A review by aprilyang1
Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage

lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I really, desperately even, wanted to like this book. My first cowboy romance and honestly, I was a bit let down. I’m not someone who dislikes the insta attraction trope or even best friends brother trope, but this was just too cringe and too much for me. The entirety of the initial romance was 100% physical sexual attraction. There was no emotional or any other kind of connection, no matter how much Luke & Emmy tried to convince themselves or us. Their objectification of each other, mainly Luke towards Emmy, was also… icky feeling. Luke talked about Emmy like she was an object and he was constantly trying to make her “mine”. 

Also, can we PLEASE talk about how he did a huge romantic gesture with his horse in a field, just to say something about the day she walked into his bar wearing the skirt she wore?? All that just to talk about what she was wearing and not even who she was… 

Anyway, I love the cowboy concept and the ranch idea. But, unfortunately, maybe it was just how this was written. I still want to try another cowboy romance and maybe I’ll even try the second book because I loved Wes.