Where can one get themselves an Anderson?

A heartwarming small-town romance that follows Wren, a wealthy-on-paper woman fleeing her past, who finds herself stranded in Vogel Springs—a charming town where everyone knows everyone, and kindness runs deep. Enter Hudson, a single dad weighed down by the possibility of losing his land, business, and even his son. Despite everything stacked against him, he falls hard for Wren.

Wren is sweet and grounded despite her background, and her chemistry with Hudson brings genuine warmth to the story. The side characters—especially Cal and Anderson—are a delight, and their bond is truly endearing. Rosalie? Let’s just say she got exactly what she deserved.

The novel does leave some questions hanging: What happened to Wren and Hudson? Did he gain full custody of Connor? What became of Anderson and Cal? A final epilogue would have tied it all together beautifully.

Though the pacing occasionally stumbles with a few choppy transitions, Steady Now is a sweet, feel-good summer read with heart. A promising and enjoyable debut.

First of all - beautiful book cover!!!
I knew after reading the book summary that it was the perfect summer book read!

Loved the dual POVs — Wren + Hud was slow burn perfection! I couldn’t put it down. I liked how the book began with a picture and ended with a picture - great touch! I will definitely recommend!!

I enjoyed the first half of this book, cosy romcom, fish out of water vibes, but as the book went on I found the characters to be a bit 2D and things to be a bit predictable and I started getting bored. I would have enjoyed more nuance. Maybe I’m not the target audience for this book, I enjoyed moments but I put the book down at 85% and I don’t know if I’ll pick it back up. It didn’t capture my interest enough and I think I already know how it will end.

Review: Steady Now by Liberty Stowe
I wanted to love Wren and Hudson’s story, but I never really felt their connection — the relationship went from zero to hot-and-heavy almost instantly, without much buildup. The pacing felt a bit jumpy at times, which made it hard to stay immersed in the story.
That said, the book was still an enjoyable read overall, with a few sweet moments and an easy flow that makes it a quick weekend read. It just wasn’t the kind of romance that pulled me in or left me thinking about the characters once I’d finished.
Thank you NetGalley and RupertBossier for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Steady now was ok. I dont think anything really stood out from the story. I wouldnt read it again . I found it a bit boring and samy samy

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for an e ARC for an honest review. Wren is wealthy and finds herself broken down in a small town and has to stay for a while. She meets the owner of the garage, Hudson who ends up being her love interest. I enjoyed Wren and Hudson’s stories but not their love story together. I did not feel any connection between them and then bam they were hot and heavy. I did like the storyline of Hudson fighting for his son and was more invested in that than the love story going on. Not my favorite but it wasn’t bad.

I really enjoyed Steady Now. It’s a slow-burn, emotionally rich romance that feels genuine and grounded. The characters’ journeys of healing and trust are beautifully written, with heartfelt moments and subtle humor. The small-town setting adds warmth and charm, making it the perfect escape. If you like thoughtful, character-driven romances with great banter, this one’s worth a read.

This book was very enjoyable and had a lot of heart. I really liked the small town atmosphere, it felt warm and cozy and made me want to keep reading. Wren was a fun main character. I liked how she stayed strong even when things went wrong. She had a good energy and brought a fresh contrast to the calm town. Hud was more quiet and serious, but that worked well with her. Their connection started with sparks but still felt natural and slow at the same time, which I liked. There were some funny moments, especially thanks to Wren’s best friend. The romance was sweet and emotional, with some spicy moments too. I think the chemistry was clear, but not rushed, and I appreciated that.
In general, this was a fun and easy read. Thank you so much to the author and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read the book in advance, I received this for free and I'm leaving a honest review

Unfortunately this book was not for me. I really wanted to love it, as it sounded like such a cute summer read, but I really couldn’t get into it. The leads seemed to have no connection or chemistry beyond finding each other beautiful. They were written as stereotypes and expected no more of one another. It felt very awkward and stilted.

Thank you, Net Galley for the opportunity to read this arc. Liberty Stowe has written a thoroughly enjoyable small-town romance with a some spice. The characters are well written and this has serious Gilmore Girls/Cheers vibes. Everyone knows each other and their business in this small town. The supporting cast make Vogel Springs a place you want to visit. The fast pace of events explains it but my only criticism is that Wren and Hud don't have any deep, meaningful conversations but are each positive they've met their soul mate.

I really wanted to love this book. The premise was right up my alley. City girl ends up in a small town and falls in love.

While this was an enjoyable and easy read I did not love the Insta love. I wish there was a little more slow burn so they could set up some chemistry. The chemistry just wasn’t there, it’s just two hot ppl that wanna sleep together.

I did love the small town vibes even though some parts seemed a little bit unrealistic. Also I love a good grump and Hud def delivered.

Great for readers looking for:
Fun quick read
Big city meets Small town
Grump/Sunshine

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A heart-stealing romance. I loved this book from the beginning. Wren and Hud are a lovely couple. And ofcourse the little men Connor.

