The fourth and final book for the Crimson Ridge series and it was a beautiful end 🥰

Saving the Rain by Elliott Rose follows our sweet boys Kayce and Raine as they navigate their … complicated journey into life and love 💗

They grew up hating each other, always butting heads but it isn’t always what meets the eye and when they run into each other after years apart they soon realize that. Nothing can stop the growing feelings and urges happening between them, not even the fact that they are step-brothers and should definitely stay away.

I loved getting glimpses of all the past characters of Crimson Ridge and getting a sneak peak of who we have to look forward to in the upcoming series 🤗

I loved Kayce after book one and seeing him grow into the man he was meant to be made my heart overjoyed 🥰 seeing him sober and fight through his demons was maybe my favorite part of this read!

Then there was Raine 🫠 to say I’m obsessed would be an understatement lol
He has a silent grumpy facade but once Kayce got through his layers the real Raine came out and he’s just a big sweet teddy bear underneath it all 🥰

I loved the evolution of their relationship, the backstory and getting the truth behind it all. I was simply in love from beginning to end.
It was a slow start but once it got going there was no stopping it!

A fabulous read of lovers of taboo, cowboy, found family romance with a whole lot of spice and angst 🥵

*Thank you so much to NetGalley, Elliott Rose, and Kensington publishing for the ARC to this book!”

Ugh! Elliott Rose has done it again! I said it with every Crimson Ridge release, but Kayce and Raine are definitely my favorite couple! These two took all my expectations and absolutely blew me away. I could not put this book down!

Kayce. Sweet angel baby Kayce! We see him grow up so much from book one, but in STR is where we truly get to witness the depth of his transformation. We see sides of Kayce that he’s always kept hidden and I loved getting to experience him on a deeper level. It just made me love him so much more.

Now Raine comes off as rough around the edges. However, he’s actually got a soft heart underneath the gruff exterior. It doesn’t seem like it at first, but he is exactly what Kayce needs during one of the most challenging times of his life. He knows when to push Kayce and when to give him space.

These cowboys come from similar backgrounds, but had very different experiences. Each one has traumas they carried and shaped who they are. Their relationship has always been strained and turbulent, but it’s not until they reconnect years later that they realize that maybe they are exactly what the other needs.

I am beyond grateful to have gotten an advanced copy of STR Kensington team! I’ve been on the Crimson Ridge journey since book one and I’ve loved every bit of it. Saving the Rain is by far my favorite of the series! I may or may not (definitely) reread this one over and over again!

Saving the Rain was everything I wanted to wrap this series, and it’s hands down one of my favorite reads of the year. Kayce and Raine’s story was raw, magnetic, and so achingly beautiful that I’ll think about them for awhile. This was the perfect way to close out the Crimson Ridge series, even if saying goodbye to this world feels bittersweet.

From the very first page, the tension between Kayce and Raine is like a live wire sharp, dangerous, impossible to ignore. Years ago, they were thrown together as stepbrothers under circumstances that left scars on both of them. Raine’s protectiveness always came laced with distance, and Kayce grew up believing he was unwanted. When fate throws them back together in Crimson Ridge, all the old resentment comes roaring back… along with something new neither of them can quite name, let alone resist.

I loved how Elliott gave both men room to grow. Kayce’s journey from self-doubt and self-loathing to embracing who he is, was so authentically written it hurt in the best way. My Raine, the grumpy, tattooed, quietly soft-hearted cowboy who knew exactly when to challenge Kayce and when to give him space. The way they fit together, even in their messiest moments, made their love story feel inevitable.

Jeez, the chemistry. Every look, every almost-touch, every moment of “we shouldn’t” was delicious torture. When they finally give in, it’s explosive but it’s the tenderness that follows that makes this book unforgettable.

Elliott has a gift for blending scorching spice with emotional depth, and Saving the Rain might be her best example yet. This is a story about healing, about finding love where you least expect it, and about the quiet, steady devotion that can grow out of even the most complicated history.

Crimson Ridge may be closing its gates, but Kayce and Raine will be living rent free in my heart for a long, long time.

