Blue Devil Woman: the BRAND-NEW must-read emotional second-chance, brother’s best friend, childhood-friends-to-lovers cowboy romance with a hint of spice, perfect for spring 2026

Hunt Ranch #2

by Sloane Fletcher

Return to Hunt Ranch this spring and discover Benji and Sierra's story …They were Hunt Ranch’s greatest love story. Until fate tore them apart.

Sierra Hunt never had any doubt that Benji Matthews was her person. As her brother’s best friend, he should have been off-limits, but Sierra knew he was the one as surely as she knew how to ride a horse. It didn’t matter that he came from nothing – to her, he was everything. And together, they were Hunt Ranch’s greatest love the rugged wrangler and the corporate cowgirl.

Until a devastating twist of fate shattered their lives entirely.

Now they can hardly stand to be in the same room. But when Benji is left with no other choice than to step up and take the reins at Hunt Ranch, avoiding each other becomes damn near impossible. Forced to work together, the two must confront everything they’ve lost. In doing so, they might just find their way back to each other, and the love they thought had disappeared forever …

Perfect for fans Second chance romances

❤️‍🩹 Complex characters healing together

🔥 Friends-to-lovers-to-strangers-to-lovers

🏡 Forced proximity

👨🏼 Older brother's best friend

Genres: Romance, Cowboy Romance

Kindle Edition

Expected publication May 7, 2026

About the author

Sloane is a (self-proclaimed) novice film critic, a middling yogi, and a pro smut enthusiast. She loves writing damaged heroes and heroines and isn’t above exploring topics that make you uncomfortable—but always with a happy ever after. Sloane lives with her husband, two dogs, and sixty-three houseplants in California’s Central Valley. When she’s not writing, she can be found day drinking with her friends, crying to sad songs by no-name artists on YouTube, and Googling the disturbing factoids she hears on true crime shows.

Reviews

[Portia Citlali · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a 4.5 star read for me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

This story is a powerful depiction of grief after loss and how differently it can be expressed. It really shows that grief is not linear, and that everyone processes it in their own way. It also highlights what can happen when pain is buried and life is pushed forward without healing. 💔

Sierra is composed, professional, and exceptional at what she does but at the cost of everything else. She hides behind her busy schedule and pushes away the people who care about her the most. From the first book, we know she is grieving the loss of her child, and she copes by detaching. At times, she comes off as cold, but it’s really her way of protecting herself from more pain. She’s barely holding on, choosing to exist rather than truly live. 🖤

Benji, who shares in her grief, chooses to follow Sierra’s rules in order to keep the peace. He’s just as worn down, but deep down he knows Sierra is the one for him. He’s persistent, patient, and caring, holding onto enough hope for both of them. ❤️‍🩹With the help of those around them they are able to build something worthwhile even after all the heartache.

This was a beautiful story about resilience and the messy reality of grief. I loved how their emotions unfolded and how their journey showed that healing, while difficult, is possible. Their story was truly heart wrenching but was worth experiencing. 📚✨

I wanted to thank NetGalley for this ARC

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this was heavy but illustrated grief in such a powerful way.
I could not wait to read Benji and Sierra’s story from the moment we met them in book one.

Sierra is such a strong FMC but has put up the biggest guard around herself to protect herself from grief. She pushes Benji away completely and loses any remaining pieces of herself in the process.

Benji is determined to help Sierra heal and find herself again, all whilst dealing with his own grief.

I loved the way both Benji and Sierra pushed and challenged each other in different ways. They are the perfect match for each other and I was absolutely rooting for them to have their happy ending.

[jay]

pre read:
ANOTHER COWBOY ARC IM SOBBING

A huge thank you to netgalley, HQ | HQ Digital, and Sloane Fletcher for this ARC in exchange in for an honest review.

[Rachel ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blue Devil Woman is Book 2 in the Hunt Ranch series - a cowboy romance series by Sloane Fletcher.

Blue Devil Woman follows Sierra (corporate cowgirl) and Benji (rugged wrangler) who were the best childhood friends to lovers - together they were Hunt Ranch’s greatest love story. When tragedy strikes and shatters their lives apart they can hardly stand to be in the same room together. When they’re forced to work together, they must confront everything they’ve lost. Can they find their way back to each other?

After learning about Benji and Sierra’s story in Night Rider I knew this book was going to devastate me, and boy did it! (Please ensure you read the trigger warnings as the topics are heavy).

Wow! What an important story. This shows the unimaginable pain that Sierra and Benji are navigating in their own ways, and the challenges they face individually and together. Benji is desperate to provide unwavering support to Sierra, but she is determined to push him out as she can’t handle her grief.
It was really hard to watch Benji feel like he’s never enough and that he needs to earn Sierras love, because he doesn’t have enough to offer her. Benji was the PERFECT man, partner and best friend. He must be protected at all costs.

Sierra’s pain and grief was depicted perfectly. I felt like I was going through every emotion with her. You could understand her feelings and why she was acting that way, even though it hurt to watch her push Benji away. I loved that she had Markus - his support, love and wisdom that he shared with Sierra was absolutely incredible. I love him so much, he even made me cry towards the end.

I loved how Sloane split the book into four parts - stop, grieve, breathe and live. It perfectly reflected the cycle of grief. Combined with the then and now timeline and learning more about their past relationship, it worked really well.

If you enjoy a second chance romance, childhood friends to lovers, brothers best friend, entwined with so much depth, love, grief and healing - in a forced proximity setting - you need to pick this up!

Overall, this was absolutely wonderful, heartwrenching and beautiful. I cannot describe how I feel about this book! Sloane has delivered again and this has taken the top spot for my favourite cowboy romance series. I cannot wait to see what she does next and I’ve already pre-ordered my physical copy!

Thank you HQ, NetGalley and Sloane Fletcher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review. Blue Devil Woman releases 7th May.

[OnlyHereForTheHEA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every once in a while, a book just feels different. This is one of those. ✨

Blue Devil Woman is my first five-star read of the year, and honestly it might be one of the best romance books I’ve ever read. And that’s saying a lot, because I read…a lot.

At first glance, this looks like a second-chance cowboy romance, but it’s so much more than that.

This story follows Sierra and Benji, two people who have loved each other for most of their lives. When they experience a devastating tragedy together, it tears them apart in a way that is truly heartbreaking.

Benji is unable to walk away from the woman he loves. Instead, he stays, waiting to be there for her in whatever way she needs, all while quietly suffering himself. His devotion was devastatingly beautiful. His character is everything you could ever want in a man, fictional or real.

Sierra is a strong-willed woman drowning in her grief, fully aware of it, yet convinced she’s staying afloat. When in reality, she’s already going under. The way Fletcher writes Sierra, showing how tightly Sierra holds everything in, comes through so clearly on the page. I found myself holding my breath right alongside Sierra, just waiting for her to finally let it out.

I’ve read books that deal with love and grief, but this one stands out. Fletcher does a beautiful job with Sierra and Benji. How she balances the overwhelming weight of their grief with the healing power of their love, was wonderful. At times, these characters felt so vulnerable it was almost intrusive, like I shouldn’t be witnessing it. But I couldn’t look away, especially when it was so obvious how much they loved each other, and how badly I wanted them to figure it out. It’s a real testament to Fletcher’s writing.

There’s a weight to this story that you feel from beginning to end. It deals with some heavy topics, so be sure to check trigger warnings.

This book broke my heart in the best way, over and over again, and somehow still left me wanting more.

Just read it. Seriously. Trust me. 🩷


I received an ARC of this book. Thank you to Sloane Fletcher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review. ✨

[ruthie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much to HQ Digital, Sloane Fletcher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Blue Devil Woman before it's released. It's been a while since I ran to request a book and I ended up reading it in less than 24 hours, I knew from the moment I met Sierra Hunt and Benji Matthews in Night Rider that I would be o b s e s s e d with them! Well Dear Reader, I wasn't wrong. I was sucked in from the go and couldn't put it down. Fortunately, a day filled with a lot of travelling and waiting meant that I could give this my undivided attention while I sat. It was absolutely 100% worth it. I am sad that I've read it and won't get to experience it for the first time again, but I'm so excited to reread when the audiobook drops on release day! 5 stars,, absolutely no notes!

I loved book 1 for the Hunt Ranch vibes and I loved book 2, as much if not more. I'm a sucker for a second chance romance and Sloane ticked all my boxes when she wrote this. It's already one of my absolute favourite second chance books after one read! The characters, the yearning, the anger, the passion. It's all there. I'm sad we didn't get more rekindled Sierra/Benji before the epilogue, but the time jump more than made up for it. I loved seeing Mav, Nina and Poppy thriving together after dealing with the events of book 1. It felt like coming home to old friends, and getting to know new ones better and I can't wait to see what happens next for this found family/family.

I honestly have no idea who's next in the series, I have my suspicions that maybe Skye could be next? Will Markus and Juan stay tofether or will he find a cowboy of his own? I'll firm this up when I've listened to the audio, but I'm so excited for whatever is next!

Blue Devil Woman is out 7th May, my audiobook is pre-ordered!

Trigger warnings: child loss, absent parents, death of parents (not on page).

[bookgirlieri X · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

This is a fiery, heart thumping romance that pulls you straight into the rugged world of Hunt Ranch, where the stakes are high, the emotions are raw, & love refuses to stay buried.

Sierra Hunt & Benji Matthews are back… & the sparks between them aren’t just flying; they’re explosive. Torn apart by the past, forced into proximity by fate, & carrying the kind of tension that makes your heart race, these two are living proof that second chances are worth fighting for. Sloane Fletcher doesn’t just deliver romance… she serves up a rollercoaster of emotions: longing, regret, desire, & hope, all wrapped in the dust & drama of ranch life.

At its heart, the novel explores second chances in their rawest form. Sierra & Benji are two characters shaped by both passion & pain. Sloane doesn’t just bring them together for romantic tension; she lets us watch them wrestle with the memories of what they lost, the pride that keeps them apart, & the vulnerability that could bring them back together. It’s a story that doesn’t rush; it lets emotions simmer, flare, & finally ignite.

What makes this book stand out is its deeply layered characters. Sierra is strong yet imperfect, carrying the weight of her choices with quiet dignity. Benji is more than a rugged cowboy stereotype; he’s layered, flawed, & achingly human. Their interactions feel lived in, like two people who know each other’s ghosts & are learning to dance with them.

If you’re drawn to romance that lingers after the last page, that leaves you thinking about the choices people make for love, & the courage it takes to try again, Blue Devil Woman is a story that will stick with you. It’s not just a love story; it’s a powerful exploration of resilience, forgiveness, & the complicated, beautiful way people find their way back to each other.

[Terri McCarrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buckle in, folks, I'm about to get long-winded (for me) 😅
I received this ARC through NetGalley from Sloane Fletcher and HQ and went into the read absolutely blind. This is important to my review, because I think if I had spent time learning more about pieces of how this was written, my typical personality choice would have been to not choose this book. BOY WOULD I HAVE BEEN WRONG!!!

I am a little choosy about only a couple points with my books. I really don't enjoy dual timelines, and I will almost never pick up a true second-chance-romance trope (I'm talking about long term relationships revisited). Cue Blue Devil Woman, coming in hot with both!! 😂 I'm so glad I didn't know, or I would have opted out of an absolute gem of a book.

Blue Devil Woman is 3rd person POV, dual timeline, and contains significant grief/infant loss triggers, if this is something that you need to avoid.

