I loved this sweet book! I'm not going to lie, the mannerisms took me a minute to get into (sugar, ma'am, sir) but once I got used to it, I was hooked and did not want to put this down. Maybe I'm biased as a mom, but if there's a cutie toddler in the book, you can bet I'm going to lover it.

Wyatt is a big ol' NHL player sweetheart. With the most adorable baby girl, Vienna. Dakota - The Cowboy Killer - is a scowling, spicy bull rider.

I loved seeing their friendship turn into a relationship. That slow burn burned! Dakota was oh so sweet with Vienna, I will probably never get over how nurturing she was with her. And Vienna's interactions with Dakota? The sweetest!!! And Wyatt keeping that mood ring? I'm a goner. 😭

4.5 stars rounded up! A reverse cowboy romance, is that a thing? SHE is a badass bull rider and he’s a single dad and NHL hockey player. Growing up they were best friends, he loved her but didn’t think she felt the same especially after she got engaged to a bull rider. Now he’s back in Texas to win her heart. This was the perfect Summer read!

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

There’s truly nothing better, in my opinion, than a well-written best friends-to-lovers romance—especially when it’s set against the rugged backdrop of the Wild West. This story takes that classic setting and gives it a delightfully unique twist: much of the action unfolds on a flower farm. Yes, you read that right—a *flower farm* in cowboy country.

While the Wild West elements give the book its edge, the characters give it heart. Kodie, a strong-willed and courageous bull rider, is such a compelling protagonist. Her friendship with Wyatt is the beating heart of the story, and watching it blossom into something deeper was incredibly satisfying. Their chemistry is undeniable, but what really hooked me was the emotional depth the author managed to weave into their relationship without rushing it. This is a true *slow burn*, and though it takes time to ignite, the payoff is absolutely worth it.

Now, a quick confession: single-parent romances usually aren’t my go-to. As someone who doesn’t have kids, I sometimes struggle to connect with those plotlines. But I can totally understand why they’re popular—they offer built-in emotional stakes and often show the tender, nurturing sides of characters. That said, I did feel that the story could’ve given more background on Wyatt’s child. Still, I adored the way Kodie interacted with the “little devil”—not as an instant stand-in mom, but as a genuine, caring friend. It felt real and respectful of boundaries.

There were definitely some tense moments (it’s not a bull rider romance without a few close calls!), but the story never lost its warmth. The author strikes a great balance between action, emotional growth, and soft, romantic scenes that made me swoon.

In the end, this book is a heartwarming, rugged love story about two people who know each other deeply, take their time falling in love, and face life’s wild turns together. If you love stories filled with slow-burn chemistry, unconventional settings, and characters who feel like real people, this one should definitely be on your TBR list.

“Both of our lives are so intense I want to come home to something as easy as breathing.”

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

A COWGIRL AND HOCKEY PLAYER ROMANCE? Sign me tf up 🥵😍❤️

I was so intrigued by this crossover and it did not disappoint! I read it as a standalone (it’s technically the second in the series) and everything still made perfect sense! I mean, a single dad who’s in love with his bull riding best friend… what’s not to love!

Kodie and Wyatt’s journey from friends to lovers is played out so well on the page. The book covers the entire scope of them rekindling their friendship to the sweetest “I love you” moments. The banter between these two is STELLAR and I will be recommending this book to so many people because of all of the emotions it made me feel.

Thank you to Netgalley, Atria publishing, and Meredith for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As much as I lean into my Vietnamese-ness these days, I am also trying to lean into my Texan-ness. I'm not sure this was the best first entry into the cowboy romance bandwagon. I'll keep trying, but the misogyny and slut shaming must stop.

Enemies to lovers excites the rest of you all, but there's a certain sweetness to friends to lovers. However, I got a little annoyed with how often two years is described as an age gap. Kodie is not an older woman. And I wanted DILF vibes from Wyatt, but the man is literally twenty six and I can't (make it forty six - I'm an atheist but I need Jesus).

Some of the sex was hot, but that doesn't make up for the rest of the story, a lot of which was repetitive. We get it, Kodie rides bulls. She's trying to stay on for eight seconds. She sleeps around. Blah blah blah.

