I started to enjoy this book but the writing became difficult to follow. And the side texting and phone convos that seem so random were difficult to follow as well. And it might just be me, but I don't know emojis enough to decipher the text messages.

Love a good debut novel! This was a fun, angsty contemporary romance that I really enjoyed, and the spicy parts were on fire.

***Small town Texas romance
***Cowboy lovin
***Single Dad
***Opposites attract
***A hot tractor scene

A great story of love and healing; def perfect for any romance reader!

Thank you to RupertBossier Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC of this novel; all opinions are my own. #CampNetGalley

Steady Now is a sweet, small-town romance that hooks you from the first page. When Wren’s car breaks down on her way to escape heartbreak, she meets Hud, a charming mechanic fighting to hold onto what matters most. Their chemistry is instant, and the story that unfolds is both heartfelt and sizzling. The characters are lovable, the plot is engaging, and the small-town setting is so vivid it feels like you could step right into it. A delightful read, here’s hoping there’s more to come!

Absolutely adored this book
Small town romance
Loved the storyline
Adored the characters
I hope there’s more to come!

Steady Now is such a sweet small-town romance. I was hooked from the beginning. I just loved Hud and grew to like Wren as the story evolved.

Imaginez vous tomber en panne avec votre voiture, vous fuyez votre vie, votre famille car vous avez enfin compris que votre petit ami, qui est en plus déjà marié ne vous choisira jamais, qu'il choisira toujours sa vie, sa famille et son travail.

Alors Wren fuit et va rencontrer cet homme Hud, garagiste qui va tomber amoureux d'elle. Mais voilà elle n'est que de passage et ils doivent aussi faire face à la mère de son fils, aux rumeurs lancées pour nuire à son entreprise.

Cette romance de nouveau départ pour Wren est importante car on va découvrir qu'elle est plus que la fille de ..., cette fuite lui a permis de découvrir qui elle était et ce qu'elle pouvait accomplir.

Quant à Hud, ce père attentif voudrait faire plus pour être avec son fils mais son ex lui met des batons dans les roues.

Leur connexion semble authentique et durement gagnée. Mais ils vont devoir se battre pour être ensemble et Wren va être d'une grande aide .

J'ai beaucoup aimé cette romance de petite ville et j'ai passé un bon moment car on a envie d'en savoir plus à chaque rebondissement.

ISweet sizzling small town romance about Wren who is trying to forget her ex and choice he made and her father that thinks he knows what's best for her when her car breaks down on the way see a friend and she meets Hud the mechanic who is fixing her car and is fighting to keep from losing what is his.
I loved everything in this story from the characters that I instantly loved to the plot that was kept me wanting more to the small town setting that i wanted to visit myself from the first page

Scrivo questa recensione subito dopo aver finito il libro, allora: la storia ti rapisce sin da subito, ci sono magari alcuni momenti in cui avrei preferito un approfondimento e soprattutto un epilogo magari più lungo ed esaustivo, ma la storia mi è piaciuta molto! Per questo do 3.5

I write this review immediately after I finished the book, then: the story enraptures you right away, there are maybe some moments when I would have preferred a deepening and above all an epilogue maybe longer and more exhaustive, but I really liked the story! That's why I do 3.5

A spicy summer read! Wren Baldwin's Maserati breaks down near the small town of Vogel Springs, Texas and she is immediately attracted to the town's mechanic, Hud Bass. Over the scope of this novel, secrets are revealed (what is Wren running from? Why is Hud so resistant to a relationship?) and love blossoms for both Wren and her best friend Anderson.

Recommended for adults due to spiciness.

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved the town of Vogel Springs! While I don't always go for insta-love, Wren and Hud and immediate, believable chemistry and I enjoyed watching their relationship develop as they got to know one another. I also liked that they both had some baggage, but we uncovered pieces of it throughout the book as the story played out instead of it being dropped on us. The side characters really rounded out the story too. A great, charming (but spicy) small town romance for summer!

Steady Now was everything you’d want in a small town romance. Banter, fun, home renovations…and tension…Sooooo much tension! Wren and Hud were super likeable MC’s and I loved all the supporting characters too. Everything flowed and this was a quick read. I would highly recommend to fans of hard-headed characters refusing to see their relationship for what it truly is. For me, the ending was a bit abrupt, but didn’t reduce my enjoyment.

A cute romance with mostly likeable characters. I do wish that we got to see more of Hud's son, Connor, and that Wren had more interaction with Connor, though I enjoyed their relationship in general. The bad guys got what was coming to them, and everything ended in a happily ever after, which is always nice.

Thanks to Liberty Stowe, RupertBossier, and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC.

ARC review of Steady Now
Pub date: 01 August 2025

4/5 ⭐️
3/5 🌶️

My first from the author! There is so much sweetness in this debut story. A small town romance with found family elements, lots of history, and loyal friendships.

Wren and Hud had chemistry from the start and boy I loved the teasing. Both wanted each other and tried to fight it and I was so ready when they finally gave in 😗 Beautiful!

