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The Dragon Ranch of Dawn Ridge
She’s a professional cook desperately in need of a refuge. He’s a dragon-riding cowboy with a revoltingly messy kitchen.
Cassia has spent a lifetime fending for herself. After a run-in with outlaws leaves her penniless and wounded, she’s reluctant to impose further on the gruff rancher who rescued her and paid her medical bills. She knows his generosity won’t last, but with nowhere else to go, her only option is to move into his house.
Aevrin and his family aren’t strangers to tragedy. He learned long ago when something good comes into your life, you jump feet-first before it’s gone. But wanting Cassia isn’t simple. She’s running from someone dangerous… and if Aevrin pursues her, he could chase her right back into the fire.
The more time they spend together, getting caught in the rain, sharing each other’s chores, and wagering over kisses, the harder he finds it to keep his hands off the delicious chef who tumbled into his lap.
The Dragon Ranch of Dawn Ridge is a cozy, spicy (dragon-riding) cowboy roman(tasy), perfect for readers who long for both a simpler life… and a pet dragon.
Cassia has spent a lifetime fending for herself. After a run-in with outlaws leaves her penniless and wounded, she’s reluctant to impose further on the gruff rancher who rescued her and paid her medical bills. She knows his generosity won’t last, but with nowhere else to go, her only option is to move into his house.
Aevrin and his family aren’t strangers to tragedy. He learned long ago when something good comes into your life, you jump feet-first before it’s gone. But wanting Cassia isn’t simple. She’s running from someone dangerous… and if Aevrin pursues her, he could chase her right back into the fire.
The more time they spend together, getting caught in the rain, sharing each other’s chores, and wagering over kisses, the harder he finds it to keep his hands off the delicious chef who tumbled into his lap.
The Dragon Ranch of Dawn Ridge is a cozy, spicy (dragon-riding) cowboy roman(tasy), perfect for readers who long for both a simpler life… and a pet dragon.
312 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 30, 2025
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551 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 137 reviews
July 27, 2025
Girls be like: I needed this.
And then it's just a cozy spicy fantasy western that made them smile (and laugh and cry).
Am *I* in my western era??
I will seriously read anything that Juliette Caruso writes at this point and I suspect they'll all be five stars for me. She has a way of writing characters that resonate so strongly with me. It's like she's looking into my soul and putting pieces of me in them, so it makes me feel so incredibly seen and understood. There's something so special about that experience.
But seriously, I REALLY needed this book today.
Thank you so much to the lovely author for the opportunity to read and review. This review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.
And then it's just a cozy spicy fantasy western that made them smile (and laugh and cry).
Am *I* in my western era??
I will seriously read anything that Juliette Caruso writes at this point and I suspect they'll all be five stars for me. She has a way of writing characters that resonate so strongly with me. It's like she's looking into my soul and putting pieces of me in them, so it makes me feel so incredibly seen and understood. There's something so special about that experience.
But seriously, I REALLY needed this book today.
Thank you so much to the lovely author for the opportunity to read and review. This review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.
November 23, 2025
felt like a debut novel. not terrible, but definitely a lot of stuff that could be cleaned up
July 9, 2025
EDIT: Okay here is my full review.
To the surprise of absolutely no one, Juliette has done it AGAIN.
Dragon Ranch of Dawn Ridge is a COWBOY ROMANTASY. Where the cowboys ride DRAGONS. Hello?? Is this thing on??? I don’t even need to say more than that. But I will because I binged this in a day and I need everyone to know about it.
Cassia is a professional chef who finds herself, after a series of unfortunate events, beaten bloody and left for dead in the middle of the wilderness. Aevrin is a rancher (a FANTASY RANCHER) who saves her life and takes her back to his family’s home so she can heal. Sparks fly… literally, because the cows spontaneously erupt in fire… but also romantically, because this is a romance, duh. But Cassia needs to confront her demons before anything can happen with Aevrin.
You guys, Aevrin is everything, everythinggggg I want in a book boyfriend. He’s calm, sturdy, capable, quietly confident, respectful, and SWEET. When I tell you my heart absolutely MELTED for this man. He is so gentle when it comes to Cassia and her past and I loved the way he let her set the pace for their relationship. Cassia, for her part, has some trauma in her rear view that she’s always gotten over by just muscling through, and I loved watching her learn how to open up and accept help from others.
This is a cozy, found family, sweet but also spicy romance that is perfect for a summer night, best experienced in the vicinity of a campfire. There are also mouthwatering descriptions of fantasy foods that do NOT exist in real life, which makes my stomach sad and confused.
Crossing my fingers that both of Aevrin's brothers will get their own books eventually (and maybe the DAD??? Hot rancher dad romantasy??? Juliette are you picking up what I’m putting down here)
I was sent an ARC of this book to review, and all thoughts, as always, are my own. My thoughts are that you should read this immediately when it comes out at the end of July!!
***
UPDATE: Dragon Ranch did NOT disappoint. Stayed up till 1am finishing this book. Full review to come!!!
***
FANTASY COWBOY ROMANCE ARE YOU KIDDING MEEEEE. No one is doing it like Juliette I SWEAR. I am so pumped for this one!!!
To the surprise of absolutely no one, Juliette has done it AGAIN.
Dragon Ranch of Dawn Ridge is a COWBOY ROMANTASY. Where the cowboys ride DRAGONS. Hello?? Is this thing on??? I don’t even need to say more than that. But I will because I binged this in a day and I need everyone to know about it.
Cassia is a professional chef who finds herself, after a series of unfortunate events, beaten bloody and left for dead in the middle of the wilderness. Aevrin is a rancher (a FANTASY RANCHER) who saves her life and takes her back to his family’s home so she can heal. Sparks fly… literally, because the cows spontaneously erupt in fire… but also romantically, because this is a romance, duh. But Cassia needs to confront her demons before anything can happen with Aevrin.
You guys, Aevrin is everything, everythinggggg I want in a book boyfriend. He’s calm, sturdy, capable, quietly confident, respectful, and SWEET. When I tell you my heart absolutely MELTED for this man. He is so gentle when it comes to Cassia and her past and I loved the way he let her set the pace for their relationship. Cassia, for her part, has some trauma in her rear view that she’s always gotten over by just muscling through, and I loved watching her learn how to open up and accept help from others.
This is a cozy, found family, sweet but also spicy romance that is perfect for a summer night, best experienced in the vicinity of a campfire. There are also mouthwatering descriptions of fantasy foods that do NOT exist in real life, which makes my stomach sad and confused.
Crossing my fingers that both of Aevrin's brothers will get their own books eventually (and maybe the DAD??? Hot rancher dad romantasy??? Juliette are you picking up what I’m putting down here)
I was sent an ARC of this book to review, and all thoughts, as always, are my own. My thoughts are that you should read this immediately when it comes out at the end of July!!
***
UPDATE: Dragon Ranch did NOT disappoint. Stayed up till 1am finishing this book. Full review to come!!!
***
FANTASY COWBOY ROMANCE ARE YOU KIDDING MEEEEE. No one is doing it like Juliette I SWEAR. I am so pumped for this one!!!
December 3, 2025
pacing was off, and overall the writing could definitely use another round through a beta reader and editor. while the story was greatly lacking (for me), the world was very interesting and inviting! wish we would’ve gotten to know more about the dragons and cow berserkers
September 26, 2025
Thanks to MTMC Tours. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review for the blog tour
This book has some good ideas, and I was really excited to dive into it, but... but I think that the potential is not really so well developed here.
1) cozy Lately everything has to be cozy. And this is not really the case for this book. This is a romantasy. And sure, often romance and coziness go hand in hand, so it's not really easy to put a border that separates the two, but here, the coziness is not really central.
It's also true that this is mostly an individual factor, but here the vibes are not really cozy. Romance? Sure! Cozy? Not so much.
2) world building In my mind, I tend to separate romantasy books into two big categories: 1) the books that are a balanced mix between fantasy and romance. The book is a fantasy, with good world-building, a plot that has romance as the centre, but where other things happen to the world in general (politics and the like). They tend to be more complex and articulate.
2) the books that are romance in a fantasy setting. Like a book by Emily Henry but with vampires in it (or other magical creatures). These tend to be quicker reads, more lighthearted (usually), and the romance is at the very centre of everything. Everything that happens is in function of the romance or in function of the characters. There is no bigger scope.
And both of these are valid, and both of them can be amazing books (or horrible books). It's not a discriminant (if not in choosing what is more appropriate to my current reading mood), it's just a way to separate my expectations for the books.
Because, obviously, I expect more world-building in the first case, while I am not shocked if a book of the second kind does not have such great world-building.
And this book is the second kind of book. So I wasn't really expecting much but... but here we have dragons and a ranch with some really peculiar cows (and they have cockatrices too!!). It could have been glorious but.. I felt like it was just a background. It was obviously inserted in the plot but just like the scenery. I was a tad disappointed.
It's a cowboy romance with dragons. But the dragons are on the background.
To make it short, I wasn't impressed.
3) the characters Cassia and Aevrin aren't bad, and we get to read chapters from both POVs. This is a thing I appreciated. But they still don't really feel so real. They are quite plain and unoriginal.
And Cassia is not my kind of character at all. She is too whiny. I really hate the "I don't deserve you" trope; I don't care if we get it from the male POV or the female POV. If it's a fleeting thing, I am totally okay with it (because it's pretty normal that the person you are falling madly in love with is somehow idolized) but when become central to the plot? Nope. Thank you, I'll pass.
Obviously, this is a personal preference, but adding to all the other things is not helping.
4) predictability. Aside from the setting, which sadly wasn't really so well developed, there is not a thing that made this book memorable or surprising in any way. Sure, the setting is original, but it's like an afterthought, and everything else was following a well-tested script that made the whole thing plain and quite boring.
So yeah, on the whole, my main problem was that the only thing that, to me, was worthy of note, was relegated to the background, and all the rest was in the realm of the "been there, done that". Nothing stood out to me, and on the whole, I was pretty bored.
This book has some good ideas, and I was really excited to dive into it, but... but I think that the potential is not really so well developed here.
1) cozy Lately everything has to be cozy. And this is not really the case for this book. This is a romantasy. And sure, often romance and coziness go hand in hand, so it's not really easy to put a border that separates the two, but here, the coziness is not really central.
It's also true that this is mostly an individual factor, but here the vibes are not really cozy. Romance? Sure! Cozy? Not so much.
2) world building In my mind, I tend to separate romantasy books into two big categories: 1) the books that are a balanced mix between fantasy and romance. The book is a fantasy, with good world-building, a plot that has romance as the centre, but where other things happen to the world in general (politics and the like). They tend to be more complex and articulate.
2) the books that are romance in a fantasy setting. Like a book by Emily Henry but with vampires in it (or other magical creatures). These tend to be quicker reads, more lighthearted (usually), and the romance is at the very centre of everything. Everything that happens is in function of the romance or in function of the characters. There is no bigger scope.
And both of these are valid, and both of them can be amazing books (or horrible books). It's not a discriminant (if not in choosing what is more appropriate to my current reading mood), it's just a way to separate my expectations for the books.
Because, obviously, I expect more world-building in the first case, while I am not shocked if a book of the second kind does not have such great world-building.
And this book is the second kind of book. So I wasn't really expecting much but... but here we have dragons and a ranch with some really peculiar cows (and they have cockatrices too!!). It could have been glorious but.. I felt like it was just a background. It was obviously inserted in the plot but just like the scenery. I was a tad disappointed.
It's a cowboy romance with dragons. But the dragons are on the background.
To make it short, I wasn't impressed.
3) the characters Cassia and Aevrin aren't bad, and we get to read chapters from both POVs. This is a thing I appreciated. But they still don't really feel so real. They are quite plain and unoriginal.
And Cassia is not my kind of character at all. She is too whiny. I really hate the "I don't deserve you" trope; I don't care if we get it from the male POV or the female POV. If it's a fleeting thing, I am totally okay with it (because it's pretty normal that the person you are falling madly in love with is somehow idolized) but when become central to the plot? Nope. Thank you, I'll pass.
Obviously, this is a personal preference, but adding to all the other things is not helping.
4) predictability. Aside from the setting, which sadly wasn't really so well developed, there is not a thing that made this book memorable or surprising in any way. Sure, the setting is original, but it's like an afterthought, and everything else was following a well-tested script that made the whole thing plain and quite boring.
So yeah, on the whole, my main problem was that the only thing that, to me, was worthy of note, was relegated to the background, and all the rest was in the realm of the "been there, done that". Nothing stood out to me, and on the whole, I was pretty bored.
July 9, 2025
Two days after being attacked in the wilds of Dawn Ridge, Cassia Clarek wakes in the debt of Aevrin Riveker, a dragon-riding rancher who found her, brought her to the healer, and paid her bill. His and his family’s generosity extends further when he takes her home to heal and get back on her feet. Cassia doesn't want to rely on them, but, between their inability to cook and kindness they offer, she finds herself falling into routine and the man that helped her. But the past is catching up and Cassia knows that her luck will run out. Is there a place for this professional chef on the ranch? Or is she just wishing on stars?
“The Dragon Ranch of Dawn Ridge” is the fourth novel by Juliette Caruso. It is also the third book I've gotten the chance to read of hers. Earlier this week, I happened upon her ARC sign-up form and was hooked on the premise. Dragons? A Western setting with fantasy leanings??? I was fully onboard in less than a minute. Especially because I loved her previous novels as well.
Let's just talk about the MMC for a second here. Caruso's ability to make a man yearn so deeply and devastatingly is unparalleled. From Telon, to Corin, to Aevrin, she's created some of my favorite characters in romantasy. Aevrin is a walking green flag with a crossbow, and, despite wanting Cassia, he gave her space. But he also bantered with her in a way that had me grinning at the book far more than looked normal. Pretty sure I got plenty of side eye today.
Not unlike contemporary romance, romantasy is not a genre I often dive into. But if it's written by Caruso, I'm 1000% onboard. While romance is a major focus, she also creates these immersive worlds that are so unique and elaborate. There isn't just love on the page or yearning, but grief and hope and fear with dashes of (mis)adventure that makes each story she tells interesting to a wide range of audiences.
“The Dragon Ranch of Dawn Ridge” is the fourth novel by Juliette Caruso. It is also the third book I've gotten the chance to read of hers. Earlier this week, I happened upon her ARC sign-up form and was hooked on the premise. Dragons? A Western setting with fantasy leanings??? I was fully onboard in less than a minute. Especially because I loved her previous novels as well.
Let's just talk about the MMC for a second here. Caruso's ability to make a man yearn so deeply and devastatingly is unparalleled. From Telon, to Corin, to Aevrin, she's created some of my favorite characters in romantasy. Aevrin is a walking green flag with a crossbow, and, despite wanting Cassia, he gave her space. But he also bantered with her in a way that had me grinning at the book far more than looked normal. Pretty sure I got plenty of side eye today.
Not unlike contemporary romance, romantasy is not a genre I often dive into. But if it's written by Caruso, I'm 1000% onboard. While romance is a major focus, she also creates these immersive worlds that are so unique and elaborate. There isn't just love on the page or yearning, but grief and hope and fear with dashes of (mis)adventure that makes each story she tells interesting to a wide range of audiences.
July 15, 2025
Genre: Adult Fantasy Romance Western
Spice: 3/5 🌶️
*spice ratings are relative to similar books in the same genre*
The Catalog: F/M, cowherd x city gal, slow burn friends to lovers, magical realism western, mythical animal ranchers, dragon rider cowboys, plus size FMC, he falls first, hurt/care, found family, grumpy MMC
Synopsis: Averin has seen a lot of weird things as a dragon riding cowherd, but finding a nearly dead woman in the mountains was something new. After getting Cassia to a healer, Averin feels responsible for her wellbeing and brings her to his family’s ranch. Cassia has never felt the kind of belonging found in Dawn Ridge, but her secrets keep her from fully giving in to their warm embrace and the growing feelings she has for one grumpy cowherd in particular.
Thoughts:
TLDR; An incredibly fantastical, cozy western romance complete with mythical creatures, grumpy cowboys that ride dragons, and a damsel in distress. Perfect for readers looking for cozy slice of life romances!
This world is easily one of the most charming I’ve encountered in fantasy romance. Somehow melding magical realism with historical western romance, all I could think was how incredible this world would be in a video game! I love the setting so much!
As for the story, this is definitely cozy, think low stakes and external conflict. It was honestly such a fun slice of life, getting to know the characters in both cute and heartfelt moments. Both of the MCs are endearing and I loved their friends to lovers arc. Averin is a serious, slightly grumpy, super hunky cowherd that’s soft for only his gal and his dragon. Cassia is a sweetheart with secrets that uses caretaking and cooking to show she cares. They really matched each other’s energy and humor. Together they were adorably dorky!
The romance was equal parts cute, funny, and hot tension. I loved that Averin fell first and was so endearingly awkward about his feelings. The smut was well done: both caring and hot!
Definitely recommend this one to those that love unique takes on classic romance genres, cozy slice of life, and dragons!
Spice: 3/5 🌶️
*spice ratings are relative to similar books in the same genre*
The Catalog: F/M, cowherd x city gal, slow burn friends to lovers, magical realism western, mythical animal ranchers, dragon rider cowboys, plus size FMC, he falls first, hurt/care, found family, grumpy MMC
Synopsis: Averin has seen a lot of weird things as a dragon riding cowherd, but finding a nearly dead woman in the mountains was something new. After getting Cassia to a healer, Averin feels responsible for her wellbeing and brings her to his family’s ranch. Cassia has never felt the kind of belonging found in Dawn Ridge, but her secrets keep her from fully giving in to their warm embrace and the growing feelings she has for one grumpy cowherd in particular.
Thoughts:
TLDR; An incredibly fantastical, cozy western romance complete with mythical creatures, grumpy cowboys that ride dragons, and a damsel in distress. Perfect for readers looking for cozy slice of life romances!
This world is easily one of the most charming I’ve encountered in fantasy romance. Somehow melding magical realism with historical western romance, all I could think was how incredible this world would be in a video game! I love the setting so much!
As for the story, this is definitely cozy, think low stakes and external conflict. It was honestly such a fun slice of life, getting to know the characters in both cute and heartfelt moments. Both of the MCs are endearing and I loved their friends to lovers arc. Averin is a serious, slightly grumpy, super hunky cowherd that’s soft for only his gal and his dragon. Cassia is a sweetheart with secrets that uses caretaking and cooking to show she cares. They really matched each other’s energy and humor. Together they were adorably dorky!
The romance was equal parts cute, funny, and hot tension. I loved that Averin fell first and was so endearingly awkward about his feelings. The smut was well done: both caring and hot!
Definitely recommend this one to those that love unique takes on classic romance genres, cozy slice of life, and dragons!
October 7, 2025
4⭐
4🌶️
Listen, this is not your average cowboy romance. Julie Soto really created something unique when she mixed some of my favorite things together. This book has dragons, cowboys, ranch charm, a grumpy mmc and dangerous secrets.
I think it’s the danger aspect that makes this story step far away from the small town romance vibe. I loved the ranch and the charm it brings but in no way is this story cozy or cute. At least, that’s what I think because this book is marketed as a cozy fantasy but I don’t agree 🙈
What IS cute though, is how possessive our mmc, Aevrin, is. He’s clearly conflicted between being the gentleman and giving Cassia space but he also doesn’t want his brothers hitting on her. Or anyone else really. He’s that typical broody cowboy and I am so here for it! He made me melt a little to be honest. He’s gentle, respectful, calm and doesn’t want to rush things with Cassia, which I really liked.
