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bringmybooks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
✨Bring✨ | Borrow | Bypass
Review: This was SO. DANG. FUN. I went into this one pretty much blind - I had seen some people talking about it on Bookstagram and I thought the covers were really fun, so I put a Libby hold on this one plus the sequel (Swift & Saddled). They both became available around the same time, so I figured "Why not, I can just abandon my TBR!" ... and I am SO glad I did because this was exactly what I needed to read. It had a perfect amount of spice (oof) plus really great characters and the absolute BEST setting - I felt like I was *on* the ranch pretty much the entire time I was reading.
I loved both of the main characters in Done & Dusted so much, and I can tell I am going to be ready for any and absolutely all books to come out of the Rebel Blue Ranch series. Highly recommend!
(Re-reading that review it feels like a lot of "I LOVED THIS BOOK" and not a lot of substance, but you get what you get, okay? Just read the book, I LOVED IT.)
Review: This was SO. DANG. FUN. I went into this one pretty much blind - I had seen some people talking about it on Bookstagram and I thought the covers were really fun, so I put a Libby hold on this one plus the sequel (Swift & Saddled). They both became available around the same time, so I figured "Why not, I can just abandon my TBR!" ... and I am SO glad I did because this was exactly what I needed to read. It had a perfect amount of spice (oof) plus really great characters and the absolute BEST setting - I felt like I was *on* the ranch pretty much the entire time I was reading.
I loved both of the main characters in Done & Dusted so much, and I can tell I am going to be ready for any and absolutely all books to come out of the Rebel Blue Ranch series. Highly recommend!
(Re-reading that review it feels like a lot of "I LOVED THIS BOOK" and not a lot of substance, but you get what you get, okay? Just read the book, I LOVED IT.)
Overall Rating: ★★★★★ / 4.63
Rating each element of the book out of 5★
Characters ★★★★
Atmosphere ★★★★
Writing ★★★★
Plot ★★★★
Intrigue ★★★★
Logic ★★★★
Enjoyment ★★★★★
Pacing ★★★★
Dialogue ★★★★
★ did not like / ★★ it was okay / ★★★ liked it / ★★★★ really liked it / ★★★★★ loved it
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Alcohol, Abandonment, Blood, Sexual content, and Cursing
beckyyreadss's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I wanted to read this book because I am loving cowboy romances and as well as Elsie Silver’s Chestnut Series, this series has been raved about all over the Book Community, I got this book as part 3 for 6 deal at The Works and I decided to dive right in. This was such a strong book to start the series.
This book has two points of view. The first point of view is Clementine “Emmy” Ryder and for the first time in her life she has no idea what she’s doing. She's done everything on her to-do list. She left her small hometown, went to college, and made a name for herself doing her favourite thing – riding horses. But when an injury results in an obstacle she can’t overcome, Emmy leaves behind her career, an apartment and a boyfriend for the hometown she spent her whole life trying to escape. The second point of view is Luke Brooks. He is Meadowlark’s most notorious bad boy, bar owner and the small town’s bachelor. He is also the unofficial fifth member of the Ryder family, who spent his entire childhood antagonizing Emmy, the youngest sibling. It has been years since he’s seen his best friend’s little sister, but when he walks into his bar and back into his life, he can’t take his eyes off her. Brooks takes it upon himself to get to the bottom of why Emmy returned to Meadowlark and what happened to put out the perpetual fire in her eyes. But first, he needs Emmy to take him up on his offer to be friends. An offer that has nothing to do with the fact that he can’t stop thinking about her. At least, that’s what he tells himself. As things between Emmy and Brooks heat up, it’s getting more difficult for him to keep his hands off of her.
This book was so fun and flirty, and I loved the romance between Emmy and Luke. I love the Ryder’s family, if they would like to adopt me that would be fantastic because I love their family dynamic and how they all knew that Emmy and Luke were seeing each other but they choose to keep it to themselves until Emmy was ready and respecting her wishes. I love how they are all accepting of Luke and treat them like a son and that Emmy’s niece loves Luke and calls him Uncle Luke. I love Amos, I hope he finally meets someone and that he just wants Emmy to be happy even if she doesn’t stay in Meadowlark. I love how to confident grows within Emmy and how she was hiding from everyone to then standing up for herself and Luke.
I dislike Gus, I understand the whole older brother protection trope, but I swear there was just no need for the way he acted, and I really wanted someone to put him down a peg, which I'm glad that Teddy did that and I can see that book happening from a mile away.