*Thank you to Kensington and Netgalley for this arc, all opinions are my own*

Elliott Rose, you beautiful mastermind. This was definitely a top read of the year. Even if you had me crying my eyes out towards the end. Especially the epilogue. My heart 🥺🥺🥺 I need the bonus chapter like yesterday lol
This stepbrothers, rivals to lovers, cowboys was everything and more.
Sorry Beau, but Raine definitely took top cowboy of the Crimson Ridge cowboys. The mouth on that man! omg 🥵🫣 And Kayce! I wanted to just hug him and then be his bff. In Chasing the Wild, Kayce wasn't my favorite person at the beginning. He grew on me towards the end when he helped his dad get his girl. But now getting his backstory on his life. This poor broken boy tries so hard but life just keeps kicking him in the balls.
Them together had me kicking my feet swooning, and then blushing at how hot the spice is. Their flashbacks to childhood hurt my heart. The fact that Raine was always trying to take care of Kayce. Raine calling Kayce sweet boy 🥹🥹 and him being concerned and always aware of Kayce's injury. Gah, these two are just swoony!
I was not ready to leave them or this series. But this one definitely ends the series well. I can't wait to see what Elliott has in store for us next 💚💚
Thank you again for this ARC 🥰

✨ • Book Review/ ARC Review • ✨ Saving the Rain by Elliott Rose.

@elliottroseauthor @kensingtonbooks @netgalley

Rating: 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐️⭐️
Spice: 3.5 🌶️🌶️🌶️

I want to say Thank you to Elliott Rose, Kensington Books and NetGalley and team for the opportunity to get an ARC of this book!

What happens when the cowboy you’ve hated your whole life is also the one you can’t stop wanting?
Elliott Rose turns rivalry into raw, forbidden passion—and it’s as messy as it is beautiful. 😍

I ate this whole story up and left no crumbs!
I cried and I mean bawled (ugly tears) haha, I giggled, and I found myself not being able to put this one down!

Kayce Wilder, a bronc rider with a past full of mistakes, and Zeke “Raine” Rainer, his gruff, tattooed stepbrother, have spent years locked in rivalry and unspoken tension. When fate forces them back into each other’s lives after an accident, that long-buried friction explodes into something fierce, dangerous, and oh-so intoxicating.

This isn’t just spice (though there’s plenty 😉)—it’s a raw, healing love story about breaking down walls, facing old wounds, and finding home in the most unexpected place.

Kayce and Raine’s journey is messy, passionate, and utterly unforgettable. I could keep reading their story for books upon books! I really loved their chemistry and character growth!

let me just start with saying this series... what a ride has this been! it's definitely one of those series that will stick with me for a while.

this book will be definitely one of the ones that I'll recommend to my friends. especially the ones that love MM romance.

I was waiting for Kayce's book since the last changers of Chasing the Wild - exactly since the moment he saw Layla at the rodeo when he started his journey of turning his life around. and turn it he did! God, I was so proud of the growth he made. It's not easy start over with the addiction always looming above your shoulders. Add to it a toxic, manipulative mother and discovering yourself sexually? It must have been a whirlwind right there. But Kayce did it - with the help of Raine. I don't think he'd ever come out, sort out his life if it wasn't by that gentle push of this stepbrother (not so gentle maybe? ;)

I was so invested from the get go. I couldn't put it down. It was like watching trees waking up from winter sleep and growing fresh leaves - because honestly? Kayce deserved every bit of that happiness even if he didn't believe he did.

And after everything that went down in Raine's life... He deserved it too. An abusive childhood? A stranger with a kid to protect? What teen is willing to go thought things like this and still turn out so good. Even with the scowl on his face.

It was a beautiful slow burn with tension and angst.
My final thoughts are just the words of Kayce to Raine that will go with me everywhere for a good while. This will sum up my thoughts on this book and series perfectly: "NEVER NOT OBSESSED"

Couple of quotes that I marked:
"i wanted you to have it all."

"i want to be good. for you." jesus. that damn near makes me feral.

"i wish he didn't let me leave."

ALL the text messages between them at also on top of my highlights! OBSESSED.

