Published by Avon on July 8, 2025
Age/Genres: Adult, Romance, Enchanted Realism
Rating:
Goodreads
In this whimsical romance for fans of Ashley Poston and Erin Sterling, a woman confronts her past and her unresolved feelings for the boy next door as they work together to reverse a wish gone awry.
On the eve of Genie’s thirtieth birthday, her grandmother gives her an unexpected gift: a wish at midnight. Genie, forever the family skeptic, laughs it off and, after an evening fending off invasive questions about her nonexistent love life, returns home to her empty house and her golden retriever, Rory. Who needs a boyfriend when she has a loyal friend like Rory? As she hugs him and gets ready for bed, she wishes to herself that he were human… at least then their conversations wouldn’t be so one-sided.
She really should’ve listened to her grandmother.
To her surprise, Rory is now a human with big Golden Retriever Energy—like a goofy, adoring Hemsworth. But he doesn’t like being a human. He doesn’t like wearing clothes or human manners, and he most definitely can’t manage a human job.
Genie needs to turn him back before it’s too late and enlists her oldest friend and boy next door, Miles, to help. Their quest brings them closer than they’ve ever been—and maybe, just maybe, her messed up wish is the key to granting her heart’s desire after all…
Genie’s Nanna gifted her a wish for her birthday. Not believing in the family magic, Genie wishes that her dog were human, and lo and hold it happens. Though Rory is initially happy to eat chocolate, he misses being a dog. This spurs Genie and her best friend Miles to embark on a mission to reverse the wish.
This was so fun and cute. I could not resist human Rory. What a sweetheart! There were a lot of humorous moments as Rory navigated the human world, but this was also about Genie and her personal journey. Once upon a time, Genie wore bright colors and aspired to be a fashion designer, but she suffered a terrible loss which derailed her dream. Fast forward 10 years, and she was wearing all black and spending most of her time with her dog. She loved Rory and was willing to face her past and allow herself to heal in order to let him be a dog again. I appreciated her personal journey and was really rooting for her and Miles to finally act on their feelings. Miles was a gem and so good with Genie. They shared a deep history, and he was simply her "person".
Overall, I enjoyed this charming tale that was touched with romance and magic.
Published by Dell on October 1, 2024
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating:
Goodreads
In this steamy cowboy romance, a woman returns to her family's ranch after a broken engagement and finds herself falling for her brother's best friend—the first novel in the Silver Pines Ranch series.
Take a deep breath and let go of the reins.
Cecilia “CeCe” Ashby is finally escaping the toxic relationship that has consumed her entire adult life. She's returning to her hometown of Laurel Creek, Kentucky, and to her family’s equestrian ranch, unsure of what the future holds.
Nash Carter, the newly retired superstar of the Dallas Stars, is Laurel Creek's hometown hero, local business owner, and notorious bachelor. He’s also the unofficial fourth sibling in the Ashby clan. It’s been years since his days of tormenting CeCe with her older brothers Wade and Cole. So, when CeCe needs a job, he feels drawn to help her.
Nash can’t seem to take his eyes off of his best friend's sister, and it seems she’s been staring right back, not without animosity left over from his childish teasing back in the day. Despite their initial reluctance, the fire between them ignites and it isn't long before they jump into the flames.
CeCe was back in Laurel Springs to heal and rebuild her life. She was happy to be back among family and friends while she figured out her next steps, but Nash seemed to be EVERYWHERE! Annoyed at first by her brother's best friend, CeCe began to recognize that adult Nash was not the same Nash she grew up with and could not resist being drawn to him as much as he found himself drawn to her.
I was looking for something fun, and I definitely found it in Holding the Reins. CeCe really needed to be among her people as she recovered from a long term toxic relationship. These were people who loved her without question and who also really knew her.
Nash had grown up with CeCe and became very close with her family after losing his own. He may have been able to have a successful hockey career, but the death of his parents still weighed heavily on him and kept his heart closed off to love...until now.
There was great chemistry between these two, and I enjoyed watching those sparks fly. I will forever adore characters who share history and have a rather strong foundation upon which to build their relationship. I liked that Nash had grown and surprised CeCe in so many ways. Post retirement, he really threw himself into being part of the community and he was also there to support CeCe's family after her father's death. He was a gem, for sure, and they complimented each other well.
As with any small town romance, this book had a colorful cast of characters who were always in each other's business. From family dinners to ladies' night, I had a fantastic time getting to know them all, and I anticipate seeing them again in future books.
Overall, my trip to Silver Pines Ranch was a great success.
Let us know in the comments!
No comments:
Post a Comment