I loved how Cassia isn’t embracing the role of victim. She’s been through a lot but she doesn’t hide behind her trauma so to speak. She’s grateful for the help she gets but she insists on paying her dues instead of just accepting all the help she can get. That being said, I did enjoy her journey from insisting on doing everything herself to opening up to others and accepting help. You know what I mean, right?
Cassia’s a professional chef and that makes for some really funny situations because the ranchers… are not.
The family and their dynamic is fun to see and the cows breathe fire. Just another Tuesday.
Add this to your tbr if you love:
✨dragons
🔥plus size fmc
✨grumpy x sunshine
🔥professional chef x rancher
✨kiss bet
Thank you NetGalley for the gifted ebook
4🌶️
Listen, this is not your average cowboy romance. Julie Soto really created something unique when she mixed some of my favorite things together. This book has dragons, cowboys, ranch charm, a grumpy mmc and dangerous secrets.
I think it’s the danger aspect that makes this story step far away from the small town romance vibe. I loved the ranch and the charm it brings but in no way is this story cozy or cute. At least, that’s what I think because this book is marketed as a cozy fantasy but I don’t agree 🙈
What IS cute though, is how possessive our mmc, Aevrin, is. He’s clearly conflicted between being the gentleman and giving Cassia space but he also doesn’t want his brothers hitting on her. Or anyone else really. He’s that typical broody cowboy and I am so here for it! He made me melt a little to be honest. He’s gentle, respectful, calm and doesn’t want to rush things with Cassia, which I really liked.
I loved how Cassia isn’t embracing the role of victim. She’s been through a lot but she doesn’t hide behind her trauma so to speak. She’s grateful for the help she gets but she insists on paying her dues instead of just accepting all the help she can get. That being said, I did enjoy her journey from insisting on doing everything herself to opening up to others and accepting help. You know what I mean, right?
Cassia’s a professional chef and that makes for some really funny situations because the ranchers… are not.
The family and their dynamic is fun to see and the cows breathe fire. Just another Tuesday.
Add this to your tbr if you love:
✨dragons
🔥plus size fmc
✨grumpy x sunshine
🔥professional chef x rancher
✨kiss bet
Thank you NetGalley for the gifted ebook
July 10, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️.5
Wild, Wild West fantasy setting with dragons instead of horses and fire breathing cows ✅
Grumpy cowboy with an even grumpier pet dragon MMC ✅✅
Down on her luck, professional chef in need of refuge FMC ✅✅✅
Slow burn romance that is spicy and sweet when it finally ignites 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Cozy family ranch vibes with unique terrain, animals, and healing/refrigerating plants ☕️🍀☕️🍀
This was a such a fun read. I was sold when I read cowboys and dragons in the blurb, and I was not disappointed. The dragons are bonded to the cowboys and serve as steeds instead of horses because they herd fire breathing cattle. The concept and environment were described in rich, immersive detail. The cozy vibes come from the isolated ranch locale with majestic views, loving family dynamics, and slow, simple living.
The romance starts when the MMC, Aevrin, rescues the FMC, Cassia, after she was beaten (off page) and left for dead by outlaws. It grows when Cassia goes to live with Aevrin and his family where she becomes the paid cook and housekeeper for their ranch. Smart girl to prefer domestic work rather than work with fire breathing animals. Aevrin was very respectful of Cassia’s situation in which she was his de facto employee so he was hesitant to pursue a romantic relationship. Instead, they grew as flirty friends until Cassia made the first move. Both characters were so sweet to each other until things get spicy which was also very fun.
There were some word choices during the spicy scenes that were unfortunate, and there was a lot of insecurity afterwards that I did not enjoy. It’s unclear whether these two had romantic relationships in the past though it’s hinted that they did not. Clarity on that issue would have better explained the insecurities.
The other members of Aevrin’s family provided comic relief while also being welcoming to Cassia and encouraging of her growing relationship with Aevrin. Cassia, who was an orphan, is skeptical at first but quickly finds her place among them. She spends most of the book hiding her true family situation and the perpetrators of her assault. When that information is finally revealed, Aevrin’s family protects her like one of their own resulting in a heartwarming conclusion all around and a HEA.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was a fast read for me which I devoured in one day. There were some jarring word choices, grammatical errors, and missing explanations as to the larger world in general that took me out of the story. But it was always quick to pull me back in. This was such a great twist on both westerns and romantasy combining the best elements of both.
The biggest question though is will we see more of Aevrin’s family and their romantic journeys?!? He’s got a lot of lovable, eligible brothers (and sister and father and grandma(?)).
Thanks to Juliette Caruso, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC, which allowed me to read the book and voluntarily provide an unbiased review.
🌶️🌶️.5
Wild, Wild West fantasy setting with dragons instead of horses and fire breathing cows ✅
Grumpy cowboy with an even grumpier pet dragon MMC ✅✅
Down on her luck, professional chef in need of refuge FMC ✅✅✅
Slow burn romance that is spicy and sweet when it finally ignites 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Cozy family ranch vibes with unique terrain, animals, and healing/refrigerating plants ☕️🍀☕️🍀
This was a such a fun read. I was sold when I read cowboys and dragons in the blurb, and I was not disappointed. The dragons are bonded to the cowboys and serve as steeds instead of horses because they herd fire breathing cattle. The concept and environment were described in rich, immersive detail. The cozy vibes come from the isolated ranch locale with majestic views, loving family dynamics, and slow, simple living.
The romance starts when the MMC, Aevrin, rescues the FMC, Cassia, after she was beaten (off page) and left for dead by outlaws. It grows when Cassia goes to live with Aevrin and his family where she becomes the paid cook and housekeeper for their ranch. Smart girl to prefer domestic work rather than work with fire breathing animals. Aevrin was very respectful of Cassia’s situation in which she was his de facto employee so he was hesitant to pursue a romantic relationship. Instead, they grew as flirty friends until Cassia made the first move. Both characters were so sweet to each other until things get spicy which was also very fun.
There were some word choices during the spicy scenes that were unfortunate, and there was a lot of insecurity afterwards that I did not enjoy. It’s unclear whether these two had romantic relationships in the past though it’s hinted that they did not. Clarity on that issue would have better explained the insecurities.
The other members of Aevrin’s family provided comic relief while also being welcoming to Cassia and encouraging of her growing relationship with Aevrin. Cassia, who was an orphan, is skeptical at first but quickly finds her place among them. She spends most of the book hiding her true family situation and the perpetrators of her assault. When that information is finally revealed, Aevrin’s family protects her like one of their own resulting in a heartwarming conclusion all around and a HEA.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was a fast read for me which I devoured in one day. There were some jarring word choices, grammatical errors, and missing explanations as to the larger world in general that took me out of the story. But it was always quick to pull me back in. This was such a great twist on both westerns and romantasy combining the best elements of both.
The biggest question though is will we see more of Aevrin’s family and their romantic journeys?!? He’s got a lot of lovable, eligible brothers (and sister and father and grandma(?)).
Thanks to Juliette Caruso, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC, which allowed me to read the book and voluntarily provide an unbiased review.
July 24, 2025
2.5 ⭐ Predictable and a little boring, but fun.
This was a very simple story- easy plot, simple writing, and low stakes (even though I’m not sure that was what they were going for). The characters could have used some development and motivations beyond guilt and being life-altering-ly attracted to one another. My biggest qualm was the writing style. There were many times while reading when I had no idea what she was talking about and I had to just move forward and assume what I missed was not meant for me or something. Like, literally page 3, Aevrin is finding Cassia (also, I’m sorry but the names killed me, I hated them) almost dead in the wilderness:
Ok so there are multiple people around this campfire, so are “the two of them” Aevrin and his dragon Kazeic? Him and the rancher? Who is yelling at the dragon? Aevrin? the rancher? Or, this is the first time I’m seeing the word cowherd, who is the cowherd? Aevrin???
Writing like this was throughout the whole book and made picturing this book in my head so difficult. I would read a passage, have to read it again, realize it made no sense, and just move on. I found myself reading this book like those people from the old tiktok post who confessed that they only read the dialogue of romance books and skipped all the worldbuilding and descriptive texts. I tried, but it didn’t even make a difference.
Anyway, this book made me laugh (in a number of ways) so I still enjoyed myself!
Thank you to netgalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the ARC!
This was a very simple story- easy plot, simple writing, and low stakes (even though I’m not sure that was what they were going for). The characters could have used some development and motivations beyond guilt and being life-altering-ly attracted to one another. My biggest qualm was the writing style. There were many times while reading when I had no idea what she was talking about and I had to just move forward and assume what I missed was not meant for me or something. Like, literally page 3, Aevrin is finding Cassia (also, I’m sorry but the names killed me, I hated them) almost dead in the wilderness:
"’It’s cider. You wouldn’t like it,’ the rancher squatting on the other side of the fire said conversationally. Brandishing a metal spoon, Aevrin reached over and stirred the pot hanging over the fire […] The two of them had spent all day searching for the missing cattle. It was dark now, and growing cold, with nothing to show for a day’s work. Kazeic’s nostrils flared again. A rumble started low in the drake’s throat. The sound dragons made when they were building a flame. Aevrin’s eyes found his bonded companion instantly. ‘Don’t you dare,’ the cowherd warned.”
Ok so there are multiple people around this campfire, so are “the two of them” Aevrin and his dragon Kazeic? Him and the rancher? Who is yelling at the dragon? Aevrin? the rancher? Or, this is the first time I’m seeing the word cowherd, who is the cowherd? Aevrin???
