FINALLY, a bull riding WOMAN! Kodie takes the cake on being an absolute badass “Cowboy killer.” Then we have Wyatt who is without a doubt a beautifully written MMC, he has every desirable trait on top of mixing in another one of my favorite subgenres by him being a hockey player. Drool.

Their relationship from childhood friends to scorching love interests was 🤌 I loved every second of it.

I really enjoyed this book ! I’m always up for some cowboy romance and find the friends to lovers trope lovely and inspiring . With that said; Wyatt is the perfect representation of a gentleman . He’s caring, attentive, respectful and more . I must admit some lines made me cringe a few times, but it was a good read nonetheless . I REALLY LOVED THAT THERE WAS NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP LIKE IN MOST BOOKS . Dakota found everything she was looking for in him and his girl, and she held tight .

This was a cute quasi-second chance/it's always been you romance. I loved the Western vibes, but unfortunately the characters just didn't totally do it for me.

There are a few things about this book that stood out to me as really well done. The first is the friends to lovers slow build, which is not always my favorite trope. But the shift that Dakota has to undergo from seeing Wyatt as her best friend to someone she wants to be with is so gradual and gentle that it feels very natural. She doesn't just wake up one day and want to jump him. She's getting it in doses, and that works SO well for this cranky, stubborn character.

The other element I loved about this story is Wyatt's role as a dad. The struggles of the early days of parenthood are almost a main facet of his character, particularly the weight of wanting to be enough/what they need and the guilt of leaving them for work, even when it's with your village/family. His love for his girls is so pure, and the fact that he wants his daughter to grow up to be as fierce and strong as Dakota, and tells them both so all the time, is absolutely heart-melting.

The reason I'm only going with 3 stars has to do with conflict. The third act conflict felt very forced..it's not a breakup, it's her ex kind of just being annoying, and it added nothing to the story for me. I also did not love that fear/grief is what finally pushes Dakota all the way into Wyatt's arms. That man worked hard for her to actually see him as a man, and that was not a satisfying way to bring them together.

That said, I think this story is still very much worth a read!

3.5 stars
This was a good book. I felt it started off slow. I didn’t fully get invested in the story until about 50% but after that I flew through the whole thing. Dakota and Wyatt are so cute together and the spice was incredible!

Do you love cowboy romance? Give this one a try! Do you enjoy single dad, lady bull riders, forced proximity, black cat x golden retriever, childhood friends to strangers to lovers, it's always been you... then you will absolutely eat this book up!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️
🐝

reread it on 5/20/2025

First off. Round of applause for the fact of a woman bull rider!!!

Dakota and Wyatt had been childhood summer best friends. Then when Dakota got engaged to someone else, hearts were broken on both ends. Five years of silence and healing hearts and grunges… Wyatt is back and as a single dad.

He’s back for the summer but determined to make Dakota his, remind her that they were meant to be. As Dakota fights for her name in the spot light and fighting feelings for Wyatt and his daughter it’s only a matter of time.

I LOVED every minute of this book. The slow build of restoring a friendship to lovers. The way that Dakota took in his daughter and loved her like her own melted my heart. The way Wyatt showed endless unconditional love and support. Dakota had a long road ahead of her.

Even though it was a slow burn, you got the spice and it hit!!!!

3.5 stars!

There are some things about this book that really worked for me and some things I didn’t love as much.

Let’s start with the good! I feel like we get some great gender flipping in this book. Our FMC is the bull rider, the one who sleeps around, and the one who is keeping our MMC at an arms length. Our MMC is a super dedicated parent who doesn’t dump parenting duties on anyone else and has some real emotional intelligence.

The relationship between the two characters is great. There is fantastic communication and no silly third act breakup. They both are old enough to understand that they have to take the relationship seriously because there is a child involved. It’s a huge pet peeve of mine when the characters don’t consider the child and the child was thought about at every step of the way.

Also the author already has me hooked on Alana and Willie. Please I need their book immediately!

Now to some things that didn’t work for me. I think in general this book lacked a lot of depth. Second chance/childhood friends to lovers is hard to do without flashbacks. We heard a lot about their connection but we didn’t see it. I also thought the mother of Vi was written off too easily. So this woman gave birth to her daughter and abandoned her? That’s not casual, that’s going to be a big part of Vi’s story. And you would think Wyatt would be more careful about Vi clinging to a maternal figure who may not be around forever. I also think in many ways Dakota’s mother abandoned her so it would have been interesting to see her make that connection with Vi’s story.

I also think the hockey connection is flimsy and seems like just a way to get this book in with the trend of hockey romance.

All in all, I do think this is a really fun cowboy read. Wyatt is THE golden retriever boyfriend so if that’s your thing you will LOVE him. And Dakota is a badass. The bull riding stuff in this book is so fun and had me on the edge of my seat!

