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literary_simone 's review for:
Steady Now
by Liberty Stowe
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had such a good time reading. A sweet small-town romance with just the right amount of emotional depth and a cast of lovable characters.
⟡ Tropes and Rating ⟡
🏞️ Small Town
💗 Insta Attraction
🔥 Slow Burn
🧸 Single Dad
🚜 Tractor Appreciation (😉)
4/5 ⭐️
2.5/5 🌶️
⟡ Review ⟡
Wren finds herself in a bit of a predicament when her Maserati breaks down outside of the small Texas town of Vogel Springs. Enter Hud, who runs the local car repair shop. He’s fighting a two-front battle to keep his family’s land from corporate takeover and another to gain custody of his son. Sparks fly fast between Wren and Hud but both hit the brakes (for a while) due to their by personal baggage.
This book has all the ingredients of a cute small town romance with quirky locals, cozy vibes, and meddling best friends but it actually dives deeper. Hud’s custody battle and land dispute bring bigger stakes to it.
He’s a solid, good guy, dependable, selfless, and devoted to his son and town. This makes it particularly heartbreaking when part of the community turns against him when he refuses to sell his land.
Wren is initially depicted as the typical “city girl stranded in the country” but is actually much more, kind, sweet and compassionate.
Their chemistry is instant, but their relationship takes time to develop which leaves us with some delicious push-and-pull tension.
The drama with Hud’s ex is handled well. It nicely moves the story along but it never crosses into the territory where Wren is unsure about where Hud stands with her or the ex.
I only with that there was more time spent on Wren and Hud truly getting to know each other. While Hud’s character was fleshed out well and Wren learned a lot about him because she lives in his town, her past, particularly her father and ex, is explained quite late. There was no talk between the main characters about Wren’s life outside of Vogel Springs and Hud had no idea about her backstory until the end, and even her POV chapters don’t give away much.
Thank you Liberty Stowe and NetGalley for the free ARC. All thoughts are my own.
⟡ Tropes and Rating ⟡
🏞️ Small Town
💗 Insta Attraction
🔥 Slow Burn
🧸 Single Dad
🚜 Tractor Appreciation (😉)
4/5 ⭐️
2.5/5 🌶️
⟡ Review ⟡
Wren finds herself in a bit of a predicament when her Maserati breaks down outside of the small Texas town of Vogel Springs. Enter Hud, who runs the local car repair shop. He’s fighting a two-front battle to keep his family’s land from corporate takeover and another to gain custody of his son. Sparks fly fast between Wren and Hud but both hit the brakes (for a while) due to their by personal baggage.
This book has all the ingredients of a cute small town romance with quirky locals, cozy vibes, and meddling best friends but it actually dives deeper. Hud’s custody battle and land dispute bring bigger stakes to it.
He’s a solid, good guy, dependable, selfless, and devoted to his son and town. This makes it particularly heartbreaking when part of the community turns against him when he refuses to sell his land.
Wren is initially depicted as the typical “city girl stranded in the country” but is actually much more, kind, sweet and compassionate.
Their chemistry is instant, but their relationship takes time to develop which leaves us with some delicious push-and-pull tension.
The drama with Hud’s ex is handled well. It nicely moves the story along but it never crosses into the territory where Wren is unsure about where Hud stands with her or the ex.
I only with that there was more time spent on Wren and Hud truly getting to know each other. While Hud’s character was fleshed out well and Wren learned a lot about him because she lives in his town, her past, particularly her father and ex, is explained quite late. There was no talk between the main characters about Wren’s life outside of Vogel Springs and Hud had no idea about her backstory until the end, and even her POV chapters don’t give away much.
Thank you Liberty Stowe and NetGalley for the free ARC. All thoughts are my own.