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books

4 Stars I've been wanting to read Homebound by Meredith Trapp since it was first released, so I was thrilled to get an ARC of the new copy from Atria! Homebound is a fun and spicy single dad, friends to lovers romance between a hockey player and the bull rider he's been in love with since they were kids.

NHL star Wyatt Patterson has been in love with bull rider Dakota Cutler since she saved him from drowning when they were kids. Dakota has been blind to Wyatt's feelings for years and was heartbroken when he suddenly cut off their friendship three years ago. But Wyatt is back in Texas, ready to fight for Dakota's heart. With his adorable baby girl on his hip, Wyatt arrives at Dakota's doorstep since he'll be staying with her for the summer on his moms' property. Dakota tries to keep her distance, but nothing can stop Wyatt as he gets Dakota to fall for both him and his daughter.

Such a fun read! I've read books about bull riders before but they were never the FMC, always the MMC. This was such an entertaining read and I loved how Dakota was a badass bull rider, with a soft, cinnamon roll center for those she loves. I soaked up the scenes between her and Vienna, Wyatt's baby girl. It was so fun to see Dakota's view of Wyatt change from that sweet summer boy she's always known as a friend to something more. It's a slow burn, but well worth the wait. And I so appreciated that there was no third act breakup since it took Dakota and Wyatt a while to get together. They had been through enough and didn't deserve a break up lol.

Thanks Meredith Trapp and Atria for the ARC! Homebound re-releases June 17th!

4 Stars I've been wanting to read Homebound by Meredith Trapp since it was first released, so I was thrilled to get an ARC of the new copy from Atria! Homebound is a fun and spicy single dad, friends to lovers romance between a hockey player and the bull rider he's been in love with since they were kids.

NHL star Wyatt Patterson has been in love with bull rider Dakota Cutler since she saved him from drowning when they were kids. Dakota has been blind to Wyatt's feelings for years and was heartbroken when he suddenly cut off their friendship three years ago. But Wyatt is back in Texas, ready to fight for Dakota's heart. With his adorable baby girl on his hip, Wyatt arrives at Dakota's doorstep since he'll be staying with her for the summer on his moms' property. Dakota tries to keep her distance, but nothing can stop Wyatt as he gets Dakota to fall for both him and his daughter.

Such a fun read! I've read books about bull riders before but they were never the FMC, always the MMC. This was such an entertaining read and I loved how Dakota was a badass bull rider, with a soft, cinnamon roll center for those she loves. I soaked up the scenes between her and Vienna, Wyatt's baby girl. It was so fun to see Dakota's view of Wyatt change from that sweet summer boy she's always known as a friend to something more. It's a slow burn, but well worth the wait. And I so appreciated that there was no third act breakup since it took Dakota and Wyatt a while to get together. They had been through enough and didn't deserve a break up lol.

Thanks Meredith Trapp and Atria for the ARC! Homebound re-releases June 17th!

Dakota “Kodie” Cutler is tough. As a bull rider, She has to be. But when her best friend, Wyatt Patterson moves back home for the summer with his baby girl in tow, after three years of not speaking, life for both of them changes.

Wyatt has been in love with Dakota for most of his life. But this summer is his chance to finally get her to fall for him too.

Such a cute read!

I loved seeing how Wyatt fell for Dakota when he was a kid, and how he just kept falling harder for her as the years went by. Vi was so cute too, loved the matching outfits dressed her up in to match his outfit, and that Dakota bought herself a shirt to match them too. The epilogue was so cute!! Loved the mood ring proposal, I feel like it was so them, and added a nice touch to how much Wyatt cared for Dakota. It’s the little details that counted for me, the mood ring, the Twinkie cake Dakota made every Fourth of July, how Wyatt kept his cool even when he was angry(which he doesn’t get angry often) the way he calls Luna Tuna instead. How Dakota calls Vi beautiful, and little devil was so cute. He didn’t play when it came to Dakota, especially when she talked bad about herself or about her dying in the bull pen. And now one of my MANY favorite quotes:

“We might have one of the best live stories of all time, but I think about everyone else falling in love across the world, yearning, hoping, finding their happy ending, and that might be the most beautiful thing-that everyone thinks their own love story is the happiest of all.”
Mrs. Meredith Trapp everyone, thank you for the beautiful book, I hope to read more from these characters soon!

