Book Review: Swift and Saddled by Lyla Sage

Genres: Romance, Westerns, Small Town, Cowboy, Adult
Pages: 320
Format: Ebook | Libby
Rating:

CHECK OUT MY REVIEW OF DONE AND DUSTED!

Initial Thoughts

FINALLY my hold of Swift and Saddled is available. Geeeeeeeez it took like a month to get it.

Lyla Sage has managed to do something I don’t think any author has done yet, which is getting me to read their interconnected standalone series. Usually, I’ll just read one book because I’m not as emotionally invested in the other characters. But Sage has created something special with Rebel Blue Ranch. The setting, the characters, the cowboys, and the romances—I just eat it right up.

So going into Swift and Saddled, my expectations were moderately high. I wanted to enjoy it just as much as I enjoyed Done and Dusted.

The Plot (Spoiler-Free!)

Weston Ryder is determined to have something of his own. Everyone has a role on Rebel Blue Ranch, but Wes wants something to call his. He has a dream of opening a bed and breakfast on the ranch, and interior designer Ada Hart may be the woman who makes those dreams come true. Ada is freshly divorced and excited to take on her biggest project yet. New to town and feeling a little reckless, she kisses a cowboy in a bar only to later find out that he’s actually her boss.

Ada tries to keep things professional, but Wes can’t help falling for her. The feeling is mutual for Ada, but her past trauma gets in the way.

What I Liked

This book had a lot of moments that I really enjoyed. I don’t know how to drive a stick shift, and probably never will, but getting to learn vicariously through Ada was definitely an experience. I tried visualizing all the movements Wes described in my head. While I don’t think I could drive a stick myself, I’m happy that Ada was able to learn.

There’s also a cowboy jousting game the boys play, and that just sounds like so much fun. Reading about it made me want to play it with them. And I loved that there’s a Ryder Day. This family truly loves each other and it shows. Amos created a day to celebrate his family, which was such a beautiful touch. It even made me want to have a day for my own family.

The family dynamic continues to be one of my favorite parts of this series. There’s a scene where Wes tries to cook something special for Ada, but it’s not going too well. Gus walks in, sees the disaster, and immediately steps in as the big brother, directing and helping. He calls Emmy for backup, she runs to the grocery store for ingredients, and they all pitch in to help Wes. It was such a cute, warm scene. I love reading about siblings who are best friends and truly care for each other.

And Wes is such a lover-boy, and we really love that.

“Her eyes were like magnets, and when she wasn’t looking at me, my eyes searched all of her until they could find hers again.”

“I see you, Ada. I always see you, even when you won’t look at me.”

I mean, that’s just so romantic.

What Didn’t Work for Me (Spoilers)

I understand that Ada has a habit of running away from her problems, but something emphasized throughout the book is her professionalism and work ethic. She’s very Type A with her organization, scheduling, and iPad notes. So I didn’t really like how at the end of the book Ada decides to bail on showing the Ryder family the finished Baby Blue project because she’s scared of her feelings for Wes. It would have made more sense if she maintained the professionalism we saw throughout the story, and then tried to leave after the showing.

Also, I understand that at its core this is a romance book, but I would have liked more scenes or details about Baby Blue itself. I know the original bathroom tile coloring was kept, along with mementos from their mom and the curtains with flowers, but I wanted more. I wanted to see the grand opening and read about how customers reacted to the finished project. The mention of it in the epilogue felt a little lackluster for me.

Final Thoughts

This was a good read. I’m still enjoying the characters and setting. A three deer-star rating isn’t a bad thing—I just wasn’t in love with the book and it didn’t give me the same feeling as Done and Dusted.

That said, it’s definitely worth reading if you enjoy Rebel Blue Ranch as much as I do. I continued the series right away and picked up Lost and Lassoed immediately after finishing this one (and it was available on Libby right away, woo!).