I loved meeting and getting to know Wyatt and Dakota. Dakota is a strong force to be reckoned with and Wyatt is so protective of her. This is a definite recommend for a great summer read! Anyone who reads it won't be disappointed.

Unfortunately, this book just didn’t do it for me, so I ended up dnf’ing at about 20%. I love the premise of the story, but the writing and characters fell a little flat for me. Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC and the opportunity to share my thoughts!

Another great cowboy romance! I love that the FMC, Dakota was a bull rider! Don’t often see women doing that and I feel like it just set her up to be a strong independent woman! I also loved that they have known each other since they were 12 and that Wyatt was finally letting her know he didn’t just want to be friends anymore! Wyatt daughter Vienna was the sweetest! I loved when he shared how he chose her name!! I loved Dakota and Wyatt and was not ready for their story to be over!

This small town, friends to lovers, cowboy romance had some good bones but lost me a few times in execution. Most specifically, the characters often became caricatures of what someone thinks a southern person would be. The speech patterns and language felt a bit cheesy and leaned in just a little too hard to the “southern dialect.” I also feel like more of the backstory around the characters history could have been explored.
I did like the trajectory of the friends to lovers relationship however and it was a quick and easy read.

This was a good book, it felt a little slow in the beginning and a bit repetitive that made it a bit difficult to get into but still a good read.

I loves a western romance with a strong female lead.
Quick read with an easy flow a bit corny but aren’t we all.

First of all I want to thank Atria and Meredith Trapp for an early copy of this book!!
We know how I love me a good cowboy romance!

(Slight spoiler)
THANK GOD FOR NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP

But this story was so sweet! I always love a good childhood friends to lovers and this was just perfect. Adding a child into the mix didn’t ruin it either, honestly it made it more wholesome!

Thanks to Atria and Meredith again for such a great read!

4.25/5 stars
2/5 peppers

cowgirl, hockey player, single dad, friends to lovers, forced proximity, black cat x golden retriever, he falls first, slow burn

Dakota and Wyatt were childhood friends who spent their summers together, but Wyatt was always i love with her. After losing touch for a few years, Wyatt is back for the summer with his little girl determined to win Dakota over. Wyatt was so down bad for Dakota and it was so sweet watching him cheer her on, help her achieve her dreams and have her fall for him and his little girl. These two quickly become roommates and the tension was delicious. This had a slower burn but once it hit it hits!!

Spicy, male female, 1st person dual point of view, contemporary romance. Lots of great tropes -small town, single sweet dad, bull riding grumpy female main character, second chance friends to lovers. This was a cozy, perfect length, easy read.

Yes, yes, and yes! I loved Wyatt’s and Dakota’s childhood best friends, second-chance story. First of all Dakota is such a bad ass woman, she has resilience and so much enviable determination. She really is a true softy at heart. Genuinely loved that she would pick herself back up whenever situations got tough. She was born to be a bull-rider. And Wyatt, a perfect gentleman, a true yearner a perfect calm to Dakota’s storm. I loved how dedicated he was to his daughter and showed the reality of single parenthood. By the way , we need book two the tension between Lana and Willie( not Nelson) needs to be unfolded. Can’t wait to see what’s next.

I want to thank NetGalley, Atria Books and Meredith Trapp for the opportunity to get to know Wyatt and Dakota’s story.

I had a hard time with this book. While I enjoyed the premise of the book I just couldn't connect with the characters. I love when there's a baddie FMC but Dakota no matter how much I tried I couldn't find myself liking her. Wyatt's dad moments were wonderful. I love single dad romances and his was done great. However, he came off as a tad bit desperate when it came to Dakota which I found frustrating. I did love the moments when it talked about their childhood friendship and Dakota's bull riding.

I did find the writing to be easy to read and the descriptions were great. While I think there are plenty of people who would enjoy this it just wasn't for me.

Thank you for the gifted ebook.

3.5 stars.

Homebound is a second-chance romance, set in the world of bull riding. Dakota and Wyatt were always inseparable; he was her summer boy. Every summer, he would come with his family from Tennessee to Texas and they would spend every moment possible together. But one summer, Wyatt never came back and stopped answering her calls. Dakota was heartbroken and felt betrayed by Wyatt’s actions. Now, years later, he’s back in town, determined to remind Dakota of all the moments they shared together.

This book was a good read, and it had so many enjoyable moments. Wyatt was so down bad for Dakota. He was the epitome of a golden retriever boyfriend. He went out of his way to care for Dakota and all his moments were super sweet. He also had the cutest kid.