I am SO SAD the series is ending. I love all four books with my whole heart. These books are so incredible and I rec them to anyone and everyone. They’re forbidden,sexy,spicy,and heart wrenching. I’ve cried my eyes out in each book lol Saving the Rain finally gives us Kayce’s story!! We know Kayce from all the other books as Colton Wilder’s son and Layla’s messy ex. I’ve had a soft spot for poor Kayce throughout the series. He struggles with alcoholism, but is a really sweet and charming guy with a big heart. He competes in rodeos and when he’s not traveling for that, he’s on the Devil’s Peak working his dad’s ranch so Colt & Layla can travel. When a new cowboy is hired at Beau’s ranch, Kayce is shocked to see that it’s his stepbrother Raine. Kayce has been sober and putting his life to rights, but so confused about his s3xuality. Raine just makes everything worse for him. Kayce grew up idolizing Raine while thinking he hated him. Kayce’s mom is an addict and Raine’s dad is an absolute asshole. They had a hard life, and it’s given them both lasting trauma. Raine being in Crimson Ridge has Kayce feeling upside down and he’s even more shocked to discover that he is really attracted to him. When Raine has to come help at Devil’s Peak, all bets are off. They’re going to talk, share secrets, maybe get twisted up in the sheets and figure out that they have ridiculous smexual chemistry 🥵 Poor Kayce is so confused about everything in his life for most of the book and I felt so bad for him. I LOVED Raine so much!!! He was so gruff, but a protector through and through. I loved the way he took care of Kayce 😭😭😭 Neither of these two are good with words so they really struggle there lol But the way their relationship grew was so damn beautiful!!!! This book was also so DAMN HOT AND SPICY, just like all the other books in the series 🥵🥵🥵🥵

๏ forced proximity
๏ stepbrothers
๏ rivals to lovers
๏ cowboys
๏ Good Boy 😈
๏ trauma bonded
๏ grumpy but actual softy for him
๏ HE WASHES HIM
๏ protector 🥹

Oh my hopeless romantic heart. These boys… these boys now hold it in their hands. Zeke Rainer you little simp, you. Ugh. I love him. I am so so so happy Kayce got his redemption story. In book 1, he was a sh!thread but seeing his growth and learning his backstory… oh sweet boy.

There’s some heavy themes in this book. Addiction, childhood abuse, and trauma. Elliott handled it really well but it did make my heart ache so badly. *check your triggers guys*

The tension lit me on fire in the best way. Then the battle inside Kayce… his abandonment issues, his low self worth, his struggles with being true to himself… they all spoke to me on a deep level. Raine the grumpy gills who’s secretly a softy for his stepbrother. Oh I adore a “soft for you” man. This man, lawd he was filthy yet gentle and loving. He is a fierce protector and that…. that just does it for me. He is definitely up there as one of my top book boyfriends now.

I laughed. I teared up. I gasped. I giggled. I swooned. I panted like a b!tch in heat. Many times my heart was racing like I was the one bareback on a bronc.
AND THAT ENDING 🥹
I loved their story. I think this Kayce & Raine took Beau’s spot, tied as #1 man in Crimson Ridge. 🫠

“𝑵𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒐𝒃𝒔𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖”

MM Romance
Forbidden (Stepbrothers)
Enemies to lovers
Grumpy cowboys 🤠
The spice was definitely spicing in this one!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this before the release date. This is the first book of this series I’m reading so maybe a few things were lost on me because I’ve not read the other books.

Unfortunately I felt like the pace was a little off and I didn’t feel the first few chapters fully explained/explored their dislike of one another or the attraction. For me I would have liked more moments where they were realising there was more to their feelings.

I’m not normally a fan of 3rd act breakups but did like the fact that the time away allowed Kayce to grow emotionally and come out to his friends in his own way. I loved their HEA and the proposal/wedding was cute.

Definitely worth a read for MM romance lovers and I’m interested in reading the others in the series.

OMG I devoured this story. Kayce and Raine had my heart melting. I was so beautiful and raw and the depth of the story aside from the spice was heart wrenching. All I can say is I’m telling everyone to get this book ready for release

If I could give infinite stars - I would!
While I’m absolutely gutted that crimson ridge has reached its peak ;) this book was the best freaking way to finish it!
I’m a sucker for an angsty MM romance but this was top tier!

