I had to DNF pretty early. I struggled with the accents the narrator used. I'm interested in the story and I enjoyed the writing style so I will go back at a future date to physically read the book.

I had to DNF this book at 20% due to the narration. The accents were not done well at all. As an avid audiobook listener, I can tolerate a subpar narrator and still enjoy the book. This was not one of those times. In my opinion, these narrators should not have attempted to narrate characters with accents.

I am giving this book 3 stars as the concept for the book was good and I feel like it might have been a book I would have enjoyed had I been able to finish it.

Live, Ranch, Love follows Rory, a city-dwelling wellness influencer who’s at a crossroads. After a painful betrayal by her boyfriend, she inherits her great-aunt’s ranch in rural Colorado—a perfect excuse to leave the chaos behind and find clarity. Her plan is to fix up the ranch, sell it, and then move on. But that becomes a little more complicated when she meets Wyatt, the gruff cowboy who’s been managing the land and who isn’t too thrilled about an outsider showing up and messing with the ranch.

Rory’s journey—both literal and emotional—is relatable. She’s seeking clarity and a sense of self after being knocked down, and the ranch becomes a allegorical symbol of healing and her self-rediscovery. Wyatt, on the other hand, is holding on tightly to a life he doesn’t want to lose. When Rory suggests a plan that might benefit them both, they’re forced into close proximity, and the lines between annoyance and affection start to blur.

While the premise is solid, I found myself wanting more development in their emotional connection. Rory and Wyatt are polar opposites—she’s sunshine and manifestation journals, he’s stoicism and hard-earned grit. Their initial tension seems to be setting up an enemies-to-lovers setup, but that tension fizzles out rather quickly. What could’ve been rich with banter and that delicious hate to love you emotional push-pull turns into attraction without much build-up or progression, which made their dynamic feel a bit underdeveloped. And the chemistry a bit unsubstantive or evovled.

That said, the romance does have some sweet and spicy fun. There’s something undeniably charming about a small-town cowboy romance with a cowboy and a city girl, and the Colorado setting adds a warm, rustic atmosphere- the vibes do some work here. The story is pretty quickly paced. And the third act conflict felt a bit overly dramatic and forced, tonally disconnected from the otherwise light tone of their romance.

But there’s plenty to enjoy here—plenty of charming small-town moments, plenty of heart, and that always delicious grumpy cowboy energy. The characters are likable and the story has just enough steam to keep things interesting.

I listened to this on audio, and this is the kind of book that I think normally I'd enjoy more on audio. I know duet narration is super special/rare, but in this case it might have helped just because of the accents. Our heroine is British, and the female narrator's country boy accent was just...odd. And the male narrator also didn't really nail the British accent. He also didn't really embody the vibe I had for our leading man. Once I let go of that perception, his narration was fine, just now the casting I envisioned.

"sunsets are proof that no matter what, every day can end beautifully."

so imagine you inherit your aunt's ranch and you think you've been talking to mr. hensley, the old guy who worked on the ranch, only to find out it's actually his grandson who's hot, tattoed, dimpeles and he's a cowboy and the head rancher? sign me up 💅

this is a hate to love, enemies to lovers, grumpy x sunshine, slow burn, forced proximity, found family, small town, cowboy romance 🩷

i got to arc read this debut in the summer last year, i was hooked by the first chapter! i'm re-reading it again because i can't wait for cherry and duke's book even though i love aurora and wyatt. i love the nickname he gives her when they first meet even though he hates her cause she had plans to sell the ranch.

this was a slow burn, enemies to lovers romance but when the spice hits, it's worth the wait especially with the artwork 😝

Live, Ranch, Love is a cozy, small-town romance with heart, humor, and just the right amount of slow-burn tension. I loved the fish-out-of-water vibes and the sweet chemistry between the leads. The audiobook narration was excellent and made it super easy to binge.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC!

This was such a cute novel for a debut. I adored the love/hate dynamic and there is something about a grumpy cowboy who is a softie for her that makes me gobble it up time and time again.

I adored the tension build up from these two and can't wait to read more from this author!

All the stars for Live, Ranch, Love! This audiobook was absolutely hilarious from start to finish. AND the narrators did a fantastic job keeping the energy high and the laughs coming. I was literally laughing the entire time! My husband kept glancing over at me, wondering what was so funny. If you’re in a reading slump or just need a good mood boost, this story is the perfect pick-me-up. It’s laugh-out-loud funny in the best way.

