Cowboy romance and sports.... say less. This book was a cute fun read and it made me giggle out loud. Cece needed Nash and he did not disappoint!

I can confidently say this is probably the first Cowboy x Sports romance I've ever read and I wasn't disappointed.

Charming romance novel following two main characters who haven’t been dealt the best of cards.

I liked both MCs. Both are very relatable and their romantic journey was a joy to read (sans the mild possessiveness but it's fiction, I can cope with it when the rest of the story is interesting).

The cute family dynamic was sweet as hell, and the small-town vibes were immaculate. I loved all the side characters as well - the besties are as unhinged as mine, and I was thriving with them in the story. Except Andrew. We don't like Andrew :)

I will say the one thing I wanted from this story was a little bit more ✨️drama✨️. We had small bursts but I wanted that little bit of tension to rise a smidge more so the conclusion felt like the big, comfy, love-filled ending.

The spice was also available in abundance and low-key very hot.

Really lovely book and looking forward to reading the next one in the universe!

A huge thank you to Penguin, Cornerstone and NetGalley for this ARC!

Brilliant and everything you want in a romance! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

"𝕀 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕨𝕠𝕞𝕒𝕟 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖 𝕀'𝕧𝕖 𝕟𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕕 𝕒𝕟𝕪𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕠𝕣 𝕒𝕟𝕪𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘. 𝕀 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕤𝕦𝕟 𝕠𝕟 𝕞𝕪 𝕗𝕒𝕔𝕖 𝕣𝕚𝕤𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥𝕒𝕚𝕟, 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕗𝕖𝕖𝕝 𝕠𝕗 𝕗𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕙 𝕚𝕔𝕖 𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣 𝕞𝕪 𝕤𝕜𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕤, 𝕠𝕣 𝕙𝕠𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕔𝕦𝕡 𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕞𝕪 𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕕. 𝕀 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕞𝕪 𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕥𝕝𝕖 𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖𝕗𝕝𝕪 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖 𝕀 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕟𝕠 𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕠𝕡𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕥𝕣𝕦𝕥𝕙 𝕚𝕤 𝕞𝕒𝕪𝕓𝕖 𝕀 𝕟𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖."

——————————————————

If you like:

- - ʙʀᴏᴛʜᴇʀs ʙᴇsᴛ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅ
- - sᴍᴀʟʟ ᴛᴏᴡɴ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ
- - sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ
- - ᴀɢᴇ ɢᴀᴘ (𝟾 ʏᴇᴀʀs)
- - ᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ ᴍᴍᴄ
- - ʜᴇ ғᴀʟʟs ғɪʀsᴛ, ʜᴀʀᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ғᴀsᴛ
- - ᴄᴏᴡʙᴏʏ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ - ʏᴇᴇʜᴀᴡᴡᴡ!

This is your book!!

This was spiccccyy 🥵🌶️ I enjoyed the brothers (and family) best friend element, the sneaking around, the protective male.

Nash 🪭🥵 I mean, phwoar dude this man could get any gal hot and bothered 🤣 He is literally another book boyfriend for me.

CeCe returned to her family ranch after finding out her fiancé was cheating on her. She’s moved back to sort herself and life out, to get back on track and make a life for herself. Then we have her family and Nash being over protective as always - more so now that she is mending her broken heart.

Their relationship blossoms but it’s not without a tough fight for Nash. CeCe puts up a fight, she is stubborn and not wanting anything serious given her current situation however, she also can’t resist Nash (I mean, who could!?) and so, she turns up at his bar for a girlie night and everything changes. He is infatuated with her - she becomes the centre of his world. Consumes his thoughts. And from there, we have Nash and Cece and their spicy, hot, smutty sex. I mean, it’s dirty!!

Nash is guarded to an extent and when you find out why my heart truly goes out to him. He is fighting demons whilst also trying to make sure him and his family are stable. He really is a gem.

I want more this book was cowboy-era romance and utter perfection.

Thank you to Netgalley, Paisley Hope and Penguin for allowing me access to this ARC. I can’t wait for book 2!

CeCe moves back home after splitting with her fiancé due to him being unfaithful. There she meets up again with Nash, who had been part of her family since he lost his parents in an accident. An ex ice hockey player and now bar owner she distrusts him as he was a known womaniser, but there is something of a spark between them. Can enemies become lovers?
I must admit that this book wasn't for me, there are too many very spicy moments for me that get in the way of the romance - but my wife would enjoy it and she is far more the target audience for this book than myself and I've scored it accordingly. CeCe's friends sound very supportive, as are her brothers, and the small town community sounds like the type of place I'd like to live, even if there are no secrets there.... One for those who enjoy their romances with a lot of spice.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

This is a steamy romance which I enjoyed, following CeCe who has returned to her family home after the breakdown of her relationship.

Nash is the towns all round good guy, he’s retired from ice hockey and has a few businesses in town and also helps out his friends at their ranch owned by CeCe’s family.

