Trying to escape her controlling father and sleazy ex, Wren hits the highway with no clear destination—just a desperate need for freedom. When her Maserati breaks down, she finds herself stranded in the small town of Vogel Springs, where she meets Hud, the local mechanic. To him, she looks every bit the spoiled rich girl—rolling in with her red wedge sandals and perfect spray tan. But with the car part needing to be shipped from Italy, Wren has no choice but to stick around.

As days turn into weeks, sparks fly between Wren and Hud, proving that first impressions aren’t always the whole story. And let’s just say…I will never look at a tractor the same way again!

But beneath the romance, real tension brews. Hud is the last holdout against a big company trying to buy up land in Vogel Springs, and the pressure is threatening his livelihood. Wren, with her background and connections, refuses to let him—or the charm of the town she’s grown to love—get steamrolled.

This was such a fun, small-town romance with heart, heat, and a heroine determined to take back her life. Watching Wren and Hud’s relationship unfold had me hooked from the start.

Thank you to NetGalley and Rupert Bossier for the advanced copy—I’m leaving this review voluntarily!

Thank you to Liberty Stowe, Rupert Bossier, and Netgalley for the ARC. My review is voluntary, and the opinions are my own.

I liked this novel. The characters were interesting. They were well developed. Each character shows emotion. The small town storyline reminded me of the small town I grew up in. The cutest of all the characters was little Connor. Definitely would read another book by this author.

The story began with a dead Maserati and a small-town mechanic. I enjoyed the characters and the side stories. There was also a little mystery/conflict regarding land and a custody battle. It was a quick read a great for summer.

Thank you to NetGalley, RupertBossier, and Liberty Stowe for the eARC.

2.5 stars rounded to 3
I love a small town romance book but this one felt like a lot was happening and at the same time nothing was happening... there was no character development and some scenes felt off.

I loved the feeling this book gave me. I always love a small town romance, but this added an extra warm feeling to the description and characters. The plot had some twists and turns that I did not expect and kept me on my toes. This was the perfect palette cleanser and I will be recommending as such.

A small town romance book, forced proximity, nosey neighbors, family land at stake. Honestly, this book has everything. There are a lot of times when a book has so many troupes that it doesn’t blend well or even tell a good story, but this is not one of those books.

Wren is badass in so many ways. From her car to her career, she is not going to take flack from anyone. She is the definition of empowered.

I loved all the side characters in this story. They made it such a fun read. I love a good small town nosey neighbor or a well meaning old lady.

The pacing on this novel was slower than I would have preferred. For those readers who enjoy a slower pace and a slow burn romance, this is the read for you!

This was a slow read for me personally.

The love story was a slow burn.

The MMC is a single father who runs his own auto shop and by coincidence Wren (the FMC) experiences a mechanical failure with her Maserati.
I thoroughly enjoyed the character development in this book. It was really good. I did not expect the ending of this book at all. The author did a good job at keeping the suspense throughout the whole book. Definitely Recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and RupertBossier for a digital ARC of Steady Now.

This was a pretty early DNF for me. The writing was too clunky and confusing for me to continue reading. Wasn't for me, unfortunately.

Such a cute and nostalgic story! This is a great feel-good small town romance! I finished this in 1 day! We have strangers-to- lovers, single dad, city girl small town life, slow burn, sarcastic tension filled banter, and more🤭 This is perfect for a quick summer read! Looking forward to reading more by Liberty Stowe!

Hud is fighting for what he loves most while Wren is running from those who are supposed to love her most. This book has tension, banter, found family, and forced proximity. Loved it!!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for honest review.

In Steady Now, we meet Wren, a billionaire heiress who's running away from her past. When her Italian sports car breaks down in the middle of nowhere in Texas, the hot mechanic immediately steps in to save her. Wren quickly discovers her love for small towns and the people in said small towns.

Her car can't be fixed without the part from Italy and obviously it takes days for it to come in. Hudson, the mechanic helps her find a place to stay.

There's a slow burn between these two but also insta-love. After her car is fixed, they still haven't quite made things click and Hudson assumes she's leaving town. However, Wren, along with her bestie, has bought the old Victorian house to fix it up to a B&B.

The two end up teaming up together to fix Hudson's problem of developers trying to take his family property, work on the B&B and catch feelings for one another.

I would have rated this higher, but there were a lot of references to Wren "forgetting to eat" and almost felt like "Nothing Tastes as Good as Skinny Feels" to me and it turned me off very quickly.

But overall, the romance was good and their story was really cute!

Thanks Netgalley for this ARC.
Uhm here we go I guess. Did the characters even have a normal conversation that was not about the Maserati or sex? I'm pretty sure they don't even know each other in a non-sexual way. It was too insta-lust/love for me. The pacing of the story was really strange with these very weird time jumps. "They just met each other, the next morning they are all sad because one thinks the other is mad and suddenly they are having this inner monologue about how much they love the other person"?
I thought about DNF'ing this one when I as 30% in, but eventually I finished it. The story in the last 15% was decent.

This book was dry. The first few chapters were all about the car. I was tired of the dang car. Their banter was not believable or interesting. I just didn’t enjoy this and I struggle to finish it honestly.

What a cute story!!! Sometime you just read something that hits all the good parts and makes you feel good after reading it. This book make me smile, tear up and laugh out loud in spots. Wren breaks down outside of a town called Vogel Springs and immediately connects with the mechanic, Hud. The whole town is quaint and instantly lovable. Wren's best friend then comes into town like a tornado and just adds to the whole scene, instantly likable and perfect for this story. I hope this author does more stories set in this town with the same characters. If you want a feel good book with some tense moments, this is the book to get. A great summer read.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

If you are looking for a cute cozy read, this is it! I am a sucker for good slow burn, and this was exactly that. Perfect book to read when winding down summer.

While I was away on vacation I finished Steady Now. Thank you to netgalley and rupertbossier for sending me this read it really hit the spot! This one was a dual pov and a small town romance which I loved!

I really enjoyed the connection between the characters in book and I found it to be an addicting read. I thought this one was such a fun summer time small town romance! Banter in this one was really great as well, I almost wish it was an even more slower burn but i loved it all. I had a great time with this book.

An enjoyable light read with fantastic supporting characters and just enough angst to keep the pages turning. I got a little tired of Wren and Hud not TALKING to each other, but I would happily return to Vogel Springs.

This book was just book. I didn’t feel like it kept my attention and I would forget about it when I wasn’t reading it. Wishing there was more, left unsatisfied.

Steady Now is a fun and heartfelt romance with a satisfying balance of lighthearted moments in deeper emotional layers. The chemistry between the characters feels genuine, and their internal monologues kept me engaged. The setting adds a charming backdrop that enhances the story. I enjoyed the way Liberty Stowe explored personal growth alongside the romance, making it more than a love story a great read for anyone looking for something entertaining and uplifting.