The First Day of Breeding Season

Wildfire Ranch #4

by Chloe Maine

The college student who Drew Lowry agrees to mentor through a season of cattle breeding is unexpected temptation, especially when he discovers Brynn's plans to become a single mother all on her own.

Also available in this
My First and Only Crush
The Professor's Holiday Surprise (cross-series with OnlySantas/Cam Show Crush)
Accidentally Kidnapping the Cowboy (cross-series with Accidentally Kidnapping)

Genres: Novella, Westerns, Romance, Forced Proximity, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, College

166 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 29, 2025

About the author

Chloe Maine has written other books before, but none of them as purely id-driven as Before He Was Her Headmaster. She delights in the fantasy of bending big men to the craven desires of supposedly innocent women. When she’s not writing, she’s probably reading. She lives in Canada with her own big man, raising the babies they made together.

Reviews

[Soft Nectarine ~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Giddy up cowgirl because I ate this up 🤠 the one where she gets INSPIRED by close observation of animal fuckery!

Sweet but slutty. Dirty but not nasty.

Brynn is a breeding major…IN SCHOOL obviously…with a ranch internship supervised by hottie McGritty cowboy *yeehaw* Love at first sight when he takes her up in the mountains to watch his bulls breed cows…what a plot!

Never read a book more focused on breeding…animal and human 🐮✨ TACKLED from all sides! Cattle breeding talk seamlessly translates to unrealized breeding kinks & desire for family life. (Not) Surprisingly I loved this!

🤠 endless innuendos & suggestive T-shirts

💦 age gap & Daddy kink

🤠 he’s a born-again virgin basically

💦 she asks him to teach her

For what I assumed to be an outrageous plot this was actually perfectly written. Great dialogue, well written characters & sweet DIRTY moments!

cowboy novella
virgin fmc
daddy kink
grumpy x sunshine
age gap
insta love
breeding kink
dirty talk
praise
HEA *fantastic epilogues*

[klinta · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like a giant feasting on a sweet maiden, breathing hard. Beastly.

Her nipples are tight round peaks, coppery raspberries that make me lick my lips.

Brynn smells like she’s mine, like she’s ripe and ready to be my wife. My mate.

insert chrissy teigen meme (bc my dinosaur ass doesn’t know how)


listen i always expect the worst going into an insta love novella but HUH 🤠 the coppery raspberry nipples especially.

the only hot thing here was the mmc being celibate for 22 years which checks out since man’s was a weirdo.

[Monique · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I tell people to burn my Kindle when I die this is why 😂

In all seriousness though if you want a nice little palette cleanser in the form of a breeding daddy then this is your book. Short and sweet and actually really well written.

[Myblogisgreat]

I’m seeking out Jesus as we speak. 🤣😇

[OnBooksAndMountains · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do I think banging your boss is a good idea?
No
Would I ever think it’s appropriate for a man who is north of thirty to have a relationship with a woman whose brain is not fully developed?
Absolutely not.
Do I think this story is a fun romp if you don’t take it too seriously and are delighted by breeding puns and Daddy/breeding kink?
Definitely yes.

NB: Fans of Jessa Kane would most likely love this book

[Lolina ⋆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

-=- 3.5 stars -=-

CM has been one of the most consistent authors for me for years now 😭, and this story just delivered everything that I needed it to and more. It was without a doubt my favourite book in this series, and one that I'll definitely be rereading in the future.

Was this an HR lawsuit waiting to happen? I mean aren't they always 💀.

The chemistry between the MCs was SO good, I genuinely didn't want this story to end. I can't wait to see what's next.

Lots of love and thanks to Chloe Maine for the ARC 🖤.

[Katie O’Reilly]

3.5 ⭐️

🥵🥵🥵 hotttt
Chloe Maine is a queen for this

[Kiki · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was cute and raunchy 🤭💖

[storieswithsuzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is cute and raunchy, and a great spicy pallet cleanser

[Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Catalog: Adult Contemporary Romance/Erotica
Spice: 3/5🌶️
*spice ratings are relative to similar books in the same genre*

The Catalog: F/M, mentor x mentee, age gap (20ish years) grumpy x sunshine, Daddy kink, cowboy and college student, breeding, fast burn, fate / soulmates

Synopsis: Brynn put off accepting an internship with her professor’s brother for three years, but is ready for the experience now. She’s researched Drew, stared at his picture, read everything she can, and maybe has a crush. Drew was expecting a male student after emailing back and forth with the intern, so imagine his surprise when a highly intelligent, supremely sexy, and dangerously off limits woman shows up instead. It’s breeding season, alright.

Thoughts:
A delightfully spicy novella that was perfect to reset my brain between reads! Loved the whole thing!

[The Bodacious Bibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chloe has done it again.
We are back at Wildfire Ranch and this time around it is Drew‘s story. He’s the grumpy, older brother that keeps to himself, thinking he will never have what his other brothers have. Love, a partner and children. So instead, he focuses on work and his passion for cattle.
Little does he know that a sweet, hard-working and determined young lady is on her way to change his mind.

I really like the chemistry between the two of them. They were written in the stars, and you could definitely feel that in the way that Chloe wrote them. She, being young and inexperienced but determined and confident. And he being older yet also inexperienced but a bit insecure and maybe less confident. They were exactly what each other needed. Two pieces of rope knotting together in an unbreakable bond.

If you have a delicious and delectable Daddy and breeding kink this book is definitely for you. And even if you don’t share those kinks, you will still very much enjoy the love story and a book that is just very well written.

I would like to thank Chloe for the generous ARC of this book. I have read thousands and thousands of books and this is my first one ever. And I couldn’t be happier than to have this as my first experience with an ARC. All opinions in this review are my own, and have not and will never be swayed in anyway.

[Jessie (thatchickwithabook) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chloe Maine is back and boy oh boy is she better than ever! TFDOBS is sexy as hell, has a man desperate for his girl, and he’s celibate! In a world full of manwhore MCs, Drew Lowry is the blueprint for a gentleman… until he meets Brynn, that is.

These two are my favourite from the ranch books and I was devastated when it was over. I would’ve read a full length novel of these two!

Thank you Chloe Maine for the ARC. This review is honest and voluntary.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a way to kick off September reading.

Very spicy easy read with DK

4 🔥

[girlwithhearteyes · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars

The levels of breeding in this novella was truly impressive. 🤣 This had me giggling with delight.

[Emma☀️✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Equal parts ashamed and enthralled, don’t look at me🫠🙃

[Maria11 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick sweet read. Well sweet and sexy. They have instant chemistry and kinda a love at first sight going on. Kinky yet sweet. Great read as always

Received an advanced copy from the author.

[Jess (scijessreads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's Chloe Maine and age-gap... what's not to enjoy about this one? Gotta love the Lowry men, the definitely fall hard and fast for women that know what they want.

[Madi ✨️]

This was a fun little palette cleanser while I’m stuck in between a few different reads. The only mortifying part was my grandad taking notice of the cover and reading the title ☠️

[Chloe Campion-Leonard · Rating 1 out of 5]

A title like The First Day of Breeding Season already tells you exactly what kind of book you’re going into, and I was fully on board with that. I like the trope when it’s done well, especially when it leans into that intense, possessive dynamic with a strong emotional connection underneath it.

This just didn’t get there for me.

The book is clearly aiming for a fast, high-heat romance built around the breeding trope, with an older, dominant male lead and a heroine who quickly becomes central to his world. It wants to feel immediate and consuming, like everything happens because the connection is so strong it can’t be ignored.

Instead, it felt rushed to the point where nothing had time to develop.

Within a matter of days, they go from strangers to marriage and a baby, and not in a way that feels intense or inevitable. It just felt abrupt. There’s a difference between fast-paced and underdeveloped, and this fell into the second category for me. I never had time to believe in the relationship, which made everything that followed harder to buy into.

The dynamic also didn’t work in the way I expected. The male lead is clearly meant to give off that “hot, dominant, protective” energy, but it came across more as uncomfortable than appealing. Instead of that controlled, confident presence, it leaned more towards something that felt off, and that made it difficult to enjoy the romance side of things.

Even the central trope, which is what drew me in, didn’t quite hit. It felt more surface-level than immersive, and without a stronger emotional connection behind it, it ended up feeling more awkward than intense.

I understand the intention. A short, trope-heavy, very direct romance that doesn’t overcomplicate things. But for me, it needed more development, more build-up, and a dynamic that felt convincing rather than uncomfortable.

I’d recommend it only to readers who want something very quick and very trope-focused without needing much depth. If you’re looking for something more emotionally engaging or believable, this probably won’t be the one.

Ratings:
Enjoyment: 1/5
Writing: 1/5
Characters: 1/5
Plot: 1/5
Readability: 2/5
Setting: 2/5

Tropes:
- Breeding trope
- Instalove
- Age gap
- Dominant male lead
- Fast-paced romance
- Marriage of convenience (very quick)
- Possessive hero

[Nika Ilona Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔥🔥🔥
The First Day of Breeding Season by Chloe Maine is the fourth & final novella in her Wildfire Ranch series which revolves around the Lowry brothers, all of whom share a father, but none of whom share a mother.

Brynne is an eager 21 year old finishing up her degree at Climax Springs Community College. Her singular focus is in natural animal breeding practices and has been offered what she believes to be the opportunity of a lifetime. To study at Wildfire Ranch with THE Drew Lowry, famous in the ranching world for his expertise in natural breeding. It shouldn’t matter that Brynne has searched for every scrap of info & photo about Drew & developed a larger than average sized crush on her soon to be boss.

Drew is a grumpy rancher, & the last single Lowry brother standing. The rest have fallen head over heels for their own younger women, are happily contented to grow their families. But not Drew, he knows he’s better off alone. Breeding season is about to begin and he has a new ranch hand/student named Brian to mentor. The last thing he needs is anything (or anyone) disrupting his carefully arranged life.

Only whoops, it’s possible that Drew made some assumptions about his mentee (email signature B. Hughes), whose name isn’t Brian, but Brynne. And it really doesn’t help the uncomfortable situation that Brynne is everything Drew never knew to want in one curvy & curious package.

As an aficionado of spicy novellas, I can confidently say that this (as with all Chloe Maine titles) is a must read. It doesn’t take long for Drew & Brynne’s instant attraction to boil over into something quite a bit hotter than mentor & mentee.

As always, Chloe Maine delivers on that forbidden, scintillating, age-gap naughtiness with a hint of daddy kink. If you enjoy a well executed, quick & dirty read, this is the book for you!

[Eva · Rating 5 out of 5]

So fun, steamy, and delicious!

Giggling and kicking my feet throughout this whole novella. The way both were done for in that first meeting? Sweet and hilarious.

Drew gave all the Daddy vibes, the age gap, the off-the-bat honesty, the 'attempt' at resisting...he was fighting a losing war, and he gave in and accepted her as his future gave me all the feels. And Brynn's plans were changed with that first email. She didn't want to admit it, but later fighting for their future, making him realize how good they could be together...ugh, perfection.

These two are reread material, and I wouldn't be mad if more Lowry brothers popped up out of thin air lol.

Thank you, Chloe, for this e-arc!!

Quotes:

Daddy? Where the fuck did that come from? But God damn, my cock likes it.

If Brynn Hughes wants a baby, I can give her a baby. She just has to say the word and I’ll breed her up good.

Hi. How do I make sure that I get to hear that every day for the rest of my life?

“It’s actually called the Five Year Brynn Plan.”
>“I like it already.”
“I need to update it when we get back to the ranch. There’s no cowboy in it right now.”

If you want me to breed you, I’m going to marry you, too.”

“Making it so easy for me to mount you, aren’t you? Always ready to get bred. I’m not gonna let you off this mountain until your fertile womb is stuffed full of my babies.”

[Codi]

🚨I include trigger warnings at the end of the review that may provide spoilers depending on what your definition of a spoiler is.

Rated: 2.5/5 but cannot make myself round this up.

What I liked:
💖 Smut was hot

What I didn’t:
✋ For 40% of the book, MMC talked about how he didn't deserve joy in his life but it was never revealed what he thought he did that was so bad that he didn't deserve joy. He alludes to past bad sex but like....
✋ "I love you" after a single day? My guy....