I’m so happy Kayce got his own story - I knew he deserved it and deserved to show the world who he really was!
He’s worked on himself, stayed sober and is just taking each day as it comes, but he wasn’t expecting to run into his stepbrother in crimson ridge!

Raine went and stole my heart from the start with his smart mouth and cheeky personality! The tattoos are always a bonus 😈🤣
He’s always had to protect himself from his miserable father, and others too and so he’s always just kept to himself, floating from ranch to ranch making a life for himself.
He find himself landed in crimson ridge and floating right into his stepbrother - the one who he ran from all those years ago….or did he.

I absolutely adored getting to watch both men find themselves while finding each other - and find each other they did. When I tell you the spice be spicing - I’m not joking. If you thought Elliott knew how to write a sexy cowboy chasing his girl - wait til you se how she writes 2 sexy cowboys 🥵

Crimson ridge has been my favourite place to escape to and I just know you’ll love it too!

This is the fourth book in the Crimson Ridge series, an interconnected-standalone, forced proximity, cowboy romance with a happily ever after. Make sure to check out the trigger and content warnings before reading. I love that it also includes a Playlist and Spotify download for your listening pleasure as well!

Kayce Wilder just came back from a break in his competitive rodeo circuit tour to his dad's Devil's Peak Ranch in Crimson Ridge when his stepbrother Zeke Rainer (Raine) shows up in town. They have an estranged relationship that wasn't the greatest when they were younger, but when Kayce has an accident and needs help on the ranch while his dad is away, Raine comes to the rescue. Raine has always been a protector, even if Kayce wasn't privy to all he actually did for him. As they spend more time together, their relationship starts to grow more heated.

This was an interesting taboo love story that gives lots of spicy scenes. It incorporates some familiar characters from previous stories. If you enjoy interconnected cowboy series, you will love the Crimson Ridge books.

♾⭐

I will never be over these two. These broken boys with their crappy parents and upbringings who had so much history, heartache, and angst between them. There was so much that came to light about their past that was heartbreaking but also made me love Raine even more. This book was such a great way to end the series and some things came full circle for me with Kayce and Colt. There were so many raw emotional scenes in this book and that the last 20% had me crying like 6 times.

Kayce Wilder, you beautiful blushing golden retriever. The amount of times he blushed made me giggle so hard. If you've read Chasing the Wild, then you know Kayce was not the best person. He was known as the sunshine party boy, always down for a good time, but in this book you really understand his struggles and heartache that he had to go through. He fought so hard to turn his life around and to become a better person and someone people could count on. His redemption was perfection and I fell so in love with him.

Raine started out as a little sh!t to be honest lol, but I fell so in love with his grumpy self and reading him soften for Kayce had me just so giddy. Raine is a filthy talking cowboy who loves to make Kayce blush. There were flashbacks in this book to when they were growing up and there were a few times when I was yelling at Raine, but when you find out the truth behind his actions, it really does make you fall more in love with him.

The spice in this book, holy moly Elliott never disappoints with this spice. The Widler men and their spicy truck scenes will forever live rent-free in my head. There was so much delicious tension between them that made the spice even hotter.

4.5 stars .

I absolutely adored this story and oh my hell was it hot AF. Their love, pain, heartbreak and just everything about their journey was beautiful. Elliott Rose created the most stunning couple and I’m glad Raine & Kayce have each other. Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy of this to read. Honestly so obsessed with their love

