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Heartstone Ranch #2
Never Been Tamed
I will not fall for my fake boyfriend.
Famous last words.
Dr. Ares Pierce may be new in town, but it only took one encounter to know he’s trouble. Sexy. Broody. Older. A broken look in his eyes.
The kind that says he’s carrying something heavy… and I should run.
But when my cheating ex-fiancé has the audacity to ask me to be in his wedding, panic takes over. A small lie to save face spirals out of control when I claim the sexy stranger beside me is my boyfriend.
And Ares plays along.
Soon we strike a deal: we keep up the relationship to help him win patients at the struggling clinic he’s trying to save, and I get a shield from the humiliation of my ex’s happily-ever-after.
Simple. Temporary. No feelings involved.
Except nothing about Ares Pierce is simple.
The more time we spend together, the harder it is to ignore the man behind the broody exterior… The one who makes me laugh when I least expect it and reminds me what it feels like to be wanted after the worst betrayal of my life.
But our arrangement comes with an expiration date.
Ares isn’t planning to stay in Infinity Ridge. And when he’s forced to choose between the career he built and the woman he never meant to love…
I’m terrified I’ll be the one left behind.
Again.
Famous last words.
Dr. Ares Pierce may be new in town, but it only took one encounter to know he’s trouble. Sexy. Broody. Older. A broken look in his eyes.
The kind that says he’s carrying something heavy… and I should run.
But when my cheating ex-fiancé has the audacity to ask me to be in his wedding, panic takes over. A small lie to save face spirals out of control when I claim the sexy stranger beside me is my boyfriend.
And Ares plays along.
Soon we strike a deal: we keep up the relationship to help him win patients at the struggling clinic he’s trying to save, and I get a shield from the humiliation of my ex’s happily-ever-after.
Simple. Temporary. No feelings involved.
Except nothing about Ares Pierce is simple.
The more time we spend together, the harder it is to ignore the man behind the broody exterior… The one who makes me laugh when I least expect it and reminds me what it feels like to be wanted after the worst betrayal of my life.
But our arrangement comes with an expiration date.
Ares isn’t planning to stay in Infinity Ridge. And when he’s forced to choose between the career he built and the woman he never meant to love…
I’m terrified I’ll be the one left behind.
Again.
368 pages, Paperback
First published October 6, 2026
About the author
Corinne Michaels
80 books15.7k followersCorinne Michaels is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of romance novels. Her stories are chock full of emotion, humor, and unrelenting love, and she enjoys putting her characters through intense heartbreak before finding a way to heal them through their struggles.
Corinne is a former Navy wife and happily married to the man of her dreams. She began her writing career after spending months away from her husband while he was deployed—reading and writing were her escapes from the loneliness. Corinne now lives in Virginia with her husband and is the emotional, witty, sarcastic, and fun-loving mom of two beautiful children.
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Corinne is a former Navy wife and happily married to the man of her dreams. She began her writing career after spending months away from her husband while he was deployed—reading and writing were her escapes from the loneliness. Corinne now lives in Virginia with her husband and is the emotional, witty, sarcastic, and fun-loving mom of two beautiful children.
Connect with her here:
Newsletter: http://corinnemichaels.com/subscribe/
Website: http://www.corinnemichaels.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CorinneMichaels
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/corinnemich...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorCMichaels
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/corinnemicha...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,189 reviews
October 9, 2026
“She’s the blue sky after a cloudy day that makes everything feel possible again.”
A good, fun time was indeed had with this book. I really am a sucker for a fake dating x age gap romance and this one delivered. 🙂↕️
The banter was so hot , the spice was good and the actual fake dating plot made total sense. This was a bit insta- lusty as the first book, but based on the situation both characters found themselves in it actually worked.
I will say I was very surprised that the characters because I didn’t really think much about them going into this one.
Harper surprised me with how selfless she was. She put everyone above her without expecting anything back. I loved her relationship with her father, they both had me laughing the entire time. Only issue with her was that she needed to learn to stand her ground more 😭
Ares, was hot majority of the time. 🙂↕️ who doesn’t love a 6 foot 4 doctor with eyes as blue as the ocean?!! I also loved how complex he was as a mmc. He didn’t feel childish once , was very mature about the fake dating situation and the issues he was dealing with felt very real and valid. The way he would always hype up Harper and always reminded her how important she was to him was a major plus.
Together both Harper and Ares were pretty hot. From the get go they had good chemistry and I loved how they also had there sweet tender moments and how their relationship gradually grew.
* mini spoilers ahead*
The reason why this wasn’t as perfect as it could have been was that the whole ex bf and ex best friend situation. Yes it helped with the whole fake dating aspect , but it was just plain dumb at times. Like they were beyond delulu it irritated me. As well the “third act break up” it wasn’t needed since it felt super rush and was literally resolved like two chapters later and felt super cheesy which I’m good with majority of the time , but idk about this one lol I still had fun though, the vibes were there 🤷🏻♀️
I was living for the found family aspect and small town vibes. I also loved Harper’s relationship with her sisters and can’t wait for their books 👀
That second epilogue got me not going to lie 🥲
A good, fun time was indeed had with this book. I really am a sucker for a fake dating x age gap romance and this one delivered. 🙂↕️
The banter was so hot , the spice was good and the actual fake dating plot made total sense. This was a bit insta- lusty as the first book, but based on the situation both characters found themselves in it actually worked.
I will say I was very surprised that the characters because I didn’t really think much about them going into this one.
Harper surprised me with how selfless she was. She put everyone above her without expecting anything back. I loved her relationship with her father, they both had me laughing the entire time. Only issue with her was that she needed to learn to stand her ground more 😭
Ares, was hot majority of the time. 🙂↕️ who doesn’t love a 6 foot 4 doctor with eyes as blue as the ocean?!! I also loved how complex he was as a mmc. He didn’t feel childish once , was very mature about the fake dating situation and the issues he was dealing with felt very real and valid. The way he would always hype up Harper and always reminded her how important she was to him was a major plus.
Together both Harper and Ares were pretty hot. From the get go they had good chemistry and I loved how they also had there sweet tender moments and how their relationship gradually grew.
* mini spoilers ahead*
The reason why this wasn’t as perfect as it could have been was that the whole ex bf and ex best friend situation. Yes it helped with the whole fake dating aspect , but it was just plain dumb at times. Like they were beyond delulu it irritated me. As well the “third act break up” it wasn’t needed since it felt super rush and was literally resolved like two chapters later and felt super cheesy which I’m good with majority of the time , but idk about this one lol I still had fun though, the vibes were there 🤷🏻♀️
I was living for the found family aspect and small town vibes. I also loved Harper’s relationship with her sisters and can’t wait for their books 👀
That second epilogue got me not going to lie 🥲
Currently Reading
September 29, 2026𐙚⋆°｡⋆♡ ── pre-read
finally starting one of my most anticipated reads of the year!!! i LOVED west of forever and this cover is HOT!!!! i am a huge fan of corinne so seeing all the new fans of this series makes me so happy 🥹💗 this book has grumpy x grumpy which is such an underrated trope!! i highly recommend this series if you love banter, small town, close knit friendships, meddling families, and cowboy romance!!
thank you must love audio for the ALC
finally starting one of my most anticipated reads of the year!!! i LOVED west of forever and this cover is HOT!!!! i am a huge fan of corinne so seeing all the new fans of this series makes me so happy 🥹💗 this book has grumpy x grumpy which is such an underrated trope!! i highly recommend this series if you love banter, small town, close knit friendships, meddling families, and cowboy romance!!
thank you must love audio for the ALC
October 1, 2026
4.5ish✨
JASON CLARKE IN MY EAR HOLES WILL ALWAYS BE 10/10 FOR MEEEE. 😂
Thank you so much to Must Love Audio for an ALC of this book because the narration was fucking perfection.👏🏻👏🏻
I absolutely loved book one in this series, so I could not wait to get back on this ranch, and book two did NOT disappoint.
