute was genuinely charming, and I particularly enjoyed Hunter’s confidence. Both characters were well-crafted and layered, with real emotional depth. I appreciated how patient Hunter was with Caroline, who was still recovering from her divorce and quite sheltered as a result. I also thought the portrayal of grief was handled well, with Caroline dealing with the loss of her marriage and starting over in a new country, and Hunter coping with the death of his father.

However, there were a few aspects that didn’t quite work for me, which is why I’ve given it a three-star rating. The pacing, in particular, was a bit uneven. At times, the story jumped ahead abruptly, skipping over weeks or even months, which disrupted the flow. These moments often relied on telling that Caroline and Hunter had spent time together, rather than showing their emotional connection developing naturally. For a book with such a slow-burn romance, I think more time spent building their relationship on the page would have added much more impact.

When it came to the intimate scenes, the emotional connection was certainly there, and again, Hunter’s patience and sensitivity were lovely to see, especially for someone so young. But the frequent use of clinical, medical terminology for body parts felt quite jarring. It gave those scenes a tone that reminded me more of a textbook than a romance novel, which took me out of the moment.

Towards the end of the book, Caroline’s ex-husband falls ill, and she drops everything to be by his side. While I understand that she still cared for him deeply, as they were once married and had a lifelong friendship, the way this plot point was introduced felt abrupt and I’m not quite sure what purpose it served in her journey of healing. This decision ultimately led to her cutting Hunter off, even though their relationship hadn’t been clearly defined. Then, a year later, Hunter moves to Aberdeenshire where Caroline has returned and it’s framed as fate. Unfortunately, I struggled to buy into that ending as it felt a little too convenient and rushed to be truly believable.

Overall, Back in the Saddle had all the ingredients for a heartfelt and emotional romance, with two likeable and well-developed protagonists. While I enjoyed many of the individual elements, the pacing and execution let it down slightly for me. That said, there’s a lot of promise in the writing, and I would still be interested in reading more from this author in the future.

This is a small-town cowboy romance with soooo much heart! Maggie has created characters that embody such depth that I genuinely felt like they were real. It’s refreshing to read a romance book that embodies the messy struggles of life. And when I tell you I loved the ending…
Caroline is looking for answers to life when she flees her Scottish hometown, ending up across the ocean in Oklahoma. Keen to escape the fallout of her marriage, she happens upon a hunky cowboy in a bar and the chemistry is instantly off the charts.
Hunter has swagger, charm and most importantly, a tonne of depth. I loved his character and how earnest he seemed. He’s dealing with the ongoing health issues of a loved one; attempting to plan for an unknown future; all whilst also trying to come to terms with a years’ old heartbreak that altered his outlook on life.
Throughout Caroline and Hunter’s journey, we explore attraction, loss and what living a purposeful life really looks like. Their story is a testament to two humans muddling through the chaotic aspects of adulthood whilst still managing to find joy in one another’s company.
I also can’t write a review and not mention Finn! At the start of the book, I was confused about how I felt about him. His relationship with Caroline had been (and continued to be) special, so I think I was looking for someone to blame for the breakdown of their marriage. But the reality is, sometimes things are complicated and by the end of the book, I had nothing but respect for him. He’s a brave soul in many ways.
This story is obviously rooted in romance - but it’s also about lost love, familial love and self-love.
Thank you so much Maggie and Avon books for an advanced e-copy. I really enjoyed this!

This book had all the makings of a comforting cowboy romance, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. While the setting was charming and the premise promising, the pacing felt slow, and the characters didn’t fully develop beyond surface-level emotions. The romance lacked the chemistry I was hoping for, and some of the plot points felt predictable or rushed.

There were moments of warmth and potential, but overall, it didn’t leave a lasting impression. A decent read if you’re in the mood for a light, small-town story—but not one I’ll be galloping back to anytime soon.

After Ransom Canyon (!!!) I needed a cowboy romance fix, and Maggie did NOT disappoint with Back in the Saddle!

Where do I even begin? Probably with Hunter. From Chapter One I fell in LOVE with his character. He's such a charming and yet soft-hearted family man, and as you read Maggie unveils his personality in these layers of emotional complexity that work SO well (and they just make you love him even more).

Caroline, like Hunter, has some baggage to work through, and initially, thinks of this as "just a fling." But watching her slowly fall for him was such a sweet progression! While I felt like some of that progression happened very fast toward the last bit of the book, she was an incredibly strong, hardworking, and driven character I couldn't help but root for. I love that she regained passion for medicine throughout this story, too. The career development! We love to see it!

The ranch setting, the medical backdrop, the little things--i.e. hiking date and rodeo photo booth--all truly stole my heart with this one! But what I found captured my attention was the depth Maggie writes this with. She delivers a cowboy romance coupled with beautiful emotional vulnerability, and I found those raw emotions to be what fleshed the characters out so well and pulled me into the world of Back in the Saddle. While heavy at times, as someone who has worked in end-of-life care the discussions surrounding it in this novel are absolutely heart-wrenching yet important in their own right. Everyone's journey through grief is so different, as Caroline mentions in the book, and this book captures it movingly while never losing grasp of the romance thread.

Hold onto your hats, because Back in the Saddle truly takes you for a wild ride (and one I know I'll be thinking about for a long time)!

2.75 stars, rounded up to 3.

This was a quick and sweet read, but a few fundamental issues kept it from moving from like to love for me.

Hunter and Caroline share an instant spark after a chance meeting. They’re unexpectedly reconnected, and their relationship develops from there—despite an unforgiving timeline. He lives in OKC, and she’s set to return to Scotland after a year.

