What a cozy and heartwarming read! I whipped through this one - the vibes are a slow burn, but I don't know if I would actually call it a slow burn romance? I thought the pacing was great, and I loved seeing the character growth.

This cover is literally stunning & had me instantly intrigued by it!

I had a great time reading this, being very much into my cowboy romance mood once more, so I picked this one up and read it in one sitting. There's nothing revolutionary to this tale, but it was a cute story and fun plot to read! The characters were better on their own, but I did like seeing their love story blossom throughout the book!

The slow burn of it all though? That was chef's kiss for sure.

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC!

homebound by meredith trapp

4.5 ⭐️

i absolutely ate this up. small town, southern/country, single dad, he falls first, childhood friends to lovers — honestly some of my all time favorite tropes all rolled up into one. oh, and did i mention he’s a hockey player too? he’s off season the entire time this story takes place, but who doesn’t love a good hockey player mmc?? and she’s a fiercely independent bull rider!! iconic.

when they were little, dakota saved wyatt’s life when he fell into a creek and he fell MADLY in love with her. the issue here was that she was a couple years older than him, and at the time that felt like a huge age gap when it really isn’t. there’s some more history lingering between these two, but i don’t want to spoil anything, so i’ll leave it at that.

when i was looking at other reviews for this book, i noticed that a LOT of people seemed to have an issue with the fact that he was a single dad and that the kid did not belong to our fmc. i feel like this is how like 99% of single dad romances go? so if you normally like them, this did not bother me one bit. this dynamic actually added a lot of emotional depth for me and i really enjoyed it.

if you like any and all of the tropes i listed here — i think you’d really like this book!!

First, this cover is outstanding and probably a favorite of mine.
Second, the story inside was absolutely amazing!
Homebound by Meredith Trapp is a charming and swoon-worthy second chance romance.
An entertaining read with phenomenal chemistry.
A fun and engaging romance story.
Witty, raw and so realistic.
Full of amazing characters and personal growth this is one book that kept me hooked.

2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.

This was not my cup of tea. I found no plot, no banter, no obvious tension, nothing funny...it was just bland. The relationship - both friendship and eventual romance - between Wyatt and Dakota didn't make sense to me. I could see why each character was worthy of love, but not why they chose each other.

many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was really good. I liked the chemistry between the characters and the side characters that came into play. There was honestly nothing at all wrong with this book, but I didn’t feel really connected to it exactly? I’m really not sure why though honestly. It was a solid book, but I just didn’t love it.

What an incredible ride! I love that Dakota is the bull rider in this book, you don’t see that in many stories. I love that this is a friends to lovers story with single dad as well. It had a nice blend of their relationship with also Dakota’s bull riding career and the struggles she was working through. I enjoyed the balance while also exploring their changing feelings.

I loved this book! A cowgirl single dad romance that swept me off my feet! I loved that these characters had a history, and their tension/banter was some of the best I have ever read!
Can't wait to see what Meridith writes next!

Rating: 4/5
Spice:2/5

Fav Tropes:Friends to lovers,single dad, bull rider FMC , Hockey , He Falls First and HARD


Thoughts: I really didn’t know what to expect going into this book which I am glad because I actually ended up liking it more then I thought I would in the beginning. Dakota was an okay FMC, I did think at first she was very rough around the edges and very self centered and not reasonable when Wyatt went MIA , But by the end I felt like she redeemed herself.

The Slow Burn between them was hot and I normally dont like slow burn, but Wyatt TRULY loved Dakota from the beginning and was willing to do anything to get his girl.

This was a fun easy read and definitely would recommend to others.


Thank you NETGALLEY

3.5 ⭐

Homebound would've been a heck of a lot better as a standalone instead of being part of an interconnected series. I felt like Wyatt was a different character than who we saw in Icebound and his daughter's name being changed threw me off.

That being said, I had so much fun reading this book. It had some of my favorite tropes and was perfectly steamy. I would've definitely rated higher if it was a standalone!

More like a 2.5 star. I feel like the odd man out on this one. I didn't hate it, but I think I'm missing something based on other reviews.

I was super excited about the concept. As we know, it is cowboy spring (and summer tbh) and this is COWGIRL. She's a bull rider going for the PBR and he's a hockey player. Childhood friends, second chance, single dad: all the workings of a great story but ultimately the execution was a bit to cringy to fully enjoy for me. Our MMC says "baby girl" every other line which was just so annoying. He has also been obsessed with her since he was a kid. And I do mean obsessed because it wasn't even just true love pining, it bordered a bit creepy with lines such as "I came back for her and I'm not leaving until she's mine". Works in fantasy or dark romance but felt so out of context here.

Both MCs acted quite childish for being late 20s/early 30s. Conversations were super repetitive which did not help the pacing issues. I felt like we were moving super slow and not much was happening and then all of a sudden, she's in love with him and they dive headfirst into a relationship.

This sounds like I might have hated it, which I didn't. I just think the execution could have been a lot better. I was never reaching for this story and kind of trudging through. The audio definitely helped for me!

Cute Cowboy Romance

This was a fun book. I loved Dakota and Wyatt’s story. Wyatt has been in love with Dakota since they were kids. Now back in town he’s determined to get her back.

I loved that this was not a Insta love connection right when Wyatt got back in town. We see that Dakota is mad at Wyatt and he has build her trust back.

