Book Review: Done and Dusted (Rebel Blue Ranch #1) by Lyla Sage

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 368 pages
Author: Lyla Sage
Publisher: Dial
Release Date: October 24th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

She’s off-limits, but he’s never been good at following the rules.

For the first time in her life, Clementine “Emmy” Ryder has no idea what she’s doing. She’s accomplished everything on her to-do list. She left her small hometown of Meadowlark, Wyoming; went to college; and made a career for herself by doing her favorite thing: riding horses. But after an accident makes it impossible for her to get back into the saddle, she has no choice but to return to the hometown she always wanted to escape.

Luke Brooks is Meadowlark’s most notorious bad boy, bar owner, and bachelor. He’s also the unofficial fifth member of the Ryder family. As Emmy’s older brother’s best friend, Luke spent most of his childhood antagonizing her. It’s been years since he’s seen her, but when she walks into his bar and back into his life, he can’t take his eyes off her. Despite his better judgment, he wants to do a whole lot more than just look at her.

Emmy’s got too much on her mind to think about romance. And Luke knows he should stay away from his best friend’s younger sister. But what if Luke is just what Emmy needs to get her spark back? Or will they both go up in flames?

SO I DIDN’T HATE THIS?

I have been holding off on reading this book for a very long time. I just didn’t think it was going to work for me. But one day, I was like, I need a a cowboy romance, and here we are.

This was definitely a debut and I rode on vibes for it, which helped a lot. There was quite a bit of telling vs. showing that must be why it was such a quick read. I would have loved the scenes mentioned to have been expounded upon to get a better and deeper understanding of the characters.

For it’s benefit, the quick read also worked for me. I loved the setting. I loved the dynamics between this family and look forward to future books because of it. The brother’s best friend trope worked well and there were some really good swoony moments.

I think if there’s a bit more plot next time (rather than just hanging out around the ranch) I’ll turn into a big fan.

Overall audience notes: