Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Cowboy Romance
Length: 357 pages
Author: Leah Brunner
Publisher: Self publish
Release Date: October 22nd, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Harriet—Hattie—Townsend comes from wealth, is an Olympic show jumper, and the apple of her mother’s eye. Her life is perfect…

Until she discovers that her mother’s been lying to her since the day she was born.

With her world shattered, Hattie is determined to learn her true identity. She sets off on what’s supposed to be a quick trip to Whispering Pines Ranch in Montana, to meet her biological father—a successful equine breeder and ranch owner.

Hattie is less than thrilled when she’s met at the airport by a rusty pickup and her father’s broody ranch hand, Lincoln Galloway. The grump immediately dismisses her as a spoiled Pony Club princess, but she’s determined to prove him wrong.

Hattie and Lincoln have nothing in common—except for a love of horses and a penchant for getting on each other’s nerves. Their heated arguments quickly turn to heated touches, and they find themselves caught up in a whirlwind romance.

Hattie’s life back in California, and Lincoln’s scars, seem like an impossible bridge to gap. Leaving Hattie with a tough choice between the place where she grew up, and what now feels more like home…

Take Me Home is an adult romance with open door scenes. Closed door modifications are provided in the front matter for those wanting to skip these scenes. This book contains frequent innuendo and adult language, as well as grief over the death of loved ones (past) and a tumultuous parent relationship. Please use this content warning to make an informed decision before reading this book.

Thank you Leah Brunner for the opportunity to beta read this book!

I NEED A COWBOY.

Oh I had the BEST time beta reading this book. And I’m so excited that I can leave a review now just to shout how much I loved it!!!

I loved surly Lincoln x feisty Hattie. They played off each other well and the banter was bantering. Added in with some top tier trope choices and I was grinning from ear to ear. it also stood out to me that this was giving major The Simple Wild vibes (which is one of my favorite books!), so getting to have that aura in a whole different setting AND set-up was fantastic. I loved all of the mountain content and your girl now wants to do nothing but watch cowboy reels all day.

The romance is moderately paced with a it’s you quality. That undeniable moment that you’ve met your match. I’m a fan of conversations and arguments that all lead to genuine communication. And all of the side characters were TOP TIER. Don’t even get me started on Hank, Otto, Poppy, Madison, AND MORE. While I sat here and loved on this book it also made me very excited for future reads in this series too.

I liked that Hattie’s Mom was the instigator of I want greatness for you, at any cost rather than her Dad. I feel like it’s often the other way around and seeing this play out was just the right level of drama.

There’s so many scenes I want to love on in this review, but I’m also a fan of not knowing every tidbit going in so just TRUST ME, Leah Brunner has brought it and her cowboy era is going to be immaculate.

Overall audience notes:

• Cowboy romance
• Language: moderate
• Romance: two brief open door
• Violence: low
• Content warnings: emotionally manipulative parent, loss of parents (recounted)

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