There is instant attraction between the two of them and Nash finds himself falling for CeCe. He’s closed off to any type of long relationship and slowly but surely he finds that CeCe is breaking down all those walls he has built up around himself. He’s such a caring character from the start and I love it when he falls first.

There is lots of spice in this one and it’s a romance which I enjoyed and would recommend to those who like cowboys, businessmen and ice hockey - Nash has it all !!

Firstly thank you to @authorpaisleyhope & @netgalley for my arc, I'm beyond grateful I was absolutely obsessed!! This one put me through all the emotions! I love a dirty talking cowboy/hockey player and wow is Nash top tier!!🥵🔥 Cece is sassy and such a babe who takes absolutely no crap - I love that about her! She's such a boss!! I want in on her girl gang pronto!!🤭 I love a bros bestfriend trope & throw in a found fam...I'm sold!!! The flirty banter and chemistry between these two was everything and oh my the SPICE 🔥🔥Text threads are such winners for me too!! I utterly adored this book, I read it in one sitting I couldn't put it down!! I'm so ready for the next book! Would highly recommend this most definitely won't disappoint 🫶🏻💖✨

I really enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series! Fans of Elsie Silver and spice will absolutely love this series! A bingeable book for sure.

I thought CeCe was a great character, strong about starting over. Her relationship with her niece was so cute.

CeCe and Nash’s relationship was just absolutely perfect. The forbidden love/brother’s best friend/enemies to lovers trips were perfectly done. The clear connection they had felt so real.

Nash was the perfect MMC. One of the best I’ve read for a while. He was everything !

I’m excited to get to know her family better through the rest of the books and the ranch, as I feel we didn’t get to know much in this book. The spice was a lot, so may be too much for some people. I also found it a little strange that there was an epilogue a few years in the future but I knew other books in the series were still to come.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

There are a lot of cowboy romances on the market at the moment but it’s easy to see why. It’s a sub genre that makes for great romance. This would be great for fans of Elsie Silver and Lyla Sage.

This is the first cowboy romance book I have read and it certainly won’t be the last. A good storyline with great characters which kept me turning the pages.

holding the reins by paisley hope🤠🐎☀️🍸🥞🏒🥃

i am loving the cowboy and hockey romances at the moment so this one was right up my street🤭😍

from the start i was obsessed and invested with both characters!! cece had just left her past which was full of neglect in an unhealthy engagement but was so strong and independent - all the sassy boss b energy we needed🤩

and nash…so heartbreaking😭 some moments i actually had tears in my eyes reading!! he was traumatised emotionally and physically from a past event that he’d never be able to get over, but he was so sweet and caring and protective of cece from the moment she walked back into town🥹

nash was the jealous type…touch her and die vibes - well actually, look at her and die vibes!! but i was living for it👩🏻‍🍳💋

the pair of them were just so perfectly suited, their chemistry ran through the pages and the sass between them was so fun to read, i couldn’t put the book down if i tried🤩

read this one if you LOVE…
• part time cowboy romance
• brothers best friend
• found family
• age gap
• childhood friends to lovers
• touch her and die mmc
• small town romance

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

so if you’re loving the sound of this one, which i bet you are, it’s actually OUT NOW🫶🏼

thank you to @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse for the arc in return of my review

Oh my dear lordy lord, well I’m down for a cowboy, even if he’s only a part time one.

Cece and Nash’s story is just how I wanted it to be, lots of friendship, banter, a bit of angst and lots and lots of spice. Ugh could he have any more of a dirty mouth?? That man knows what he’s doing and saying, I was getting really warm there!

Both their stories are beautifully heartbreaking but it’s because they’re like that that they get to be how they are together! I’m so glad they have the whole Ashby family around them, they’re just so full of life and sunshine! I also love that it’s half ice hockey half cowboy, that’s just the perfect mix for me!

So where can I find one?

Thank you to Netgalley and Paisley Hope for sending me this lovely ARC in exchange of an honest review.

I hate to do this because this book and I had a good thing going but dnf @ 76% because nash following her to seattle after she EXPLICITLY SAID she wants to do this ON HER OWN like the grown woman she is is just weird and not for me.

i loved this so much!! such a fun cowboy romance would highly recommend it to anyone who loved the chestnut springs series !!

For a debut book, this is so amazingly good! The dirty talk and the banter in this book are just perfect.

Nash was head over heels in love with CeCe from the get go, he was ready and willing to do anything and everything to make her life easier. We love a MMC who falls first and falls hard, and we adore a FMC who’s independent and knows what she wants and doesn’t let anyone tell her otherwise.

Even though some moments were a bit boring to me, I really appreciate the slow burn in this book and I can’t wait for the next one in the series!!!

Thank you Paisley Hope, Random House UK, Cornerstone | Penguin & NetGalley for an e-ARC copy.

