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September Doves
September Doves
: A small-town, enemies-to-lovers romance.
Rylee Adder is a struggling college student desperate to reconnect with the only family she has left. She finally has her chance when a late-night phone call sends her rushing to Eden, West Virginia—a small mining town with a veiled past.
She arrives ready to console her grieving sister, but instead discovers a distant, secretive woman she hardly recognizes, and Colton Archer, a tattoo-covered troublemaker with a knack for pushing her buttons.
As Rylee battles her growing attraction to Colton, who is as infuriating as he is handsome, she comes face-to-face with a shocking discovery that has her questioning everything.
When danger closes in, she must decide what rules she is willing to break for the ones she loves or risk losing them all.
Contains mature themes.
Rylee Adder is a struggling college student desperate to reconnect with the only family she has left. She finally has her chance when a late-night phone call sends her rushing to Eden, West Virginia—a small mining town with a veiled past.
She arrives ready to console her grieving sister, but instead discovers a distant, secretive woman she hardly recognizes, and Colton Archer, a tattoo-covered troublemaker with a knack for pushing her buttons.
As Rylee battles her growing attraction to Colton, who is as infuriating as he is handsome, she comes face-to-face with a shocking discovery that has her questioning everything.
When danger closes in, she must decide what rules she is willing to break for the ones she loves or risk losing them all.
Contains mature themes.
- GenresAudiobook
Audible Audio
Published January 20, 2026
About the author
Emmerson Hoyt
8 books463 followersEmmerson Hoyt lives in Central Texas with her husband and a small horde of animals. When she’s not writing, she’s getting floral tattoos or playing video games.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 19, 2026
I was tantalized by the premise of this book, but went in a bit blind in terms of what sort of genre to expect. Was it a romance? A mystery? Action adventure?
A bit of each, it turns out.
September Doves is a motorcycle club romance with a twist. The central thread is the love story of Rylee, a student, and Colton, a heavily tatted Adonis with a bad reputation.
You’ll enjoy our MC if you like your men:
🖤 Morally grey
🖤 Dangerous, but kind
🖤 Tatted
🖤 Possessive
🖤 Not afraid to fall first and quickly
“His tone was hard and firm, just like his body was against mine.” 😂
There were a few moments of adulation by the author that made me cringe, but overall I got the appeal of the do-gooder bad boy.
Our FMC is at best willfully oblivious and at worst annoyingly dense, and it’s hard not to get frustrated with how many glaringly obvious things she overlooks.
The best part of this book, for me, was the found family. I felt that the peripheral relationships were written with nuance, and it was hard not to get the warm fuzzies from the love and inclusion the brothers offer our protagonist. Danny was my favourite character, and I adored how he showed up as a bestie/brother figure. He really came to life through the author’s keen observation of body language.
The spice was great, and managed to not be too predictable or over the top genuinely adding to the emotional impact of the romance.
The climax of the book definitely upped the stakes, and we segued from contemporary romance into a blockbuster action. There was enough emotional impact for me to bring on some eye prickles,… and it was at this point that I figured out September Doves is the first part of a duet (followed by Summer Sparrow).
Marie Hawkins nailed her narration, seamlessly bringing Rylee and Colton to life and handling trickier scenes like those with high emotion or spice with ease.
Thanks NetGalley and Tantor Media for the ALC! All opinions are my own.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
A bit of each, it turns out.
September Doves is a motorcycle club romance with a twist. The central thread is the love story of Rylee, a student, and Colton, a heavily tatted Adonis with a bad reputation.
You’ll enjoy our MC if you like your men:
🖤 Morally grey
🖤 Dangerous, but kind
🖤 Tatted
🖤 Possessive
🖤 Not afraid to fall first and quickly
“His tone was hard and firm, just like his body was against mine.” 😂
There were a few moments of adulation by the author that made me cringe, but overall I got the appeal of the do-gooder bad boy.
Our FMC is at best willfully oblivious and at worst annoyingly dense, and it’s hard not to get frustrated with how many glaringly obvious things she overlooks.
The best part of this book, for me, was the found family. I felt that the peripheral relationships were written with nuance, and it was hard not to get the warm fuzzies from the love and inclusion the brothers offer our protagonist. Danny was my favourite character, and I adored how he showed up as a bestie/brother figure. He really came to life through the author’s keen observation of body language.
The spice was great, and managed to not be too predictable or over the top genuinely adding to the emotional impact of the romance.
The climax of the book definitely upped the stakes, and we segued from contemporary romance into a blockbuster action. There was enough emotional impact for me to bring on some eye prickles,… and it was at this point that I figured out September Doves is the first part of a duet (followed by Summer Sparrow).
Marie Hawkins nailed her narration, seamlessly bringing Rylee and Colton to life and handling trickier scenes like those with high emotion or spice with ease.
Thanks NetGalley and Tantor Media for the ALC! All opinions are my own.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
May 21, 2026
*slight spoilers*
I really enjoyed this!! It's been on my TBR forever, so I was really happy when the audiobook came out so I could get to it sooner. By the end of the book, there were a few issues I had, but I loved this based off pure vibes and enjoyment.
For some reason I thought this book would be darker, but it was very Son of Anarchy lite. The FMC Rylee seems very naive about a lot of things in life, despite some of the rough circumstances she has gone through. She is oblivious to almost everything, always puts off asking questions, and when she does ask, she allows the most non-answers ever. By the end there is a very high-level explanation for what the Jackals do, just no details of the illicit activities that provide the funds for their humanitarian endeavors. A lot of people in town don't want anything to do with the Jackals but everything that is shown in the book doesn't prove that the fear is deserved.
The relationship between Colton and Rylee was just the best for me. The first meeting, the initial distrust, the spilled food, the f-ck it let's kiss, and their tenderness together. It may be a little juvenile for some, but I thought it was a perfect mix of young, earnest love and the start of a mature relationship.
The ending was such a rush and I was on the edge of my seat waiting for everything to unravel. Even before it ended, I was putting a hold on book two from Libby. I was both cheering at certain things that happened and then my heart was breaking for others. What a great set up for the next book and to find out more about the Vipers.
I listened to this as an audiobook and it felt like it just flew by. I was really engrossed in the story and the narrator, Marie Hawkins, did an excellent job of bringing story to life.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for a chance to listen to this ALC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I really enjoyed this!! It's been on my TBR forever, so I was really happy when the audiobook came out so I could get to it sooner. By the end of the book, there were a few issues I had, but I loved this based off pure vibes and enjoyment.
For some reason I thought this book would be darker, but it was very Son of Anarchy lite. The FMC Rylee seems very naive about a lot of things in life, despite some of the rough circumstances she has gone through. She is oblivious to almost everything, always puts off asking questions, and when she does ask, she allows the most non-answers ever. By the end there is a very high-level explanation for what the Jackals do, just no details of the illicit activities that provide the funds for their humanitarian endeavors. A lot of people in town don't want anything to do with the Jackals but everything that is shown in the book doesn't prove that the fear is deserved.
The relationship between Colton and Rylee was just the best for me. The first meeting, the initial distrust, the spilled food, the f-ck it let's kiss, and their tenderness together. It may be a little juvenile for some, but I thought it was a perfect mix of young, earnest love and the start of a mature relationship.
The ending was such a rush and I was on the edge of my seat waiting for everything to unravel. Even before it ended, I was putting a hold on book two from Libby. I was both cheering at certain things that happened and then my heart was breaking for others. What a great set up for the next book and to find out more about the Vipers.
I listened to this as an audiobook and it felt like it just flew by. I was really engrossed in the story and the narrator, Marie Hawkins, did an excellent job of bringing story to life.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for a chance to listen to this ALC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you Netgalley and Emmerson Hoyt for this ALC which was amazing!
When I saw the description of Sons of Anarchy meets Robin Hood, I knew it was going to be a bit of me but I didn’t realise how much. At the start I noticed all the Robin Hood references but by the middle of the book all the pieces on the board start to come together and I couldn’t put it down.
Both FMC Rylee, and Colton, our MMC, have great character arcs. Rylee’s naivety takes a back seat, she becomes fierce and above all loyal; our girl has to work for everything she gets. Colton starts out closed off and distrusting, before he learns to be vulnerable, to let himself love &be loved.
