Being a successful author and wellness influencer, Rory Jones is proud of the life she built for herself–that is, until she returns home from her aunt’s funeral and walks in on her boyfriend cheating on her. Her heart broken and confidence shattered, Rory runs to her aunt’s ranch in Colorado, where she hopes to fix it, sell it, and get some inspo for her work. It’s smooth sailing ahead, if only a certain handsome and grumpy cowboy wasn’t making it his life mission to get on her nerves and make her stomach flutter. Can she ever revert to her old self after losing her aunt and her boyfriend’s betrayal?
Wyatt Hensley knows what it’s like to be burned by people he trusted, which is why he likes to keep to himself and stay far away from the rays of dreams he doesn’t dare to dream. But when Rory waltzes onto the ranch and into his life, Wyatt quickly realizes that his grumpy and melancholic exterior melts under the sunshiny optimism of his new boss, especially when she comes up with a plan that can help her keep the ranch and save the job he loves. Although annoying Rory is fun, making her blush and smile up at him is something Wyatt can get used to. But how long will it be before Rory’s sunshine burns him, too?
I’m not going to lie, I walked into this thinking I wasn’t going to like this. Granted, I do like a good cowboy romance, but I was a bit put off by the whole wellness and fitness side of the story because it’s just something I’m not into. HOWEVER, nobody is more shocked than I am at how much I was grinning like a fool and chuckling like an idiot. Is it perfect? No, but it is sweet in a cheesy, predictable-but-satisfying kind of way. Let’s go through what I liked and didn’t like about this romance.
✨What I liked✨
You know me, I do love a good, picturesque setting. So, obviously, I enjoyed the beautiful landscape of Colorado as the backdrop for this story. What’s not to love about majestic mountains, green, rolling hills, and a fresh, sweet breeze dancing through the trees? Nature is definitely something that we should never take for granted. ❤
Unlike the last book I read (*cough* It’s Different This Time *cough*), I actually liked the characters. Rory was sweet and a little too optimistic for my cynical self, but I thought her journey of gaining confidence in herself was something I could try to implement in my own life because I am the exact opposite of confident. ☺ I sympathized with Wyatt and his reason for being so grumpy, like the ex that did him dirty and his dad’s expectations that he didn’t meet. But there are some things about him that I was iffy about, but I’ll get to that later. Also, they were kind of cute together, but I think I smiled more when Wyatt was with his friends and little sister. Camaraderie always puts a smile on my face.
Although predictable, the plot was actually quite interesting. I don’t know if I’ve gotten impatient or what, but for some inexplicable reason, when I reach chapter 30 in any book that has more than that number, I’m asking myself, “What more can possibly happen that hasn’t happened already? Why are there seven more chapters? Oh, and there’s an epilogue? Good Lord, give me strength.” (Actual conversation with myself, by the way.) Besides my annoying impatience, I rooted for the characters and their individual journeys to becoming better, stronger people as they turned the ranch into a wellness retreat. A journey is worth embarking on if you become a better person today than the person you were yesterday.
✨What I Didn’t Like✨
I understand why authors like to assign their characters the task of giving out pet names or terms of endearment, and it’s cute…sometimes. But when Wyatt called Rory “princess” the first day he met her, I wanted to punch him AND Rory for not putting him in his place. Maybe later he can call her that, but constantly calling her that under the guise of “getting on her nerves” was a big turn-off for me. It just sounded disrespectful and kinda gross. I’m probably taking it the wrong way, but it’s one of the reasons why I was iffy about the book when I started to read it. The name didn’t even grow on me as feelings started to blossom, so that was a bit irksome. 😅
Rory and Wyatt’s romance was kind of an insta-love thing. Sure, you know some things about each other, but can you all at least find out what their favorite color is or something before you hop into bed? And, oh my gosh, the number of chapters with spice in them was nothing like I have ever seen before. I’m sorry that I didn’t keep track of which chapters were as spicy as my mama’s salsa, but I’ll give the author credit where credit is due; at least it was past the 50% mark. 👏🏼
Overall, this was a sweet story, and I recommend it if you are into cowboys, the sunshine x grumpy trope, and some cute romance.
Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review! All opinions and statements are my own.
❗Content Warnings❗
Loss of a loved one & a little bit of violence and blood.
Swearing: Yes
Spice: Yes (🌶🌶🌶🌶/5)