I had the best time reading this! Brother’s best friend, small town romance. Nothings better!

Their connection was everything 😭 and I absolutely adore when there’s representation of very importante topics such as endometriosis and epilepsy.

I so wanted to like this one. As brothers best friend trope is top tier.
But I have so many thoughts.

• why are her 'disabilities' (endo and seizures) so prominent yet so glossed over. Like they are spoken about every chapter. But not in any meaningful way. And at one point her endo pain mysteriously vanishes because he finds her attractive however she looks?

• we just gloss over the sexual assault that happens. Seems fair its how society treats it.

• we're all okay with the other guy best friend intentionly trying to see another guys sexual hook up naked. Like no one else had an issue here? Dude sees the dress and underwear on the floor and instead of saying 'sorry man. I will leave" he intentionally goes looking for her. Creepy.

• and all these 'best friends ' apparently never speak to each other or hang out regularly because when the secret relationship is no longer secret they are all shocked as to how they spent so much time together without anyone knowing. Like dude its 400 pages and ive never seen you interact one on one with any of your besties. Be real.


I have more but these are the main ones that griped me. But saying this I did actually have a fun time reading this book. It flows a lot better than book 1 and I thought the characters (while frustrating) were better developed overall.

Okay Lucy, I really loved book one but this story hit even harder for me!

Cherry and Duke's bond is truly unmatched and I was rooting for them from the very beginning. I'm such a sucker for the Brother's Best Friend trope, and Emma Lucy delivered it with so much heart! Their connection felt natural, deep and unshakeable, you just know they were always meant to find their way to each other. The way their relationship evolved kept me hooked from start to finish.

The emotional side woven throughout this plot keeps you invested in the story, and I just couldn't stop turning the pages. The tension, vulnerability and romance is balanced perfectly throughout this plot. It is truly one of those books that makes you smile, ache, and swoon all at once. I'm already counting down to the next installment in the series!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the author for the ARC it was a joy to read!

Loved the second installment of this series! Really fun and spicy small town Romance! I loved both MCs and thought their chemistry was spot on, especially as I'm not the biggest Friends to Lovers fan!

Only minor complains which are definitely a me thing, a filly should not be ridden it's too young so a little more research possibly needed when writing a cowboy esque romance. Also it wasn't clear Cherry was suffering from endo to me until I read the acknowledgements and author notes at the end. I think I could have done with a little more info within the story for more understanding.

All in all though super! Can't wait for the next!

This was such a fun read! I already loved the vibe between Cherry and Duke in Live, Ranch, Love and couldn’t wait to read more about them. Their connection was so cute between them right from the start and that made it so enjoyable to read about them.

I also loved the epilepsy and endometriosis representation and how that stayed such an important topic throughout the book. How Duke helped her with that was just so nice to see. Not pitying her or trying to turn her into a victim, but supporting her so she can be the best version of her.

The only thing that didn’t really work for me was how long the brother’s best friend thing was dragged out. Yes they had their reasons but when you have to start asking your friends to lie for you, I feel like you should get the memo that it’s time to just be honest about it. And like where was her best friend throughout this entire book??? She just went poof.

But I really had such a good time reading this and I really appreciated the ending as well. With a lot of small town romances it can feel like their happy ending is always in that small town and it’s fun to see that changed up from time to time.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book and I can’t wait to read more from Emma Lucy!

Emma Lucy’s Riding the Line delivers a romance that is both playful and deeply meaningful. Cherry and Duke’s chemistry is undeniable, and their slow build toward love, while working through a bucket list, provides plenty of fun, tension, and swoony moments. Their ferris wheel scene at the fair was a standout for me—equal parts angsty and romantic, capturing everything I love about this trope.

What makes this story shine even brighter is its thoughtful representation of epilepsy and endometriosis. Emma portrays these conditions with honesty and care, exploring not just the challenges but also the strength it takes to live fully beyond them. Cherry’s determination to advocate for herself, to want more than being defined by her illnesses, was empowering. Duke’s compassion and quiet steadiness, even before romance blossomed, made him the perfect match—kind, respectful, and unwaveringly supportive.

If anything, I wished for a quicker resolution to the third act conflict and more time with Cherry and Duke together at the end. Still, I devoured this book in a single sitting. Riding the Line is a heartfelt, angsty, and empowering romance that fans of the brother’s best friend trope will adore.

Omg I fckn LOVED this book!! The dynamic between Duke and Cherry was amazing! I knew I would’ve loved their story after LRL where I could FEEL the tension but it was better than I imagined🥹

This book is a brother’s best friend, boss x employee, small age gap romance. It follows the story of Duke and Cherry. You first meet both characters in “Live, Ranch, Love”. One thing I loved about this book is that Cherry is a seizure rep, I have not read a book that has the main character deal with this condition so I found it very interesting to read about.