But, there were a few things that just kept me from giving this a higher rating. Firstly, Wyatt was supposedly a famous hockey player, but this was barely mentioned throughout. It was treated more as an afterthought and felt very underdeveloped. Dakota didn’t fully seem committed to Wyatt either. He has been in love with her forever, but for the first half of the book, it felt like she still saw him as the dorky younger guy who followed her around. Once they got together they had good chemistry, but it felt a bit forced with Dakota’s feelings.

Overall, this story is a sweet and easy read with a lovable MMC and a strong second-chance romance trope. While it didn’t completely hit the mark for me, it’s still worth checking out. Unfortunately, it's probably not one I’d return to for a reread.

Can we first just talk about this cover?? Absolutely stunning. We have
- single dad
-girl bull rider
- forced proximity
-childhood friends to lovers

This book seemed to have it all and it was beautiful written. Let’s not forget that he was obsessed with the FMC. His daughter is a product of a ONS and now he is a single dad. I love that Wyatt supported Dakota and her dreams and wanted her to achieve all her goals.

Dakota was an alright character I love that she had dreams and decided to follow them. I hated how she was basically blind to Wyatt having feelings for her but that’s my own personal thing.

Overall loved the book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!!

When Wyatt comes back to his hometown during hockey season's break, he has two goals. #1: Stay in shape. And #2: Get the girl. They've been friends--and only friends--for their whole lives. And Wyatt is determined to make Dakota see that he can be the man that fits into her life.
Dakota "Cowboy Killer" has a chance this summer to make it to the PBR, if she can stay on a bull for more than 2 seconds. However, the stress of choosing between being a bullrider and being a mother has gotten to her head, and the pressure is making her lose focus.
With Wyatt's help, Dakota is training better than ever before. But is it enough to make it to the pros? And can Wyatt show her that she can be a mother and a bullrider?
🐂🐂🐂🐂🐂
Y'all, this BOOK!!! So perfect for a summer romance read! Wyatt treats Dakota so well, and the way he is with his one-year-old daughter is the cutest most precious thing, I loved it! The side characters are fantastic, too!
And just so you know, the dad doesn't die, and neither does the dog.
And Colt Cutler is also a great dad. Lovely read, especially right around Father's Day!
Now I need to read the first one!

Tropes
Small Town Romance
Single Dad
Forced Proximity
Golden Retriever MC
Black Cat FMC
Childhood Friends to Lovers
Slow Burn
Angsty
Spice 3

“Take what you need from me,” I groan against her lips. “I’m yours, so take it all."

First of all I love the cover of this book. I am one who tends to look at the cover first and decide from there if I'm interested in the book.

Small town cowboy romances are trending right now and Homebound didn't disappoint. Plus I am a sucker for the single dad trope. Meredith did an amazing job showcasing the relationship Wyatt has with his daughter.

Homebound is a easy read that is fun, spicy, and swoon worthy. I plan to listen to the audiobook asap now that it is out1

Side note: I hope from the dedication that ladybird is dog :)

Ultimately this was not my cup of tea. I think the cowgirl/hockey player match was a little too much for me. Plus I’m not a huge fan of “it’s always been you” tropes. Maybe others will like this book for those exact reasons, but I did not.

Homebound is a small town, country romance. Dakota is a bull rider hoping to make it into the PBR circuit. Wyatt is a NHL hockey player home for the summer. Growing up they were always the best of friends... could that turn into something more? I enjoyed the romance in this book. Some parts were a bit hokey, like the way Wyatt talked about his daughter. It was a bit over the top and seemed a bit unrealistic. This is my first western romance so I had to get used the the "sugars", "darlins", and "honeys".

Soooo swoony! I love cowboys and friends to lovers so of course I loved this! Such a fun read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy!

Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Spice 🌶️

Wyatt has loved Dakota since he was 8 years old. But she never returned his feelings and friend zoned him. Then she got engaged and Wyatt left and didn’t look back.

Now she is single and he is ready to make his move. But he has some extras that she may not be ready for. Will Dakota finally see him and forgive him for leaving her alone?

A cute cowboy romance with a loyalty hockey guy that only has eyes for her!!

#homebound #meredithtrappauthor #cowboysdoitbetter #cowboyromance #smalltownromance #sportsromance

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
Hockey and bull riding? YES. Friends to lovers? Also yes! I enjoyed this and am looking forward to the rest of the series. Our main characters had a lot of chemistry and this was a quick and fun read.