Madden and Lily work together to figure out the mysteries the ranch is saddled with while falling for each other. Despite their childhood friendship turning sour for no real reason, the overall story was great and the suspense was perfect.

*arc review*
i looovveee a suspense romance novel, it fuels me- and this book definitely had the suspense aspect
madden, returned home from deployment, opened up a security business with his friend & fellow marine, reid
however… the town despises his family because his dad had to sell a part of their ranch and developers bought it & with that, brought a whole host of issues. one being lilys dude ranch next door & how the new hotel is out competing hers in price
there was always something happening in each scene- a drive by, finding drugs in an old shed, menacing words painted on a barn- you name it, it was in there
i wish the relationships outside lily & maddens were developed a bit more, maybe some back story or even some added description would’ve helped that a lot
the story was very heavy dialogue which isn’t always my favorite as i like the inner thoughts & opinions from the main characters
overall a solid body guard romance with some extra thrown in aka charming ex marine & cowboy
i did not guess the who done it which i was pleasantly surprised about!!

overall: 3/5
spice: 1/5

Good romantic suspense story. Some surprises. A few tense moments. Nice to see the growth of the characters once correct information is revealed. I did skip the intimate scenes. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

Give me all the cowboy stories! This sweet love story gave me all the goosebumps: and the spicy scenes! Loved the love story that happened here.

As a long-time lover of romantic suspense, I was thrilled to receive an ARC of this book. The author was entirely new to me, which is always exciting. The premise of the book drew me in, and in many ways it delivered. On other fronts, though, this book didn’t quite meet all my expectations.

First and foremost, while I recognize that I wasn’t reading the finished product, the formatting (or rather, the lack of formatting) was not only distracting; at times it actually made reading more difficult—dialogue in particular would have benefited from clearer structuring, or at least some additional character tags to make it easier to discern who said what. Also, I’m unconvinced that people actually say things “the shots rang out.”

The book starts by throwing readers into the deep end of the MMC’s drama with his family and his community. Madden is, on the whole, very likable and realistic. That said, we’re coming into the story without enough context to make his drama feel important and without enough investment in Madden as a character to make us care that he has drama.

Lily didn’t make the best first impression for me, but she did grow on me fairly quickly, especially once she gets wrapped up in a series of difficult circumstances. Her struggle to attain some kind of independence and her desire to make a name for herself in a town where her family history is long and her roots are deep was very relatable.

The plot as a whole is interesting, but it often felt rushed, underdeveloped, even occasionally convoluted. Without spoiling anything, I’ll just say that in terms of both the suspense plot and the romance between Lily and Madden, there were several different moments of missed opportunity, as well as several instances of unnecessary obstacles. To give credit where it’s due, though, I have to admit that at one point or another I was suspicious of nearly everyone. That’s a satisfying feeling for me when I’m reading a mystery, and this one excelled in that way.

Though it does take a while to get engrossing, the plot definitely did pick up as it went; I was much more invested in reading the second half of the book, but getting through the first half was sometimes a bit of a slog. As far as the relationship between Lily and Madden, they had a very “one step forward, two steps back” throughout a lot of the book. There was not a ton of “spice” in this novel, which was fine, but I would have liked to see more “swoon” between the MCs. All in all, the romance actually felt pretty secondary to the suspense plot. Not necessarily a bad thing, but definitely an element that won’t appeal to everyone.

Overall, this isn’t a book that I’ll be raving about for months to come, but it is a satisfying mystery with a sweet romance with lots of familiar and fun tropes (childhood friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, etc.). I’m curious to see if Reid and/or Eve gets a story—if so, I’ll definitely come back to see how a second book stacks up against this one.

3.5 ⭐️

3 stars. I was very excited for a small town, mystery, romance book. I think that for the depth of the plot of this book, it needed another 50-100 pages. Also, the timeline of the book is over a few days which made it seem very instalove. I think if the timeline had been a little longer it wouldn’t have been such an emotional whiplash for the reader and the characters.

I really enjoyed this book. Lots of romance and suspense mixed together. I love the characters and the storyline. Couldn't put this book down once I started it

Madden & Lily
Madden & Lily grew up best friends, and their ranches neighbored each other. Madden’s family sold land to a developer which caused a lot of the town to be mad at the McKay family. By the McKay’s doing that, it hurt the Tremont’s which is Lily’s family. Due to what Madden’s family did, Lily and Madden’s friendship was over.
Years later, Madden returns home to start a security business and clean up the mess his father left. Lily helps her dad run her family ranch. Lily’s father is shot so Madden steps in to protect Lily from whatever her family is tangled up in. While he is protecting her and trying to find out what is going on, their long-lost friendship turns into something more. It hadgood character builds and action especially the last quarter of the book.
Good book and will read the next one in the series!

I have read a lot of this authors books and haven't read one yet that I didn't enjoy. Lily and Madden are from families that don't get along. Madden's family sold off land to a developer, so they are blackballed in the ranching world. Lily is working hard on her family's ranch to keep things going. When things take a turn, she has to ask Madden and his security company for help. They never thought they'd be friends again like they were growing up, but it is so much more. Suspense, Love/Hate, passion, danger

Middle of the pack romantic suspense. Childhood friends Madden and Lily grew up on neighboring ranches in Wyoming. When his family makes a choice that damages the financial stability of her family and endangers their land, the two turn into bitter rivals. Fast forward many years and Madden has returned to the town that also holds a grudge against his family’s decision. He’s trying to set up a personal security business but it’s not going well. After Lily’s father is mysteriously shot, Madden steps in to guard her and also help her figure out what her family may be mixed up in that could get them killed.

The story itself for the first 2/3rds didn’t stand out much from the many other similar western romantic suspense stories - enjoyable if predictable fare. However, the love scenes were really well done and felt very attached to their characters. Also, the last third was action packed and had a lot of big moments of emotional catharsis and connection that really worked.
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Harlequin Romantic Suspense (August 2025)
Series: Sunrise Security #1

Themes/Tropes: childhood friends, rivals to lovers, protection agent/bodyguard, ranch life, Wyoming, danger, family ties, strong woman main character, small town, modern western

Steam/Spice Level: open door, in the bed, and hot on the HQ scale, these love scenes did a very good job of character work, thumbs up

Setting: small town Wyoming

BIPOC Characters: not the main characters

LGBTQ+ Characters: not as directly referenced

POV: third person, past tense, dual POV with MMC and FMC

Standalone or Series: can be read as a standalone, series starter

Cops/LEO: only as supporting cast when a crime occurs, no police corruption themes

Does the Horse Die? No. Queenie, Lily’s beloved horse, is put in danger along with the heroine (avoiding spoilers here) but all the animals are unharmed and safe after the peril.

A romance blooms betweena security officer and a woman in desperate need of help. Cleverly p plotted characters you quickly invest in and a fun romance develops. A quick enjoyable read.

This was the easy, quick romantic suspense I needed! Madden runs a security company, with his own secrets and liabilities that are always lurking. Lily, runs the ranch with her Dad and continues to keep things moving. When Lily & Madden re-connect, it’s not without a fight due to some bad blood after being childhood best friends. I loved seeing their tension build into a great romance, a very realistic development of their relationship that didn’t feel forced and the perfect amount of suspense/ thrill to keep a reader engaged. This was a new to me author and definitely will be back for more; the writing was great and plot really connected all the way through.

This first book in the series takes the readers to Could Valley, Wyoming. The place where once upon a time, the McKays and the Tremonts were good ranch neighbors and friends. Nowadays, they are considered enemies.
After Madden McKay’s father sold a large portion of his land to developers, the town has not only suffered, but has turned their backs to the McKay’s. Something Madden is trying to rectify without divulging the real reason for the sale. Especially for the success of his new business. No clients will mean no business.
Lily Tremont is not too happy with the McKay’s. The infamous sale and new tourist development, has their ranch suffering.
All the animosity between Madden and Lily changes when her father is shot and Lily seeks Madden’s help in solving the issue .
As the anger continues, will they be able to figure out who and why is after the Tremonts? Will working this close develop into more than a business transaction or is it all just temporary attraction?
The story was engaging and the main characters well developed and likable. The introduction of secondary characters has this reader wondering who will get their story next.
I was entrusted a copy of this book by Netgalley and Harlequin . The opinions expressed are solely my own.

I loved this book I found it very romantic and fun. I loved the fmc and the bodyguard aspect. It was overall very fun book, and I want to read more for this author. I love lil romances like this!!

Entertaining reading until towards the end. Graphic sex scenes were not to my taste. Plenty of mystery, intriguing characters, and interesting plot for sure.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for this ARC copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was an enjoyable and quick read, featuring two engaging main characters and a quintessential small-town atmosphere. While the romance was sweet, the mystery surrounding Lily’s father was particularly compelling and captured more of my attention. Overall, a well-balanced and satisfying story. 4 out of 5 stars.

This was a fun romantic suspense! Madden, our hero, owns his own security company. He has some secrets which add to the conflict in the story. Lily, the heroine, owns and runs a dude ranch with her father. There’s some bad blood between Lily and Madden who used to be childhood friends,
It’s my first book by this author. I thought it was definitely well written. The connection between the characters was organic and felt like a natural progression. There was good conflict and tension to keep me reading. I thought the pacing was good! I would definitely read the next book in the series! I received this book from Harlequin romance and Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

A fast paced romantic suspense filled with danger, tension, & spice. It moved unrealistically too fast for me (multiple instances of years long animosity between characters either romantic or familial resolved in one quick convo….), but I still enjoyed the read.

Thank you to Harlequin - Romance for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley.

Madden and Lily are everything!! I thought this book was pretty good! i think it was cute but also the suspense was nice as well! The second chance romance was perfect and I really liked the chemistry between the characters as well! I will definitely be reading more from this author.

Received an arc through Net galley. very cute book. it was kind of Bones meets Yellowstone with some adorable second chance romance for childhood friends.