This has one of my favorite tropes, which is fake dating. Call me basic. I don’t care. I eat it up every single time. And who doesn’t want to fake date a sexy fucking cardiologist with a filthy mouth? I volunteer as tribute.
I’ll be the first to admit that the reason these two start fake dating is absolutely ridiculous. I literally wanted to shake Harper when she agreed to something as absurd as being in her ex-best friend and ex-fiancé’s wedding.
GIRL. I’M GONNA NEED YOU TO BE SO FUCKING FOR REAL.
But honestly, this was a pretty perfect mutually beneficial situation for both of them. Ares is back in his hometown after being put on temporary leave from his job, and he’s taking over his grandfather’s practice. Smallll problem 👀😅 Nobody knows him, nobody trusts him, and he’s having a hard time getting patients.
So his thought process is basically, let me fake date this woman who is so loved by this town. She’ll help me get more patients, and I’ll help her look like she’s moved on.
It’s the perfect fake-dating scenario.
I think what I love most about fake dating is that while they’re putting on a show for the world around them, you’re watching their REAL feelings develop. So by the time their arrangement is over, they’re completely in love with each other and haven’t even realized it yet.
It gets me every fucking time.
I also LOVE the small-town vibes of this series. It encompasses that warm, heartfelt environment so perfectly. The town gossip, everyone knowing everyone, everyone meddling in everyone else’s business… especially the older people. 😂 I think it’s hilarious.
This has all the fixings for a perfect feel-good cowboy romance. We have a little opposites attract. He’s a city boy, she’s a country girl. He’s a bit broody and a tad bit closed off, while she’s a people pleaser with a big heart who is terrified of getting hurt.
And I loved watching their walls come down.
There were some SERIOUS laugh-out-loud moments, and somewhere along the way, I even cried. I love when books can pull multiple emotions out of me, and this one definitely did just that.
I really adore this series with my whole heart and soul, and I’m SO happy I discovered this author. I’m already on my hands and knees begging for the next book.
This is definitely becoming a comfort series for me. 🥹
JASON CLARKE IN MY EAR HOLES WILL ALWAYS BE 10/10 FOR MEEEE. 😂
Thank you so much to Must Love Audio for an ALC of this book because the narration was fucking perfection.👏🏻👏🏻
I absolutely loved book one in this series, so I could not wait to get back on this ranch, and book two did NOT disappoint.
This has one of my favorite tropes, which is fake dating. Call me basic. I don’t care. I eat it up every single time. And who doesn’t want to fake date a sexy fucking cardiologist with a filthy mouth? I volunteer as tribute.
I’ll be the first to admit that the reason these two start fake dating is absolutely ridiculous. I literally wanted to shake Harper when she agreed to something as absurd as being in her ex-best friend and ex-fiancé’s wedding.
GIRL. I’M GONNA NEED YOU TO BE SO FUCKING FOR REAL.
But honestly, this was a pretty perfect mutually beneficial situation for both of them. Ares is back in his hometown after being put on temporary leave from his job, and he’s taking over his grandfather’s practice. Smallll problem 👀😅 Nobody knows him, nobody trusts him, and he’s having a hard time getting patients.
So his thought process is basically, let me fake date this woman who is so loved by this town. She’ll help me get more patients, and I’ll help her look like she’s moved on.
It’s the perfect fake-dating scenario.
I think what I love most about fake dating is that while they’re putting on a show for the world around them, you’re watching their REAL feelings develop. So by the time their arrangement is over, they’re completely in love with each other and haven’t even realized it yet.
It gets me every fucking time.
I also LOVE the small-town vibes of this series. It encompasses that warm, heartfelt environment so perfectly. The town gossip, everyone knowing everyone, everyone meddling in everyone else’s business… especially the older people. 😂 I think it’s hilarious.
This has all the fixings for a perfect feel-good cowboy romance. We have a little opposites attract. He’s a city boy, she’s a country girl. He’s a bit broody and a tad bit closed off, while she’s a people pleaser with a big heart who is terrified of getting hurt.
And I loved watching their walls come down.
There were some SERIOUS laugh-out-loud moments, and somewhere along the way, I even cried. I love when books can pull multiple emotions out of me, and this one definitely did just that.
I really adore this series with my whole heart and soul, and I’m SO happy I discovered this author. I’m already on my hands and knees begging for the next book.
This is definitely becoming a comfort series for me. 🥹
October 7, 2026
Visiting Infinity Ridge again was a delight. I loved metting Ares and getting to know Harper more. They both are carrying a lot of burdens and it makes them a bit prickley. Ares is in town reluctantly to sell off his grandfather's small town medical practice and he is also looking to lay low while his career as a cardeologist back in Chicago is on the line.
Harper is the caretaker for her father, Clyde, and if we learned one thing about him in book 1, it's that Clyde sure likes to thawrt his care at every chance he can. Harper loves her father but he definitely doesn't make it easy.
When it is in both Ares and Harper's best interest to make the town think they are dating. They have to decide how serious they want to let things get, with Ares only in town for a finite amount of time and their connection growing by the day... they may have more on the line than they ever expected.
I really enjoyed being back with characters I already loved and getting to know new friends too.
I listened to the audio for this one which was a Duet Narration by Desirée Ketchum & Jason Clarke. They were a wonderful team.
4 Stars
3.5 on the spice scale
CW: Parental Illness & Hospital Situations
*Thank you to the author for an ALC of this title.*
Harper is the caretaker for her father, Clyde, and if we learned one thing about him in book 1, it's that Clyde sure likes to thawrt his care at every chance he can. Harper loves her father but he definitely doesn't make it easy.
When it is in both Ares and Harper's best interest to make the town think they are dating. They have to decide how serious they want to let things get, with Ares only in town for a finite amount of time and their connection growing by the day... they may have more on the line than they ever expected.
I really enjoyed being back with characters I already loved and getting to know new friends too.
I listened to the audio for this one which was a Duet Narration by Desirée Ketchum & Jason Clarke. They were a wonderful team.
4 Stars
3.5 on the spice scale
CW: Parental Illness & Hospital Situations
*Thank you to the author for an ALC of this title.*
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
MY GOD I LOVE THEM.
the fake dating trope will just never get old for me. everything about ares and harper’s situation was so ridiculous and SO MUCH FUN 🤸🏼
this book had me in a chokehold from chapter one, i was immediately hooked on wanting to know more about ares situation and why he was running away when he clearly wanted to be anywhere but in colorado from page one but then we run into a small situation with my personal favorite character of this series and the star of the show clyde stone that had me absolutely cackling and then THEE harper puts mcdreamy in his place??? simply amazing 😂
i was fortunate enough to get to listen to the ALC of this one, Desireé and Jason absolutely KILLED it. these two did such a phenomenal job bringing harper and ares to life, i was in tears from laughing so hard at their bickering at multiple points through out this book, i was in tears at certain points of the emotional vulnerability they brought to these characters. they were just the most perfect ares and harper 😭
the growth in both of these characters through out their story was just jaw droppingly stunning. watching harper and ares go from prickly to ooey gooey for each other was just such a treat. watching all of their walls drop and them finding ways to move past the expectations they’re holding themselves to, allowing one another to be there and see parts of themselves they dont show their families was just *chefs kiss* — as funny and as hot as this book was the emotional vulnerability really did it for me for this one!
i simply want to live in infinity ridge for forever! i will never get enough of these characters!!
