Scan barcode
A review by justmevictoria
Lassoed Love by Elle Mariah
4.5
A second chance with the grumpy cowboy with a heart of gold…
Returning to her hometown of Wattle Creek, Isla Thompson is ready for a fresh start back home when she takes over the local vet clinic. Reacquainting herself with small-town life, spending time with her bestie Imogen, and building up the courage to reconnect with her estranged father, the last thing she expects is to see Xavier Mitchell quiet so soon when he arrives at the clinic with his horse. Isla has always had a bit of a soft-spot for Xavier, but he and his friends were dicks to her in highschool, so no matter how gorgeous he looks, even twelve years later, she’s not interested in him more than treating his sick horse. For Xavier, he’s always seen Isla as different to the rest of the girls, and that’s still the case all these years later. She’s as snarky and sassy as ever, and despite his best intentions, he can’t help but want to get to know her. Isla doesn’t want a bar of of Xavier, but she too is drawn to this grown version of the boy she crushed on. Constantly drawn into each other’s orbits, there’s no denying their connection as they both open themselves up to second chances and finding love and happiness where they least expect it.
Elle absolutely knocked it out of the park with this debut! Y’all know I’ve been in my yeehaw era this year, and I loved getting all the swoony & spicy small-town vibes that US authors churn out with an Aussie twist. Elle delivered the best of both worlds when it comes to traditional Aussie rural romance and spicy US small-town & cowboy romance, and I need more Australian authors to deliver some swoony Aussie goodness!
Xavier and Isla had some sizzling chemistry, even when they both tried to ignore one another, and constantly bickering. Their progression into a relationship, and the road bumps they had to overcome felt so real and natural, and I loved following them throughout the book. Frenemies to lovers can be a tricky trope to balance, and while I struggled a little in the beginning with Isla and Xavier’s dynamic, their chemistry soon won out and I was sucked into their world and their love story.
The rest of the cast of characters were also so fun, and I really enjoyed getting to know them through Xavier and Isla’s eyes. In particular, I loved seeing Xavier’s relationship with his siblings and friends, and how easily Isla slotted into that dynamic, adding another layer to their relationship. With another four books coming in this series, I am very excited to get to know all these characters better, while also getting to spend more time in Wattle Creek.
And the spice? Oh the spice spiced EXTREMELY well. When you start things off with a “fuck it” moment, you know you’re in for the good stuff! Oh and speaking of language, I appreciate Elle cramming a “fuck” into conversations as much as possible, because it’s very Australian to use the f-bomb to emphasise everything, rather than it being a derogatory term. Also there’s a very on-point see you next Tuesday. The Australian-isms Australianed hard too, which I also loved!
As someone with experience of a family member suffering from Alzheimer’s and Dementia, I really appreciated seeing Elle portray that on-page, and the heartache that comes with seeing someone you love suffering that way. Things got super emotional near the end of the book, and I really wasn’t anticipating crying as much as I did - I know I cry easily in books, but it made me realise that I haven’t cried that much in the books I’ve read this year, until now.
Also Elle’s playlist for this book is stellar and really helps embodies the vibe of the Xavier and Isla’s story - more authors need to not only include a playlist (linked to Spotify, obvs) at the beginning of the book, but also songs attached to each chapter! It was a really nice touch and added another layer to the whole story.
If you LOVE small town and cowboy romances, get ready to dive into the Australian farming community for everything you love about swoony cowboy romances with the heart that only comes from Aussies. I cannot wait to return to Wattle Creek and the fall in love with even more of these fun characters.
Returning to her hometown of Wattle Creek, Isla Thompson is ready for a fresh start back home when she takes over the local vet clinic. Reacquainting herself with small-town life, spending time with her bestie Imogen, and building up the courage to reconnect with her estranged father, the last thing she expects is to see Xavier Mitchell quiet so soon when he arrives at the clinic with his horse. Isla has always had a bit of a soft-spot for Xavier, but he and his friends were dicks to her in highschool, so no matter how gorgeous he looks, even twelve years later, she’s not interested in him more than treating his sick horse. For Xavier, he’s always seen Isla as different to the rest of the girls, and that’s still the case all these years later. She’s as snarky and sassy as ever, and despite his best intentions, he can’t help but want to get to know her. Isla doesn’t want a bar of of Xavier, but she too is drawn to this grown version of the boy she crushed on. Constantly drawn into each other’s orbits, there’s no denying their connection as they both open themselves up to second chances and finding love and happiness where they least expect it.
Elle absolutely knocked it out of the park with this debut! Y’all know I’ve been in my yeehaw era this year, and I loved getting all the swoony & spicy small-town vibes that US authors churn out with an Aussie twist. Elle delivered the best of both worlds when it comes to traditional Aussie rural romance and spicy US small-town & cowboy romance, and I need more Australian authors to deliver some swoony Aussie goodness!
Xavier and Isla had some sizzling chemistry, even when they both tried to ignore one another, and constantly bickering. Their progression into a relationship, and the road bumps they had to overcome felt so real and natural, and I loved following them throughout the book. Frenemies to lovers can be a tricky trope to balance, and while I struggled a little in the beginning with Isla and Xavier’s dynamic, their chemistry soon won out and I was sucked into their world and their love story.
The rest of the cast of characters were also so fun, and I really enjoyed getting to know them through Xavier and Isla’s eyes. In particular, I loved seeing Xavier’s relationship with his siblings and friends, and how easily Isla slotted into that dynamic, adding another layer to their relationship. With another four books coming in this series, I am very excited to get to know all these characters better, while also getting to spend more time in Wattle Creek.
And the spice? Oh the spice spiced EXTREMELY well. When you start things off with a “fuck it” moment, you know you’re in for the good stuff! Oh and speaking of language, I appreciate Elle cramming a “fuck” into conversations as much as possible, because it’s very Australian to use the f-bomb to emphasise everything, rather than it being a derogatory term. Also there’s a very on-point see you next Tuesday. The Australian-isms Australianed hard too, which I also loved!
As someone with experience of a family member suffering from Alzheimer’s and Dementia, I really appreciated seeing Elle portray that on-page, and the heartache that comes with seeing someone you love suffering that way. Things got super emotional near the end of the book, and I really wasn’t anticipating crying as much as I did - I know I cry easily in books, but it made me realise that I haven’t cried that much in the books I’ve read this year, until now.
Also Elle’s playlist for this book is stellar and really helps embodies the vibe of the Xavier and Isla’s story - more authors need to not only include a playlist (linked to Spotify, obvs) at the beginning of the book, but also songs attached to each chapter! It was a really nice touch and added another layer to the whole story.
If you LOVE small town and cowboy romances, get ready to dive into the Australian farming community for everything you love about swoony cowboy romances with the heart that only comes from Aussies. I cannot wait to return to Wattle Creek and the fall in love with even more of these fun characters.