Steady Now was a spicy, fun, comeback beach read I needed.
Woman comes into town driving a Maserati with nothing but her travel bag and ends up borrowing a charger from the local car maintenance man. The town rallies with her to help her in her time of need while she's stranded waiting for parts to fix her prized possession while the MMC who owns the local car shop feels like his world is falling apart and being taken from him. Neither of them wanting to admit their feelings for each other, they both sit in limbo waiting to see what happens next.

This book has it all. The characters you love, the characters you love to hare, the spice, the romance, the comraderies and small town gossips while a small circle comes together to fight for what they believe is right.
There was nothing I didn't like about the storyline, plot, characters of this book.

The beginning of this book was quite light-hearted and fun to read. If you read for an unrealistic plot and superficial characters, then this book is for you. It is a good palate cleanser.

What I enjoyed:
I always love a good old small town romance kind of novel and found the reason for her ending up there quite organic. The relationship between Hud and Connor was heart warming to see.

What I didn't enjoy:
I found Hud was written like an uncontrollable horny teenager. His language about women did not sit well with me, and calling them 'bitch' was a quick turn off. A lot of the writing seemed quite shallow and it glossed over some important information with literal 'blah, blah' words written instead.

Cute found family, small town romance with instant attraction and daring spice scenes 🤭.

I really liked the storyline and how both Wren and Hud needed to find each other amid their separate problems. Vogel Springs sounds like an adorable little town and how I would expect an American small town to be described as.

I appreciated how some of the side characters were given more of a spotlight so we could understand how important they were to the MCs.

More importantly, for me Steady Now was about accepting help from friends and family and understanding that you don’t have to everything on your own!

Imagine fleeing a bad day, only for your car to break down in a one-stoplight town with no escape in sight. What starts as a frustrating detour quickly turns into something unexpected—and beautiful. At the heart of this story is a quiet, soul-deep connection between two people who meet by chance but find exactly what they didn’t know they were missing: strength, softness, and the kind of love that feels like home.

I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

SPICE: 3🌶, RATING: 4⭐️

This is a Maserati GranCabrio of a book. It will depreciate massively as soon as you drive away and be quickly forgotten. It may even be found on a free cart at a library. And just like a Maserati is a Stellantis product hidden under a thin Italian veneer, this book is equally lacking when you peel back the layers. Cheap, free of substance, and pretending to be something it’s not.

Wren Baldwin is running from her (wealthy, wretched family and ex-love interest) life. The front half of the novel tiptoes around the reasons why, and the reveal at the end falls flat, and honestly, it makes no sense. Wren's Maserati GranCabrio leaves her stranded in Vogel Springs, Texas. Hudson “Hud” Bass is the only mechanic in a small town who can fix it. Wren falls in love with the town, and her bestie Anderson swoops into town to hang out and magically start a bed and breakfast for seemingly no reason, other than the vibes. Wren and Hud are instantly infatuated with each other. Hud is emotionally unavailable in the most annoying way. Hud is dealing with multiple legal battles involving the custody of his child and a company vying for his privately owned land.

I will say that this book is readable (note: not the same thing as good), and the premise is cute. That's what drew me to reading it. I feel like the writing gets slightly better as the story progresses, but I may have just gotten used to the clunky prose. There are so many sentences that begin with I/she/her. Some repetitive phrasing and sentences got old very quickly, i.e. “That [insert noun.]” The language and phrasing used throughout the book just made me cringe and get secondhand embarrassment. If you like insta-lust love trope with a lot of spice and no substance or character development, you'll enjoy this easy read. It's a quick read because you can't finish reading this car wreck fast enough.

My critiques are numerous. There are spoilers below, so if you actually want to read the book, maybe don't read further. However, I don't recommend reading it unless the above applies to you.

I could believe that a rich, white woman thinks a Maserati GranCabrio is a good car. But a mechanic? Not so much. Towards the end, Wren pitches selling her "three hundred thousand dollar Maserati" to further the plot. You can buy a used Maserati for significantly less than a hundred grand, just look on Facebook Marketplace. The idea that she could sell a used Maserati for that amount is as unbelievable as Wren and Hud's romance.

I did read the trigger warnings of foul language, etc., however, I still think that men calling women "bitch" (and other profanities) happens so frequently in the story, it's annoying. This applies to all the men in this novel. I could believe that Hud is a good man if it weren't for how he throws this word around about the mother of his child. SPOILER: (I'm assuming the fact that he is caring for a child that isn’t biologically his, is supposed to be his big redeeming quality, but it does not do it for me) Even though the mother of the child is an antagonist character, a father should not be saying it so frequently, in my opinion. On a similar note, variations of the F-word are thrown frequently around to seemingly emphasize anger or irritation. To me, it just cheapens the writing. I'm not opposed to a few here and there, but it feels like every other page is sprinkled with an f-bomb. Furthermore, I'm supposed to swoon over a man who repeatedly voices thoughts about putting hands on and murdering a woman? Ahh, yes, nothing more romantic than getting assaulted. Hud's explosive anger and increasingly vulgar language is a big turn-off.