Writing like this was throughout the whole book and made picturing this book in my head so difficult. I would read a passage, have to read it again, realize it made no sense, and just move on. I found myself reading this book like those people from the old tiktok post who confessed that they only read the dialogue of romance books and skipped all the worldbuilding and descriptive texts. I tried, but it didn’t even make a difference.
Anyway, this book made me laugh (in a number of ways) so I still enjoyed myself!
Thank you to netgalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the ARC!
August 21, 2025
Cassia wakes up at the healers after being left for dead in the mountains. Having been rescued by the grumpy rancher Aevrin, Cassia now feels in his debt. So when he invites her to heal up at his ranch home, she hesitantly agrees, not wanting to impose on him and his family. What unfolds is a story of found family and budding romance.
The Dragon Ranch of Dawn Ridge is such a cosy read with an incredibly unique take on cowboys and dragons. It was giving Heartland the TV series vibes, but if they had dragons instead of horses, and their cattle breathed fire. The magic system was so interesting, with things like healing vines and glowstones. The characters are wonderful and the writing style truly makes you feel like you are sitting at the ranch’s kitchen table with everyone drinking a cup of coffee or grallo. Aevrin Riveker is everything you dream a cowboy to be, ruggedly handsome, mighty respectful and charming. The banter between him and Cassia had me laughing out loud, and their tender moments had me giddy.
Was it a little predictable at times? Yes. Did I still devour it with absolute enjoyment? Most definitely yes. I highly recommend this book if you’re looking to read something sweet and wholesome, with a touch of spice! I would love to read more from this world and am hoping each of Aevrin’s siblings gets their own book.
Thank you to Juliette Caruso, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Dragon Ranch of Dawn Ridge is such a cosy read with an incredibly unique take on cowboys and dragons. It was giving Heartland the TV series vibes, but if they had dragons instead of horses, and their cattle breathed fire. The magic system was so interesting, with things like healing vines and glowstones. The characters are wonderful and the writing style truly makes you feel like you are sitting at the ranch’s kitchen table with everyone drinking a cup of coffee or grallo. Aevrin Riveker is everything you dream a cowboy to be, ruggedly handsome, mighty respectful and charming. The banter between him and Cassia had me laughing out loud, and their tender moments had me giddy.
Was it a little predictable at times? Yes. Did I still devour it with absolute enjoyment? Most definitely yes. I highly recommend this book if you’re looking to read something sweet and wholesome, with a touch of spice! I would love to read more from this world and am hoping each of Aevrin’s siblings gets their own book.
Thank you to Juliette Caruso, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 14, 2025
*Arc Review*
I LOVED this book! I am always choosing between reading another cowboy romance and a romantasy and this book made it so I didn't have to choose.
Tropes:
🏡Small Town
👪Found Family
🐉Bonding Dragons
Plot: After being found on the brink of death, Cassia finds herself on a ranch with some pretty interesting livestock. Not to mention the ranchers ride dragons instead of horses. Cassia has to resist falling for the sweet cowboy who saved her life.
My Thoughts: There was so much I loved about this book it is hard to list them all. The perfect blend of cowboy and fantasy romance, the dragons, the fire breathing cows, the action, and most of all the romance between the FMC and MMC. Aevrin was such a golden retriever and only wanted the best for Cassia no matter if it broke his heart. He treated her with such care and took the time to step into Cassia’s shoes. I also enjoyed the nosy townspeople you normally get in cowboy romances. I WANT MORE BOOKS THAT FOLLOW AEVRIN’S SIBLINGS! I think you will enjoy this book no matter if you are strictly a cowboy or fantasy romance reader because it gives you the best of both worlds.
I LOVED this book! I am always choosing between reading another cowboy romance and a romantasy and this book made it so I didn't have to choose.
Tropes:
🏡Small Town
👪Found Family
🐉Bonding Dragons
Plot: After being found on the brink of death, Cassia finds herself on a ranch with some pretty interesting livestock. Not to mention the ranchers ride dragons instead of horses. Cassia has to resist falling for the sweet cowboy who saved her life.
My Thoughts: There was so much I loved about this book it is hard to list them all. The perfect blend of cowboy and fantasy romance, the dragons, the fire breathing cows, the action, and most of all the romance between the FMC and MMC. Aevrin was such a golden retriever and only wanted the best for Cassia no matter if it broke his heart. He treated her with such care and took the time to step into Cassia’s shoes. I also enjoyed the nosy townspeople you normally get in cowboy romances. I WANT MORE BOOKS THAT FOLLOW AEVRIN’S SIBLINGS! I think you will enjoy this book no matter if you are strictly a cowboy or fantasy romance reader because it gives you the best of both worlds.
July 9, 2025
4.5 rounded up
You have cowboys (yes please) then you have dragons (do I even need to say more) and to top it all off, the cowboys are riding the dragons! I inhaled this book and enjoyed every minute of it.
We start off with Cassia, a chef who is left for dead, beaten and bloody, through no mistake of her own and is found by our handsome dragon cowboy (!!!) who gives her a place to stay. This man is a phenomenal new book boyfriend! He's sweet, patient, steady, and so freaking respectful! The pace of their relationship was completely left up to our girl and I loved seeing her slowly become more confident in her place and in her feelings.
This book is so cozy and sweet and is the perfect summer fantasy novel! Fingers crossed that the brothers (and dad??) get their own books and we get to come back to Dawn Ridge!
You have cowboys (yes please) then you have dragons (do I even need to say more) and to top it all off, the cowboys are riding the dragons! I inhaled this book and enjoyed every minute of it.
We start off with Cassia, a chef who is left for dead, beaten and bloody, through no mistake of her own and is found by our handsome dragon cowboy (!!!) who gives her a place to stay. This man is a phenomenal new book boyfriend! He's sweet, patient, steady, and so freaking respectful! The pace of their relationship was completely left up to our girl and I loved seeing her slowly become more confident in her place and in her feelings.
This book is so cozy and sweet and is the perfect summer fantasy novel! Fingers crossed that the brothers (and dad??) get their own books and we get to come back to Dawn Ridge!
July 31, 2025
Such an interesting book! I mean cowboy romance WITH DRAGONS?? I said sign me up immediately. Thank you so much to Juliette Caruso and NetGalley for the ARC. I went off the blurb alone and I really enjoyed it, so will definitely look forward to reading more of Juliette’s work.
Overall, the whole magic system was easy enough to follow, even though there were some interesting terms like toilet is called the necessary which takes a bit of getting used to.. but it makes sense in context. The plot was a little predictable but it was satisfying nonetheless. I enjoyed myself! 🐲
Having said that, I can see some people getting really frustrated with the FMC’s constant back and forth “i don’t deserve him/ he deserves better cus I’m troubled” and “i love him so much and need him”… this did not end till about 80%. I thought it could be a little shorter too. 🐦🔥
Overall, the whole magic system was easy enough to follow, even though there were some interesting terms like toilet is called the necessary which takes a bit of getting used to.. but it makes sense in context. The plot was a little predictable but it was satisfying nonetheless. I enjoyed myself! 🐲
Having said that, I can see some people getting really frustrated with the FMC’s constant back and forth “i don’t deserve him/ he deserves better cus I’m troubled” and “i love him so much and need him”… this did not end till about 80%. I thought it could be a little shorter too. 🐦🔥
July 8, 2025
can we talk about what a fun unique premise this story had?! dragon cowboy romance with a dash of fantastical recipes that felt so cozy.
I also am a sucker for dual POV and loved seeing the world and story through both Aevrin and Cassia’s eyes. Juliette has a knack for writing wonderful romance and chemistry with such lovely, fleshed-out characters, and this was no different. The word “cozy” truly fits this story, and the lush descriptions with fun world building is something I’ve come to know and love in Juliette’s stories. Bonus points for the found-family trope! she executes writing both fantasy and romance so well, and she’s become an auto read author for me.
Thank you Juliette for the earc in exchange for an honest review!
I also am a sucker for dual POV and loved seeing the world and story through both Aevrin and Cassia’s eyes. Juliette has a knack for writing wonderful romance and chemistry with such lovely, fleshed-out characters, and this was no different. The word “cozy” truly fits this story, and the lush descriptions with fun world building is something I’ve come to know and love in Juliette’s stories. Bonus points for the found-family trope! she executes writing both fantasy and romance so well, and she’s become an auto read author for me.
Thank you Juliette for the earc in exchange for an honest review!
July 13, 2025
I’ve only read one of Caruso’s works before and quite enjoyed it, so I picked this one up with high hopes. The premise was definitely interesting—but to be honest, I struggled to get into it at first.
I pushed through mostly for the sake of giving it a fair shot. I didn’t want to DNF a potentially good book just because it didn’t grab me right away. And I’m so glad I stuck with it—it turned out to be unexpectedly good.
It’s hard to put into exact words what made it work, but if you’re someone who enjoys dragons, ranch settings, and a slow-burn payoff, I’d definitely recommend giving this a try.
I pushed through mostly for the sake of giving it a fair shot. I didn’t want to DNF a potentially good book just because it didn’t grab me right away. And I’m so glad I stuck with it—it turned out to be unexpectedly good.
It’s hard to put into exact words what made it work, but if you’re someone who enjoys dragons, ranch settings, and a slow-burn payoff, I’d definitely recommend giving this a try.
July 28, 2025
There’s something so cosy about a Wild West fantasy, and this was such a fun read. Cowboy romantasy where the cowboys ride dragons? I’m 100% in. I adored Aevrin. He’s on the list of swoonworthy book boyfriends for sure. I love the found family, the cosy summer vibes, it was a super fun read. Four stars as it was a tad predictable, and a couple of word choices brought me out of the story at times but otherwise I will be eating up any other books in this series! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc!