I really wanted to love this book for multiple reasons. 1) I recently moved to the midwest and went to my first rodeo so I am definitely in my *cowboy romance era* and 2) sign me up for a strong, independent, tough as nails FMC breaking barriers in sports! But that being said, I’ve never really been a big fan of childhood friends to lovers or second chance romance. This book fell flat for me and I was struggling to finish it by the end, especially due to it being such a slooooow burn. I didn’t care for Dakota’s attitude/character traits and I cringed every time she called Wyatt “sugar.” Just not the right cowboy romance for me unfortunately!

Thank you to Atria, the author, and NetGalley for the e-ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this eARC.

This was a really fun twist on the traditional childhood friends to lovers and single parent trope. I enjoyed that Wyatt was this super positive single dad and Dakota was a focused but grumpy bull rider who wanted more for herself. Wyatt was so devoted to Dakota but always made sure his daughter came first.

Wyatt’s struggles as a single parents are highlighted and it shows the need to still feel like an adult who has needs as well. Similarly, Dakota deals with having a career in a male dominated career and balancing that with her desire to become a mother.

I really loved this story, it was a unique and refreshing take on familiar tropes and I really loved the chapter titles. I personally enjoy it when authors do that!

Homebound by Meredith Trapp🐂

☆☆☆☆.5
First want to thank Meredith and Simon & Schuster for the e-arc💕

This book is what got out me out of my reading slump that’s how good it was!

This whole book is just top tier. Wyatt Patterson is my new book boyfriend😍

Dakota my badass but vulnerable queen you are my new favorite fmc!

“I knew it would be because I was made for this woman, and she was crafted for me.”

This book threw me at every turn.

Wyatt is very much in love with Dakota and has been his whole life. They spent summers together in Texas, and now he is living in Nashville, playing in the NHL. He has a 1 year old daughter from a one night stand .

Dakota is a bull rider, and you very much get that in her personality. She is strong, independent, and rough around all the edges.

I just don't understand this love story, I just don't feel any depth from either of them. It was very intense from Wyatts' side, and then all of a sudden, Dakota was onboard?? I feel her love for Vi more than I do for Wyatt. I think all the references to her sleeping around were a bit much and threw me off. Just mention it and move on. Dakota talks a lot about being in lust and not love with her ex ,but it seems to be the same for these two.

Overall, this is a quick, fun read, but I did get much from it. It didn't have me feeling my feelings....

Thank you, Atria, for the ARC.

Thank you to Atria & NetGalley for this arc!

I had high hopes going into this book, but it just wasn’t it for me. The characters were super dynamic and sometimes didn’t make sense. The main male character, Wyatt, was a NHL star and a single dad while the main female character, Dakota, was an aspiring professional bull rider.

It felt like a lot of the dialogue could’ve been shortened too, not so direct. I felt the ick for Wyatt when someone would tell him not to call them “ma’am” or “sir” but he would tell them “nope it’s how I was raised” 🙂‍↔️ i understand being respectful and using those words but seems disrespectful when you don’t listen to the other person.

Overall, it sort of itched my need cowboy romance, but I didn’t feel connected to anything and the dialogue was too much.

I read the first ~15% of this ARC and it was wildly not my cup of tea. Will not be making a public review

3.5 ✨

Thank you Atria for the eARC in exchange for a review!

A moment for the cover which is absolutely GORGEOUS (and maybe a big reason why I requested this!) This was a really cute second chance romance that packed a bit of spice - it was a quick read. Wyatt is down so bad and I kinda love him for it, I also really enjoyed that Dakota was the cowgirl (or bull rider in this case!) We also love an author who list's content warnings at the beginning of the book.

Also Meredith, I'm begging you for a book between Lana & Willy, thank you so much xoxo

Thank you, Atria Publicity, for allowing me to read an early copy of Homebound!

  Wyatt is a single dad, hockey star player who decides to go back to his small hometown in Texas to win the heart of his childhood best friend, Dakota, who is a bullrider.
  This, he falls first, friends-to-lovers romance was really good. I loved the fact that the FMC is the grumpy bullrider for once. But, dont let Wyatt fool ya. He's a golden retriever with a dirty mouth.
  It was a fun read, and I was along for the ride (pun intended). Was it a little cheesy at times, maybe, but I loved how the usual dynamic was switched, which made this a little different than other cowboy romances.