Characters:
MMC: Drew Lowry, 43
FMC: Brynn Hughes, 21
Nicknames: Baby, Sweetheart, Cowgirl, Cowboy, Daddy
Children: A toddler for a millisecond
Pets: Thor & Ten Gallon - Bulls

POV: Alternating first person
Pace: Fast
Type: Fourth in a series of standalone novellas
Setting: Wyoming

Tropes:
📚 Cowboy romance
📚 College
📚 Grumpy/sunshine
📚 Mentor/mentee
📚 Age gap
📚 Insta-Love

Microtrope:
🤏 Size difference
🤏 His tattoo is older than her
🤏 Invisible string theory

Spice:
🐱: oral, fingering, sex
🍑: light fingering
🍆: oral, handjob
🌶 Virgin FMC
🌶 Breeding kink
🌶 Frottage
🌶 Daddy kink
🌶 "Use Me"
🌶 "You can take it"
🌶 Big dicked MMC
🌶 Outdoor sex

Triggers:
⚠️ Death of a parent (mentioned, past)
⚠️ Sexual trauma (mentioned, past)
⚠️ Prostitution (mentioned, past)

[Laquita Agwiak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another hot novella from Chloe Maine! Sadly, this is the last book in this cowboy series. But fear not, this one was sooo good, hot, and interesting! The age gap trope is her specialty, and The First Day of Breeding Season did have that alluring touch of forbiddeness and off-limits, but it was uniquely its own with the profession of herd breeding! Only a romance writer could take an ordinary job and put a hot twist on it! I loved it! haha.
I also loved the fated mates vibe to this. Brynn and Drew's story is fast-paced but done in a way that is so hot and swoon worthy.
If you're looking for a hot and wild ride, this is a must-read!!

Favorite quotes and excerpts:

I want that mouth wrapped around my dick. Being sweet for me as I pump it over her tongue, getting her used to Daddy's taste.

If Brynn Hughes wants a baby, I can give her a baby. She just has to say the word and I'll breed her up good.

"I've got you, sweetheart," I promise. "You can come. Ride my cock. Ride Daddy's cock."

"Is that what you need today, sweetheart? It's the first day of breeding season. Did you come up this mountain so I would put a baby in you?"

[Leah Eugenia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wildfire Ranch... The site of many amazing stories about the Lowry brothers.

Drew is a bit different; quiet, gruff, avoids any unnecessary conversation. No patience whatsoever with anyone's lack of focus, or lack of enthusiasm for ranch work.

Until he steps out of the stable and finds a young woman who absorbs his entire focus. Then, he finds out that Brynn is NOT 'Brian'. His new research assistant is everything he ever dreamed of but completely off limits. FEMALE, not a young man as he had assumed.

Brynn has spent the weeks leading up to her summer of being mentored by Drew Lowry in research. Every news article, every video on the internet that pertains to the well known cattle breeder has her absolute focus.

Not only is his knowledge recognised as some of the best, but he's hotter than high summer in Montana. By the time she arrives, she's obsessed with the man, and knows without a doubt to keep that her own secret.

Neither was ready for the shock their meeting brought to them. It's an amazing story of surprise and wonder.

[Danielle Stiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brynn needs to do a final project for graduation. So, her professor suggested that she work on his family farm to learn about the breeding process in livestock. She gets in contact with her professor’s brother who is charge of that program, Drew Lowry.

When Drew received emails from “Brian” he was excited that someone was so interested in the breeding of livestock. That was until a pretty, young thing shows up and says that she is the one that he is expecting. Immediately, he was attracted to Brynn. Immediately, he wanted to claim her.

Once they got to where they were going to camp out to observe the live breeding program, things took a turn for them. They could not ignore their mutual attraction. One thing led to another; they were starting their own breeding program.

This was super spicy. I was all for it. It was a perfect palette cleanser after many different books that I needed. I loved the instant obsession. It is not the usual trope that I go for, but I was glad that I went for it. Highly recommend.