The story kept me engaged and I was rooting for everything to work out because PLEASE I needed Wren and Hud. TOGETHER.

Thank you to the author, Liberty Stowe, and NetGalley for this eARC. All opinions in this review are my own.

I struggled with this book.

I just found it slow and repetitive. Why does the FMC not know what kind of car she drives?! I couldn’t understand what was supposed to be happening. It all felt very quick and slow at the same time.

This was my Camp NetGalley pick for July~ I'm revising this to 4 stars.
I actually think this was very well structured as a story and paced very well.
It's a modern romance with a big city rich girl x small town blue collar hunky single dad. A hallmark movie with a bowtie ending.
The romance is basically insta-attraction/ insta-like, but they do grow to love. The characters were like magnets toward each other in a medium-burn set-up because they have one "lose all control" moment about third of the way in and then no other firework interactions.
I was tapping my pages mumbling "okay when when when" because there was definitely tension!
I was pretty happy there was no serious misunderstanding/miscommunication trope. There was a hint of "omg talk to each other!!" but it was just a second because each character's thought processes were logical. They actually arrived at sensible conclusions even in the face of some uncertainty. We love to see it. Adults being sensible is good in romances!
I also loved the setting. It all took place basically at an intersection, but I was really transported there and to the lakeside home, the pool, the diner.

What made me take one star away is:

One - it's a somewhat generic story. Didn't rock my world and it won't stick with me too too long, but still a great time and better than many.

Two - Connor's storyline resolution gets brushed off a bit too quickly & then I genuinely did not understand FMCs beef with her father. It was hinted at but never fully explained. He was written as a shrewd almost evil corporate rich man, but actually turned out to be kind of stand up guy? Was the whole gripe that he just never prioritized her and didn't want her to date her co-worker? That doesn't quite justify FMCs reaction..

Finally, three - the book needs editing. This is an arc so I won't remove a star for this, but it does.

Welcome to Vogel Springs—where the meringue is sky-high, the tractor emojis are flirty, and healing sometimes comes with a side of motor oil.

Steady Now is a sultry, soul-stirring small-town romance that simmers with longing, laughter, and second chances. When Wren Baldwin’s high-end life quite literally breaks down in the form of a Maserati on the fritz, she finds herself stuck in a dusty Texas town—and in the path of one very complicated, very irresistible mechanic.

Hudson Bass is gruff, guarded, and grappling with a storm of legal and emotional baggage. Fixing cars is easy. Fixing his heart? Not so much. But Wren—sharp, hurting, running—upends his hard-earned isolation in all the best and worst ways.

Liberty Stowe has a gift for writing chemistry that crackles. The banter is playful and whip-smart, and the tension between Wren and Hud is downright combustible. But it’s the emotional depth that elevates this book—grief, guilt, and the quiet ache of wanting something that feels just out of reach. Both characters are a little broken, but Stowe never treats them like they need saving—just someone to see them clearly.

With a rich cast of small-town characters (including the flirtiest group chat ever), vivid sensory details (bacon! meringue! engine grease!), and a love story that earns every sigh and swoon, Steady Now is a low-key banger of a romance—equal parts sexy and sincere.

If you love forced proximity, big-hearted small towns, and grumpy-meets-glam sparks that fly from the first chapter, park your heart right here.

Wren’s car breaks down in the middle of nowhere (aka Vogel Springs) and luckily for her, Hud’s auto shop is the only garage around. As Wren comes to terms with being stuck in Vogel Springs, she starts to learn more about the town and the townsfolk and decides to make Vogel Springs her new home.

The story progresses relatively fast, but the backstories never fully develop. Hud’s disparaging remarks about his ex (although may be well deserved? tbd?) left a bad taste in my mouth and brought this book down a notch for me.

I saw that the blurb said small town romance and clicked immediately. The beginning had me worried because I was not connecting with Wren at all but as she assimilated to Vogel Springs, I started to understand her. The plot gave major Things We Never Got Over vibes with a small town, grumpy/sunshine, found family, and criminal subplot. It might have started slow, but I just wanted the second half of the book to keep going. I would definitely return to Vogel Springs in the future if we ever got a sequel.

Despite starting with a bang, it took a long time to build, and then the ending felt rushed, with everything happening in the last few chapters.

Thank you to NetGalley and RupertBossier for the electronic Advanced Reader Copy, and for WeAreBookish (and NetGalley) for running Camp NetGalley this year.

My Camp NetGalley selection

Hud & Wren

Felt like a slow burn for things to start happening but in a good way. The story could've been way quicker with what was happening.
Car breaks down, hot mechanic , couple of days to get parts and no where to stay in the small town.

But there was s0 much more happening in the background and when they finally let go it felt like in a way a relief. I liked the introduction into the best friends and that they played a vital part in the story as well. The small town feeling and the people around them felt real as well.

I quite enjoyed the story.

Thank you NetGalley & RupertBossier for this arc read.