the fake dating trope will just never get old for me. everything about ares and harper’s situation was so ridiculous and SO MUCH FUN 🤸🏼
this book had me in a chokehold from chapter one, i was immediately hooked on wanting to know more about ares situation and why he was running away when he clearly wanted to be anywhere but in colorado from page one but then we run into a small situation with my personal favorite character of this series and the star of the show clyde stone that had me absolutely cackling and then THEE harper puts mcdreamy in his place??? simply amazing 😂
i was fortunate enough to get to listen to the ALC of this one, Desireé and Jason absolutely KILLED it. these two did such a phenomenal job bringing harper and ares to life, i was in tears from laughing so hard at their bickering at multiple points through out this book, i was in tears at certain points of the emotional vulnerability they brought to these characters. they were just the most perfect ares and harper 😭
the growth in both of these characters through out their story was just jaw droppingly stunning. watching harper and ares go from prickly to ooey gooey for each other was just such a treat. watching all of their walls drop and them finding ways to move past the expectations they’re holding themselves to, allowing one another to be there and see parts of themselves they dont show their families was just *chefs kiss* — as funny and as hot as this book was the emotional vulnerability really did it for me for this one!
i simply want to live in infinity ridge for forever! i will never get enough of these characters!!
October 8, 2026
Never Been Tamed is a fake dating, grumpy x grumpy, age gap, opposites attract (cowgirl x city boy) romance! This is the 2nd book in Corinne’s current small town series and it was a lot of fun.
Think like Hart of Dixie vibes with Ares moving from Chicago where he was a cardiologist to the small town to take over his late grandfather’s practice. While his grandfather was the beloved town doctor, no one wants to have Ares be their doctor. On his first night in town he meets Harper at the local bar. Later on she’s in need of help when she says yes to being in her ex and ex-best friend’s wedding! She kisses Ares and says they’re dating so she can have a date for the wedding she isn’t looking forward to attending.
If you enjoy fake dating then this was a fun one, we get them having to fake their relationship around town. Not only will it help her at the wedding, but it’ll help him get some patients who want to see him. Her family definitely meddles in their fake relationship and we get some fun only one bed moments at a hotel stay. The audiobook is narrated by Jason Clarke and Desiree Ketchum, who are always so fun to listen to.
I received an audio ALC, all thoughts in this review are my own.
Think like Hart of Dixie vibes with Ares moving from Chicago where he was a cardiologist to the small town to take over his late grandfather’s practice. While his grandfather was the beloved town doctor, no one wants to have Ares be their doctor. On his first night in town he meets Harper at the local bar. Later on she’s in need of help when she says yes to being in her ex and ex-best friend’s wedding! She kisses Ares and says they’re dating so she can have a date for the wedding she isn’t looking forward to attending.
If you enjoy fake dating then this was a fun one, we get them having to fake their relationship around town. Not only will it help her at the wedding, but it’ll help him get some patients who want to see him. Her family definitely meddles in their fake relationship and we get some fun only one bed moments at a hotel stay. The audiobook is narrated by Jason Clarke and Desiree Ketchum, who are always so fun to listen to.
I received an audio ALC, all thoughts in this review are my own.
September 27, 2026
“She consumes me and I don’t f*cking care. I want all of her and I want to give her parts of me I didn’t know existed” 💗
Welcome back to Infinity Ridge, CO! I sure did miss the Heartstone Ranch crew. This story follows FMC Harper (sister to Tristan our MMC from the first book in the series), and MMC Dr. Ares Pierce, who did NOT come to this small town to play around. People-pleasing Harper finds herself a bridesmaid in her cheating ex’s wedding (girl, WHAT?), and Dr. Ares is in need of some good PR with the townspeople as he attempts to take over his late grandfather’s medical practice. After a series of unfortunate events, these two find themselves in a fake dating situation and both begin to wonder if these feelings aren’t actually fake after all…🫣
I’m in love with this broody, Sagittarius man I fear ♐️🥰. I love how protective he was of Harper, and although he definitely had his flaws, I’m a words of affirmation girlie, and he was fantastic and telling Harper about how beautiful and special she was. What I liked best about this story was their individual growth journeys, and of course the found family aspect for Ares. The end of the story did feel a little rushed though and the story got to the HEA a little too quickly for me. That being said, the Heartstone Ranch crew is not for the weak, and with all of their shenanigans Ares was a good sport and rolled with the punches. Ares “Hands on the Glass” 👐🏽 Pierce was the perfect person for Harper ❤️🔥.
🎧: narrated in DUET by Jason Clarke (💖) & Desiree Ketchum, these two were well cast for Ares and Harper. Jason Clarke did an EXCELLENT job capturing the broody, sexiness of Ares, but was also able to capture the moments of vulnerability when talking about his growing feelings for Harper, and all the uncertainty that came along with it. Both narrators did a great job providing distinctive voices for everyone in the town. It was a great audio performance.
I’m excited for Book 3 (Veronica’s story!) and can’t wait to get back to Infinity Ridge 🏔️💫
Thank you to Team Corinne Michaels for the ALC 💞
🎧: 5⭐️
📖: 4.25⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️
Welcome back to Infinity Ridge, CO! I sure did miss the Heartstone Ranch crew. This story follows FMC Harper (sister to Tristan our MMC from the first book in the series), and MMC Dr. Ares Pierce, who did NOT come to this small town to play around. People-pleasing Harper finds herself a bridesmaid in her cheating ex’s wedding (girl, WHAT?), and Dr. Ares is in need of some good PR with the townspeople as he attempts to take over his late grandfather’s medical practice. After a series of unfortunate events, these two find themselves in a fake dating situation and both begin to wonder if these feelings aren’t actually fake after all…🫣
I’m in love with this broody, Sagittarius man I fear ♐️🥰. I love how protective he was of Harper, and although he definitely had his flaws, I’m a words of affirmation girlie, and he was fantastic and telling Harper about how beautiful and special she was. What I liked best about this story was their individual growth journeys, and of course the found family aspect for Ares. The end of the story did feel a little rushed though and the story got to the HEA a little too quickly for me. That being said, the Heartstone Ranch crew is not for the weak, and with all of their shenanigans Ares was a good sport and rolled with the punches. Ares “Hands on the Glass” 👐🏽 Pierce was the perfect person for Harper ❤️🔥.
🎧: narrated in DUET by Jason Clarke (💖) & Desiree Ketchum, these two were well cast for Ares and Harper. Jason Clarke did an EXCELLENT job capturing the broody, sexiness of Ares, but was also able to capture the moments of vulnerability when talking about his growing feelings for Harper, and all the uncertainty that came along with it. Both narrators did a great job providing distinctive voices for everyone in the town. It was a great audio performance.
I’m excited for Book 3 (Veronica’s story!) and can’t wait to get back to Infinity Ridge 🏔️💫
Thank you to Team Corinne Michaels for the ALC 💞
🎧: 5⭐️
📖: 4.25⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️
October 23, 2026
Guys this was my first ever cowboy book, I know. I have always avoided them for no reason but omg I’m so happy I read this one because I enjoyed it a lot.
I had such a great time reading it, fake dating is ALWAYS going to do it for me. Like always, there’s truly nothing better than the moment when the fake turns real🤭 I really liked both characters (and everyone in the town too lol), I loved seeing their growth. I will admit sometimes I didn’t understand Harper’s thoughts and why she would do certain things but I am nothing like her tbh so I can see why I wouldn’t understand her at first but I enjoyed learning more about her and seeing her growth.