January 21, 2026
Ok… what a BOOK. I mean dragons and cowboys?! I loved the premise of this book and loved the characters. The MMC was such a sweetheart and cared for this woman without even knowing her. The intrigue with the FMC and her family was a good thread through the book to keep it interesting. I LOVED the Rivekers and NEED more books for the other siblings 😍
August 5, 2025
3.5⭐️
September 5, 2025
Cozy Cowboy romance…but with DRAGONS??
A chef follows her brother into the “Wild West” in an attempt to help him out of the poor life choices he’s made, only to be beaten and left for dead in the wilderness. I love a found family troupe.
Thankfully, a handsome dragon rancher saves her.
I have never considered dipping my toes into the cowboy/western romance world. But Caruso convinced me with a magical setting.
When I dived in, I wasn’t aware it would be spicy, so, be aware there is detailed, explicit spice.
Thanks to @MTMC Tours for letting me be an eARC reader!
A chef follows her brother into the “Wild West” in an attempt to help him out of the poor life choices he’s made, only to be beaten and left for dead in the wilderness. I love a found family troupe.
Thankfully, a handsome dragon rancher saves her.
I have never considered dipping my toes into the cowboy/western romance world. But Caruso convinced me with a magical setting.
When I dived in, I wasn’t aware it would be spicy, so, be aware there is detailed, explicit spice.
Thanks to @MTMC Tours for letting me be an eARC reader!
Read
August 3, 2025Cowboys riding dragons! 🐉
July 22, 2025
OVERALL RATING: 3.25🌟
SPICE: Hot Honey 🌶️🌶️
Format: 📱Kindle
Thanks to Juliette Caruso, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Plot 3.5🌟
Overall, I thought the plot of this was quite good. I love cozy fantasy, it is one of my all time favorite genres! The concept of this plot was right up my alley, a professional cook finds herself in a messy kitchen with a family who makes terrible meals. I knew this would set-up for a fantastic cozy vibe and romance! I loved the mystery of Cassia and where she came from, how she got hurt, and the state of her brother. Adding another layer with the ranching and dragon riding… I mean come on, how could you not love the sound of that?? The cowboy fantasy blend was done really well in my opinion, I thought it was so clever how she correlated dragons to horses, but still gave it that fantasy flare! Also, fire breathing cows? Who wear armour?? Adorable.
The plot did fall apart a bit for me because it was just missing things I needed in order for the story to remain entertaining. I wanted to know more about what Rylan was getting himself into and I wished the drama of that was amped up a bit more. It was quite boring and extremely low stakes. I think it would have been fun to have more town suspicion and the sheriff more involved. I also found the kitchen stuff to not be enough. I loved the beginning when she was cleaning out the kitchen and finding the mice that disguised themselves! But after that, we lost some steam. The interactions were boring and the longing was just not tense enough for me. There was definitely room on the pages to amp up the romance plot more!
Characters 2.75🌟
I enjoyed the characters of this story. Cassia being the main character was a lot of fun. She is just such a joy and definitely the sunshine of the story. I also appreciated that she was described as a bigger woman, always love that representation! Aevrin is the MMC and he is the grumpy one here, haha. He is a cowboy and kind of the main man of the house aside from his dad. The side characters are pretty entertaining, Gramma and Mavek especially.
Physical descriptions of the characters were missing for me. I really had no clue what Cassia was supposed to look like beyond her generous curves (which were described at length). Aevrin’s appearance was completely missing! It was just so hard for me to picture these characters, even knowing what their ages were! Fortunately she had some character art on her Instagram. I also found the characters two dimensional, I think some backstory work would be beneficial. It wasn’t hard to connect with the characters, but for me, character stories are big for me and it was definitely missing something.
Writing & Pacing 3.5🌟
I think the writing here is quite good! Super easy to read and follow along. I though the dialogue was great and fun. And the spice also was written well!
I had a minor issue with the interchanging of “dragon” and “drake.” I can be a fantasy snob and on top of that, it confused the crap out of me. I thought there were dragons and drakes at first. Dragon = four legs with wings, drake = four legs no wings. Now, I think it would be funny to call a dragon a drake when a dragon is being silly or stubborn, like calling a donkey an ass.
Audio Experience N/A
Romance 2.5🌟
The romance was okay here. Ultimately, it was not my favorite part because it would have done well to be a slow burn with lots of tension. I think that was the attempt, but it lacked tension for the most part. I did think they were a cute couple by the end!
Plot to smut ratio 4🌟
With this being cozy romantasy, I have a personal opinion that you should limit the spice and tone it down, which matches the coziness best! I felt like the first scene was too long and too descriptive. While the second scene was the perfect length and described appropriately! I don’t want to harp on the spice too much because out of all the things I rate here, spice is SOOOO subjective.
Spice Quality 4🌟
Like I said, I felt like the first scene was a little too descriptive for the nature of the novel. But outside of that, I thought it was well written! I mostly just don’t want spice to be weird or cringy. The second scene was toned way down and honestly the type of spice I prefer in general!
Overall Entertainment or Emotional Reactions 3🌟
Overall, I did enjoy this book and thought it was a good read! I did find parts of this to be slow and it got a little boring versus cozy for me. I would recommend it if you’re looking for a cowboy romance and fantasy blend, it does hit all those notes well!
SPICE: Hot Honey 🌶️🌶️
Format: 📱Kindle
Thanks to Juliette Caruso, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Plot 3.5🌟
Overall, I thought the plot of this was quite good. I love cozy fantasy, it is one of my all time favorite genres! The concept of this plot was right up my alley, a professional cook finds herself in a messy kitchen with a family who makes terrible meals. I knew this would set-up for a fantastic cozy vibe and romance! I loved the mystery of Cassia and where she came from, how she got hurt, and the state of her brother. Adding another layer with the ranching and dragon riding… I mean come on, how could you not love the sound of that?? The cowboy fantasy blend was done really well in my opinion, I thought it was so clever how she correlated dragons to horses, but still gave it that fantasy flare! Also, fire breathing cows? Who wear armour?? Adorable.
The plot did fall apart a bit for me because it was just missing things I needed in order for the story to remain entertaining. I wanted to know more about what Rylan was getting himself into and I wished the drama of that was amped up a bit more. It was quite boring and extremely low stakes. I think it would have been fun to have more town suspicion and the sheriff more involved. I also found the kitchen stuff to not be enough. I loved the beginning when she was cleaning out the kitchen and finding the mice that disguised themselves! But after that, we lost some steam. The interactions were boring and the longing was just not tense enough for me. There was definitely room on the pages to amp up the romance plot more!
Characters 2.75🌟
I enjoyed the characters of this story. Cassia being the main character was a lot of fun. She is just such a joy and definitely the sunshine of the story. I also appreciated that she was described as a bigger woman, always love that representation! Aevrin is the MMC and he is the grumpy one here, haha. He is a cowboy and kind of the main man of the house aside from his dad. The side characters are pretty entertaining, Gramma and Mavek especially.
Physical descriptions of the characters were missing for me. I really had no clue what Cassia was supposed to look like beyond her generous curves (which were described at length). Aevrin’s appearance was completely missing! It was just so hard for me to picture these characters, even knowing what their ages were! Fortunately she had some character art on her Instagram. I also found the characters two dimensional, I think some backstory work would be beneficial. It wasn’t hard to connect with the characters, but for me, character stories are big for me and it was definitely missing something.
Writing & Pacing 3.5🌟
I think the writing here is quite good! Super easy to read and follow along. I though the dialogue was great and fun. And the spice also was written well!
I had a minor issue with the interchanging of “dragon” and “drake.” I can be a fantasy snob and on top of that, it confused the crap out of me. I thought there were dragons and drakes at first. Dragon = four legs with wings, drake = four legs no wings. Now, I think it would be funny to call a dragon a drake when a dragon is being silly or stubborn, like calling a donkey an ass.
Audio Experience N/A
Romance 2.5🌟
The romance was okay here. Ultimately, it was not my favorite part because it would have done well to be a slow burn with lots of tension. I think that was the attempt, but it lacked tension for the most part. I did think they were a cute couple by the end!
Plot to smut ratio 4🌟
With this being cozy romantasy, I have a personal opinion that you should limit the spice and tone it down, which matches the coziness best! I felt like the first scene was too long and too descriptive. While the second scene was the perfect length and described appropriately! I don’t want to harp on the spice too much because out of all the things I rate here, spice is SOOOO subjective.
Spice Quality 4🌟
Like I said, I felt like the first scene was a little too descriptive for the nature of the novel. But outside of that, I thought it was well written! I mostly just don’t want spice to be weird or cringy. The second scene was toned way down and honestly the type of spice I prefer in general!
Overall Entertainment or Emotional Reactions 3🌟
Overall, I did enjoy this book and thought it was a good read! I did find parts of this to be slow and it got a little boring versus cozy for me. I would recommend it if you’re looking for a cowboy romance and fantasy blend, it does hit all those notes well!
July 21, 2025
In the interest of full disclosure, I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an unbiased review.
The Dragon Ranch of Dawn Ridge by Juliette Caruso is an almost perfect cozy romantasy. The setting remind me a little bit of the wacky world of Meg Bannon’s The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy. Dawn Ridge is home to spontaneously combusting armored cows, sexy dragon riding cowherds, and a cast of characters that really feel like family. The premise is that Cassia, a professional chef left for dead in the wilderness, is rescued by Aevrin, who’s basically a walking green flag in leather. He gives her space to heal, flirts respectfully (if a little too naively), and lets her set the pace
This book is not trying to be epic fantasy or political intrigue or even particularly high-stakes adventure. Instead, it offers a warm, gently magical romance with big feelings, fire-breathing livestock, and the kind of found family dynamics that make you feel like you’ve been invited to dinner at the cozy ranch house down the way. The Dragon Ranch of Dawn Ridge is the fantasy equivalent of sipping spiked cider by a crackling fire while a very hot man in flannel chops wood outside. (Except, in this case, the man is probably wearing leather and also riding a dragon.)