Rating: 5/5
Spice Rating: 4/5

I feel like every time I read a Crimson Ridge book I just fall deeper and deeper in love with this small town and its residents.
Kayce and Raine have my whole heart! Elliott Rose writes such amazing characters and her cowboys are always so hot yet so sweet.
Both of these men have been through a lot. We dove a lot deeper into Kayce and why he acted the way he did in Chasing the Wild. He made my heart hurt for him so much and I just wanted to hug him. He has always viewed himself as a burden and screw up that he really needed someone to just prove to him he is worthy.
Raine is such a grump but who can blame him with the trauma he has been dealt? I loved how patient and loving he was with Kayce no matter how stubborn he was.
Raine is everything Kayce needed in his life. He helped in so many ways emotionally and physically.
The spice was so good! One thing Elliott Rose really knows how to write is a dirty talking cowboy hehe. I was kicking and giggling and so flustered every time Raine opened his mouth. I was a puddle just as much as Kayce was haha.
Like always in a Crimson Ridge book, I did cry multiple times. That last about 30% had be a mess. I was anxious and about to combust.
The ending was everything I wanted for my sweet boy Kayce. He grew on me so much since CTW and I wanted him so badly to have his happy ending. Raine is the perfect person for him.
I could read this book and series again again and never get tired of it!

This was such a gripping read from start to finish — full of tension, emotion, and slow-burn chemistry that had me hooked. It’s the first time i’ve read a same sex romance, and honestly i absolutely loved it! Topped off with enemies to lovers dynamic, 10/10 this one absolutely delivered.

Kayce and Raine being forced to work together despite their painful past and clashing personalities —created an undeniable angsty attraction powerful, emotional journey.

My only criticism is the amount of times the word “ooooooompppfffff” etc was used, as it did throw me out of the story a little bit, there was at times a few too many excessive letters in the word ompf. I think the word itself is impactful enough to show the lust and expression from the characters without the exaggerated spelling!

I still absolutely loved this series and i’ll be so sad to say goodbye to this beaut of a ranch! Thank you so much for letting me have an Arc copy, cant wait to rave about it on release day!

⭐️ “Oh, that’s right. You’re a cowboy who absolutely, definitely, under no circumstances would ever blush . . . because that’s not manly.” ⭐️

⭐️ “You belong right here. I’m not letting you leave me.” ⭐️

Urgh.

Kayce and Raine. I will be the first to say how MM is not my favourite style of book to read, yet Kayce’s story was my most anticipated read from this entire series.

And it did NOT disappoint. Never once. Not an ounce.

Step brothers, enemies to lovers. SIGN ME UP.

Kayce having the epiphany that maybe JUST MAYBE, he likes guys, but with so much self doubt he doesn’t know how to process this new road his life has thrown at him. After falling off a bronc in steps Raine, his step brother.
Raine spent most of his childhood protecting Kayce from his dad, taking every thing he threw at him, worlds, insults, fists. He didn’t want Kayce and kayces mum from his own dad’s actions.

The more time they spend together the more both their walls come down and sparks fly. Lines are crossed.

These two together are so bloody hot, I can’t cope. I’m done, weak knees, giggling and loving every single second of their story. The good and the bad. All of the in between too. I wasn’t ready for their love story but god damn it I’m so happy they got it.

⭐️You’re so goddamn beautiful, my sweet boy.⭐️ MY SWEET BOY. Stop it. Stop it right now. 😭

I was pleased to receive an ARC copy of Saving the Rain.

Kayce and Raine's story is so beautiful and steamy. I cried, I laughed, and I blushed. It is heartwarming to see Kayce's growth throughout the Crimson Ridge series. Despite support, he still doesn't believe in himself or that he worthy of love. Some of his chapters were heart breaking 💔

I can't believe Crimson Ridge is over. I was hoping Chaos ( and Knox) got a story. MMF or MFM???

I loved loved this book so so much! while i did love the other books in this series this was by far the best for me, even though m/m is normaly not what i go for. This book blew me away, the struggles, the fighting, the accepting, the love, everything was one puzzle that just fit. Kayce and Raine are my abosolute favorite ship.

HOLY COWBOY😮‍💨😮‍💨

I genuinely think this is her best book yet! I absolutely love her writing and can’t ever put any of the books down. I’m a sucker for a good redemption arc and I’m soooo happy that Kayce finally got his happily ever after that he deserved. I also wanted to bawl hearing his back story and what he went through. Honestly same with Raine. I love that they not only were able to grow and learn for themselves, they also learned what it meant to be there for someone else too. I absolutely loved the mental health and LGBTQ+ representation that is always in her books. She always does such a phenomenal job making people feel seen within her books. I’m so so thankful I was able to be an early reader for this book and I cant wait to be able to get a physical copy for my shelves!