The chemistry between them was sooo good too!!! Like I was giggling and kicking my feet every time. I feel like they both helped each other in the most important way and something that I loved was seeing how Ares would show Harper how special she is. It was a really healthy relationship imo, which is the best!! I’m really excited for the next book and to be back into this town hehe
I had such a great time reading it, fake dating is ALWAYS going to do it for me. Like always, there’s truly nothing better than the moment when the fake turns real🤭 I really liked both characters (and everyone in the town too lol), I loved seeing their growth. I will admit sometimes I didn’t understand Harper’s thoughts and why she would do certain things but I am nothing like her tbh so I can see why I wouldn’t understand her at first but I enjoyed learning more about her and seeing her growth.
The chemistry between them was sooo good too!!! Like I was giggling and kicking my feet every time. I feel like they both helped each other in the most important way and something that I loved was seeing how Ares would show Harper how special she is. It was a really healthy relationship imo, which is the best!! I’m really excited for the next book and to be back into this town hehe
October 14, 2026
She’s the blue sky after a cloudy day that makes everything feel possible again.
Not a bad or annoying book, I suppose, but the 370 pages felt like 1,000 to me. Even though the MCs were likeable and the story was okay, I just couldn't get into it. I found everything so dull that I was bored to tears, and I didn't care at all what happened to the characters.
It might just be me. However, since this isn't the first Corinne Michaels’ book that's made me feel this way, the author clearly is not for me. Therefore, this will probably be the last of her books I read.
2.5
Not a bad or annoying book, I suppose, but the 370 pages felt like 1,000 to me. Even though the MCs were likeable and the story was okay, I just couldn't get into it. I found everything so dull that I was bored to tears, and I didn't care at all what happened to the characters.
It might just be me. However, since this isn't the first Corinne Michaels’ book that's made me feel this way, the author clearly is not for me. Therefore, this will probably be the last of her books I read.
2.5
October 27, 2026
okay i really had fun reading this one!! the characters were amazing (and HOT) 🤭
October 15, 2026
4.5/5 stars
I already loved the world of Heartstone Ranch, and Harper and Ares made me love it even more.
The chemistry and banter between these two were SO good. Ares has a broody, closed-off energy, while Harper is strong, stubborn, caring, and always puts everyone else before herself. I loved how their personalities played off each other and how much heart lay beneath all the tension and spice.
The fake dating, small-town meddling, Stone family chaos, and Clyde being Clyde had me smiling through so much of this book. It was funny and sexy, but still had enough emotional depth to make me really care about both characters.
My only reason for landing at 4.5 instead of 5 was that I wanted just a little more from the pacing throughout the middle but it did not take away from how I felt about their story.
Fake Dating
Small Town Romance
Age Gap
Cowgirl x City Boy
Broody MMC
Family Meddling
Thank you, Corinne and team for the ARC and allowing me to read this amazing story!!
I already loved the world of Heartstone Ranch, and Harper and Ares made me love it even more.
The chemistry and banter between these two were SO good. Ares has a broody, closed-off energy, while Harper is strong, stubborn, caring, and always puts everyone else before herself. I loved how their personalities played off each other and how much heart lay beneath all the tension and spice.
The fake dating, small-town meddling, Stone family chaos, and Clyde being Clyde had me smiling through so much of this book. It was funny and sexy, but still had enough emotional depth to make me really care about both characters.
My only reason for landing at 4.5 instead of 5 was that I wanted just a little more from the pacing throughout the middle but it did not take away from how I felt about their story.
Fake Dating
Small Town Romance
Age Gap
Cowgirl x City Boy
Broody MMC
Family Meddling
Thank you, Corinne and team for the ARC and allowing me to read this amazing story!!
October 17, 2026
જ⁀➴ 4 stars
HUGE thank you to Corinne Michaels and her team for sending me an eARC and a special physical character ARC in the mail! Never Been Tamed is out now!
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It's been a minute since I've read a cowboy romance/small town romance, and when you combine it with fake dating with a people-pleasing FMC and a high-achieving MMC? Well, you get Never Been Tamed. I absolutely adored Ares and Harper and I was quite surprised at how well they actually worked together as a couple. There were so many things I didn't expect to work in this story: a cowgirl who's never left meets a city boy, the city boy is actually a successful cardiologist with a fall from grace, and a disastrous plan that brings them both together.
Ares was a walking green flag the entirety of the book. He made Harper feel like she was more than just her past and her struggles and her duties as a daughter and a sister to her family. He helped her realize that she can be brave and have a life of her own while still being able to care for the people she cares about. Harper and Ares balance each other out perfectly, and I loved how Harper helped Ares learn that there was more to life than just his job and that there was so much more to live for and look forward to. In the words of one of my high school teachers, "Your job and your money will never love you back." I didn't understand at first at the age of 16, but now 10 years later as an adult, it's starting to become more and more real and true every day. I think that's the lesson that Ares comes to learn in the story.
I'm not going to lie, I was honestly a bit irritated with Harper at times when it came to her people-pleasing tendencies, but this is kind of a double-edged sword. Speaking from personal experience as someone who's been told she's a people-pleaser, I empathize a lot with Harper and why she acts the way she does. She has a lot on her shoulders with helping to manage her family's ranch and being a caretaker for her father, but her people-pleasing can take her to a lot of extremes to the point where I was smacking my head against the book being like, "PLEASEEEEEE GROW A BACKBONE I'M BEGGING YOU!" However, I loved her character development throughout the book and the person she becomes at the end of it all. I think part of my feelings towards Harper are somewhat biased, because I see a lot of myself in her personality. She doesn't want to cause trouble, she always wants to keep the peace, she always needs to do everything and watch out for her siblings and her dad because if she doesn't, who truly will?
As a healthcare worker, I usually like to try to point out anything that caught my attention in regards to healthcare things in books, and whether or not they're accurate. Another interesting tidbit was the plotline with Ares and his cardiologist job. Without going into too much detail about what happens, I think that the story did a really good job at portraying the reality for many healthcare workers: compartmentalizing our feelings, especially on the job. If you want someone who's extremely good at pushing emotions down and boxing them up, just literally ask any healthcare worker. I'd say about 95% of us have seen something bad happen while on shift or hearing bad news before your shift or a big exam you couldn't miss. It's happened to me, and I'm sure a lot of healthcare professionals will be able to relate to Ares and his struggles with work-life balance at times, as well as being able to process emotions in a healthier-than-average way. When people's lives are on the line, you can't let your personal emotions get in the way of providing the best care that you can. Being on a shift emotionally charged is like driving emotionally: you suck your feelings up and focus on the things you need to do. With that said, you can probably guess it leads to a lot of burnout and mental health struggles, and I'm glad the book didn't shy away from Ares and his vuneralibility surrounding his job and what he's going through leading up to his arrival at Infinity Ridge.
<.b>And of course, the review wouldn't be complete if I didn't mention Harper's family. I absolutely loved all of them, especially her dad, and even though they're all a little chaotic, I love how they're always there to support each other through thick and thin. I loved reading about Harper's relationship with her sisters, especially since I don't have sisters myself, so it's always fun to read about sister relationships in books.
Overall, I absolutely loved this book, and if you're looking for a spicy, fake dating cowboy romance story set in a cozy fall town, this book may be right up your alley! I can't wait to read the rest of the books in the series!
⋆｡‧˚ʚ ୨ৎ ɞ˚‧｡⋆ ⋆｡‧˚ʚ ୨ৎ ɞ˚‧｡⋆ ⋆｡‧˚ʚ ୨ৎ ɞ˚‧｡⋆ ⋆｡‧˚ʚ ୨ৎ ɞ˚‧｡⋆ ⋆｡‧˚ʚ ୨ৎ ɞ˚‧｡⋆ ⋆｡‧˚ʚ ୨ৎ ɞ˚‧｡⋆ ⋆｡‧˚ʚ ୨ৎ ɞ˚‧｡⋆ ⋆｡‧˚ʚ ୨ৎ ɞ˚‧｡⋆
HUGE thank you to Corinne Michaels and her team for sending me an eARC and a special physical character ARC in the mail! Never Been Tamed is out now!