#HoldingTheReins #NetGalley

Im so hoping to get the cute edition the works is publishing
This was ADORABLE and written really well? After Elsie Silver a lot of cowboy vibes didn’t live up to my likings, but this has surprised me in the most positive way.
It’s dirty smut and I love the secret romance!! The whole book just gets the vibe and it was written REALLY WELL!
Loved it!

This was fine but it was a bit of a confusing mix of cowboy and sports to me. I mean, he used to be in the NHL and that's brought up quite a bit but it's not really that important other than it gives him financial options to do all kinds of stuff around town.

The main couple were engaging enough but I found them a little hard to connect to. Probably didn't help that CeCe had so many different names and then you have to add in nicknames and pet names. Other than that, it felt like Nash didn't have a strong identity as he was doing so many different jobs... so he's a range hand and riding instructor, rink owner/coach and bar owner (we later found out it was just to keep himself busy).

As a story it wasn't anything new or amazing though and it took me a while to get into it. I did like the supporting characters of CeCe's family and would be interested to read others in the series in the hopes they're a little more thought out. Although with the similarities with CeCe's brothers relationship histories there will be some similar themes for those I think.

I am like the many, many others who can’t stop devouring cowboy romance right now, and will continue to do so until I’m on my death bed.
I really liked Cece, but I did think of new girl every damn time I read her name! I liked Nash but he was definitely veering into the too much side of over protective. Not controlling but it was close to the line for me which I didn’t like! I also found some of what they were saying extremely cringey! I think I’ve reached the point with romance reading where nothing really embarrasses me and I can really take it all in my stride, but I was full on grimacing and just trying to skip past some bits.
I recently read Done and Dusted and this just felt so similar! Girl comes home to her family’s ranch and gets together with her brother’s best friend. Even some set ups for future books felt way too similar - and I totally get that these books have come out around the same time and it’s totally my fault for reading them almost back to back!! But it did mean I wasn’t as enthused about the storyline as I probably would have been ordinarily.
I still really enjoyed it, of course, and am so excited for future books - especially Ginger and Cole, I need it right now!

My cowboy romance era shows no signs of slowing down and I’m completely fine with that, but I am still relatively fussy. I need strong writing, a swoonworthy romance, a strong sense of place and characters that I can get behind.

Paisley Hope’s ‘Holding the Reins’ had all of that and I’m so happy to have a new cowboy romance series to fall in love with. I pre-ordered book two before I even finished this one!


CeCe Ashby is looking for a fresh start after escaping the toxic relationship that has consumed her adult life.

Unsure of what the future holds, she returns to the small town of Laurel Creek and her family’s ranch.

Nash Carter is the recently retired hockey superstar of the Dallas Stars, Laurel Creek’s hometown hero, and notorious bachelor.

He may look good in a cowboy hat, but he is also CeCe's brother’s best friend. . .and therefore off limits.

When CeCe reappears in her hometown in need of a job, Nash knows he must have her, and not entirely for business.

As ‘just one night’ turns into many, Nash learns that where CeCe Ashby is concerned his typical rules do not apply. Now he has to figure out if he can push his past trauma aside to live the life he never dared dream of.

All he has to do? Take a deep breath and let go of the reins. . .


I really loved being in the world of Silver Pines and I devoured this book in two sittings.


This novel holds so many of my favourite tropes: returning to a small town, brother’s best friend, evil ex, and a hockey player turned part-time cowboy. I mean, come on. What more does a romance need than that.

One of the romance tropes that annoys me the most, however, is miscommunication, or just a complete failure to communicate, and that is present in ‘Holding the Reins’ but it’s short lived enough that it didn’t prove too much of an issue for me. Luckily, CeCe and Nash have friends and family around them to bash their heads together and encourage them to sort themselves out asap at the big point of conflict at the end of the novel.

The dual POV between Nash and CeCe meant that we as the reader get to know about their real feelings for each a lot sooner than they tell each other, or even they realise themselves, and get to grips with what motivates them. It’s a format I really love, especially in a fast-moving romance as it really heightens the tension between the couple, and Nash and CeCe had that in spades to begin with! Their back and forth is electric and I felt every shred of chemistry between them.

‘Holding the Reins’ is a squeal and kick-your- feet romance with a wonderful cast of characters, a vivid setting and a whole lot of heart. I’ve already recommended it to several cowboy romance-loving friends of mine and I can’t wait to read Wade and Ivy’s story in ‘Training the Heart’.


Thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for the review copy.

‘Holding the Reins’ is available in ebook now, and will be released in paperback on 15 August 2024.

Written by Sophie

Thank you NetGalley and Cornerstone for an e-ARC of this book.

Cece was finally able to leave the toxic relationship she had with her fiancé behind. Back at the ranch she calls home, she gets close with Nash, her oldest's brother best friend. The two never really got along growing up, but the more time they pass together the more their romantic feelings develop. And when Cece starts working for Nash, all bets are off.

I didn't enjoy this title. It's an identical story to Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage, just with a name change for the characters.