This is a slow burn but once the spice starts it’s 🥵🥵

There was some cringy dialogue but I was so into the story that I did not care at all.

I love Wyatt and Dakota together but I loved more when they interacted with Wyatt’s daughter Vi.

This is just a melt your heart book.

⛰️ Single Dad
⛰️ Second Chance
⛰️ Best Friends to Lovers
⛰️Small Town
⛰️ Grumpy / Sunshine
⛰️ BullRider and Hockey Player

Genre: Romance
APK: Ebook
Pages: 352
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Series or Standalone: Boundless Players #2 but can be read as a stand-alone

3.5 ⭐️ A quick, cute and steamy read! If you like cowboy romance, this was a nice twist on the usual story. The plot is simple, but I enjoyed it! The way Wyatt obsesses over Dakota took the cake, and I loved how hard she fell for his daughter. Also, I need Daisy Blue in my life!!

includes:
✿ best friends to lovers
✿ he falls first
✿ hockey player mmc x bull rider fmc
✿ everyone can see how he’s always looked at her
✿ single dad
✿ PINNING PINNING

if you were to look up best friends to lovers in a dictionary, this book would be right under in the definition.

when I tell you I was just like everyone in this town waiting for the moment dakota realized how she felt about wyatt. watching him go from being in the friend zone to seeing the shift in dakota when it becomes clear to her how she feels, I LIVED FOR IT. when she realizes he’s now become a MAN and starts to get flustered around him, I knew the tables had turned.

it’s clear that it’s always been her for wyatt and his actions to make her realize what is right infront of her eyes was my favorite part. all he simply had to do was be himself. but the little things he does to move the process along? my favorite part.

HE COORDINATES WITH A FIDDLE PLAYER TO PLAY THE SONG THEY FIRST DANCED TO SO THEY CAN KISS.

him being a single dad is a big part of this book and seeing how natural dakota fit into the narrative was so beautiful.

this was easily a 5/5 read and a masterclass on best friends to lovers. will be thinking about this book for a while.

Homebound, book 2 in the Boundless Players series, is a small town, western, childhood best friends meets ex best friends romance. Kodie, the FMC, is a bull rider who is vying to hit the PBR circuit while Wyatt, the MMC, pines after her and navigates single parenthood in the offseason. The hockey piece of it seemed a little bit like it was just thrown in, but I do get that magic and possessiveness is hard to grasp otherwise.

Wyatt is the epitome of a gentleman, with a smidgen of those roughened edges that make women swoon. Kodie is a diamond in the rough, with a super pure heart and kind intentions for the people she cares about, regardless of how tough she has to appear to the men around her. The challenges in their relationship are few, but significant…especially given the age difference and how gentlemanly Wyatt had always been to Kodie in the past.

I really appreciated how the communication in this book accurately represented the ages of the MCs most of the time. I kind of wish we got more insight into the hard conversations and therefore to see that part of their relationship develop more. Particularly in relation to Vi’s mom and Kodie’s methods of coping with stress…that said, Vienna was absolutely precious and the baby wailing is so real! lol I can’t imagine something clicking into place so perfectly like it did for Kodie, but it’s a romantic sentiment and very fitting. I really enjoyed this one. I’m looking forward to book 3…

Thank you to NetGalley and Meredith Trapp for the gifted review copy! It was great!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 (rounded to 4 for Amazon only)
🌶️🌶️

Thank you Arita Books and Netgally for an ARC of HomeBound!

HomeBound follows Dakota aka The Cowboy Killer and Wes aka Summer boy. Dakota and Wes have been friends for a while until something disrupts their friendship. This leads into them reconnecting during the summer and Wes working to win Dakotas heart, while balancing being a single dad.

This book is definitely the book for someone but unfortunately that someone was not me. Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy aspects of this book but the build up to those aspects made this hard for me to get through. I think those who like a slow paced read will love this book.

I enjoyed Dakota’s drive and her not giving up on her dreams for no man! Wes’s finding his way out of just being a daddy and going for what he wants was an element I like, and the love that they both had for Vi was sweet.

Kicking my feet adorable! Thank you so much for this gifted arc in lieu of an honest review. This book was so cute I loved every moment of it!

Hockey player meets bull rider in long lost love with a slow burn and add a cute surprise baby in the mix. While the circumstances aren’t entirely relatable, I guess it could happen *shrugs*. Overall I def enjoyed this book.

Second chance romances always hit me hard and any book with this trope is an instant read. I loved Wyatt and how gentle he was with his daughter, Vienna. His kindness and absolute adoration for Kodie had me rooting for him to get the girl the whole way through. Kodie is a hard shell, but her interior is sensitive, soft, and hopeful that someone will give her what she deserves. There were parts of this book that I didn’t click with, a few repetitive paragraphs, and some almost too cheesy lines, but all in all, a fun read! 3.5 stars to be precise.

I loved this one! I’ve recently ended up on a “snarky FMC” streak and it hits every👏🏻damn👏🏻time👏🏻⁣
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Dakota and Wyatt were the perfect friends to strangers to lovers mix. We love a down bad man who finally finds his nerve. I also loved having some connection to Icebound but was completely its own story and vibe. ⁣
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With a badass FMC, an unapologetic golden retriever single dad MMC, and a story focused around growth and honesty and pushing through challenges I think this one is the key summer romance read for me. ⁣
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Thank you so much to @atriabooks for the ARC and the chance to fall in love with this one ahead of its release🧡