"For some reason, Ares was brought into your life, and maybe, just maybe, it was to help heal you."
⋆｡‧˚ʚ ୨ৎ ɞ˚‧｡⋆ ⋆｡‧˚ʚ ୨ৎ ɞ˚‧｡⋆ ⋆｡‧˚ʚ ୨ৎ ɞ˚‧｡⋆ ⋆｡‧˚ʚ ୨ৎ ɞ˚‧｡⋆ ⋆｡‧˚ʚ ୨ৎ ɞ˚‧｡⋆ ⋆｡‧˚ʚ ୨ৎ ɞ˚‧｡⋆ ⋆｡‧˚ʚ ୨ৎ ɞ˚‧｡⋆ ⋆｡‧˚ʚ ୨ৎ ɞ˚‧｡⋆
It's been a minute since I've read a cowboy romance/small town romance, and when you combine it with fake dating with a people-pleasing FMC and a high-achieving MMC? Well, you get Never Been Tamed. I absolutely adored Ares and Harper and I was quite surprised at how well they actually worked together as a couple. There were so many things I didn't expect to work in this story: a cowgirl who's never left meets a city boy, the city boy is actually a successful cardiologist with a fall from grace, and a disastrous plan that brings them both together.
Ares was a walking green flag the entirety of the book. He made Harper feel like she was more than just her past and her struggles and her duties as a daughter and a sister to her family. He helped her realize that she can be brave and have a life of her own while still being able to care for the people she cares about. Harper and Ares balance each other out perfectly, and I loved how Harper helped Ares learn that there was more to life than just his job and that there was so much more to live for and look forward to. In the words of one of my high school teachers, "Your job and your money will never love you back." I didn't understand at first at the age of 16, but now 10 years later as an adult, it's starting to become more and more real and true every day. I think that's the lesson that Ares comes to learn in the story.
I'm not going to lie, I was honestly a bit irritated with Harper at times when it came to her people-pleasing tendencies, but this is kind of a double-edged sword. Speaking from personal experience as someone who's been told she's a people-pleaser, I empathize a lot with Harper and why she acts the way she does. She has a lot on her shoulders with helping to manage her family's ranch and being a caretaker for her father, but her people-pleasing can take her to a lot of extremes to the point where I was smacking my head against the book being like, "PLEASEEEEEE GROW A BACKBONE I'M BEGGING YOU!" However, I loved her character development throughout the book and the person she becomes at the end of it all. I think part of my feelings towards Harper are somewhat biased, because I see a lot of myself in her personality. She doesn't want to cause trouble, she always wants to keep the peace, she always needs to do everything and watch out for her siblings and her dad because if she doesn't, who truly will?
As a healthcare worker, I usually like to try to point out anything that caught my attention in regards to healthcare things in books, and whether or not they're accurate. Another interesting tidbit was the plotline with Ares and his cardiologist job. Without going into too much detail about what happens, I think that the story did a really good job at portraying the reality for many healthcare workers: compartmentalizing our feelings, especially on the job. If you want someone who's extremely good at pushing emotions down and boxing them up, just literally ask any healthcare worker. I'd say about 95% of us have seen something bad happen while on shift or hearing bad news before your shift or a big exam you couldn't miss. It's happened to me, and I'm sure a lot of healthcare professionals will be able to relate to Ares and his struggles with work-life balance at times, as well as being able to process emotions in a healthier-than-average way. When people's lives are on the line, you can't let your personal emotions get in the way of providing the best care that you can. Being on a shift emotionally charged is like driving emotionally: you suck your feelings up and focus on the things you need to do. With that said, you can probably guess it leads to a lot of burnout and mental health struggles, and I'm glad the book didn't shy away from Ares and his vuneralibility surrounding his job and what he's going through leading up to his arrival at Infinity Ridge.
<.b>And of course, the review wouldn't be complete if I didn't mention Harper's family. I absolutely loved all of them, especially her dad, and even though they're all a little chaotic, I love how they're always there to support each other through thick and thin. I loved reading about Harper's relationship with her sisters, especially since I don't have sisters myself, so it's always fun to read about sister relationships in books.
Overall, I absolutely loved this book, and if you're looking for a spicy, fake dating cowboy romance story set in a cozy fall town, this book may be right up your alley! I can't wait to read the rest of the books in the series!
⋆｡‧˚ʚ ୨ৎ ɞ˚‧｡⋆ ⋆｡‧˚ʚ ୨ৎ ɞ˚‧｡⋆ ⋆｡‧˚ʚ ୨ৎ ɞ˚‧｡⋆ ⋆｡‧˚ʚ ୨ৎ ɞ˚‧｡⋆ ⋆｡‧˚ʚ ୨ৎ ɞ˚‧｡⋆ ⋆｡‧˚ʚ ୨ৎ ɞ˚‧｡⋆ ⋆｡‧˚ʚ ୨ৎ ɞ˚‧｡⋆ ⋆｡‧˚ʚ ୨ৎ ɞ˚‧｡⋆
September 25, 2026
Review of advance copy received from Author
Rating~ 4.5 rounded up
I love a good fake dating trope! I totally get why Ares wanted to fake date Harper. She’s very charming and such a people person. She was the perfect pick to help improve his image in the community.
I was honestly impressed by how selfless and thoughtful Harper is. Her moments with her dad were hilarious. He really gave her a run for her money! Even with him pushing all her buttons, she kept a cool demeanor and remained respectful, so she’s alright in my book!
The escalating tension between Harper and Ares felt so genuine and natural. There is so much to think about because you can clearly tell they’re attracted to each other, but he has every intention of moving back to Chicago.
I really enjoyed Ares’s character development. I empathized with his character a lot. I can appreciate the amount of stress he was under while managing issues in his personal life, how those issues affected his work, and the fact that he met Harper at such a low point in his life. That being said, I think Harper was perfect for him because she’s so kind and selfless.
I thought the ending was precious. I especially loved all the cowboy moments when Ares was struggling a bit. He didn’t quite fit the scene, but I loved seeing him jump in anyway!
Rating~ 4.5 rounded up
I love a good fake dating trope! I totally get why Ares wanted to fake date Harper. She’s very charming and such a people person. She was the perfect pick to help improve his image in the community.
I was honestly impressed by how selfless and thoughtful Harper is. Her moments with her dad were hilarious. He really gave her a run for her money! Even with him pushing all her buttons, she kept a cool demeanor and remained respectful, so she’s alright in my book!
The escalating tension between Harper and Ares felt so genuine and natural. There is so much to think about because you can clearly tell they’re attracted to each other, but he has every intention of moving back to Chicago.
I really enjoyed Ares’s character development. I empathized with his character a lot. I can appreciate the amount of stress he was under while managing issues in his personal life, how those issues affected his work, and the fact that he met Harper at such a low point in his life. That being said, I think Harper was perfect for him because she’s so kind and selfless.
I thought the ending was precious. I especially loved all the cowboy moments when Ares was struggling a bit. He didn’t quite fit the scene, but I loved seeing him jump in anyway!
October 4, 2026
🌵"I believe in science. Facts. Medicine. Human choices. I’ve lived it and breathed it. Seen how it’s only a decision that creates the outcome—not some mythical being. And yet nothing makes sense about how I feel. Nothing that I can cling to right now, to explain the damn feelings consuming me.”