[Elyse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 121 of 2025

I have been with the brothers of Wildfire Ranch from the start, so obviously I had to be here to finish it. It all started when I read Trick's story in June 2024 (My First and Only Crush), and then Professor Noah in December 2024 (The Professor's Holiday Surprise) and Zane in February 2025 (Accidentally Kidnapping the Cowboy). So I wanted to finish it out on the family ranch and see what would happen with Drew and guess what, just like all his brothers, this was a virgin / age gap romances. But honestly, it may be my favorite of the brothers. I loved that we were back on the ranch that is talked about so much in the series. I loved the "real talk" we got between Drew and Brynn and how it helped moved their relationship forward. Obviously, the spice was hitting between these two, especially out in the tent on the trail, ha! Obviously I just keep plowing through all of @ChloeMaine's backlist and this new release was tons of fun, I can't wait to see what else she has on the back burner.

Rating -- three stars
Format -- kindle unlimited

[Trace · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW, Welcome back to the Ranch. The couple in the final installment of the Wildfire Ranch series is Drew and Brynn. He is the breeder rancher of the brothers and she is a student of his brothers who recommand he doing her mentorship on the ranch. She is there is reseach the breeding season.
They email each other to get to know each other but the probems is when she shows up he is expecting a guy. lol
He is instantly attracted to her and won't let her stay in the bunkhouse with the other guys.. very protective already with her. So she stays in the main house. She has been reseaching him and alread has a major crush on him. Gets hotter when they get face to face. The have a connecting with tattoos but will let you read about that.
Thing majorly heat up when they go off together is get the reseach started.
This age gap daddy book is hot and heavy..
Thank Chloe for another amazing book.

[Brittany (Brit.tea.reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒔 𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆, 𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍. 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒖𝒑.

For three years, Brynn delayed accepting an internship with her professor's brother.

𝒀𝒆𝒔, 𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒚. 𝑹𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝑫𝒂𝒅𝒅𝒚'𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆.

Brynn has been crushing on Drew for years, totally infatuated with him. She’s spent hours researching him and obsessing over his photos. After exchanging a few emails, it's time to meet in person, finally. But when Drew lays eyes on Brynn for the first time, he’s stunned—he assumed Brynn was a boy. Suddenly, he’s overwhelmed, faced with a gorgeous and brilliant young woman..

𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍. 𝑴𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒕 𝒔𝒐 𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏'𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖? 𝑨𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒅. 𝑰'𝒎 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒈𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒂 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒐𝒇𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒃 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒆𝒔.

If you’re into novellas featuring an age gap, grumpy x sunshine with a touch of daddy and breeding kink, this book is a must read. 😉

𝑰 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆.

𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆.

[Kazz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the final story in the Wildfire Ranch series and like the other stories in the series can be read as a standalone. This is a quick read, age gap romance with Brynn and Drew. Brynn is an agriculture student who has wanted to do her mentorship at Drew’s ranch in breeding for a couple of years and Drew, a rancher who is a man of few words, hard working and no nonsense type of guy and imagine his shock when his his intern for the breeding season arrives and the young man that he had been exchanging emails with is not “Brian”but in fact an incredibly gorgeous young woman named Brynn and he can’t take his eyes off her! Their instant chemistry was sizzling. Their research trip to observe the bulls first foray out to service the heifers leads to sexual tension, arguments and witty and at times hilarious banter between them, and some really hot spicy scenes. 🌶️

I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book via BookFunnel and I am writing this review voluntarily

[Priscilla Herchold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, Chloe Maine. These novellas always just hit the spot.

We've met our MMC, Drew Lowry, via his family in the other novellas, but his one is all about him and his mentee, Brynn. When Drew agrees to mentor Brynn, he really thinks Brynn is Bryan and is shocked when Brynn is Brynn. The chemistry is instantaneous and electric for both of them even though they know it's probably a bad idea given the dynamic. Drew so badly wants what his brothers have (they're absolutely devoted to their wives and children), and Brynn has her 5-year plan for a family of her own.

Try as they might... they can't fight the feeling they have for one another even when secrets arise.

The spice is Chloe to the core, and you'll want to read all of the Lowry brothers' novellas if you haven't already!

🤠 Grumpy/Sunshine
🤠 Age Gap
🤠 Instalove
🤠 Mentor/Mentee
🤠 Filthy Talking Celibate MMC
🤠 V!rg!n College Student FMC
🤠 Br33ding K!nk

Thank you to the author for the gifted copy!