That said, I do have a couple of notes. The female narrator, Charlie Albers, didn’t quite hit the “country accent” mark. It leaned more rural English than cowboy twang. And while I adore Alexander Cendese as Wyatt, I wish the narration had been done as a duet. Alex voicing Rory just didn’t quite land for me. His British accent was lovely, but hearing him voice a female character felt a bit awkward and cringy at first. Thankfully, as the story progressed, I was able to get past it and really enjoy the ride.

All in all, the book and the story itself are EXCELLENT. I absolutely adore Rory and Wyatt and cannot wait to dive into more of their story in book 2.

Book: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Audio: ⭐⭐⭐

Huge thanks to Emma Lucy and the Harper Audio team for the ALC of Live, Ranch, Love. I’m so grateful to have experienced this gem!

Reading the blurb I had high hopes for this book because it was right up my alley but unfortunately this book was not for me. Don't get me wrong it was a cute read but I couldn't connect with the characters.

I listened to this book in audio form and the narrators kind of ruined the book for me as their voices did not mesh well with the characters they were trying to portray. There were also too many vocal changes where the female narrator gave the MMC a southern type accent but the male narrator gave the MMC no accent. It was too off and I wasn't able to enjoy the book.

I might try this book in print at a later time. Even though the audiobook was not for me others might enjoy it!

Thank you NetGalley, Emma Lucy and Harper Audio for the gifted copy.

I’ll forever be a sucker for cowboy romance! this one was such a great small town audio. narrators were amazing, story was swoony and spicy! this was my first book by this author. would read this author again.

Thank you to NetGalley for my audio arc this is my honest opinion. This was marketed to me as an enemy as to lovers romcom. The book legitimately only made me laugh once and there was pretty much no enemies to lovers in this at all at the very beginning. There was a very mild dislike for each other, but that was it. Now let’s talk narrators the female narrator has a very British accent and listening to her do American accent was horrendous She tried so hard to give this man from Colorado a southern accent that honestly sounded Scottish. The male narrator did not fit the character whatsoever and listening to him do a female voices almost made this unbearable. At 90% into the book a character shows up and causes unnecessary drama, which made the plot even more unlikable. Unfortunately, I legitimately have nothing good to say about this book. Not even the spice made up for this. I spent almost the entirety of this book wishing it would just be over Because I hate to DNF arcs.

3.5 stars! I received this book as a NetGalley Audiobook. I have had this book on my TBR for about a year now. I love cowboy romances. This one was really cute but a little spicy for me but that’s not of fault of the author! Just my personal preference. I loved the plot and the attention to mental health and chasing your dreams. Aurora came home to her aunts ranch after a bad breakup in hopes of fixing it up and selling it. There, she meets Wyatt who is currently running the ranch and finds so much joy working there. He does not want to ranch sold. From enemies to lovers, Wyatt and Aurora feel the tension heating up! This is a great read for anyone who enjoys:
-grumpy sunshine
-mental health rep
-forced proximity
-“he protects her”
-cowboy romance
-indie authors
-slow burn
-spice
-work place romance

My main complaint about the audiobook was Auroras voice. She sounded like an 80 year old lady to me. I downloaded the book off KU for her chapters and listened to Wyatt’s.

Thank you NetGalley and Emma Lucy for the ALC of this book.

Cute story about an influencer from England who inherits a ranch from her-great aunt and buts heads with the head rancher.

While this story was entertaining, I did feel like the characters lacked a bit of chemistry, a little more slow burn if you will. I did like how they both helped each other gain their confidence back after such traumatic (previous) break-ups and would stand up for each other against anyone who tried to hurt them.

I listed to the audiobook version, and was not a big fan of the narrators.

Definitely a cute story I think I would have enjoyed reading the book more than listening to the audio books I just wasn’t a fan of the narrators. Cute story line cute characters good book over all.

📖 Live, Ranch, Love by Emma Lucy
✍️ Originally published: July 5, 2024
🎧 Rerelease/Paperback Pub Date Sep 30, 2025
📚 Adult | Contemporary Romance
⚠️ CW: On page description of minor panic attack; Discussion of death of a relative (cancer) - NOT MCs, Explicit sexual content

In Live Ranch Love, sparks fly when a city wellness coach and a grumpy rancher are forced to team up, transforming both the ranch—and their hearts. It’s a heartfelt enemies-to-lovers romance with small-town charm, sizzling chemistry, and just the right dose of cowboy heat.

The audio version was presented in with dual narrators, both added to the story and performed wonderfully.

Thank you to NetGalley and Emma Lucy for giving me access to listen to this arc audiobook!