Homebound
Rating: 3.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

“I want you to say that you missed me as much as I missed you because I fucking missed you, Patterson.”

“Your password is still my birthday? Why? You really need to change that.”

“It’s about time you realized that, ’cause honey, I’ve been yours since the day you pulled me out of that creek.”

——

Plot:
Wyatt is returning home to Granite Falls with only one goal in mind, to make Dakota fall in love with him just like how he’s felt that way ever since they were kids. As kids, Wyatt would return to Granite Falls and spend every summer following Dakota until one summer, he doesn’t come back nor has he been returning Dakota’s call. Dakota Cutler has been bull-riding her entire life and has earned the nickname “Cowboy Killer” while Wyatt has become the hockey golden boy. A lot has changed, and when Wyatt returns, he is willing to do everything to get Dakota to see him more as a friend.

——

Thoughts:
We love a man who has been pining and crushing hard since childhood!! Wyatt had me screaming with his obsession with making Dakota fall in love with him by the end of summer! Wyatt had me giggling as soon as he confessed how obsessed he was with Dakota!

It’s been a minute since I’ve read a black cat x golden retriever trope and this one was sooo much fun!! I had the biggest crush on Wyatt and loooooved how Dakota was not giving into him! Personally loved Dakota’s character so much cause she was strong and fierce and did not let any man tell her she couldn’t be a good bull rider! This book had me screaming at how hot the tension was once Wyatt set his mind to it! I loved how jealous he was when other cowboys tried flirting with her! Oh and I knew from the second Dakota met Vienna (Wyatt’s daughter), it was game over for her! She loved his daughter before she even knew it!

Also, the reason why Wyatt named his daughter Vienna >>>>>>

I am truly a sucker for single parent romances! Seeing Dakota celebrate all of Vienna’s achievements with Wyatt just made me cry <3

Y’all Wyatt was the most supportive man ever! King of words of appreciation! He always told Dakota that he believed in her, pushed her to do her best in bull riding and even helped her with training! AND he always told everyone who doubted her that they were wrong! I need him in my life omg

And then the glimpse we got of Lana and Willie!! The enemies-to-lovers or opposites-attract!! I need the next book (but I need to read Icebound ASAP)!

Once again, special thanks to NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Wyatt and Dakota’s story was beautiful. As someone who grew up up in the PBR scene through my family, reading this book felt like home. The amount of thought put into every single detail of this book was astonishing. I found myself incredibly impressed by the accuracy in this book, though I shouldn’t be surprised based off the author.

I found every character to be well thought out and I didn’t find any character that I thought was unnecessary or there as a filler. I found myself unable to put this absolute masterpiece down! I am anxiously awaiting information on the next in this series and can say with certainty I will be reading it!

I first read this one when it was on KU and when I saw that it was getting picked up by Atria and was now on NetGalley, I knew I had to request it to read it again and support the amazing things this author is doing 🫶🏼

As for the story itself, I loved it! Dakota is strong, sassy, independent, smart, and one heck of a bull rider! I learned so much about bulk riding in this one and it makes me want to go to a rodeo so bad now that I understand more of that world! I love her relationship with Wyatt and his daughter. It's so heartwarming seeing how tough she is and how he can make her melt and soften and honestly same goes for Wyatt's daughter Vienna, Dakota is so soft just for the two of them!

I love the childhood friends to lovers trope especially when Wyatt has been pining over her for 10 years!! He's a professional hockey player with Texas roots, single dad to a sweet baby girl, categorized as the nice guy, and would do anything for Dakota and his daughter Vienna. I love the way he calls Dakota honey and refuses to call her by the nickname everyone else calls her! He continually picks her up and supports her unconditionally while Dakota does all she can to help with the parenting stuff so he doesn't have to do it alone, even when she sees him as just a friend!

I'm definitely in my cowboy-esque romance era right now and loving every bit of it especially with a book this fun to read!

Thank you so much to Atria Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book! I'm so grateful 💕