3⭐ 2.5🌶️
Unfortunately I just couldn't fully get into this book because the foundation of the romance didn't make sense to me
Her ex fiancé allegedly cheats on her with one of her best friends
They then invite her to their wedding
So she fake dates the new doctor in town to prove she is over her first love
The whole setup just really bothered me because I would have told Harper to throw her middle fingers up to both of them we are not attending this wedding!! 😆 so because their relationship begins in such a strange situation IMO I could never fully immerse myself in their romance
BUT there were definitely things I enjoyed
+ I LOVE a good cowboy/cowgirl setting
+ I really enjoyed the family dynamics and the cameos from previous characters
+ Ares and Harper are SO cute together once you get past the circumstances surrounding how their relationship begins. Their chemistry and connection worked really well for me outside of their meet cute
+ I also loved watching Ares build his practice and figure out what HE actually wanted out of his life. That was probably one of my favorite parts of his character arc
Overall this one just wasn't a match for me. I think the romance's origin story created such a roadblock for me that I couldn't fully lose myself in the story, even though there were plenty of individual moments I really liked
💕 You will enjoy this if you are into:
🌵 cowgirl x new doctor in town
🌵 small town romance
🌵 fake dating
🌵 cameos from previous characters
🌵 finding yourself after a breakup
🌵 starting over in a new town
3⭐ 2.5🌶️
Unfortunately I just couldn't fully get into this book because the foundation of the romance didn't make sense to me
Her ex fiancé allegedly cheats on her with one of her best friends
They then invite her to their wedding
So she fake dates the new doctor in town to prove she is over her first love
The whole setup just really bothered me because I would have told Harper to throw her middle fingers up to both of them we are not attending this wedding!! 😆 so because their relationship begins in such a strange situation IMO I could never fully immerse myself in their romance
BUT there were definitely things I enjoyed
+ I LOVE a good cowboy/cowgirl setting
+ I really enjoyed the family dynamics and the cameos from previous characters
+ Ares and Harper are SO cute together once you get past the circumstances surrounding how their relationship begins. Their chemistry and connection worked really well for me outside of their meet cute
+ I also loved watching Ares build his practice and figure out what HE actually wanted out of his life. That was probably one of my favorite parts of his character arc
Overall this one just wasn't a match for me. I think the romance's origin story created such a roadblock for me that I couldn't fully lose myself in the story, even though there were plenty of individual moments I really liked
💕 You will enjoy this if you are into:
🌵 cowgirl x new doctor in town
🌵 small town romance
🌵 fake dating
🌵 cameos from previous characters
🌵 finding yourself after a breakup
🌵 starting over in a new town
October 19, 2026
Age gap, family melodrama, and a cardiologist/cowgirl fake dating romance? Corrine Michaels is speaking my love language with this fantastic trope combo. Add in a mature romance, featuring older MCs (30s + 40s) that never rely on miscommunication, and you’ve got a romance that is as easy to binge as the quintessential early aughts romcom. Harper and Ares’s relationship, where the sweet most definitely meets the spice, is as swoon-worthy as our book one hero/heroine, Tristan and Lark.
While this does have a wonderful, breezy vibe, there are quite a few heavier elements that are handled with the nuance and care warranted, including grief and overcoming trauma. Michael’s does an impeccable job of never allowing an imbalance between the light and the heavy, but rather uses the deeper issues to help bolster our characters and make them feel like fully fleshed-out individuals who could just as easily exist in the real world.
🎧 This duet style audio is a fun format to devour this book in. Jason Clarke and Desiree Ketchum do a fantastic job of bringing both characters (as well as the supporting cast) to life. I definitely recommend this format if you are an audiobook fanatic like me.
Read if you like:
▪️cardiologist x cowgirl
▪️age gap
▪️fake dating
▪️grumpy x grumpy family
▪️small town romance
▪️emotional depth
📌 Heartstone Ranch Series, book 2
Thank you Corinne Michaels for the advanced copies.
While this does have a wonderful, breezy vibe, there are quite a few heavier elements that are handled with the nuance and care warranted, including grief and overcoming trauma. Michael’s does an impeccable job of never allowing an imbalance between the light and the heavy, but rather uses the deeper issues to help bolster our characters and make them feel like fully fleshed-out individuals who could just as easily exist in the real world.
🎧 This duet style audio is a fun format to devour this book in. Jason Clarke and Desiree Ketchum do a fantastic job of bringing both characters (as well as the supporting cast) to life. I definitely recommend this format if you are an audiobook fanatic like me.
Read if you like:
▪️cardiologist x cowgirl
▪️age gap
▪️fake dating
▪️grumpy x grumpy family
▪️small town romance
▪️emotional depth
📌 Heartstone Ranch Series, book 2
Thank you Corinne Michaels for the advanced copies.
Review of advance copy received from Author
4.5 stars
This is book two in the Heartstone Ranch series featuring Harper Stone and Dr. Ares Pierce. I really enjoyed the first book on audio and was looking forward to this one, too. It did not disappoint. Jason Clarke and Desiree Ketchum voice these wonderful characters in a duet narration and they are absolutely perfect.
Harper doesn't know if she will ever find love after finding her boyfriend/fiancé cheating on her with her supposed best friend. Now, she's two busy as a caretaker to her elderly father to even have time to look for love. She was not prepared to for Ares when she meets him in town. He's only in town to sell his grandfather's clinic. Or so she thinks.
It turns out they need each other, so it turns into a fake dating situation. Soon. the fake dating turns into real feelings for both quite fast.
I loved both Ares and Harper. They both have emotional baggage to work through and support each other about it.
Clyde, Harper's father, is a hoot, too. His epilogue was so sweet. Just loved it.
Read this if you like:
Small town
Fake dating
Age gap (MMC 42/FMC 32)
Meddling father
Spicy
Thank you to the author for an advanced listener copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is book two in the Heartstone Ranch series featuring Harper Stone and Dr. Ares Pierce. I really enjoyed the first book on audio and was looking forward to this one, too. It did not disappoint. Jason Clarke and Desiree Ketchum voice these wonderful characters in a duet narration and they are absolutely perfect.
Harper doesn't know if she will ever find love after finding her boyfriend/fiancé cheating on her with her supposed best friend. Now, she's two busy as a caretaker to her elderly father to even have time to look for love. She was not prepared to for Ares when she meets him in town. He's only in town to sell his grandfather's clinic. Or so she thinks.
It turns out they need each other, so it turns into a fake dating situation. Soon. the fake dating turns into real feelings for both quite fast.
I loved both Ares and Harper. They both have emotional baggage to work through and support each other about it.
Clyde, Harper's father, is a hoot, too. His epilogue was so sweet. Just loved it.
Read this if you like:
Small town
Fake dating
Age gap (MMC 42/FMC 32)
Meddling father
Spicy
Thank you to the author for an advanced listener copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Thank you to Corinne and her team for the eARC!
I usually find myself becoming easily bored with cowboy romances, but I doubt I'll ever feel that way about Heartstone Ranch. I genuinely loved revisiting Colorado with Harper and Ares this time. If fake dating, age gap, and meddling families is your bread and butter, then I would highly recommend this. I fear nothing can quite compare to how I felt reading West of Forever for the first time this summer, but this did come quite close. Unless Fiona ends up with who I think she might...
My favorite character, unsurprisingly, continues to be Clyde. Let’s be honest, these books probably would not exist without him because I cannot imagine any of these couples finding their way to each other without his involvement. Truly, the man deserves a commission for all the matchmaking he’s done.
I usually find myself becoming easily bored with cowboy romances, but I doubt I'll ever feel that way about Heartstone Ranch. I genuinely loved revisiting Colorado with Harper and Ares this time. If fake dating, age gap, and meddling families is your bread and butter, then I would highly recommend this. I fear nothing can quite compare to how I felt reading West of Forever for the first time this summer, but this did come quite close. Unless Fiona ends up with who I think she might...
