Rodeo Rejects

The Saintless Sinners #1

by Laikyn Meng

★♥8 SECONDS NEVER FELT SO ROUGH♥★

They were thrown away like disgraced heroes. Cast out. Dismissed. Left to rot.

Five broken men. One forgotten queen. A love so forbidden it could destroy everything they're fighting to build. But crossing that line means risking the only family they have left.

The tension simmers beneath every training session, every shared meal, and every moment their worlds threaten to collide. But trust doesn't come easily to people who've been betrayed, and love is a luxury none of them can afford. Not when they're fighting for survival in a sport that wants them gone.

Sometimes, the biggest outlaws become the most dangerous.
Sometimes, finding family becomes forever.
And sometimes the love you're afraid to touch flickers brightest of all.
A Flawless Match for fans for angsty, tangled trilogy from Laikyn Meng serves melt-worthy moments, redemptive love, and an emotional rollercoaster.

Tropes to
+ Why Choose
+ Found Family
+ Forced Proximity
+ Forbidden “We can’t…”
+ Cowboys/Rodeo/Western
+ Single Dads
+ Alternative Bad Boys
+ Coach vs. Teammates

Rodeo Rejects is a Bull Riding, Why Choose / Reverse Harem Romance.
It contains explicit scenes, profanity, and violence.
Recommended for mature audiences, please check trigger warnings.

Genres: Why Choose, Westerns, Sports, Second Chance, Romance

291 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 23, 2025

About the author

Laikyn Meng is an award-winning Japanese American indie author.
She has penned over forty publications. She maintains a steady stream of romantic expression involving diverse character representation.
She is the author of noteworthy series, the female empowered; Femme Fatale, and the family drama; Mum's the Word. Her poetry and memoirs have appeared in literary magazines. Laikyn's unique tone is an iconic symbol for her stories.
Originally from Idaho, she now resides wherever the road takes her and her three children. A dreamer, traveler, and overall lover of life.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorlaikyn...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laikynmeng/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/laikynmeng/

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

So I was waiting and waiting and I was not disappointed! Ok so first didn't expect so much mm but didn't hate it also um I'm kinda wanting her to get with Liam just to screw with the guys. I mean come on a bet really what dicks I hope she burns them to the ground ugh. And here I was kinda starting to like the guys but now I hope she eats them for breakfast and spits them out for lunch.

Great job though loved the progression of the characters. Great fmc she is awesome love her fire 🔥

[SJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 1 of 3 in The Saintless Sinners series.

Yeehaw! This was a wild ride!

A forbidden romance between five bull riders and their coach...what could go wrong?

This book was so much fun, I was thoroughly entertained. Laikyn Meng created each character so unique, complex, and well-written. I loved all the cultural representation. Abilene, Acre, Booker, Judd, Roarke, and Sutton were amazing and such an incredibly wild fun group. If you love boyfriends being boyfriends, lots of steam, a fiery FMC, yummy tension over forbidden love this is the why choose where you'll find it all and then some.

Abe is such an amazing leading woman. I just freaking love her BA attitude and her inner monologue was priceless. Feminine rage anyone?

I'm so eager to find out what happens next to The Saintless Sinners, this was a great start to the series. You know Abe is gonna give these guys hell and they'd better grovel so good.

Tropes:
Why-choose
FMMMMM
Bad Boys
Coach + Teammates
Forced proximity
Forbidden
Single Dads
Found Family
Multiple POV

Check TW

[scifigirl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this but there are some issues with this that probably could have been helped with some further editing.

- There is so many characters and I got lost on who was what, and what their motivations were. Normally in a why choose I can quickly remember who is who and what point they are at with the FMC but with this I just immediately got so lost and it took a bit to remember anything about them. It doesn't help that it jumps between their name and their rodeo name, and they use these interchangeably.
- Each chapter the plot resets and it jumps around and there is nothing really to keep you to where you are and what is happening. I understand that you want to jump from rodeo competition to competition but a lot of the things come out of nowhere. If there was someone to read this in advance and just leave little threads or references to what is coming next it would make sense to jump around.
- The ending also didn't make sense with what has happened earlier. These MMC's know that her ex husband was a fuck head and abused her, and fucked around on her constantly. Hell, even one of the MMC's was actively there for one of her abuse sessions (if i understand the video tape scene correctly), but they all agree to his 'deal' for the money despite actively all hating him except for one guy? I'm sorry but that isnt love.