Sloane Fletcher has written an absolutely perfect book that handles these heavy topics of grief, infant loss, post-partum depression and the rediscovery of what really grounds someone to their life. We have an MMC that is simply written in a stunning way, for the topics we see in this book. 10/10.

Sloane writes about "Before" and "After" in thought processes in a way that most of us have experienced in some way. So many of us have had that life-altering moment that will so clearly delineate the Before and After, no matter what the scenario. And for us, this resonates so deeply.

Read this book. It is simply fantastic.

[Emma Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

🩷 Blurb-
Sierra Hunt never had any doubt that Benji Matthews was her person. As her brother’s best friend, he should have been off-limits, but Sierra knew he was the one as surely as she knew how to ride a horse. It didn’t matter that he came from nothing – to her, he was everything. And together, they were Hunt Ranch’s greatest love the rugged wrangler and the corporate cowgirl.
Until a devastating twist of fate shattered their lives entirely.
Now they can hardly stand to be in the same room. But when Benji is left with no other choice than to step up and take the reins at Hunt Ranch, avoiding each other becomes damn near impossible. Forced to work together, the two must confront everything they’ve lost. In doing so, they might just find their way back to each other, and the love they thought had disappeared forever …
🩵 Review -
I'm loving all the cowboy romance novels that are around at the moment and Blue Devil Woman certainly didn't disappoint. The story was cute and easy to follow with good pacing and a great cast of characters. I loved Sierra and Benji's chemistry and I wanted them to have their happy ending. Plus I loved the back ground characters. I also loved the place settings in the story. I highly recommend it and I look forward to reading more by the author.
💝 Thank you to HQ Digital/ HQ stories, the author Sloane Fletcher and Netgalley for my arc ebook copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Leah-Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I read Night Rider back in January, and I have been patiently waiting a whole year for this one… and let me tell you it did NOT disappoint 😭
This book had me in tears at several points (and not even where you’d expect either 😂). I was literally gasping for breath at times it hit that hard.
Sierra and Benji’s story is just… beautiful. They’ve been through so much heartbreak (trigger warning: baby loss), but it’s written so incredibly well that you feel everything alongside them.
Sierra is strong, so strong but also broken. She pushes people away, runs from her pain, and buries herself in work.
And Benji? The most selfless, considerate man, always putting himself last 🥺
You can feel their pain so deeply, and the way their story unfolds with glimpses of the past woven into the present just shows how powerful and enduring their love truly is.
And the found family in this book?? Top tier. No notes.

And that ending… the way Sierra races off (no spoilers ) — PERFECTION.

I absolutely loved this. It wrecked me in the best way, pulled at every emotion, and told such a beautiful story. I already know I need a physical copy to sit next to Night Rider on my shelf 🖤

[☆Laura☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sierra Hunt lo tenía todo, una familia a la cual ama, un trabajo que la hace feliz, a Benji y su bebe, pero una tragedia lo cambia todo. Después de perder a su bebé, deja de sentir, se vuelve fría y empieza a sobrevivir en automático mientras se enfoca en el rancho y en mantener todo bajo control. Lo único que no puede controlar es el pasado que sigue respirándole en la nuca. Porque Benji sigue ahí. Siempre ha estado. Fue su amor, su casa, su todo y también el recordatorio constante de lo que perdieron. Ahora apenas pueden estar en la misma habitación sin hacerse daño, pero la vida los obliga a convivir otra vez, a mirar lo que quedó sin resolver y todo lo que nunca dijeron.

Mientras el mundo alrededor sigue avanzando, Sierra y Benji están atrapados en algo que no terminó bien y que tampoco ha terminado del todo. Y por más que ella quiera huir, hay cosas que simplemente no se pueden enterrar para siempre y debe decidir si puede luchar por la vida que tuvo o si es momento de dejarlo ir.

[BookishNerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

CW: Infant loss, death, abuse and grief

Tropes: Second chance, forced proximity, ranch/cowboy, dual timelines, dual POV 3rd Person

This was the perfect blend of tenderness and angst. Benji is the most doting and caring partner I've read about for a long time. It's really refreshing to have a couple that's in their 30s and 40s too. Reading the past timeline chapters was heartwarming yet devestating because of knowing what was coming, and the present timeline was heartbreaking yet hopeful because I was rooting for them to get back together and be a family again.

The supporting cast was great too, all the characters were likeable. I hadn't read the first book in this series, so I had to find out about Mav and Nina in this book, but seeing how cute they were together makes me want to go back and read it.

[Elle]

DNF, 10%

I considered just not writing this review, but decided ultimately that it may be helpful to future readers who are considering picking this up.

I went into this book knowing it’d be heavy, but didn’t know what kind of heavy this would be until I saw the trigger warnings: infant loss and PPD. Blue Devil Woman starts out with our FMC and MMC finding out that they’ve lost their baby. The book is about them working out their grief and finding their way back to each other. Had I known that this was what it was going to be about, I wouldn’t have picked it up. It’s just not something I can see myself reading at the moment.

However, the writing is done well so far, and I believe that if you are okay with this sort of plot, you’ll enjoy the book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the ARC.

[Alexandria · Rating 5 out of 5]

NetGalley ARC

I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. The "second chance" story follows a couple as they navigate some traumatic life circumstances while trying to support their friends. I was expecting to have fun reading the book, but I was expecting to love it as much as I did.

The story was gritty and realistic, and the characters were likeable and easy to connect with. There were times where I was frustrated with the characters, but given what they were going through, it all made sense. I would say the only feedback I had would be how quickly things were resolved. I think my personal preference would have been to seen some of the healing through out the book more than we got.

[Sian · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW... what a roller coaster of emotions. This book had my heart ripped out in the 1st chapter.
Sierra and Benji lost their first child during child birth and the book takes you through their journey of grief, reconnection, acceptance and love.
The book also goes back in time to how they first fell in love, when Benji first came into the Hunt family lives and small flash back of Sierras parents. We also get to read how Benji not only supported Sierra through the grief of their daughter but also how he support Sierra through the lost of her parents. We get to see Sierra heal along with Benji healing journey and the ending was just beautiful.

A beautiful and very beautiful read. I would 100% recommend this book. 5 stars from me 🌟

[Laura Holley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing read! A dual POV, nonlinear timeline read with a ranch/western setting Honestly, I typically struggle with second chance romances, but this one was so beautifully done. The journey of both characters through their grief to find each other again was incredible and emotional.

Check trigger warnings!! It could be a difficult read for some. I did not experience what the MCs did in this story, but it was a struggle a times.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC!

[Orla · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️

Blue Devil Woman by Sloane Fletcher is a raw and deeply heartbreaking story about grief, love, and finding a way forward.

Having read the first book in the Hunt Ranch series, I knew this wouldn’t be a light, fluffy cowboy romance, but I still wasn’t prepared for the emotional depth this story delivers.

Sloane Fletcher handles an incredibly heavy and sensitive subject, infant loss, with care and authenticity. I felt truly connected to the characters and found myself completely invested in them from the very first page.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Stories for the ARC.

[Lacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg. This book was everything. The emotion. The healing. The love. The dedication. I've never cried so hard for a book. The HEA was just absolute gold. I loved everything about these characters. Well written. Good plot. Definitely read the trigger warnings. This one may be a hard read for some.

[Sydney McNichols · Rating 5 out of 5]

get. tissues. before. reading. this. book. omg seriously I loved everything about Sierra and Benji's story. The love and healing journey they went on together was seriously so well done. This was so good I finished it in one day.

[cris (crispy) black · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I’m a Sloane Fletcher fan!! The way she just made these characters feel like real people and work for the ending they wanted was 🤌

(ARC given by Netgalley and HQ Digital in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!)