There were aspects of the book that left me frustrated. The pacing was inconsistent, with several underdeveloped plotlines that were introduced and then seemingly abandoned. One particular distraction was Hunter’s use of British terms—such as calling his mother “mum” and saying he was getting “in the queue.” As an American character, those phrases felt out of place and better suited to Caroline. Additionally, there were too many side characters who appeared and disappeared too quickly to track. They didn’t seem to be included for future setup, which made their presence feel unnecessary.

Overall, this was a perfectly fine and cute read, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the advanced copy.

I requested this books based on the cover (which I love), and the “Fans of Lyla Sage, Paisley Hope and Elsie Silver” promo.

I wanted to love this book so bad, but sadly it just wasn’t for me. I didn’t gel with the writing style. At multiple times the prose and the dialogue felt a little robotic which took me out of the story.

My cowboy dream lol while I will say the way the arc downloaded was very contested and made it hard to read the story was still very good. I’ll be picking this up for sure

The idea of a doctor and a cowboy falling for each other had so much potential, and the book started off strong with a great first meeting between the two main characters. As the story went on, though, it lost momentum and never quite lived up to what I was hoping for.

Caroline was a smart, fun character navigating a mutual divorce and Hunter was a grounded, family-oriented man. I enjoyed the emotional connection they shared but the constant reminders that Caroline was still technically married really took away from the romance like we know, you don’t need to bring it up every 5 minutes. Both characters carried a lot of emotional baggage and at times it felt like they needed therapy more than a relationship.

The pacing was very slow and I often found myself putting the book down and struggling to get back into it, I think it took me 3x longer to read than any other arc I’ve requested. There were also too many heavy topics introduced without much depth like grief, anxiety, cancer and sexual insecurity but they were all very surface…I feel they should either be removed or at least a page or two added on to create the depth that these topics need. These important issues were mentioned briefly and then brushed over, which left the story feeling scattered.

What stood out in the worst way was the clinical language in the steamy scenes. Words like “clitoral hood” made it feel more like a medical text than a romance novel which completely killed the mood and honestly made me cringe so bad that I skimmed over it.

While there were definitely some sweet and emotional moments this book just didn’t fully work for me. The book is marketed that If you’re a fan of Lyla Sage or Elsie Silver then this is the book for you but this one might feel like it’s in a different lane altogether as I didn’t compare to any of those authors - really sorry!

I wanted to love this one, I really did. The premise itself sounded really great, and I liked that our characters were a bit older and had clear visions for what they wanted out of a relationship at this stage. That was refreshing.

But unfortunately I just didn’t get on with this book. The writing felt jarring, with characters moving between scenes without any sort of description or explanation, flitting from scene to scene and leaving me confused as to how they got there. I didn’t get a great feel for the setting or the characters so found it hard to connect to the story or care about anything that was happening.

I didn’t love some of the plot points, and the romance/smut felt too instant for me without any build up. Our MFC felt so much younger than she was supposed to be.

This could be a good read for someone, but it just wasn’t the one for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Side note, LOVE the cover.

DNF @ 58%.

This book started out strong for me. I love a cowboy romance and what excited about the banter going on at the beginning. However I felt the pacing was a little off, it was difficult to tell at first when the scenes changed.

I also didn’t love that the FMC was previously married we still had an inexperienced trope. I really wanted to love this, unfortunately I ultimately dnf’d at the use of anatomical terms such as “labia majora” and “clitoral hood” in a spice scene, as it was just off putting.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for allowing me to read this advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The synopsis for this book is everything that I love and more!

⭐️ 2nd chance love story
⭐️ slow burn
⭐️ spice
⭐️ Cowboys

It is written really well, I found the characters relatable and they had great chemistry! BUT that first smutty scene had me pulling faces with the way it was worded. Just didn't hit the mark for me and felt very clinical. But the rest of the story was amazing.

Caroline flees to USA on the break-up of her marriage .Romance is the last thing on her mind. then she meets ranch owner, Hunter. Back in the saddle for romance or horse riding? An entertaining read, perfect for holidays or wet weather .

Firstly, thank you so much for letting me read Back In The Saddle.
Caroline has only been with the one guy - her childhood sweetheart however, their marriage was not what they hoped for.
To find who she is again, Caroline moves to America to her auntie's home.
Enter Hunter, a sexy cowboy. They both agree they are after nothing serious.
I loved this so much! Right person, wrong location

Can I just say I really did like the premise for this story. I love an intelligent FMC and her job as a research assistant at the cancer center was very cool and new! Sometimes I feel like alot of MMCs and FMCs end up with the same 4 jobs in books so I like that this felt very fresh! Hunter and Caroline were complete opposites which I also liked. I will say it’s hard for me to get into books where it’s in third person. I like knowing what’s going on in the main characters head. But for a debut novel I truly did have a great time! Hunter’s family was amazing, everything with his dad was truly heartbreaking and poor Hunter and his whole family were really going through it. They both had their own issues and the communication at times was hard to get through but they’re only human! I also liked the age gap, I love an older woman in books. Overall I have it 4 stars because I truly did have a good time. I’m sure

I am having a hard time with this one. I wanted to like the premise. But there was just sort of… too much going on… while at times nothing was going on. I felt like the characters had some promise but just never really got there for me. I also didn’t love the third person narration. It took me out of the story more than once, though I know that’s a personal preference. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the ARC.

DNF at 55%…..
should I of tried to read the rest…probably b Yu okay this was NOTHING like Elsie silver and it was kinda marketed as that…. Our MMC was boring andd honestly it wasn’t that cowboyie I don’t think that’s a word but whatever now it is.. I guess our MFC was okayyy. But yeah…this wasn’t my vibe.


Thankyou so much netgalley for providing me with the ARC in exchange for my honest opinions

Despite the gorgeous cover, this one really wasn't for me. I couldn't connect with the characters at all.