This audiobook pulled me out of a reading slump!! The vibes were SO GOOD in this one! The setting being in Colorado made me happy. How a British woman ended up with a ranch in Colorado, I'm not sure, but it worked in my head!
Rory's character being an influencer made me nervous, but I ended up loving that about her and how happy of a person she is. Her growth as a character may not be completely obvious, but it's there and that was nice as well. I love how she changes her mindset with her influencing career as she grows as a person, and I also loved how she stood up for herself and for Wyatt at different points.
I am a sucker for a tall, grumpy, broody cowboy in a book, and Wyatt is just that! Grumpy x sunshine tropes are probably my favorite to read, but listening to it was also very fun. I was a huge fan of how well he ended up treating Rory once they fell for each other, and Wyatt's growth was very well thought out. My only reason for not a full five stars was because I wasn't the biggest fan of the female narrator, but that didn't ruin the audiobook for me!

Thank you to HarperAudio for sending me an ALC of this book! I adore a cowboy romance & enemies to lovers is my favorite trope so I was excited when reading the description, but the book fell a bit flat. It was still really cute & there were pieces that I enjoyed, but it felt a bit repetitive at times. The narrators had a hard time going back & forth between southern accents & English accents, which would get a bit cringy for me. It was an easy listen & had some cute pieces, but I was hoping for a little more from it!

The story was a bit predictable for me and apart from a few humorous moments, the book fell flat. The main couple, Aurora and Wyatt, had potential but their enemies-to-lovers storyline lacked depth and didn’t feel believable to me. Their chemistry felt really forced sadly.

The narration was the absolute worst and is a big factor in why I am rating this book a 2 stars. The female narrator's attempt at the male voice, especially with an exaggerated Southern accent, was very cringe, especially since the male narrator didn’t use one at all.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperAudio Adult for providing me with this ALC.

Book Rating: ⭐️ 3/5
Spice Rating: 🌶️ 2.5/5

Live, Love, Ranch is branded as an enemies-to-lovers small-town cowboy romance, but that dynamic didn’t quite land for me. The tension between the main characters felt minimal, and their shift from disliking each other to being in love happened so quickly it felt rushed and a bit abrupt.

That said, the spice was solid, well-written, well-placed, and not overdone. I also really enjoyed the audiobook narration and would rate it a strong 4.5/5. The overall plot was cute and had that classic country romance charm, but the underwhelming delivery of the enemies-to-lovers trope, which was a major hook, left me wanting more. It kept me from fully enjoying the story the way I had hoped.

🎧ALC review🎧

This was a cute cowboy romance. There wasn’t really anything that set it apart from other cowboy romances in my opinion, the romance felt a bit forced and lacking chemistry, and the third act conflict didn’t really seem necessary. These things contributed to it being a 3⭐️ read.

As for the audiobook, it was just ok in my opinion. I wasn’t a huge fan of either narrator. This is a dual narration and those are a hit or miss for me. This one just didn’t hit the mark. Every time the male narrator did the female’s British lines, he sounded like Dobby from Harry Potter, and I just couldn’t get past it. This is totally a me problem though. I also thought the male narrator sounded like a game show host during the parts he was excited or aggressive. Unfortunately, I think I would have enjoyed the book more if I had physically read it instead of listening.

I still think this book is worth a read/listen. It would be a good pallet cleanser, or if you’re looking for a quick, fluffy romance. Thank you NetGalley and HarpoAudio for the alc for my review. All opinions are my own.

The spice scenes were spicing, but I had a hard time believing in this couple. It was too insta-love and they are too opposite for me to believe it. She inherited the ranch that he helps run. He loves the ranch and he doesn’t want it sold or turned into something else. She comes along and turns it into a wellness retreat destination. I have a hard time believing that he wouldn’t be more annoyed with that. She has taken his safe place and home and turned it into a commodity for rich people to gawk at. And now his small town life that he loves is tainted by the influx of people and the lack of privacy that comes with dating a social media influencer. I just feel like those things would’ve been a bigger deal in real life.

They start kind of fake dating to make their ex’s jealous, which turns into a situation, which turns into love. It’s a really cute premise with all of the spice and tropes I love. I just couldn’t get my mind past the unrealistic parts. I listened to the audiobook, which should have been done in duet narration. The English FMC narrator has a hard time with the country boy accent. It ends up sounding like Hagrid half of the time. The MMC narrator has just as hard of a time getting the FMC’s English accent. Duet narration would’ve fixed this problem. It’s actually really distracting to listen to.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the chance to listen to the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Tropes
big city girl x small town guy
grumpy x sunshine
cowboy x wellness influencer
forced proximity
fake dating