Book Review: Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage

Genres: Romance, Westerns, Small Town, Cowboy, Adult
Pages: 356
Format: Ebook | Libby
Rating:

Initial Thoughts

I’m still sub-genre hopping around the romance books and we have finally landed on our first cowboy romance – yeehaw! It has of course been all over TikTok, but I was never intrigued enough to get up on the horse and give it a try. Until now. I asked my followers for a light, cute, fluffy romance and I was recommended Done and Dusted with the promise of it being cringe, but good cringe. I’ve started this thing where I go into books blind for the most part for an even higher shock value when the plot is revealed. I gotta say, outside of All the Sinners Bleed, this method has worked out for me pretty well. Although, I don’t think anything could’ve prepared me for that book.

The Plot (Spoiler-Free!)

Emmy Ryder has returned home to her small town of Meadowlark, Wyoming. At one point she had her life all figured out, but now  she’s unsure which direction to go and how to move forward. She loves horses and riding, but after getting into an accident, she’s having a hard time getting back on the saddle. Maybe going home and being around her best friend and family will help her. That’s what she thinks until she finds herself getting pulled to her brother’s best friend, Luke Brooks. He’s a bad boy, a player, and practically apart of the family, having known him since childhood. But maybe there’s more to Luke than Emmy thinks, and maybe Emmy is more than just Luke’s best friend’s little sister.

What I Liked

The story itself was a lot of fun. Maybe it was because it was my first cowboy romance, or maybe it really was just fun. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it. The small-town aspect of everyone knowing each other, the close-knit family, the setting in Wyoming, the old trucks, Rebel Blue Ranch, the horses, it really made me want to move out to Wyoming and live on a ranch. Luke of course was very yummy and I always love a dual-POV book. I even liked the names a lot – Clementine (Emmy), Augustus (Gus), Weston, (Wes), Theodora (Teddy). They were wonderfully distinctive. Sage’s writing really made me feel like I was watching a cute western Hallmark or Lifetime movie in my head.

What Didn’t Work for Me

My only complaint with this book is that I felt like was insta-love. It felt like Luke was practically in love with Emmy as soon as she walked into the bar. I just would’ve liked a little more build-up to it.

Final Thoughts

I enjoyed this one and I think it’s a great intro to cowboy romances. Usually I avoid interconnected standalones because I get too attached to the first main characters and struggle to invest in the others. However, I really enjoyed this book! And I’m not ready to leave Rebel Blue Ranch. So with that being said, I will continue with the series and will let you know if this series breaks my interconnected standalone curse. I have a hold for Swift and Saddled at the library so I’m hoping it comes in soon!