Book Review: ‘Holding the Reins’ by Paisley Hope
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