Meredith Trapp has done it again! Homebound is so good! I had so much fun reading this story and was locked in from the start. The characters, the plot, the setting...everything was perfect.

It was impossible not to fall in love with Wyatt and Dakota. Wyatt is an NHL player, a single dad, and a swoony golden retriever MMC. He is protective and possessive when he needs to be, but also soft and caring. When it came to Dakota, he was completely gone for her and did what it took to make sure she was his. Dakota is strong, sassy, and fierce! I love reading about FMCs breaking barriers, taking life by the horns, and proving naysayers wrong. I loved Wyatt and Dakota together.

I don't always enjoy slow burns, but I could not stop reading this one. Wyatt waited years to have Dakota in his arms, and when things finally aligned for them, it was perfect. Wyatt's daughter Vi is the cutest! The moments when Dakota bonds with Vi are so sweet. I also loved the relationships Wyatt and Dakota had with their parents.

Homebound is the cowboy/cowgirl romance I didn't know I needed. From the secondary characters (shoutout to Cruz from Icebound), the way Wyatt and Dakota always showed up for each other, the nicknames, Wyatt's dirty mouth 🤭, the delicious outdoor shower and hay bale scenes 🥵, the mood ring 🥹, and the Texas references...you can't go wrong with this book. Is everything bigger in Texas? Absolutely!

Homebound by Meredith Trapp is a small-town, friends-to-lovers romance that blends the grit of rodeo life with the charm of single fatherhood. As the second installment in the Boundless Players series, it follows Dakota Cutler, a tough-as-nails bull rider, and Wyatt Patterson, a professional hockey player and single dad, as they navigate rekindled feelings and past misunderstandings. Wyatt's daughter, Vienna, and Dakota's father, Colt, provide additional layers of warmth and depth to the story. Their relationships with the main characters are touching.

I would give this book 4.5 stars so rounded up to 5! This was a great take as she was the professional instead of the man which I loved. I really enjoyed this book. My first by this author. I loved that Dakota was the bull rider with black cat energy and he was the sweet single dad best friend. But when Wyatt decided he was going to go after what he wanted......well that man had me melting. They were so good together! So good!

I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and the characters were developed well. It was a nice quick read for me. Every flowed so it made it easy to follow along!

Thank you Netgalley for providing this book! Give a small town cowboy romance and I’ll be eat it up everytime. AND Wyatt being an ice hockey player is just icing on the cake. This book was so wonderful. I loved seeing Wyatt being so down bad for Dakota. I will admit I wanted to shake Dakota a few times when she couldn’t see how in love Wyatt was with her. Them with Vienna was absolutely adorable and seeing Dakota falling in love with her made my heart melt. This book was such good read and I had such fun time.

I looooove a cowboy romance and this did not disappoint!!! Friends to ex friends to lovers? Sign me up

What an absolutely gorgeous western romance. Loved our FMC so much and the twist she added to the cowboy/western romance format I am used to seeing. This is a perfect romance for spring/summer with lovable characters and such a fun love story.

This book was okay, a little too simplistic. However, it had an interesting plot! I really loved the relationship between the MMC and his daughter, and I thought the distance between the FMC and MMC made sense!

Well done, Meredith Trapp. Hats off to you because this cowboy, single dad, friends to lovers, small town, romance was absolutely immaculate. The MMC, Wyatt, was the best combination of polite and bossy, and the FMC, Dakota, was equal parts fierce and soft. The pacing was perfect and the storyline was devilishly balanced, making the book just a home run. I have no issues with any of it; just a great 5⭐️ read!

This was a super fun book! I love a cowboy(girl in this case) romance, love second chance, love single dad, so it was a huge win for me! Dakota is such a badass and I’m in love with her. Wyatt is the supportive cinnamon roll from the beginning scene, I love him!

This friends-to-lovers romance is a slow burn but cranks the heat at just the right moment. It shows how the right partner will hold you up when you might be down and fight for your dreams alongside you.

Wyatt is a quintessential good guy who puts his daughter first. He left town when Dakota got engaged and comes back to finally pursue a romantic relationship. Dakota is a take-no-prisoners type personality and is a strong role model to Vienna. In the past, she has put Wyatt firmly in the friend zone. Seeing him again lights a spark and she realizes she can let herself have the good thing and not settle for less.

If there is one thing I love, it is a FEISTY FMC!! Dakota was exactly what I want in my leading lady. Shes rough around the edges but has a heart of gold.

Wyatt is just straight DADDYYYY. I loved how he didn’t shy away from his golden boy image. He is a gentleman through and through.

Friends to lovers is one of my favourite tropes and this was a perfect example of that! I loved every second!