I love that Lyla has already introduced the characters of the next book and it was a solid first book and I cannot wait to carry on with this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Violence, Death of parent, and Blood
Minor: Abandonment, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
binevolentbookworm's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
this was a fun, easy read for over the weekend and while the writing definitely could use some improvement, the overall vibes were a good time. i’ll also say, as a former rodeo girl, this scratched an itch i didn’t know i still had, and finishing this book made me want to get back in the saddle — but i’ll just read the next book instead!
some side notes that are sprinkled with spoilers (you’ve been warned):
- i didn’t think the way Emmy & Luke were together in bed made sense - the spitting in the mouth and choking gave me a bit of whiplash when compared to the rest of the story which is pretty mild.
- if a man ever punched another man out of the blue like that in my presence or on my behalf? goodbye. you’re a psychopath, i have no desire to continue things with you.
- i wished more was fleshed out in the family dynamics with Luke. throwing in the thing with his mom felt like it didn’t really go anywhere? but i also appreciated that the conflicts in this book were not centered around a 3rd act breakup! so big props to Sage for that.
some side notes that are sprinkled with spoilers (you’ve been warned):
- i didn’t think the way Emmy & Luke were together in bed made sense - the spitting in the mouth and choking gave me a bit of whiplash when compared to the rest of the story which is pretty mild.
- if a man ever punched another man out of the blue like that in my presence or on my behalf? goodbye. you’re a psychopath, i have no desire to continue things with you.
- i wished more was fleshed out in the family dynamics with Luke. throwing in the thing with his mom felt like it didn’t really go anywhere? but i also appreciated that the conflicts in this book were not centered around a 3rd act breakup! so big props to Sage for that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Death of parent and Toxic relationship
lmcarr0314's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Sometimes you need a quick feel good, giggling and kicking your feet story and that’s what this book did for me. I love the brothers best friend trope, and the keep your hands off her vibes. Also i’m always in for a Western story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Alcoholism, Abandonment, and Alcohol
anna_maria_wirth's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content
Moderate: Violence, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism and Abandonment
readbykatherine's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent, Grief, Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, and Alcoholism
kamreher's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
per my spreadsheet:
fun love story, fun spice, fun character development- but I need more conflict lol
spice 🌶 - a 4 🌶 spicy (romance.io scale)
length - just right
reading speed - read in 4 days
did it make me cry? - a lil
fun love story, fun spice, fun character development- but I need more conflict lol
spice 🌶 - a 4 🌶 spicy (romance.io scale)
length - just right
reading speed - read in 4 days
did it make me cry? - a lil
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Violence and Death of parent
Minor: Abandonment
xennial_reader's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Alcoholism, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
grimmbleton's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcoholism
Minor: Bullying, Alcohol, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, and Infidelity
libellumartinae's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Alrightie, first of all: I can see why this book is so popular, because all that it had to it was literally a huge amount of tropes and tik tok scenes smashed together with no actual consecutiveness and contact. like it was literally just going through it through an amount of detached scenes that stalled the main character's growth (not that there was much to begin with). The relationship is pre-made, like it was unpacked before the start of the half of the book and while I waited for what I want from romance - THE DRAMA - it kept on lacking, although there were different situations where there was some angst potential. BUT NO.
Everything was solved so easily which has me wondering: why was this made complicated from the start? Like Emmy's struggle? Solved with the magical power of love, while it could have actually helped deepen the whole discussion around ADHD. Luke's obvious mommy issues? Solved by the power of being with your best friend's sister (which let me tell you was written in the most disgusting and despicable way possible, to the point of being straight up fetishizing).
All in all, I can feel the allure of this book but I doubt it's for me. Maybe it's the fact that I am not just into books that are just fluff, because I need the SADNNESS AND GOSSIP, UGH. It has been proved that cowboy romance is just not for me
Everything was solved so easily which has me wondering: why was this made complicated from the start? Like Emmy's struggle? Solved with the magical power of love, while it could have actually helped deepen the whole discussion around ADHD. Luke's obvious mommy issues? Solved by the power of being with your best friend's sister (which let me tell you was written in the most disgusting and despicable way possible, to the point of being straight up fetishizing).
All in all, I can feel the allure of this book but I doubt it's for me. Maybe it's the fact that I am not just into books that are just fluff, because I need the SADNNESS AND GOSSIP, UGH. It has been proved that cowboy romance is just not for me
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Mental illness, and Abandonment