Things I loved: Aevrin. Good lord, cinnamon rolls wish they were as gooey inside as this dragon rancher. He is an absolute sweetheart without being boring. I also love the setting, one part fairyland, one part frontier, one part Wild West, it was so unique and unusual. I can confidently say I have never read a book like this before. And of course, the romance, which was so tender and warmhearted.
Things I didn’t: Well, the romance. Not all of it though! But it did seem a tad too insta-lovey for something marketed as a slow burn, and I hate insta-love. Also, Cassia’s whole insecurity ish. I’m all for characters with emotional baggage, but the whole “I have to push him away for his own good” trope is not my favorite, especially when it is so nonsensical, and especially especially when it’s paired with characters who otherwise seem very capable of communication. Cassia was too hot and cold for me to truly enjoy, which was the only low point in an otherwise wonderful read. I also feel like the description of Aevrin and a grumpy rancher was oversold. Shy and awkward and maybe a little gruff, sure. But not grumpy or grouchy or anything of the like, which was a shame because I love me a grump.
I give it 4.5 stars rounded up to 5, because this books is truly a cozy romantasy gem. It’s not going to blow your mind with plot twists or reinvent the romantasy genre, but that’s not its goal. This is the kind of fantasy you curl up with when you want heart over high stakes. If you’re looking for gritty adventure, look elsewhere. But if you want gentle magic, soft romance, and a cowboy who rides dragons? You’ve come to the right ranch.
Perfect for fans of: Found family, slow burns, dragons cozy fantasy, magical homesteading, Meg Banner, dragon-riding himbos, and cinnamon rolls in chaps.
The Dragon Ranch of Dawn Ridge by Juliette Caruso is an almost perfect cozy romantasy. The setting remind me a little bit of the wacky world of Meg Bannon’s The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy. Dawn Ridge is home to spontaneously combusting armored cows, sexy dragon riding cowherds, and a cast of characters that really feel like family. The premise is that Cassia, a professional chef left for dead in the wilderness, is rescued by Aevrin, who’s basically a walking green flag in leather. He gives her space to heal, flirts respectfully (if a little too naively), and lets her set the pace
This book is not trying to be epic fantasy or political intrigue or even particularly high-stakes adventure. Instead, it offers a warm, gently magical romance with big feelings, fire-breathing livestock, and the kind of found family dynamics that make you feel like you’ve been invited to dinner at the cozy ranch house down the way. The Dragon Ranch of Dawn Ridge is the fantasy equivalent of sipping spiked cider by a crackling fire while a very hot man in flannel chops wood outside. (Except, in this case, the man is probably wearing leather and also riding a dragon.)
Things I loved: Aevrin. Good lord, cinnamon rolls wish they were as gooey inside as this dragon rancher. He is an absolute sweetheart without being boring. I also love the setting, one part fairyland, one part frontier, one part Wild West, it was so unique and unusual. I can confidently say I have never read a book like this before. And of course, the romance, which was so tender and warmhearted.
Things I didn’t: Well, the romance. Not all of it though! But it did seem a tad too insta-lovey for something marketed as a slow burn, and I hate insta-love. Also, Cassia’s whole insecurity ish. I’m all for characters with emotional baggage, but the whole “I have to push him away for his own good” trope is not my favorite, especially when it is so nonsensical, and especially especially when it’s paired with characters who otherwise seem very capable of communication. Cassia was too hot and cold for me to truly enjoy, which was the only low point in an otherwise wonderful read. I also feel like the description of Aevrin and a grumpy rancher was oversold. Shy and awkward and maybe a little gruff, sure. But not grumpy or grouchy or anything of the like, which was a shame because I love me a grump.
I give it 4.5 stars rounded up to 5, because this books is truly a cozy romantasy gem. It’s not going to blow your mind with plot twists or reinvent the romantasy genre, but that’s not its goal. This is the kind of fantasy you curl up with when you want heart over high stakes. If you’re looking for gritty adventure, look elsewhere. But if you want gentle magic, soft romance, and a cowboy who rides dragons? You’ve come to the right ranch.
Perfect for fans of: Found family, slow burns, dragons cozy fantasy, magical homesteading, Meg Banner, dragon-riding himbos, and cinnamon rolls in chaps.
September 25, 2025
{3.25/5}
CW: spice, referenced loss of family, off-page violence against an MC, some others
Thank you to the author and MTMC for the ARC! “The Dragon Ranch of Dawn Ridge” is available now!
Cowboy romance, but make it fantasy.
Aevrin Riveker was expecting to find rustlers on his property, not a badly beaten woman. Cassia didn’t expect herself to land in such a position either when she set out to bring her brother home. As the two draw closer, Cassia discovers that, sometimes, good things can last.
Alright, I have to be honest— I’m conflicted about this one. It’s a cute story, and it’s a fun sort of western/magical realism cross. It just doesn’t completely land either the fantasy aspect or the romance aspect for me.
As far as the fantasy/magical realism element goes, there are some really creative spins on the ‘typical’ western/cowboy story. We’re not riding horses, we’re riding dragons. We still heard cattle, but they’re fire-breathing bulls raised to be army mounts. There are numerous little things in this arena that really make it feel like fantasy farming, and I actually really enjoyed that part. It’s done well, and doesn’t feel like a flatly overwritten ‘real world’ story with magical creatures thrown in. It really does feel like a fantasy world. The only real ‘issue’ I had here was that I would have liked to see more of the magical side of things instead of being limited to almost exclusively creatures. That being said, the book reads like magic and spells are hard to obtain where the story takes place, so it fits with the world-building.
The part that really missed the mark for me (and only barely at that) is the romance. I don’t know what it was, but I never felt that spark for the MCs. There were some moments when I thought it could be taking off, where the characters started to play and tease and act more comfortable around each other, but then it would fizzle out and revert back. I don’t really know how to explain the dynamic here. They’re definitely attracted to each other, but Cassia is so hung up in her own head (fair, all things considered) and Aevrin is so caught up with being respectful (we love to see it, truly) that we never get any real development between the two of them. Which is weird, because they have discussions and they at least attempt to communicate. It also presents this very odd split between “aw shucks ma’am” vibes and the barest hint of spicy. I don’t know; I’m sure a lot of people are going to love the feel, but I needed it to pick a gear and stick with it because it ended up just reading really slow for me.
So, in summary— fantasy aspect: fun, well done, would have liked to see more in the broader world. Romance aspect: fine, but could have used some more oomph somewhere in there to kick things off. Really the whole thing would have worked really well as a cozy romantasy-type story if it had been a little more condensed. The secondary characters are solid though.
CW: spice, referenced loss of family, off-page violence against an MC, some others
Thank you to the author and MTMC for the ARC! “The Dragon Ranch of Dawn Ridge” is available now!
Cowboy romance, but make it fantasy.
Aevrin Riveker was expecting to find rustlers on his property, not a badly beaten woman. Cassia didn’t expect herself to land in such a position either when she set out to bring her brother home. As the two draw closer, Cassia discovers that, sometimes, good things can last.
Alright, I have to be honest— I’m conflicted about this one. It’s a cute story, and it’s a fun sort of western/magical realism cross. It just doesn’t completely land either the fantasy aspect or the romance aspect for me.
As far as the fantasy/magical realism element goes, there are some really creative spins on the ‘typical’ western/cowboy story. We’re not riding horses, we’re riding dragons. We still heard cattle, but they’re fire-breathing bulls raised to be army mounts. There are numerous little things in this arena that really make it feel like fantasy farming, and I actually really enjoyed that part. It’s done well, and doesn’t feel like a flatly overwritten ‘real world’ story with magical creatures thrown in. It really does feel like a fantasy world. The only real ‘issue’ I had here was that I would have liked to see more of the magical side of things instead of being limited to almost exclusively creatures. That being said, the book reads like magic and spells are hard to obtain where the story takes place, so it fits with the world-building.
The part that really missed the mark for me (and only barely at that) is the romance. I don’t know what it was, but I never felt that spark for the MCs. There were some moments when I thought it could be taking off, where the characters started to play and tease and act more comfortable around each other, but then it would fizzle out and revert back. I don’t really know how to explain the dynamic here. They’re definitely attracted to each other, but Cassia is so hung up in her own head (fair, all things considered) and Aevrin is so caught up with being respectful (we love to see it, truly) that we never get any real development between the two of them. Which is weird, because they have discussions and they at least attempt to communicate. It also presents this very odd split between “aw shucks ma’am” vibes and the barest hint of spicy. I don’t know; I’m sure a lot of people are going to love the feel, but I needed it to pick a gear and stick with it because it ended up just reading really slow for me.
So, in summary— fantasy aspect: fun, well done, would have liked to see more in the broader world. Romance aspect: fine, but could have used some more oomph somewhere in there to kick things off. Really the whole thing would have worked really well as a cozy romantasy-type story if it had been a little more condensed. The secondary characters are solid though.
July 18, 2025
*Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.*
3.5 stars.
This was an enjoyable, easy to read book, but it wasn't amazing. It's an interesting world, with dragon ranchers; the dragons are like horses or cattle dogs, not the animal being ranched which I really liked. It's a small town and an isolated ranch for the main settings, and a frontier Wild West-esque time setting. There are hints at the greater world but not enough to really have a proper picture of what the main character, Cassia, has come from. We get a lot of confusion and fish-out-of-water from her as she settles in at the Ranch in this far-flung frontier of the Empire. Thankfully this never really felt like a way to info dump the reader.
The characters were mostly pretty fun. For the most part Cassia was very consistently written. She slowly developed as she settled and grew more comfortable at the ranch. She has trauma and I'm glad this wasn't magically fixed just by finding the Riveker family. Each of the family members had a distinct personality, and it was easy to remember who was who (which is pretty important with a big cast).
My main issue was that it didn't delve into the development of the romance enough for me. It was VERY insta-love, with a lot of internal dialogue from both main characters about how attractive the other person is and how they shouldn't be thinking that (this got old pretty quick, but I was glad it was mutual). The sex scenes also felt like a bit much in this story. I actually think a more fade-to-black deal would have worked better.
The other half of my issue was, I believe, because the author was also trying to shoehorn in some drama. The drama was the reason for Cassia being left for dead and I won't spoil the details. But this book was trying to be a cosy fantasy, so the stakes weren't there, and for the drama to be properly effective, for me to care about it, it needed to have STAKES. I would have preferred if Caruso picked either the romance OR the drama. Pick one, develop it deeper, and chuck the other. This book would have been much improved without that particular drama.
The ending felt very rushed, and the climax of the drama felt disappointing (due to lack of stakes and how fast it started and was then over).
Overall, I liked the world, and I liked the characters. I would definitely read more books set in this world and about the family/ranch. I want more dragons.
3.5 stars.
This was an enjoyable, easy to read book, but it wasn't amazing. It's an interesting world, with dragon ranchers; the dragons are like horses or cattle dogs, not the animal being ranched which I really liked. It's a small town and an isolated ranch for the main settings, and a frontier Wild West-esque time setting. There are hints at the greater world but not enough to really have a proper picture of what the main character, Cassia, has come from. We get a lot of confusion and fish-out-of-water from her as she settles in at the Ranch in this far-flung frontier of the Empire. Thankfully this never really felt like a way to info dump the reader.
The characters were mostly pretty fun. For the most part Cassia was very consistently written. She slowly developed as she settled and grew more comfortable at the ranch. She has trauma and I'm glad this wasn't magically fixed just by finding the Riveker family. Each of the family members had a distinct personality, and it was easy to remember who was who (which is pretty important with a big cast).
My main issue was that it didn't delve into the development of the romance enough for me. It was VERY insta-love, with a lot of internal dialogue from both main characters about how attractive the other person is and how they shouldn't be thinking that (this got old pretty quick, but I was glad it was mutual). The sex scenes also felt like a bit much in this story. I actually think a more fade-to-black deal would have worked better.
The other half of my issue was, I believe, because the author was also trying to shoehorn in some drama. The drama was the reason for Cassia being left for dead and I won't spoil the details. But this book was trying to be a cosy fantasy, so the stakes weren't there, and for the drama to be properly effective, for me to care about it, it needed to have STAKES. I would have preferred if Caruso picked either the romance OR the drama. Pick one, develop it deeper, and chuck the other. This book would have been much improved without that particular drama.
The ending felt very rushed, and the climax of the drama felt disappointing (due to lack of stakes and how fast it started and was then over).
Overall, I liked the world, and I liked the characters. I would definitely read more books set in this world and about the family/ranch. I want more dragons.
July 14, 2025
I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book and would like to thank the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to provide an honest review.
Save a horse, ride a cowboy (but, make it one with a dragon!).
If you're looking for a high-stakes, edge of your seat fantasy adventure, this may not be the one for you. However, if you're looking to relax with a sweet, wholesome love story sprinkled with magic, then welcome to The Dragon Ranch of Dawn Ridge.
I have never been one to gravitate towards anything with western vibes, even to the point of actively avoiding it, so I was quite surprised when I fell in love with the story. We follow Cassia on her healing journey after outlaws severely beat and abandon her in the desert. She's found by Aevrin, a kind rancher who brings her to safety. He quickly becomes much more than just her rescuer as he and his family take Cassia in, helping her heal wounds that run deeper than the surface.
Some things that made this extra enjoyable for me:
⭐ Found Family: The family Cassia discovers here feels incredibly real. The characters are well-developed and fit together perfectly. This book excels at showing how much these characters care for each other, rather than simply telling the reader. I could truly feel the love radiating off the pages.
⭐ The vibes - The western atmosphere was absolutely on point. From the vivid scenery to the authentic dialogue and culture, I felt completely immersed in their world.
⭐ Magic and creatures - The romance is center stage in this book with the magic taking on more of a supporting role. While it may not be the focus, I absolutely loved the subtle magical elements we were given, like the magical vine thorns used as IVs at the healers' center, or magical plants powering everyday items like iceboxes. The variety of magical creatures was also fantastic, including dragons, hydras, berzerker cows, and my personal favorite: mock-mice, who can transform into household objects to avoid being cleared out. So cute!
I would highly recommend this to any one who enjoys romance with a western flair, or to any one who's looking for a relaxing, wholesome read in-between stories of impending war and oppression. I will definitely be adding more of this author's work to my TBR!
Save a horse, ride a cowboy (but, make it one with a dragon!).
If you're looking for a high-stakes, edge of your seat fantasy adventure, this may not be the one for you. However, if you're looking to relax with a sweet, wholesome love story sprinkled with magic, then welcome to The Dragon Ranch of Dawn Ridge.
I have never been one to gravitate towards anything with western vibes, even to the point of actively avoiding it, so I was quite surprised when I fell in love with the story. We follow Cassia on her healing journey after outlaws severely beat and abandon her in the desert. She's found by Aevrin, a kind rancher who brings her to safety. He quickly becomes much more than just her rescuer as he and his family take Cassia in, helping her heal wounds that run deeper than the surface.
Some things that made this extra enjoyable for me:
⭐ Found Family: The family Cassia discovers here feels incredibly real. The characters are well-developed and fit together perfectly. This book excels at showing how much these characters care for each other, rather than simply telling the reader. I could truly feel the love radiating off the pages.
⭐ The vibes - The western atmosphere was absolutely on point. From the vivid scenery to the authentic dialogue and culture, I felt completely immersed in their world.
⭐ Magic and creatures - The romance is center stage in this book with the magic taking on more of a supporting role. While it may not be the focus, I absolutely loved the subtle magical elements we were given, like the magical vine thorns used as IVs at the healers' center, or magical plants powering everyday items like iceboxes. The variety of magical creatures was also fantastic, including dragons, hydras, berzerker cows, and my personal favorite: mock-mice, who can transform into household objects to avoid being cleared out. So cute!
I would highly recommend this to any one who enjoys romance with a western flair, or to any one who's looking for a relaxing, wholesome read in-between stories of impending war and oppression. I will definitely be adding more of this author's work to my TBR!
July 23, 2025
4.25⭐
Juliette Caruso really sat down and said “Cowboys? Dragons? Yeah, I can work with that ✨”
This is my second Juliette Caruso novel and it did not disappoint!! Her familiar fast paced writing style sucked me in from chapter one and I really had to fight the urge to power through this in one sitting - I was determined to take things slow and savour the story this time around!
I resonated with our FMC Cassia SO much. She struggles throughout the novel to accept help from others, even when she was most in need. She’s generally wary to trust others, and once you learn about all she’s gone through, you can totally understand why. She’s a sweet little cinnamon roll who also happens to be a phenomenal cook, which is contrary to Aevrin, our rancher MMC. He’s grumpy, can’t cook to save his life, but as the novel progresses, you can really see just how deep his love for Cassia flows. There were scenes between them that had me giggling and kicking my feet, the romance is just that sweet!
The atmosphere of The Dragon Ranch of Dawn Ridge is so cozy, it feels like a campfire personified. Aevrin’s wholesome family brings so much fun, joy, and comfort to the scope of the novel, and they were one of my favourite parts of the story.
My only criticism for this novel is that at times, it was a little too fast paced. There were moments that I wanted to revel in and dive a little deeper into for just a few more pages, but they would be over rather quickly. The beginning had some world building that was written in a way where it felt like the reader should know about the information already, which left me confused for a brief moment, but as the story carried on, things became more clear, but I think that this is fairly standard for fantasy novels.
This is definitely a book that’s best enjoyed outside by a crackling campfire, or under the stars on a warm summer evening. I do hope that Juliette has more novels planned for this as a series. I would love to revisit the Ranch and hopefully find HEAs for the rest of Aevrin’s siblings, and maybe even his dad?? 👀
Huge thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC of this novel! All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
🥧 Professional Chef x Cowboy (with DRAGONS!)
🥧 Dual POV
🥧 Slow Burn
🥧 Found Family
Juliette Caruso really sat down and said “Cowboys? Dragons? Yeah, I can work with that ✨”
This is my second Juliette Caruso novel and it did not disappoint!! Her familiar fast paced writing style sucked me in from chapter one and I really had to fight the urge to power through this in one sitting - I was determined to take things slow and savour the story this time around!
I resonated with our FMC Cassia SO much. She struggles throughout the novel to accept help from others, even when she was most in need. She’s generally wary to trust others, and once you learn about all she’s gone through, you can totally understand why. She’s a sweet little cinnamon roll who also happens to be a phenomenal cook, which is contrary to Aevrin, our rancher MMC. He’s grumpy, can’t cook to save his life, but as the novel progresses, you can really see just how deep his love for Cassia flows. There were scenes between them that had me giggling and kicking my feet, the romance is just that sweet!
The atmosphere of The Dragon Ranch of Dawn Ridge is so cozy, it feels like a campfire personified. Aevrin’s wholesome family brings so much fun, joy, and comfort to the scope of the novel, and they were one of my favourite parts of the story.
My only criticism for this novel is that at times, it was a little too fast paced. There were moments that I wanted to revel in and dive a little deeper into for just a few more pages, but they would be over rather quickly. The beginning had some world building that was written in a way where it felt like the reader should know about the information already, which left me confused for a brief moment, but as the story carried on, things became more clear, but I think that this is fairly standard for fantasy novels.
This is definitely a book that’s best enjoyed outside by a crackling campfire, or under the stars on a warm summer evening. I do hope that Juliette has more novels planned for this as a series. I would love to revisit the Ranch and hopefully find HEAs for the rest of Aevrin’s siblings, and maybe even his dad?? 👀
Huge thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC of this novel! All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
🥧 Professional Chef x Cowboy (with DRAGONS!)
🥧 Dual POV
🥧 Slow Burn
🥧 Found Family
August 1, 2025
🍂🪺🗻🌵🍳
Does this book count as my first cowboy romance if the cowboy is a crossbow wielding dragon rider?
After leaving behind her big city life as a chef in search of her brother, Cassia finds herself in the small town of Dawn Ridge and in need of saving by a handsome dragon riding cowboy, who offers her a place at his family ranch while she heals.
The theme and premise of this novel was just perfect, what more could you ask for! Bonded dragons and stunning mountain landscapes and fiercesome fire-breathing cattle! I immediately put on a farmy / ranch themed ambience video and absolutely devoured this one! I found myself completely immersed in this fun and cosy little world.
The world building was packed full of so many fun and clever details that made for such a unique world. For a span of 300 pages, it was executed absolutely perfectly. I felt completely enveloped by the environment. The western setting for this book was chefs kiss! I loved the isolated small town of Dawn Ridge and our mmc's big family and their wholesome home.
The found family our fmc gained was just wonderful, and this book has created the best setup and teasters for potentially more tales to follow with each of Aevrin's siblings.
The stakes were prettyyy low, although there was an air of mystery and intrigue to the story. Everything felt so warm and heartfelt. I would have happily stayed in Dawn Ridge for even longer! (Definitely still check the trigger warnings for this one however as both our mc's had some trauma from recent as well as past events)
The romance between our two love interests Aevrin and Cassia was so sweet and tender. Aevrin was so loyal and selfless and I loved how much he had to hold himself back out of respect for Cassia, as well as the way he was so protective of her.
This novel was packed full of tension and yearning, searing spice, and the most wonderfully romantic of moments under the stars 🌠
Thank you so much to the author for this e-arc! After reading and absolutely loving Knights Bride, I'm so thrilled to have gotten to experience this new world!
*this review is voluntary and as always all opinions are my own*
Does this book count as my first cowboy romance if the cowboy is a crossbow wielding dragon rider?
After leaving behind her big city life as a chef in search of her brother, Cassia finds herself in the small town of Dawn Ridge and in need of saving by a handsome dragon riding cowboy, who offers her a place at his family ranch while she heals.
The theme and premise of this novel was just perfect, what more could you ask for! Bonded dragons and stunning mountain landscapes and fiercesome fire-breathing cattle! I immediately put on a farmy / ranch themed ambience video and absolutely devoured this one! I found myself completely immersed in this fun and cosy little world.
The world building was packed full of so many fun and clever details that made for such a unique world. For a span of 300 pages, it was executed absolutely perfectly. I felt completely enveloped by the environment. The western setting for this book was chefs kiss! I loved the isolated small town of Dawn Ridge and our mmc's big family and their wholesome home.
The found family our fmc gained was just wonderful, and this book has created the best setup and teasters for potentially more tales to follow with each of Aevrin's siblings.
The stakes were prettyyy low, although there was an air of mystery and intrigue to the story. Everything felt so warm and heartfelt. I would have happily stayed in Dawn Ridge for even longer! (Definitely still check the trigger warnings for this one however as both our mc's had some trauma from recent as well as past events)
The romance between our two love interests Aevrin and Cassia was so sweet and tender. Aevrin was so loyal and selfless and I loved how much he had to hold himself back out of respect for Cassia, as well as the way he was so protective of her.
This novel was packed full of tension and yearning, searing spice, and the most wonderfully romantic of moments under the stars 🌠
Thank you so much to the author for this e-arc! After reading and absolutely loving Knights Bride, I'm so thrilled to have gotten to experience this new world!
*this review is voluntary and as always all opinions are my own*
September 21, 2025
Two words
Dragon. Cowboys.
This book was a very cute cozy romantasy in a classic western with a fantasy twist. I found the fantasy world building easy to understand and follow along with without it coming across as info-dumping; It a felt very natural how we learned about the setting.
I really enjoyed the characters, from their first introduction I could see what their personalities were and their family dynamics felt sincere. I appreciated that although Aevrin is a classic rancher cowboy like character he wasn't stereotypical broody grumpy romantic lead. He was very earnest and kind hearted and I really liked how open he was about his feelings to Cassia even when he thought he could be rejected. What I liked about Cassia was although her role in the house is the most traditional feminine role there is emphasis on how these are essential tasks that shouldn't be taken lightly and cooking is also a labour alongside their farm work.
The only thing that fell flat for me was the disconnect with the conflict and the villian. The way the story starts out makes it feel like it's building to more of a overarching issue with the rustlers especially with Cassia but it feels like once they do reappear it's wrapped up very quickly with very brief action. With the book having dragons in the name I figured we would get a lot more from the dragons as well especially in the conflict but they were more in the background. I feel if this had perhaps been a little longer and if there was more tension with Cassia holding back with what she knew it might have tied in better. But it never came across to me that there was any actual threat to the narrative with her keeping her secrets.
But overall this was a very sweet book. If you like very relaxed low conflict romances I'd 100% recommend this.
Dragon. Cowboys.
This book was a very cute cozy romantasy in a classic western with a fantasy twist. I found the fantasy world building easy to understand and follow along with without it coming across as info-dumping; It a felt very natural how we learned about the setting.
I really enjoyed the characters, from their first introduction I could see what their personalities were and their family dynamics felt sincere. I appreciated that although Aevrin is a classic rancher cowboy like character he wasn't stereotypical broody grumpy romantic lead. He was very earnest and kind hearted and I really liked how open he was about his feelings to Cassia even when he thought he could be rejected. What I liked about Cassia was although her role in the house is the most traditional feminine role there is emphasis on how these are essential tasks that shouldn't be taken lightly and cooking is also a labour alongside their farm work.
The only thing that fell flat for me was the disconnect with the conflict and the villian. The way the story starts out makes it feel like it's building to more of a overarching issue with the rustlers especially with Cassia but it feels like once they do reappear it's wrapped up very quickly with very brief action. With the book having dragons in the name I figured we would get a lot more from the dragons as well especially in the conflict but they were more in the background. I feel if this had perhaps been a little longer and if there was more tension with Cassia holding back with what she knew it might have tied in better. But it never came across to me that there was any actual threat to the narrative with her keeping her secrets.
But overall this was a very sweet book. If you like very relaxed low conflict romances I'd 100% recommend this.
August 14, 2025
🤠 New Release! 🤠
Dragon riding cowboys, ranching 🔥breathing cattle. This really piqued my interest!
Synopsis:
🐮 Cassia, a professional cook, is left wounded, penniless, and on the run after an outlaw attack—struggling to fend for herself until she’s rescued.
🤠Aevrin, a stoic rancher who rides dragons (yes, dragons instead of horses), cares for her injuries and offers her a stay at his home.
🐮Cassia reluctantly accepts the shelter—but fears overstaying her welcome, as she believes his generosity is temporary.
🤠Aevrin is no stranger to hardship; he’s learned to embrace good things when they come, but pursuing Cassia risks dragging her back into danger.
🐮Spending time together, through chores, rainstorms, and playful wagers, they grow closer, and Aevrin struggles to resist his attraction to the talented, resilient cook.
Thoughts:
The Dragon Ranch of Dawn Ridge is a heartwarming blend of slow-burn romance, frontier grit, and dragon magic. Cassia is a resilient, talented heroine you can’t help rooting for, and Aevrin, the quiet, dragon-riding rancher, brings a steady, comforting presence that balances her fire.
The setting feels lush and lived-in, with the homestead and dragons woven seamlessly into everyday life. The romance builds gradually, full of tender moments, shared work, and stolen glances. While the plot is fairly low-stakes for much of the book, that coziness is part of its charm, making it a perfect comfort read.
If you like gentle romance, found family vibes, and just the right amount of fantasy flavor, this one will leave you smiling.
4⭐️
2🌶️
Author: @juliette.caruso.author
Release Date: July 30, 2025
Thank you to @juliette.caruso.author and @mtmctours for gifting me this e-ARC! All thoughts are my own.
Dragon riding cowboys, ranching 🔥breathing cattle. This really piqued my interest!
Synopsis:
🐮 Cassia, a professional cook, is left wounded, penniless, and on the run after an outlaw attack—struggling to fend for herself until she’s rescued.
🤠Aevrin, a stoic rancher who rides dragons (yes, dragons instead of horses), cares for her injuries and offers her a stay at his home.
🐮Cassia reluctantly accepts the shelter—but fears overstaying her welcome, as she believes his generosity is temporary.
🤠Aevrin is no stranger to hardship; he’s learned to embrace good things when they come, but pursuing Cassia risks dragging her back into danger.
🐮Spending time together, through chores, rainstorms, and playful wagers, they grow closer, and Aevrin struggles to resist his attraction to the talented, resilient cook.
Thoughts:
The Dragon Ranch of Dawn Ridge is a heartwarming blend of slow-burn romance, frontier grit, and dragon magic. Cassia is a resilient, talented heroine you can’t help rooting for, and Aevrin, the quiet, dragon-riding rancher, brings a steady, comforting presence that balances her fire.
The setting feels lush and lived-in, with the homestead and dragons woven seamlessly into everyday life. The romance builds gradually, full of tender moments, shared work, and stolen glances. While the plot is fairly low-stakes for much of the book, that coziness is part of its charm, making it a perfect comfort read.
If you like gentle romance, found family vibes, and just the right amount of fantasy flavor, this one will leave you smiling.
4⭐️
2🌶️
Author: @juliette.caruso.author
Release Date: July 30, 2025
Thank you to @juliette.caruso.author and @mtmctours for gifting me this e-ARC! All thoughts are my own.
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