The big twists kept me guessing, something happens towards the end that I WAS NOT prepared for AT ALL.
Loved all the side characters (maybe a little too much and that’s all I’m going to say about that).
Special mention for the narration! We spend so much time swooning over our male narrators that I think we sometimes forget our female ones and Marie Hawkins just blows this out of the water. I FORGOT that it wasn’t dual narration for all of the male roles.
I swore I wasn’t going to read anything with too much emotional damage in January (because the start of the year is rough enough) but there I was, hiding my sobbing behind massive sunglasses in the school pick up line. Then I was begging for more and immediately pre-ordered the audio of the second book.
Both books in the Jackals & Vipers duet are out now on KU but if you want to do the audio, September Doves is out on 20 Jan, Summer Sparrow comes hot on its heels on 17 Feb, it’s also dual narration. Get on this now. You won’t want to miss it!
When I saw the description of Sons of Anarchy meets Robin Hood, I knew it was going to be a bit of me but I didn’t realise how much. At the start I noticed all the Robin Hood references but by the middle of the book all the pieces on the board start to come together and I couldn’t put it down.
Both FMC Rylee, and Colton, our MMC, have great character arcs. Rylee’s naivety takes a back seat, she becomes fierce and above all loyal; our girl has to work for everything she gets. Colton starts out closed off and distrusting, before he learns to be vulnerable, to let himself love &be loved.
The big twists kept me guessing, something happens towards the end that I WAS NOT prepared for AT ALL.
Loved all the side characters (maybe a little too much and that’s all I’m going to say about that).
Special mention for the narration! We spend so much time swooning over our male narrators that I think we sometimes forget our female ones and Marie Hawkins just blows this out of the water. I FORGOT that it wasn’t dual narration for all of the male roles.
I swore I wasn’t going to read anything with too much emotional damage in January (because the start of the year is rough enough) but there I was, hiding my sobbing behind massive sunglasses in the school pick up line. Then I was begging for more and immediately pre-ordered the audio of the second book.
Both books in the Jackals & Vipers duet are out now on KU but if you want to do the audio, September Doves is out on 20 Jan, Summer Sparrow comes hot on its heels on 17 Feb, it’s also dual narration. Get on this now. You won’t want to miss it!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
My rating is for the story as well as the audio production since this was an ALC gifted by the publisher in exchange for my honest opinions.
I think I would have enjoyed this more if I had eyeball read it. The narrator isn’t my favorite. I don’t know what it is about Marie Hawkins but anytime I listen to her narration I always feel completely disconnected from the story and its characters no matter how incredible they are written.
A little over half way through I ended up grabbing the ebook on KU so that I could give this book an honest chance. I like the concept and the mystery behind the story but all in all I struggled with this one. It is sold as “enemies to lovers” but I don’t see how anyone could have considered them enemies. The writing also seemed to lack chemistry between the MMC and FMC.
I am sure there are many who will really enjoy this story but unfortunately I found myself bored through the majority of it. I would be interested to check out this author’s books because they seem to have great ratings.
I think I would have enjoyed this more if I had eyeball read it. The narrator isn’t my favorite. I don’t know what it is about Marie Hawkins but anytime I listen to her narration I always feel completely disconnected from the story and its characters no matter how incredible they are written.
A little over half way through I ended up grabbing the ebook on KU so that I could give this book an honest chance. I like the concept and the mystery behind the story but all in all I struggled with this one. It is sold as “enemies to lovers” but I don’t see how anyone could have considered them enemies. The writing also seemed to lack chemistry between the MMC and FMC.
I am sure there are many who will really enjoy this story but unfortunately I found myself bored through the majority of it. I would be interested to check out this author’s books because they seem to have great ratings.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
To start, the narrator Marie Hawkins does an AMAZING job. She’s one of my auto listen narrators and this book made me love her narration style even more.
Now for the book, this duet was one of my top reads in 2024, and it remains my favorite small town romance. The audiobook made me fall in love with Emmerson Hoyt’s writing even more. Every character is so well rounded and adds to the story in their own unique way.