My favorite character, unsurprisingly, continues to be Clyde. Let’s be honest, these books probably would not exist without him because I cannot imagine any of these couples finding their way to each other without his involvement. Truly, the man deserves a commission for all the matchmaking he’s done.
October 13, 2026
I loved this audiobook! Duet-style narration with Jason Clarke and Desirée Ketchum? Yes, please! Thank you, Must Love Audio, for the ALC. I couldn't press play fast enough.
I love a small-town romance, but throw in fake dating, and I'm already sold! This is the second book in the Heartstone Ranch series, and after loving the first one so much, I knew this was going to be good. It did NOT disappoint.
Our super-hot, cranky doctor, Dr. Ares Pierce, is back in town to deal with his grandfather's estate after his passing. His grandfather also happened to be the town doctor, but Ares, a fancy heart surgeon, has absolutely no interest in sticking around to take over the practice. He's there solely to figure out how to sell it and move on. That is, until he realizes he might need to get on the town's good side. After some convincing from his grandmother, he agrees to see a few patients while he's on sabbatical. The problem? Nobody trusts him, and he's left wondering how the hell he's supposed to get this town to like him.
Until Harper enters the chat.
When Ares first sees her, he's completely in awe. But instead of flirting or, you know, being remotely nice, he acts like a complete dick. So imagine his surprise when they run into each other again, and Harper kisses him. BUT there's a reason! Her ex-boyfriend AND ex-best friend are getting married, and they've invited her to the wedding. So Harper makes a spur-of-the-moment decision to make Ares her new boyfriend. He's a little taken aback, but quickly realizes this arrangement might work in his favor, too. After all, Harper is pretty much everyone's favorite gal in town, and maybe being associated with her will finally get the locals to like him.
I loved this story! Harper and Ares' banter was everything, and their chemistry was so much fun. It certainly doesn't hurt that Jason Clarke is Ares... (Dear Lord, I love that man.)
My only negative, and this is very much a ME thing, is that if my best friend and boyfriend cheated on me, there is absolutely NO WAY I would agree to attend their wedding. I wanted to slap that man and her ex-friend because WHAT DO YOU MEAN... But Harper is clearly a much nicer person than I am, so there's that.
If you're looking for a fun small-town romance with fantastic banter, fake dating, and an audiobook that makes you want to keep listening, this one is the perfect choice!
I love a small-town romance, but throw in fake dating, and I'm already sold! This is the second book in the Heartstone Ranch series, and after loving the first one so much, I knew this was going to be good. It did NOT disappoint.
Our super-hot, cranky doctor, Dr. Ares Pierce, is back in town to deal with his grandfather's estate after his passing. His grandfather also happened to be the town doctor, but Ares, a fancy heart surgeon, has absolutely no interest in sticking around to take over the practice. He's there solely to figure out how to sell it and move on. That is, until he realizes he might need to get on the town's good side. After some convincing from his grandmother, he agrees to see a few patients while he's on sabbatical. The problem? Nobody trusts him, and he's left wondering how the hell he's supposed to get this town to like him.
Until Harper enters the chat.
When Ares first sees her, he's completely in awe. But instead of flirting or, you know, being remotely nice, he acts like a complete dick. So imagine his surprise when they run into each other again, and Harper kisses him. BUT there's a reason! Her ex-boyfriend AND ex-best friend are getting married, and they've invited her to the wedding. So Harper makes a spur-of-the-moment decision to make Ares her new boyfriend. He's a little taken aback, but quickly realizes this arrangement might work in his favor, too. After all, Harper is pretty much everyone's favorite gal in town, and maybe being associated with her will finally get the locals to like him.
I loved this story! Harper and Ares' banter was everything, and their chemistry was so much fun. It certainly doesn't hurt that Jason Clarke is Ares... (Dear Lord, I love that man.)
My only negative, and this is very much a ME thing, is that if my best friend and boyfriend cheated on me, there is absolutely NO WAY I would agree to attend their wedding. I wanted to slap that man and her ex-friend because WHAT DO YOU MEAN... But Harper is clearly a much nicer person than I am, so there's that.
If you're looking for a fun small-town romance with fantastic banter, fake dating, and an audiobook that makes you want to keep listening, this one is the perfect choice!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Never Been Tamed had me in a CHOKEHOLD. After loving West of Forever, I could not wait to get back to Infinity Ridge and the Stone family, and Harper + Ares absolutely DELIVERED. This is exactly the kind of small-town romance I love. A grumpy city doctor who would rather be almost anywhere else, a woman who has spent years putting everyone else's needs ahead of her own, a fake relationship that very quickly starts feeling suspiciously real, meddling family members, small town gossip, and enough chemistry to set the whole damn ranch on fire. Corinne Michaels really knows how to make a town full of nosy friends and family feel like part of the romance, and I had SO much fun with this one.
Harper has had more than enough reason to be wary of love. After being betrayed by the man she thought she'd marry and the friend she trusted, she's spent years keeping her heart guarded while pouring herself into taking care of her dad. Harper is such a genuinely warm, thoughtful, selfless character, but I loved that her journey isn't just about finding someone who loves her. It's about figuring out that she deserves to have a life of her own, too. Her own acceptance that she has to stop living for others. She is so used to being the caretaker that she has to learn how to let someone take care of HER for once. AND ARES shows up for her in a big way.
Dr. Ares Pierce has absolutely no intention of falling in love in Infinity Ridge. He's supposed to be in Colorado temporarily, dealing with his grandfather's medical practice and family obligations before getting back to his real life in Chicago. Except then Harper walks into his orbit and suddenly his very carefully constructed plans start looking a whole lot less important.
These two are SO much fun together. The attraction is there immediately, but what I really loved was watching their relationship develop underneath the fake dating. The arrangement gives them an excuse to spend time together, but eventually neither of them can keep pretending that the looks, the touches, the protectiveness, and all that ridiculous tension are part of the act. The line between pretending and actually falling becomes very blurry, very quickly. And oh, the chemistry.
I especially loved how much they challenge each other. Harper brings warmth and perspective into Ares's very controlled world, while Ares pushes Harper to stop automatically putting everyone else first. Neither of them swoops in to magically fix the other. Instead, they become the person who makes the other brave enough to look at the parts of themselves they've been avoiding. Their emotional growth ended up being so good for both of them. This one felt way more internally character-focused and driven in a great way.
And Ares. LORD This man is definitely grumpy, definitely stubborn, definitely not a natural fit for the cowboy chaos of Infinity Ridge, and somehow that made watching him get absorbed into this family even more entertaining. Watching this polished Chicago doctor attempt to survive the Stone family and small town shenanigans was genuinely hilarious at times, but I love how his irritation goes to patience, then appreciation, than finding it all endearing. He may not have been born for the ranch life, but he was a surprisingly good sport about all of it.
And Harper's dad? I LOVED HIM. Clyde is an absolute scene stealer and a delicious meddler. His relationship with Harper gave the story so much humor, but there was also a sweetness underneath all the button pushing. And that bonus/epilogue chapter involving him? CORINNE JEAN MICHAELS, WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO ME?! Hurts and heals in the most beautiful way.
The romance itself is exactly what I wanted. It's playful and funny and full of banter, but there is genuine emotional weight underneath it. Their feelings don't come out of nowhere, and I loved seeing the trust between them build alongside the attraction. And when all that tension finally combusts... WELL. Corinne definitely understood the assignment. The spice in this one is considerably hotter than I was expecting. That hotel room moment? The dressing room? ARES. SIR. PLEASE.
