Small town, cowboy romance? Sign me up! The vibes that come along with these tropes are just top tier in my opinion! Was it anything super different and unique? No. Was it what you want from a small town romance? Yes! Rory and Wyatt are two characters that you fall in love with while they fall in love. Excited to see where this series will go!

Loved this cute and funny Cowboy romance. The characters are easy to get attached to and the characters are relatable. Great cover!

Who doesn’t love a story about a grumpy rancher and a sunshiny wellness influencer intending on upheaving his life? I found this to be a really cute story and I really enjoyed watching Aurora and Wyatt slowly fall for each other. They both thought the other was off their rockers but they slowly realized they weren’t and became open and receptive to what makes them tick and appreciated them. What I really liked the most between Aurora and Wyatt was they were each other’s biggest supporters even when they struggled to believe in themselves they knew the other one had their back.


I can’t wait for Duke and Cherry’s story and spending more time in Willow Ridge.


Thank you @avonbooks and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

I love a cowboy romance, but this one had me wondering if the grump-to-sunshine ratio was properly measured. Wyatt isn’t just stoic—he’s practically a brick wall in boots. Still, the premise is a solid win. Rory, a British influencer in cowboy boots, inherits a Colorado ranch and decides to turn it into a wellness retreat. Cue the forced proximity, culture clash, and emotional thawing.

The chemistry builds quickly but doesn’t always land. The spice leans open door without ever feeling gratuitous, though I wish the banter had stayed sharp a little longer. Some emotional beats were rushed and the resolution wrapped a little too cleanly. Still, it’s an easy, comforting read with a lot of potential for future books in the series.

Meh. I didn’t care for this one. The characters were very one note and flat. I felt like the author was relying on the open door scenes too much. The premise if Aurora, a British lifestyle influencer, heads to a Colorado ranch after her recently passed aunt leaves it to her. She intends to sell, but decides to turn it into a wellness retreat. She employs the help of Wyatt, the grumpy ranch foreman. There are better grumpy/sunshine western romances. This is a pass.

Thank you, Avon and Harper Voyager, for providing this book for review consideration through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

This was the cutest yeehaw romance 🫶🏼🤠 I am so excited for this book to be traditionally published!! This is one of the best ones I’ve read!!!!

🧘‍♀️ARC review🧘‍♀️

Live, ranch, love by @emmalucyauthor
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Oh my !!! A grumpy/hot cowboy with a filthy mouth and an influencer who gets all his attention. This couldn’t be more perfect. Everything about this book made me swoon. I had the cheesiest smile on my face by the end and I still haven’t stopped smiling. This was PERFECTION ! I cannot wait to see what the rest of the series will be like 💥

"Live, Ranch, Love" by Emma Lucy is a delightful debut that gallops right into the heart of a charming grumpy/sunshine romance. As the first book in the Willow Ridge series, it sets a wonderful stage for future stories, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time on this Colorado ranch.
Rory, the wellness influencer, is a fun, fish out of water heroine. Her journey from big city chaos to the rugged demands of ranch life is both humorous and genuinely endearing. It was satisfying to watch her find her footing and her strength. Wyatt, the stoic head rancher, is the perfect gruff cowboy with a hidden heart of gold. Their enemies to lovers dynamic is perfectly executed, with plenty of witty banter and simmering tension that builds into a truly satisfying romance.

The forced proximity setup, with Rory and Wyatt needing to work together on the ranch, creates a fantastic foundation for their relationship to evolve. Emma Lucy does a great job of building their chemistry, making you root for them despite their initial clashes. The ranch setting itself is beautifully described, adding a rustic charm to the entire story.

My only reason for a four-star rating instead of five is that, at times, some of the initial misunderstandings felt a little drawn out, and a few of the plot points resolved a touch too neatly. However, these are minor quibbles in an otherwise very enjoyable and promising debut.

If you're looking for a heartwarming, steamy, and charming contemporary romance with a classic cowboy flair and an undeniable opposites-attract appeal, "Live, Ranch, Love" is definitely one to add to your list! I'm already looking forward to more from Willow Ridge.

I loved how cute and light hearted this book was! Definitely in my cowboy era, and the cover is gorgeous. So excited to read the sequel this fall.

*Arc review*

This was a cute read! Definitely not what I expected for enemies to lovers as they lasted a whole like 5 chapters? hating each other but ya know it was still fun! The spice was definitely spicing I just think the relationship may have been a little too rushed towards the end and felt the ex gf just thrown in as well as the ex bfs was just kind of messy. But overall was a cutesy cowboy romance! Thank you for the ARC!

🤠 CITY GIRL INHERITS A RANCH… AND BUTTS HEADS WITH A GRUMPY COWBOY? YEP, SIGN ME UP. SHE IS IN HER COWBOY ROMANCE ERA!

Aurora “Rory” Jones is a British wellness influencer who thinks a Colorado ranch will be a quick sell after inheriting it from her great aunt… until she meets Wyatt Hensley, the ranch’s very grumpy (and very hot) head rancher. Sparks? Oh, they’re there. But so are the arguments.

This was cute, cozy, and definitely gave me small town comfort vibes, but I’ll be honest... I wanted more slow burn tension. The enemies to lovers angle fizzled out pretty quickly, and their chemistry felt more sweet than swoony. That said, I loved how they supported each other after messy breakups. Wyatt helped Rory find her confidence again and Rory reminded Wyatt it’s okay to dream big. I loved that for them.

