“You don’t need to sprint after your dreams. They’ll be there waiting for you.”
3.5 rounded up!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the arc!!
While reading the very beginning of this book I was a bit nervous, I didn’t really like the flow of the writing. But after 50 pages the pacing started to pick up at a comfortable pace that was easy to follow.
The characters! Wow I absolutely adore Dakota, her internal monologue both broke my heart and made me laugh. I loved the way she talked about and to Vienna—literally everytime she would start I would hear Adrienne Lenker’s “not a lot, just forever” playing in the back of my mind.
And don’t get me started on Wyatt! Oh so I love a himbo that yearns. The genuine feelings that he had for Dakota mixed with his devotion to Vienna was so lovely to read. Not to mention that he’s been pinning after her SINCE THEY WERE EIGHT???? Swooned. Also— “loving someone as brave as you should be considered a privilege” ???? IM DEAD BRUH

There were a few small moments that made me pause to put the book down, such as: “people call me mean, but I’m just a little spicy.” Yeah okay…
There was also the randomness of Wyatt telling Dakota that they could be casual. I know it was him trying to adjust her to being in a relationship, but it got mentioned once more in the next chapter then never again. After that they were in a relationship but never mentioned anything about it?? Wyatt called himself her boyfriend in front of her ex and that was the end of that. They were kinda just together???

This book was such a cute and fun read, I finished it in about four days in between the last few assignments of the school year. It was a really nice pallet cleanser from a very long reading slump!

feisty independent girly x hockey player in a cowboy romance?? exactly the rom com i needed tonight. the banter between all the characters was great will most deff read her next book (or the first in this series!)

thanks netgalley for the arc!

This was a really cute cowboy romance with so many things going for it! We have the single dad who’s been in love with his best friend forever and the bull rider who has no idea. There’s a little bit of forced proximity and some small town dynamics (which make me hope there’s another book coming!). I loved Dakota’s personality and her resilience. She was strong and never gave up on her dreams even when things were difficult. Wyatt was the perfect gentleman, and he always put his daughter first.

I really liked the pacing of the book because it helped us get to know Wyatt and Dakota and made their character growth more realistic.


Thanks NetGalley for the eARC.

Once again, I judged a book by its cover... and it was great!!!!

Am I a fan of the friends to lovers trope? NOOOOO. Did I like it anyway? yesssssss!!!

Give me a strong, independent, bullrider FMC and a soft, loving, obsessed, single dad MMC and I'm INNNN!
This MAN, will let his hair grow just to practice how to do pigtails and braids for his babygirl, he also spent an entire summer trying to find a cologne that smells like mountain laurels just for her to like how he smelled AAAND he named his daughter after something that she liked a lot just so his daughter would have a piece of the strongest woman he knows.

I really REAAAALLYY liked this one, it was soooo sweet!!

This was such a cute, easy read! So many books have single-mom and BA MMCs, so it was a bit refreshing to have a single-dad and a BA FMC. I really enjoyed this and the spice, romance and plot level was evenly distributed. Excited to read to the next one in the series!

3.25 ⭐️ | 2 🌶️

Heartbound is the second book in the Boundless Players series, following the story of Wyatt and Dakota.

Every summer, Wyatt returns to his family’s flower farm in Texas—until one year, he doesn’t. Three years later, he’s back and determined to win over the girl he’s loved since the summer she saved his life: Dakota, the fearless bull rider known as The Cowboy Killer.

Dakota is focused on regaining her confidence and earning a spot in the Professional Bull Rider League. She’s always seen Wyatt as the boy next door—her summer boy. So imagine her surprise when Wyatt shows up on her doorstep unannounced...with an adorable daughter on his hip.

As they navigate life under the same roof for the summer, Wyatt is determined to win her heart, and Dakota begins to see him in a whole new light.
The story had a lot of potential at the start, but about halfway through, it began to feel repetitive. I found myself putting the book down more often than I would’ve liked. That said, I loved Daddy Wyatt—reading about a devoted single dad willing to do anything for his little girl was heartwarming. I also appreciated how that theme echoed in Dakota’s relationship with her own father.

Also, hoping for a book about Alanna and Willie! Their dynamic screams enemies-to-lovers—and I’m so here for it.

Overall, it was a fun read! Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

“You can’t control the ride, so just roll with it. Sometimes, the best things in life happen when you let it be.”

This book was so good!! Perfect summer vibes, small town Texas, he falls first, childhood friends to lovers, both ambitious and will keep you swooning!! Wyatt Patterson is a DREAM!! Such a thoughtful, gentleman, a complete golden retriever. Dakota is a baddie!! She is tough as nails, very driven but loves hard for her family. Their love story will forever be one of my favorites.

LOVED THIS. it’s one of those books that just a good, solid, fun read. Cowboys, cowgirls, bull riders, single dads, nhl hockey players, romance… all of the above.

To be cringe is to be free and this book definitely had its cutesy, over the top romance moments but, like I loved it. Also impeccable music choices for this book (she says as she writes this listening to van morrison). I would like to go to a sticky bar now and dance my horrible dance moved right this second.