Will I read the next book in the series? Maybe, but man was I hoping for this to be better than it was.

[Steph Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5*

Thank you to the author and book sprout for providing me with an arc copy of this book. Opinions given are my own thoughts/ feelings.

I love a cowboy/ bull rider romance, so i really wanted to enjoy this book.
I did really like our FMC Abe, she has had a really hard time, and after her dad passing and leaving most thing to Abe’s ex husband, she takes on the task of coaching the rejects of the rodeo life.

The guys are all different in their own ways, some already have a history and others don’t, but they all have one thing in common. They all have a reason for being classed as a reject.
Abe really wants to prove her father and her ex husband wrong by coaching a winning team.

There is a lot going on in this book, between the 5 guys and their coach. This is a big why choose book with MM romance from the start and FMMMMM romance. There is issues raised with sexuality and various life issues are raised including mentions of *buse so it’s definitely important to check triggers.

I definitely want to find out what happens in book 2 and i hope to get some resolution for the ending of this book.

All in all it was a good read and i will look forward to future books.

[Michala Sheranko · Rating 3 out of 5]

I looked forward to this book for months and did like it but I was just a little confused at the ending and how the bet is working out.

Is the $50k bet with her exhusband that they ALL have to sleep with her in order to “win” the money, not quit the team and Clark leave her alone OR Does only one of them have to sleep with her and get the $50k and Clark leave her alone?

The quitting the team part is also confusing, if they don’t sleep with her, they all have to quit plus lose the $50k and Clark continue his abuse or just the ones that don’t do it quit and the ones that do sleep with her get to keep their spots.

Someone help me understand 😂

[Mylene Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abilene has a challenge to create the best rodeo team. But those available to her are the misfits of the sport. The Rejects. There are connections amongst the team some going back years but unity is what is needed. As secrets and slurs unfold, can Abe keep this found family together and make them all winners? Really good read and writing.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Unrulyreadr Reviews · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't a fan of this book. It felt choppy, and I had to keep going back and rereading thinking I missed something. But it felt as of some parts are missing and the others wasn't change to show that. Over all, not for me.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Rocky Mountain Red · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am going the let the author speak for herself in regards to this tale:
"DISCLAIMER I am fully aware that the rodeo and bull riding sport/enterprise has good gentlemen who display candor and good sportsmanship. Men who are brothers and are there for one another. I also consider the fact that most of these bull riders in real life are family men, trying to make an honest living while pursuing their dreams. They live by the candor of straight and narrow, and do not recklessly cross lines where elimination of the sport could be tempted. However, the Saintless Sinners are none of those things. The contents in these pages are going to make you squirm until you scream. Rage until you have nothing else to live for. The Saintless Sinners welcome you with open arms and wide grins. But don’t be fooled, these are, after all, the bad boys, the good guys who have rotten luck, so they figured it would be better to be the villain. These men are the ones you whisper about as they walk by; they give the sport a bad name. Take this mindset into consideration. These men are violent, angry, vengeful, and will do anything at any means to stay on that bull longer than anybody else. The only thing that matters to them more than rodeo is Abe, and when she is threatened, well, let’s say hell would be a luxury for what these guys do to defend her. A note about homophobia: It is not a secret that the cowboy/western world, in most cases, isolates and is dangerous when it comes to queer individuals in rodeo. There is a rodeo association that has been around for over half a century, founded in 1975, the International Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA). No matter the sexual orientation of the riders in the circuit, these characters, as well as the people who have been ostracized from the community they love, should not be struck down or silenced. My book will contain mentions of homophobic behavior. I refuse to use 2SLGBTQIA+ slurs, even in a fictional sense. The events in the chapters are meant to expose harmful stereotypes and the damaging reputations of people who identify a certain way.
CONTENT WARNINGS + Animal Cruelty (Rodeo conditions and treatment of animals) + Bigotry + Bodily Injury from Sport + Bullying + Child conceived of rape + Death of a loved one/s (off page) +Drug overdose (off page) + Gambling Addiction + Homophobia + Infertility (FMC is accepting of this) + Medical Condition (Heart) + Mention of Sexual Assault/Rape + Obsessive, manipulative/abusive Ex-husband (Justice will be served) + Prejudice +PTSD + Racism + Self-Harm + Sexual mature content, multiple times, in multiple positions and places, with multiple people (Sometimes all at once) + Sexual Assault Accusations + Suicidal Ideation + Violence".