Colton will remain as one of my top book bfs forever, his and Rylees relationship is so well developed. They start off being attracted to one another but have a strong dislike that morphs into friendship then love. I really love Rylees growth throughout this book too, she’s used to letting everyone push her around and tell her what to do and she learns to stand up for herself and what she cares for.
The plot of this book will also keep you on your toes and if you love small town suspense mixed with found family and romance then you need to read this book.
Thank you so much Tantor Media for the ALC!
Now for the book, this duet was one of my top reads in 2024, and it remains my favorite small town romance. The audiobook made me fall in love with Emmerson Hoyt’s writing even more. Every character is so well rounded and adds to the story in their own unique way.
Colton will remain as one of my top book bfs forever, his and Rylees relationship is so well developed. They start off being attracted to one another but have a strong dislike that morphs into friendship then love. I really love Rylees growth throughout this book too, she’s used to letting everyone push her around and tell her what to do and she learns to stand up for herself and what she cares for.
The plot of this book will also keep you on your toes and if you love small town suspense mixed with found family and romance then you need to read this book.
Thank you so much Tantor Media for the ALC!
February 5, 2026
The poor girl doesn't know anything, she doesn't know who her father is, she doesn't know who her sister really is, and it takes her half the book to be sure who her boyfriend is, and he wasn't even really her boyfriend yet, LOL.
It's understandable that it takes her so long to understand some things, since she's only 23 years old and her whole life she's been lied to or the truth has been covered up. I thought it was really cool how she finds a family in this group of people who welcome her to a strange city.
I will definitely read the next book, I really want to know what happens next.
Excellent narration of the audiobook by Marie Hawkins that brings the pages to life and conveys all the emotion of the characters!
It's understandable that it takes her so long to understand some things, since she's only 23 years old and her whole life she's been lied to or the truth has been covered up. I thought it was really cool how she finds a family in this group of people who welcome her to a strange city.
I will definitely read the next book, I really want to know what happens next.
Excellent narration of the audiobook by Marie Hawkins that brings the pages to life and conveys all the emotion of the characters!
July 23, 2026
I didn’t know what to expect when I started reading September Doves. I had only heard of it, but didn’t know anything about the story.
The story gripped me from the beginning. It felt like mafia mixed with MC but neither all at the same time. I’d suggest going into it blind and letting it take you for a ride. I’m diving into the next book right away and can’t wait to see what happens, there’s a lot of loose ends to tie up. There were a few predictable moments but also several unexpected twists.
The audio book was done very well, I enjoyed the single POV and the narrator, Marie Hawkins did a great job! 4.5 ⭐️
Thank you Net Galley for providing the ALC in exchange for an honest review.
The story gripped me from the beginning. It felt like mafia mixed with MC but neither all at the same time. I’d suggest going into it blind and letting it take you for a ride. I’m diving into the next book right away and can’t wait to see what happens, there’s a lot of loose ends to tie up. There were a few predictable moments but also several unexpected twists.
The audio book was done very well, I enjoyed the single POV and the narrator, Marie Hawkins did a great job! 4.5 ⭐️
Thank you Net Galley for providing the ALC in exchange for an honest review.
May 27, 2026
3.25 ⭐️
The book was not bad, by any means. I enjoyed my time with it. That being said, every single twist I predicted. It was a little infuriating at times because this might be the most unintuitive fmc I’ve ever read. There were consistent clues to literally everything, but she was constantly confused and never knew what was going on. And she’s some super smart tech girl
The Narrator has a nice voice, but I dislike how she reads men. They all sound like f-boys.
Undecided if I’ll continue the series yet.
Thank you NetGalley for the advanced audio arc!!
The book was not bad, by any means. I enjoyed my time with it. That being said, every single twist I predicted. It was a little infuriating at times because this might be the most unintuitive fmc I’ve ever read. There were consistent clues to literally everything, but she was constantly confused and never knew what was going on. And she’s some super smart tech girl
The Narrator has a nice voice, but I dislike how she reads men. They all sound like f-boys.
Undecided if I’ll continue the series yet.
Thank you NetGalley for the advanced audio arc!!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews