Really really not my type of book
Struggled to read first 30 pages and cannot get into it
Do not like the really sarcastic underlying humour

Steady Now is a good debut, but I felt like there was so much missing. For the length of it, I felt we could've gotten more of Wren's story in the beginning of the book. You learn next to nothing about her until close to the end. Hud was a great MMC, and while we get a bit more character development with him, it's still laking. The found family and friendships within the small town were sweet and believable, but everything felt so surface level. I didn't dislike the book by any means, I just really wanted more.

That was actually so cute!! 🥰✨

In the beginning the story was a little slow, however, it got better and better and before I knew any better I was completely captivated by the story, the slow burn, the feeling, the characters, the adorable kid and this busy body small town and their drama.

I was able to really loose myself in the story and this is exactly what I want and need from a book, so "Steady Now" ticked all my boxes in terms of emotion, feeling, spice, great conversations and character development and setting. 🥰

A couple things could have been a little more flashed out or maybe introduced a little earlier, but all in all "Steady Now" was a very entertaining small town romance with some twists and a little drama woven in. ✨

Steady Now
By: Liberty Stowe

5/5 Star Review
5/5 Spiciness Level

THANK YOU: Thank you RupertBossier Publisher and CampNetGalley for allowing me access to this eARC in exchange for my honest review. I appreciate every eARC I am approved for and I enjoyed this book so very much!! Apologies for not making the Camp NetGalley deadline with reviewing this book! Thank you!

RECOMMENDATION: I highly recommend this book! It is a rather light read with moderate angst and ends in a happily ever after. I would recommend this book when you are in the mood for a lighter read, easy to read plot, moderate angst, and all-in-all a happy & feel-good book! Maybe read after a super heavy & complex read when you just need some happy and spice!

BRIEF RUNDOWN: Steady Now is a standalone love story of rich girl Wren Baldwin and blue-collar Hudson Bass. When her car decides to break down in the middle of nowhere Texas, her car ends up in the auto repair shop belonging to Hud. They do seem to be drawn to each other from the first time they lay eyes on each other. Each of them has baggage and are jaded to romantic relationships for two very different reasons. Wren is running away from her old life in Dallas after a bad breakup and she must come to terms with not being chosen by her 2-year-long boyfriend. Also, that she will never be good enough for her father. Hud wants to gain custody of his son away from his son’s drug addicted mother. At the same time, there is a company trying to buy or steal Hud’s family’s land to build a factory where they make electric car batteries. He will never sell and is prepared to do whatever he needs to fight against them. So, between her running away from her life and him trying to fight for his son and his land… they are reluctant to pursue each other.

GENRE, POV & TROPES:
Steady Now is a newly released standalone contemporary romance written by Liberty Stowe. It has dual POV’s from our FMC and MMC. It is written in the first person and is approximately 300 pages long. As of the time of this review, there is no audiobook version available. Tropes include small-town romance with small-town drama, slow burn, breakup, single dad, custody battle with a drug addicted mother, and I’m sure there are more I’ve not listed.

STORYLINE/PLOT:
Wren Baldwin ends up in small town Vogel Springs, Texas when her Maserati happens to break down in the middle of nowhere in the Texas hill country. Her car is towed to the auto repair shop belonging to Hudson Bass. Wren almost immediately feels welcomed and at home in this sleepy small town. Sparks fly immediately at first sight when Wren and Hud see each other for the first time. He will not allow himself to pursue his feelings for her because he is convinced she will race away back to Dallas as soon as her Maserati is fixed, leaving him brokenhearted. When her best friend Anderson shows up there to see and check on her, he also falls in love with the town and specifically falls in love with the very old Vogel house. He ends up buying the old Vogel house and almost immediately begins to renovate and run as a B&B with Wren as his partner. Once Hud knows she is staying in Vogel Springs, the fires are definitely lit for them both. Hud’s son’s mother shows up out of the blue after being who knows where and has their 8 year old son Conner. Rosalee has full custody of Conner, but with her addiction problems he usually stays with her parents. His grandmother fell and they are unable to care for him anymore. So, Rosalee brings him and returns to the old town she grew up in. Hud wants custody and his fight for it is very hard with Rosalee being pretty much the worst mother ever only wanting money and not caring about her son in the least. VoltEdge is trying to build a factory on Hud’s land, so he’s had to hire a lawyer to fight them gaining eminent domain on his land. When his father died a few years back, he made Hud promise not to sell the family land they’ve had since the Civil War. There is a moderate amount of miscommunication (or more like lack of communication) between our main characters. As the reader, you want to shake them both and tell them to just stop fighting it and tell each other how they feel! He does not want to burden her with his problems, plus he still thinks she is going to just up and leave one day to never return. She is also afraid to have her heart stomped on like her ex did. After they figure it all out, there is a HEA for our couple and the ending is wonderful!