This is supposed to be a sexy, romance novel... well it's certainly one of those things. (spoiler alert: it's the former) The dialog feels forced and awkward. The spice is certainly there, and it's very descriptive, which is fine if you're into that— sure. Despite the fact that Wren and Hud keep insisting that their attraction feels natural and so right. I'm not convinced. The perspectives between Hud and Wren do not sound different enough to be believable. Both perspectives are using language that is too similar to describe things. I want to believe this romance, but I can't because the characters are interrupted anytime they have an interaction OR the interaction is just a short lustful embrace that (allegedly) feels so right. I'm supposed to believe these strangers are in love, but they can barely make it through a getting to know each other conversation. Wren and Hud are just in lust, as far as I can tell. Their romance is surface-level and uninteresting because neither character will open up to the other. In fact, they learn about each other’s past from their respective gay besties, because they barely have any conversations. At one point, Hud lists all their "memories" together, and it's just how many times they've done the deed. Nice. Also, there’s a photo at the end is supposed to be a big reveal moment, but looks A.I. generated and is tacky.

There’s the conflict of the ex-love interest, Phillip, that is barely touched on and only exists for being the reason that Wren ran away. The core issue is hardly explained at all. I could go on, honestly. There were just so many moments while reading this that I just thought, “What?” Just like you can't convince me a Maserati is an impressive car, I can not be convinced to believe in this romance. 1/5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and RupertBossier for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Title- Steady Now
Author - Liberty Stone

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially how it delved into multiple perspectives, allowing me to see things from different characters’ points of view. The story follows Wren Baldwin, who’s on the run after a breakup with her boyfriend/colleague, not to mention the strained relationship with her overbearing father. Her journey takes an unexpected turn when her Maserati breaks down on a remote road, leaving her stranded and in desperate need of a bathroom.

The narrative was engaging, with each character adding a unique layer to the plot. The way the book explored their thoughts and motivations kept me hooked from start to finish.

I appreciated the dynamic between Wren and her best friend. I loved how he was always there for her, showing up consistently when she needed him most.

The steamy scene was undeniably intense, and you could feel the chemistry between Wren and Hudson right from the moment they locked eyes. Their connection was instant and electric.

Overall, it's a captivating read that really lets you connect with the characters and their struggles.

⭐ 4
🌶️ 2
🥵 Spicy chapters: 11, 31, 33, 37, 39
📚 Tropes/Themes: small town, insta lust, forced proximity, single dad, slow burn, small town, starting over, city girl/country boy, lawyer X mechanic
👀 Dual POV 1st person
💔 Triggers: parental neglect, child abandonment, drug use

💬 Well this little book came out of nowhere! I thought it was going to be a cute little fun, easy read to finish out my July ARCs but apparently that was not the case. I mean it's definitely cute and fun and light- hearted but when you really get into the meat and bones of the story, there's a lot more there.

I read a similar book earlier this year and it relied more on being goofy and silly and I didn't really like it a whole lot but I really enjoyed this one. There was a lot more substance to it. The chemistry between Hudson and Wren initially was a little bit too instalusty for me but then it redeemed itself.

The side characters, especially Anderson and Martha were really fun and I loved the small Town vibes. And when the relationship between the MCs really got going. It was sweet, and swoony and everything I look for in a romance novel.

I also really love how you get to learn the meaning the phrase Steady Now holds for Hudson, and how he "gifts" it to Wren as well including all the little occurrences throughout the book.

My only complaint.... Is a wish that Hudson hadn't done the "she's obviously going to leave me no matter what and it's going to break my heart". Sigh. I guess I'm glad that it's the guy who's super insecure this time, but turns out I still hate it lol. Maybe because it's miscommunication trope lite? Either way, that's the only thing that really bugged me about the story. Everything else was enjoyable and I blazed through this book pretty quick.

Oh! And there wasn't an epilogue! I don't think I've read a romance novel that doesn't have an epilogue. It wasn't bad, just... surprising? But I did appreciate the little treat the author left us at the end 😏

I really enjoyed the book with its diverse cast of characters and idyllic small town, as well as the way our two main characters had to work through their own personal issues to get to where they would like to be. I would definitely recommend this book to someone who is looking for a spicy small town romance.

This book is 3.5 stars rounded down to 3. I would rate it 4 stars if it weren't for two things; firstly there are some grammatical errors and secondly the way the FMC is described as being tiny during smut scenes was just off-putting.

This did not affect my rating, but the cover art looks like AI and I really wish it didn't, as it made me doubt and scrutinise the writing at first before I could actually enjoy the book.