Dakota is who I wanna be when I grow up - not sunshine but the opposite and dang proud of it! Every time the word grit came up I did think of that TedTalk I had to watch in college - but she does have grit and plenty of it. Our NHL buddy Wyatt is a cutie patootie. Oddly enjoyable hockey hardly comes up in the book so he probably could have had another career but that’s neither here nor there.

Enjoyed it - can’t wait for the next book. I received an arc but as usual these are my honest opinions. YEEHAW🤠

This was such a cute and fun read! I love the black cat x golden retriever romance trope and felt like it was done so well in this story! I loved Dakota's tough and strong personality but her soft inside when it comes to those she cares about and Wyatt was the sweetest MMC. It was so satisfying to see him fight and get the girl that's "always been for him." I also really enjoyed seeing the heartwarming interactions between Dakota and Wyatt's babygirl. Overall, this was a really sweet and fun read!

I absolutely love a good western romance, and boy Wyatt did not disappoint. He stayed true to his word, and don’t get me started on him being a father.

Dakota on the other hand I just could not connect with her at, her character lacked the depth I was looking for. Girl just didn’t use her damn head and couldn’t see the signs that were right in front of her.

There were some parts of this book that felt very cheesy and flat. Throughout the book there is also a lot of repetitiveness and I found myself bored with some of the writing. There were parts that were enjoyable and was a very easy read.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this small town romance. It was the cutest book ever, and I can’t wait to reread more from this author! I am obsessed!

First of all this cover is gorgeous.
I have no complaints about this book. Story was so good and fun. Easy read. Took a break from the awful book I’m reading to do this one and I’m very pleased with my choice. The characters were so fun. I suppose I have to put this in the hockey romance category because Wyatt is a hockey player but there is absolutely no ice in this story anywhere soooo. Cowboys!

Homebound by Meredith Trapp is a sweet, fun cowboy (or should I say cowgirl??!) romance. It was fun to see Dakota as the bull-riding, tough girl protagonist in a nice reversal of some of the gender roles this genre typically employs. I did find myself wondering more about the backstory...like who is Vienna's mom?? Did Wyatt never date as a teenager because of his friendship with Dakota? I just wish some details were fleshed out more to make it more believable. Overall, this book is incredibly fun and sexy. A great trope-y summer read for fans of Heartless by Elsie Silver and Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage.

A solid 3.5⭐️ cutie cowboy/bull rider romance! Coming 6/17! Thanks to Meredith Trapp, Atria Books, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

Dakota and Wyatt were always meant for each other, it just took her a little longer to get there.

Things I loved:
💚Set in Texas Hill Country
💚SHE is the bull rider
💚reverse grumpy/sunshine
💚single dad
💚second chance
💚the spice
💚Wyatt being protective
💚he fell first

Things that weren’t my favorite:
❤️‍🩹him playing hockey just kind felt out of place (i love a hockey romance but this just didn’t feel right)
❤️‍🩹 a lot repetitive phrases (excluding the tradition with her dad before she rides). It felt like the author was trying out where these phrases would fit best and when she found where it worked she didn’t go back to change the previous ones for something that fit better.
❤️‍🩹the conversations were very predictable and sometimes really choppy. Across all characters.

Over all I really enjoyed this book and with the hints at the next books I WILL be coming back to read those too!

I think I might be the odd one out here, but where was the chemistry between Wyatt and Dakota because I sure as hell didn’t see any 🤣

I received an advanced copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.

Wyatt has been in love with Dakota pretty much his whole life. He's hockey's golden boy and she's trying to break into PBR. Ever since he left and she broke things off with her fiancé, Dakota has been struggling to get her head on straight when she's on a bull. Wyatt two steps back into her life with an adorable baby girl and helps her train to get her confidence back. They're cute and bantery.

Homebound was a quick and easy read. It's light and funny. I loved how everyone interacted with Wyatt's daughter. His moms own a flower farm! How cute is that.

This is great for fans of Lyla Sage or Elsie Silver.

Thanks to Atria Books for the ARC!

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Homebound is the second in a series, but admittedly I hadn’t read the first one and didn’t feel like I was missing anything crucial to enjoy this story.

The story is super cute, childhood friends to lovers, where you really want to root for them right from the beginning. An easy read, something I would definitely recommend to anyone needing a sweet summer romance.

I really loved this one!! I loved the way it turned the cowboy romance on his head by making it a cowgirl romance. and how the main character didn’t have to compromise her dreams to get her family! The writing was really good and my favorite part had to be the tension before the could got together!

Cute cowboy romance with quite a few tropes in there such as single dad, strangers to lovers and forced proximity! A cute read, it did feel a little slow at time and the writing felt a little choppy and repetitive at times, but it's a good light summer read!

Such a great read!! I love a good cowboy romance and this one did not disappoint!! If you like Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage, definitely check this one out. I thought Kodie was such a strong character and loved seeing her grow throughout the book. I loved Wyatt so much and seeing how much he loved Kodie (and how long he loved her).

Thank you Atria and NetGalley for the advanced copy! All opinions are my own.