SPICY CONTENT:
There are a few spicy scenes. The first one is their first kiss with a hot make-out session where they get caught and have to stop around page74 or 24%. The next one is her riding in his lap on his tractor where there is some kissing and groping around page 161 or 53%. The full on spice scenes start around page 180 or 60%, more around page 193 or 64%, around page 217 or 72%, and lastly around page 227 or 75%. These scenes are very well written and hotttt! The author does so well including emotions within the spice which makes you feel it all more as the reader.

Such a good book!

Happy Reading! ♥☻

I thought that this was a cute, quick read. I really enjoyed it. From someone who lives in a small town , I can relate to the good and bad aspects of it.

I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this one at first, but I ended up loving it! Wren and Hud have instant attraction that they try to fight but obviously fail and those spicy scenes were so good! Hud has a child with another woman who is completely evil and her friend Genevieve is also awful. I wish we could have seen their "fall from grace" cause its well deserved! Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for my digital ARC!!

I really wanted to enjoy this book but it just fell short. Wren Baldwin’s car breaks down and gets towed to Vogel Springs where mechanic and single dad Hud Bass is there to fix up her car. While she waits for parts to fix her car she becomes interested in Hud. For the first half of the book our main characters barely interact- it is mostly just them talking about how they wish they could interact. I think the intent was to create a slow burn romance with yearning but all it did was bore me. The story is advertised as a romance but the first half of the book reads like a lit fic. Halfway through the book the main characters begin to have sex and that is the extent of their relationship. There’s no real time spent together unless they are having sex or interacting with Hud’s son. There is also very little revealed about the main characters. There are hints at backstories given in the beginning that are not fully explained by the end.

An insta-attraction romance set in the one four way town of Vogel Springs, Texas between a local grumpy mechanic and a southern city girl.

Hud, our mmc, is the go-to guy in town. He owns a garage and a bunch of land because his families lived there for generations. He's a bit jaded in relationships with a messy situation from his past always coming back to bite him.
He's got big-wig company guys harassing him for his family land and locals turning on him because he stands his ground. As if, he didn't have enough on his plate - everything starts to feel like so much more when a fiery strawberry blonde is literally dropped off at his door.

Wren is running from a messy break up and daddy issues when her Maserati decides to go kurplunk. In the middle of no where she gets towed to - you guessed it- Huds mechanic shop. Que the sparks at first site !
She’s a fast passed gal who finds herself stoped in her tracks. However her fancy cars break down might be the best thing to happen to her. Not only does she swoon at the site of the hunky mechanic, but Vogel springs is like no where else.

Local gossip and drama. Best friends giving main character energy. Revelations and secrets brought to life. And there may or may not be a steamy scene involving a tractor in a field right before sunset.

I really enjoyed this book!!! It was cute and quirky where our fmc and her best guy friend are involved. It was broody and possessive where our mmc is concerned. Overall just a good time.

Actually throughly enjoyed this!

5/5 ⭐️
Lighthearted, sweet and romantic, everything I could have asked for.
I took this to my day out to the river and it was the perfect setting.

Instant connections, slow burn and sweet tender love, what more could you ask for. I felt all the emotions, I love the single dad aspect, the small country town. It was just perfect! Made my heart flutter in certain spots, the spice was good as well!

Plus the cover is beautiful. I’d actually purchase this for my own shelf.
I’d be interested in reading more books by Liberty Stowe! Great fun time! Definitely pick this book up! Thank you NetGalley for the arc of steady now.

Steady Now by Liberty Stowe is a light, easy summer romance — enjoyable enough for a beach read, but not without its flaws.

The setup is charming, and the writing has a pleasant flow, but the story leans heavily on insta-love. The main characters connect almost immediately, and while their chemistry is sweet, it lacks the tension and build-up that makes a romance really satisfying. Their relationship never quite feels earned, which makes some of the emotional moments feel rushed or underdeveloped.

There are also a few noticeable editing issues — repeated phrasing and awkward transitions that could have been smoothed out. While not deal-breaking, they do interrupt the reading experience here and there.

That said, the book still has a comforting tone that works well for readers looking for a quick, heartwarming escape. It doesn’t break any new ground, but for a casual summer read, Steady Now does the job.

A soft 3 stars — enjoyable in the moment, but not one that’ll stick with you for long.