The ranch setting was charming, the side characters were fun (I’m begging for Duke & Cherry’s book next), and if you’re in your cowboy romance era like I clearly am, this one will hit the spot. Think grumpy/sunshine, small town, and a touch of spice (🌶️🌶️). It really is the perfect book to check out for fans of Elsie Silver or Lyla Sage.

⭐ 3.75/5 – a wholesome, feel good cowboy romance that’s more comfort read than high angst.

“You’re not stealing my ranch, city girl.”
“No, cowboy. Just maybe your heart.” 😉

🔥 Tropes:
✨ Grumpy Cowboy x Sunshine Influencer
✨ Enemies to Lovers (ish)
✨ Forced Proximity
✨ Healing After Heartbreak
✨ Small Town Romance

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.

WOW! I didn’t quite know what I was getting into when I started this book, but it was absolutely worth the read. I enjoyed it so much that I looked forward to every moment I could sit and read. There is dislike-to-lovers, banter, open-door romance, helping each other heal, and a supportive FMC and MMC. I was personally so intrigued by the wellness and rancher aspect, it felt like I was reading about my dream life. I fell in love with both Aurora and Wyatt, and the romance was so wholesome. I would reread this book just to experience their love story play out all over again. If you want a cute romance that’s wholesome but also open-door, then I would highly recommend giving it a read.

I thought this book had a lot to love. Rory and Wyatt were quite likeable, the book has a predictable but cozy plot and flow and if I hadn’t had an arc, I definitely could see myself picking this up when in the mood for a smalltown romance.

This is a good one for smalltown lovers who have read all of their fave’s books and want a new-to-them author. It will hit the spot.

Live, Ranch, Love is a cute and cozy romance with just the right amount of spice. Set in a charming Colorado town, the story follows Rory—a wellness influencer who’s reeling from a breakup—and Wyatt, a grumpy cowboy who’s fiercely protective of the ranch he calls home. When Rory inherits her great-aunt’s ranch and plans to sell it, she and Wyatt are instantly at odds. But as they work together on a plan that could benefit them both, their connection begins to grow in unexpected ways.

The small-town setting and lovable side characters (Wyatt’s friends and sister especially!) were some of my favorite parts of this book. I really appreciated the dual POVs, which added depth to both main characters and helped me understand what they were feeling throughout the story. An overall hopeful journey for two very different people.

However, I did find myself wanting more from the central romance. As much as I love the enemies-to-lovers trope, the initial tension between Rory and Wyatt faded too quickly, and their chemistry sometimes felt rushed or forced. I also wished for more witty banter—it’s something that could have made their dynamic pop. And while the emotional conflict near the end aimed to raise the stakes, it felt unnecessary and took away from the satisfying rhythm the story had built up.

Still, if you enjoy small-town romances with a grumpy/sunshine pairing and a bit of heat, this one’s worth checking out. I’m definitely curious to see where the next books go specially Duke and Cherry!

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager US for the ARC!

I absolutely adored my first visit to willow ridge and can't wait to go back. A good small-town romance is everything to me and cowboys just sweeten the pot. The dual Pov was done so well, and the tropes were tropeing for sure. While I do wish there was just a bit more chemistry and serious banter between our MCs, I did absolutely adore this read and can't wait to read the next one.

I love a good cowboy romance this book gave me Elsie Silver vibes and i’m here for it, i loved the main characters their chemistry was beyond what I expected such a great read!

3.25⭐️

This book had a lot of different highs and lows for me personally i’m not big on the insta love type trope and this very much felt like that. It was cringey for me in a lot of moments and I could have done without that part. I also just think this book was more on the cheesy side of romance books which some people really enjoy but it’s not my favorite. I did though really like the building of their connection it went at a good pace and it was built up well. I think Wyatt is a lovely man and truly cared about Aurora so much it was very sweet to read him falling in love he was a top character to me. Overall a pretty good book if you love cheesy romance ranch books this is perfect!!!

I wanted to love this more than I did, but it was still fun.

We've got a grumpy ranch dude and a wellness influencer that is trying to sell his ranch (I love an opposites attract situation). And both of these characters are dealing with their own personal problems.

I wanted a bit more depth to these characters, their insta-lust kind of threw that away for me, especially because the other things going on in their lives could've added so much of that depth. It kind of cancelled out for me. I also think it made them not really have that much chemistry. It was close to being right!

This also didn't have too much change of pace and that also made it feel a bit flat at times.

This had forced proximity and found family, so there really is some great stuff in this book, it just didn't all come together in the most perfect of ways.

I do think A LOT of people will really enjoy this book, it just wasn't quite what I like in a romance novel, I need a little more oomph.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

Thank you NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager and Emma Lucy for the opportunity to recieve an advanced readers copy of Live, Ranch, Love in exchange for my honest review.

While I was not a fan of this book myself (I don't like the Insta love trope), I'd still recommend this to those that love a good cowboy romance with grumpy x sunshine. I enjoyed myself reading this regardless of the Insta love connection as the story was engaging!

I'm also definitely excited for the next book, Riding the Line! I loved getting to know Cherry in this one so I can't wait for more of her. Not to mention, I love a brothers best friend trope.