Brother’s best friend is one of my FAAAAAV tropes! The longing, the “we shouldn’t do this” UGH I love it! So far in the Willow Ridge series, Riding the Line is my favourite🤭

I really liked that this book put life into perspective - the talk of living life to the fullest whether it’s big grand gestures or the small little things that make life worthwhile. Essentially, without doing something you fear you won’t find something else - big thing for a small thing. There’s a beautiful example in this where a character faces their fear of heights and without doing that they wouldn’t have seen the beautiful sky and landscape.

I really liked that it was a dual POV so we saw how both characters were feeling about each other. Throughout the book, before they even get together, you can see how much Duke cares about Cherry and always has done since she was younger.

One thing I really love about Emma’s writing is the descriptions. There was so many highlights I made regarding the descriptions of setting or characters. I feel it made me connect more with the story.

You don’t need to read “Live, Ranch, Love” first but I would definitely recommend it. This book had me feeling all kinds of emotions and is a 5⭐️ for me! The spice was also SO GOOD! Defos a 4🌶️. My favourite part was the bike scene GOOD LORD🥵

I have fell in love with these characters and the series and I am so excited to see what comes next!

YEEEEAHHHH this was everything. Emma is such a talented writer whose stories whip you up and take you on a ride.
I really found the epilepsy representation important.
Now the romance!!! I kept leaning over to my husband to be like TAKE NOTE!!!

Full review to come on my feed!!!

Wow, how good is it to be back in Willow Ridge!!!

Cherry is a sassy and strong FMC and literally impossible not to like.
Duke is the golden retriever MMC that adores Cherry and everyone can see it.

This was the perfect second book from Lucy, following on from Live, Ranch, Love and I can't wait for what else is to come.

You know I love a cowboy book and this one did not disappoint so add another to your TBR girls because you won't want to miss this 🤠🧡

Thank you Lucy & netgalley for letting me read this early 🧡

3.5
While reading book one, “Live, Ranch, Love”, I very much liked Cherry & Duke and was very excited to read their book.

Now, “Riding the Line” was in many ways actually better than book one. May it be the characters or the plot or the tropes. So I’m not sure why it took me forever to get into the story.

It felt slow at times without actually being necessary slow or dragging. I think it was because of the constant monologues of “I want her/him, but I can’t”. And it only really picked up for me once they got together, so at some point after the 50% mark.
There was some drama towards the end, which, given the trope of little sister & brother’s best friend, you could smell a mile away. I would have loved to see the issue of dating your best friend’s little sister resolved just by talking it out, but I can see why, with Cherry & Duke’s shared experience from a couple of years ago, the way it got handled in the book, was chosen.

I do have to say that Rory was a bit annoying, though. I felt somewhat neutral towards her in book one (her & Wyatt’s story) and now having her as a side character, she was..a lot.
However, there was a really lovely scene between her and Duke having some heart-to-heart.

Definitely a cute book, which I enjoyed more than book one, “Live, Ranch, Love”.

Slow burn (done right), brothers best friend, small town setting - check, check, check!

I loved this read, it was so easy and flowed gorgeously. I adored Cherry and Duke’s journey, the angst, the beauty, the small moments, and just pure love and support - seriously, Duke is a 10/10. And of course, Emma delivered on some deliciously wonderful spicy scenes.

I can’t wait to see what Emma delivers next!

Thank you Harper Fiction for the arc 💕

4⭐️
2🌶️

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, Harper Fiction for the opportunity to ARC read this book.

Back in Willow Ridge, Cherry is starting off her summer with a bang - A BUCKET LIST!

After her best friend talked her into living a little more and trying things she's always wanted to do but was afraid to due to her Epilepsy keeping her more sheltered than she would have liked, Cherry has a list of fun, hot and steamy things to tick off ☑️
Who better to help with that than her big brothers, hot, sexy and single best friend?!

Duke knows that he should ignore the list when he sees it but unfortunately for him, he can't seem
to say no to his best friends little sister. Since Cherry started working at his bar during her summers, 2 years ago, Duke has had to daily remind himself that she is off limits.. after STATING that he would not be helping her with the explicit things on her list, he does what he can to help Cherry feel free for the first time since her fall when she was a teenager.

This book was so wholesome and I really loved how sweet Duke and Cherrys relationship was. What started out as friendship, slowly led to them giving in to their feelings for one another and helping each other become the best version of themselves. Duke is everyone shoulder to lean on and Cherry try's her best to help him open up and be the one leaning for once while Duke makes Cherry feel safe to explore things she never thought she could have.

At points, this book was quite emotional and you could feel the turmoil coming from the characters. Dukes Grandma and her spicy scrabble was a highlight for me and I wish she was in it more!

Emma Lucy smashes the small town romance and I'm looking forward to reading book 3.