Steady Now by Liberty Stowe is a small town, slow burn romance that will bring many different emotions to you as you read that you'll wish for more!! I completely enjoyed this book and look forward to more form this Author. Highly recommend.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I think it's going to be a great read and will obtain great reviews. Love Wrin and Hud, a small-town romance like an enemy-to-friends lovers story. I'm new to this author, Liberty Stowe. I see great things in store for her. Pick it up, you won't be disappointed.

3.75⭐️ *NetGalley read*

I got this ebook from NetGalley! I really enjoyed this small town romance! Loved all the characters! Wren Baldwin is driving to where she doesn’t have a clue , then her Maserati breaks down and gets towed to a shop located in a small town, Vogel Springs! The shop owner, Hud has to order the part and helps Wren when she’s freaking out trying to find a place to stay. They both are immediately attracted to one another but try hard not to show it. Hud knows Wren will be gone as soon as the car is fixed and Wren doesn’t think Hud would ever go for someone like her! Steady Now you need to read this one and find out where they end up! It’s a fun read, great spice and a great ending.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book, it was a fun read!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC
I thought this was a nice quick read. I will admit I was not the biggest fan of how quickly the main characters hooked up but it made sense throughout. Love the small town romance books as always
The writing style was wonderful and the pacing was good and as a debut author, this was rather done nicely, and the micro tropes thoughout this.
Overall, I would rate this a solid 3.75 ⭐️

i absolutely loved this book. Hudson and Wren's story was amazing and come to find out hes a single dad???? LOVED IT!

Cars for grownups _

Steady Now had strong Radiator Springs feelings throughout. In a good way :)

Maserati driving city girl, Wren, is running from something and broken down in a small town not that far from a big town in Texas.
Fortunately for her, the local bred single dad Hud, is a gentleman and a damn good machanic. Vogel Springs inhabitants were a cast of cosy sweeties, whose love language was definitely food. The BFFs Anderson and Cal stole the show for me.

This read like a midday Hallmark movie. Enough angst to make the drama but not edge of your seat tension. The OW drama was a bit anticlimactic. I quite enjoyed Vogel Springs but I'll only be returning for dinner at the diner.

With thanks to the author, Liberty Stowe, RupertBossier publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to participate in Camp NetGalley this year.

I’m a sucker for slow burning romances and quaint, small towns so I was hooked once all the townspeople were introduced.This book is beautifully written with lovable, imperfect characters, a touch of small-town magic, and a romance that will make your heart flutter.

Steady Now was such a fun read! It was sweet, funny, and inspiring. I loved Wren Baldwin and her passion for life. She is a force to be reckoned with and incredibly bubbly and kind with everyone she meets. Honestly, even when she is stressed and unsure, she is a kinder than I would be! And, I am obsessed with Hudson "Hud" Bass! He is everyone go to guy. There to help anyone and everyone... but something about Wren... She just gets under his skin! Their relationship is definitely a little stop and go at first despite their evident attraction.
Knowing the full story, Its hard to not want to write spoilers! I looooved the stained glass moment and the "tractor rides" - wink wink.
Overall, I think Liberty's debut romance was a great read and I so can't wait to read more of her work!

What an adorable small town romance! Hud was the definition of a grumpy mechanic single dad and Wren of sunny rich girl! I loved the descriptive writing of the small town and what each shop looked like! I could totally picture the Vogel House it all its purple glory!

The spice was spicing and boy did these characters want each other without admitting to themselves fast enough 😂 and that tractor scene 🤭 delicious!

Things I didn’t love? Hud calling himself a p*ssy for falling for a girl. Really unnecessary! Wren calling it a “meltdown” girl, that was a panic attack. Call it what it is!

There were few times that the writing felt uneasy or out of balance at the start but it all made sense in the end!

Great first book for Liberty Stowe! I can’t wait to see what you write next!

Thank you to NetGalley and RupertBossier for the E-arc!

Since I’m in my small town romance era this summer I was excited to read this story. Grumpy mechanic meets rich girl escaping from her past. Yes, Please! But this book feel short for me. For Wren and Hudson there was little character development and at times they felt one dimensional to me. I wish there as earlier discussion on why Wren was fleeing her old life, I felt that would have lead to character development for her so the readers would connect with her more. And as much as I love a grumpy MMC, Hudson grumpiness at times seemed misogynistic. And I would categorize the relationship between Wren and Hudson as insta lust. Yes there was attraction between them, but because there was a lack of relationship development, I didn’t feel an emotional connection between them. Even wren said “We have never spoken about his private life or anything substantial. Also instead of the miscommunication trope, there was a lack of communication between Wren and Hud. I feel like with the addition of the Rosalee, land and B and B plot lines took away from the romance plot line and made the plot line feel clunk. The pacing of the book felt of, I wish their was more buildup for the ending because the ending felt abruptly. This book had potential. Thanks NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.