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ingrid · Rating 3 out of 5]

This reverse harem rodeo romance definitely caught my attention with its unusual premise—but unfortunately, it never fully came together for me. The story revolves around a group of so-called rodeo rejects and a heroine who is supposed to turn them into a team in order to secure her inheritance. While that idea sounds intriguing on paper, the setup is confusing from the very beginning, and the plot doesn’t really become clearer as the story progresses.
There is a lot of spice, and from an entertainment perspective, those scenes are fun and fast-paced. If you’re mainly reading for heat, this book delivers. However, outside of the spicy moments, both the plot and the characters feel underdeveloped. The stakes around the inheritance and the rodeo team are never fully fleshed out, which makes it hard to really care about the outcome.
The characters themselves remain fairly flat, defined more by their role in the harem dynamic than by distinct personalities or emotional depth. Because of that, the romance doesn’t quite land on an emotional level, even though there is plenty of physical chemistry.
Overall, this is an okay read if you’re looking for something spicy and light without thinking too hard about the story. Readers who prioritize strong character development and a clear, cohesive plot may find it lacking, but as a quick, spicy rodeo romance, it can still be enjoyable in the right mood.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Andrea Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has incredible potential. It could benefit from a thorough edit and proofing as typos and grammatical issues are sprinkled throughout. The marketing that drew me to it is actually the set-up for book 2 rather than the plot for this one which left me feeling let down and confused because four bad boys entering a bet for the FMC and her overhearing is a solid premise. I had a difficult time telling the characters apart and there were several times I just had no idea how we'd gotten from point A to point B - time and location jumps, strange leaps in relationship development, etc - which was jarring. While I was invested enough to keep reading, I felt like we were missing all the little moments that actually build out the characters and develop the relationships; we only got a reflection on an event sometimes, or all of a sudden people were having s#x out of nowhere. I may continue the series just to see the plot I thought I was signing up for with this one.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

🌶️ 🌶️🌶️🌶️🥵

First reading binge of 2026.

I loved the development of all the characters. Seeing the men break down and even ask for help. Abe is a strong and badass FMC. I can’t wait to see what she does in book 2.

I thought all the shattered souls were going to get mended. I thought they were going to fix each other. I did not expect the cowboys to make a bet that is going to burn their relationships with Abe.

[Johanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Book 1 of The Saintless Sinners series.

'trust doesn't come easily to people who've been betrayed, and love is a luxury none of them can afford.'

The characters were very complex and complicated. Plot was intriguing. World building was impressive. All in all a very good start to the series. Recommend.

Grab a copy, kick back and enjoy!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Heather Cain · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good cowboy angsty why choose!! This book did not disappoint! I have been waiting for this book to be released and can’t wait for the rest of the series and for the FMC to totally drag these men through the mud and get what she deserves!!

[The Book Ssirren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story overall. Loved the characters and the storyline. But there were a lot of parts that were confusing. And it needs to run through another round of editing. But this is my first time reading this author and I’ll definitely be checking out some other books by them.

[Jeanne Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read a lot of books written by Laikyn Meng; she is one of my favorite authors. I can’t wait to read more of her books.

This is the first book in the Saintless Sinners Series; it is a stand-alone book. The story is about Abilene, Acre, Booker Judd, Roarke & Sutton.

[KayCee K · Rating 5 out of 5]

💕💕This is such a wild ride!! Full review coming soon! 💕💕

[Alexa · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was ok

The story is there for this book but it is all over the place. I had to reread it to make sure that I wasn’t crazy. It skipped around a lot.