As a girly with endo I felt so seen with this book. I loveeedddddd the relationship between the two main characters 💖💖

I LOVE Emma Lucy's writing. I will read anything she writes. This was no exception. I was so looking forward to this after reading and loving Live, Ranch, Love earlier this year. And it absolutely did in no way disappoint. I loved the exploration and reasons around why Cherry wanted and needed to complete this bucket list with Duke. I loved the way Duke looked out for Cherry. Duke is a perfect rom com man and I loved him.

Cherry is back in town for the summer between classes, working at the local bar as usual, and pining over it's owner (and her brother's best friend) Duke. She's getting tired of everyone hovering around her at all times, and making decisions on what THEY feel she's capable of. She decides to channel that energy into a list of things she wants to accomplish this summer, and she sets out to make it happen with a little help from her friend.

*****

I loved this novel! This is the second in the series, but my first intro to this author. Cherry having epilepsy and endometriosis was such a great lead to see, especially as so many people have the latter, and they're both invisible illnesses that affect quality of life.

The entire novel being built around how everyone infantilizes Cherry due to her epilepsy, and how much being home is dragging her down into a shell of herself, really highlighted how Duke wasn't willing to stand to see her fade away. The confidence he brought out of her, all while he tried to keep his distance and deny his feelings had me hooked.

I loved the push and pull, and how instead of being oblivious, Cherry realized that reciprocal feelings existed, and used her newfound confidence to go out and get what she wanted. I also appreciated that there wasn't really a third act breakup. It was more of a brief pause so everyone could get their feelings straight and act like adults, which was refreshing. Duke being the ultimate loverboy was the cherry on the top, and this novel was just so adorable and easy to read!

*****

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for the advanced reader copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Duke has always looked out for Cherry, his best friend's sister. The palpable tension between them is beautifully written and I thought the chemistry that built up between them was great although at times it felt a little drawn out. Although this is part of a series, it's the first novel I've read from this author but definitely won't be the last! Thanks to Net Galley for the advanced copy.

4 stars 3 spice
Cherry & Duke

When you’ve suggested from chronic illness (epilepsy and endometriosis) since your teenage years, coddled by your family because of it, what better way to fly free and build your confidence belies your final year of college than to work through a bucket list? And it doesn’t hurt when your brothers gorgeous best friend offers to help. That’s Cherry’s reality, and it worked out very well for her!

The romance progressed so naturally, with the mural pinning evident and the way they fell together true to their characters and growth. Watching Cherry learn to spread her wings and fall in love in the process was amazing, especially with hiw she dealt with her feelings about her illnesses. Duke was just as amazing in that respect, stopping to listen to Cherry and understand her side of it all, and willingly throwing himself all in into looking after her yet cheering her on at the same time. I equally loved that tocic masculinity, especially in more rural areas, was a topic addressed and that the boss ate leaning to express their feelings and’s actually communicate.

I remain firmly in my smalltown/cowboy romance era, and look forward to the next books in the series (especially with those hints we got in the epilogue 👀)

Thank you to HarperFiction, Harper Collins and Emma herself for the eARC

I thoroughly enjoyed my second trip back to Willow Ridge. This time we follow bar owning, motorbike riding, I'll keep them at a distance because I'm afraid to lose them Duke as he struggles with his feelings for his best friend's little sister. Cherry is back for the summer doing her best to check off her bucket list, proving to her family, but more importantly herself, that's she's capable of living a full life despite her health concerns.

Cherry and Duke's dynamic was electric balanced with tenderness. There was excellent representation of not only dealing with loss, but also Cherry's endometriosis and epilepsy. I also loved seeing Wyatt and Rory, along with the other side characters in the series.

❤️ Brother's best friend
❤️ MMC who has dealt with loss
❤️ FMC with endometriosis and epilepsy
📝 Bucket list
🏍️ Motorbike riding
🤠 Cowboys
🌶️ Yes

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for an eARC of this title

This book had me so hooked! I love a cowboy romance and this one delivered, it had some of my favourite tropes including brothers best friend. I really enjoyed how the author showed a powerful male who struggles with mental health issues and how he deals with the in every day life.

Riding the Line is a captivating cowboy romance that intertwines heartfelt emotion with an engaging narrative. The story revolves around the irresistible trope of falling for one’s best friend’s little sister, adding layers of tension and forbidden attraction that keep readers hooked from the outset.

Set against the rugged backdrop of cowboy life, the novel employs the forced proximity and workplace setting to amplify the chemistry.

One of the standout features of Riding the Line is its sensitive portrayal of epilepsy. The author delves into the challenges faced by individuals with this condition, offering readers an authentic glimpse into their daily lives. This inclusion adds a depth and relatability to the characters, enriching the storyline beyond the typical romance plot.

It’s a must-read for fans of cowboy romances looking for a story with substance and heart.