I did feel like the final stretch moved a little faster than I would have preferred, but to be honest I usually feel like this in a Corinne story. There was just A LOT of big life stuff, and I wish we'd had more time to saturate in both those decisions and their HEA a bit longer. But overall, the story that had me smiling, swooning, laughing, and completely attached to these people. I love this family. I love the ridiculousness. I love the meddling. I love the warmth underneath all the chaos. I am SOOO ready for Veronica's story and whatever shenanigans this crew gets into next.
I listened to the duet audio and absolutely BINGED it. Jason Clarke and Desireé Ketchum narrate in duet, and this casting was perfection. Jason Clarke was SO good as Ares, pitch perfect casting. He captured that gruff, controlled, slightly intimidating energy perfectly, but what really got me was how naturally he shifted into Ares's softer and more vulnerable moments. You could hear the walls coming down as his feelings for Harper became harder and harder to deny. Desireé Ketchum brought so much warmth and personality to Harper. And also so much vulnerability, I've always felt she is one of the most emotionally expressive female narrators out there. She gave her the sweetness without losing her sass, humor, or strength, and her delivery made the banter between these two even more entertaining.
Someone please get me back to to the ranch ASAP!
**DUET Audio performed by Jason Clarke and Desireé Ketchum
What to expect:
🐎 Fake Dating
🐎 Small Town Romance
🐎 Cowgirl x City Boy
🐎 Doctor Hero
🐎 Family Ranch
🐎 Age Gap
🐎 High Spice
🐎 Grumpy/Grumpy ish
🐎Meddling Family
🐎 Found and Actual Family
🐎 Betrayal & Trust Issues
🐎 Only One Bed
🐎 Forced Proximity
🐎 Protective Hero
🐎Duet Audio
Harper has had more than enough reason to be wary of love. After being betrayed by the man she thought she'd marry and the friend she trusted, she's spent years keeping her heart guarded while pouring herself into taking care of her dad. Harper is such a genuinely warm, thoughtful, selfless character, but I loved that her journey isn't just about finding someone who loves her. It's about figuring out that she deserves to have a life of her own, too. Her own acceptance that she has to stop living for others. She is so used to being the caretaker that she has to learn how to let someone take care of HER for once. AND ARES shows up for her in a big way.
Dr. Ares Pierce has absolutely no intention of falling in love in Infinity Ridge. He's supposed to be in Colorado temporarily, dealing with his grandfather's medical practice and family obligations before getting back to his real life in Chicago. Except then Harper walks into his orbit and suddenly his very carefully constructed plans start looking a whole lot less important.
These two are SO much fun together. The attraction is there immediately, but what I really loved was watching their relationship develop underneath the fake dating. The arrangement gives them an excuse to spend time together, but eventually neither of them can keep pretending that the looks, the touches, the protectiveness, and all that ridiculous tension are part of the act. The line between pretending and actually falling becomes very blurry, very quickly. And oh, the chemistry.
I especially loved how much they challenge each other. Harper brings warmth and perspective into Ares's very controlled world, while Ares pushes Harper to stop automatically putting everyone else first. Neither of them swoops in to magically fix the other. Instead, they become the person who makes the other brave enough to look at the parts of themselves they've been avoiding. Their emotional growth ended up being so good for both of them. This one felt way more internally character-focused and driven in a great way.
And Ares. LORD This man is definitely grumpy, definitely stubborn, definitely not a natural fit for the cowboy chaos of Infinity Ridge, and somehow that made watching him get absorbed into this family even more entertaining. Watching this polished Chicago doctor attempt to survive the Stone family and small town shenanigans was genuinely hilarious at times, but I love how his irritation goes to patience, then appreciation, than finding it all endearing. He may not have been born for the ranch life, but he was a surprisingly good sport about all of it.
And Harper's dad? I LOVED HIM. Clyde is an absolute scene stealer and a delicious meddler. His relationship with Harper gave the story so much humor, but there was also a sweetness underneath all the button pushing. And that bonus/epilogue chapter involving him? CORINNE JEAN MICHAELS, WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO ME?! Hurts and heals in the most beautiful way.
The romance itself is exactly what I wanted. It's playful and funny and full of banter, but there is genuine emotional weight underneath it. Their feelings don't come out of nowhere, and I loved seeing the trust between them build alongside the attraction. And when all that tension finally combusts... WELL. Corinne definitely understood the assignment. The spice in this one is considerably hotter than I was expecting. That hotel room moment? The dressing room? ARES. SIR. PLEASE.
I did feel like the final stretch moved a little faster than I would have preferred, but to be honest I usually feel like this in a Corinne story. There was just A LOT of big life stuff, and I wish we'd had more time to saturate in both those decisions and their HEA a bit longer. But overall, the story that had me smiling, swooning, laughing, and completely attached to these people. I love this family. I love the ridiculousness. I love the meddling. I love the warmth underneath all the chaos. I am SOOO ready for Veronica's story and whatever shenanigans this crew gets into next.
I listened to the duet audio and absolutely BINGED it. Jason Clarke and Desireé Ketchum narrate in duet, and this casting was perfection. Jason Clarke was SO good as Ares, pitch perfect casting. He captured that gruff, controlled, slightly intimidating energy perfectly, but what really got me was how naturally he shifted into Ares's softer and more vulnerable moments. You could hear the walls coming down as his feelings for Harper became harder and harder to deny. Desireé Ketchum brought so much warmth and personality to Harper. And also so much vulnerability, I've always felt she is one of the most emotionally expressive female narrators out there. She gave her the sweetness without losing her sass, humor, or strength, and her delivery made the banter between these two even more entertaining.
Someone please get me back to to the ranch ASAP!
**DUET Audio performed by Jason Clarke and Desireé Ketchum
What to expect:
🐎 Fake Dating
🐎 Small Town Romance
🐎 Cowgirl x City Boy
🐎 Doctor Hero
🐎 Family Ranch
🐎 Age Gap
🐎 High Spice
🐎 Grumpy/Grumpy ish
🐎Meddling Family
🐎 Found and Actual Family
🐎 Betrayal & Trust Issues
🐎 Only One Bed
🐎 Forced Proximity
🐎 Protective Hero
🐎Duet Audio
October 4, 2026
okay so this was such a good one!!! if you’re in the mood for a great fake dating romance, with a meddling small town, forced proximity, and some good banter and chemistry, this is definitely a great book to read!!
i really enjoyed the entire relationship between ares and harper, they were so incredible together, and the communication and chemistry between these two were so so good!! i also loved reading about the small town aspect, with all the gossip and meddling characters (mostly Clyde LOL) it was so fun to read about!! also loved seeing lark and tristan again and seeing them get their happy ending! another thing i loved is how much ares hyped harper up and complimented her whenever he got the chance, genuinely i loved reading about it!
overall a great read! definitely recommend for anyone who loves the tropes in these books or is looking for a bingeable quick read! can’t wait to read veronica’s book next!
tropes:
🩵 age gap
🩺 fake dating
🩵 small town romance
🩺 grumpy x grumpy
thank you so so much to corinne michaels and her team for the eARC!
⋆˚࿔pre-read/pre-release
so so excited to read this one!! absolutely loved west of forever so i’m excited to go back into this world! also the tropes being grumpyxgrumpy, fake dating, and an age gap romance?! so excited!
thank you to corinne michaels and her team for the eARC!
i really enjoyed the entire relationship between ares and harper, they were so incredible together, and the communication and chemistry between these two were so so good!! i also loved reading about the small town aspect, with all the gossip and meddling characters (mostly Clyde LOL) it was so fun to read about!! also loved seeing lark and tristan again and seeing them get their happy ending! another thing i loved is how much ares hyped harper up and complimented her whenever he got the chance, genuinely i loved reading about it!
overall a great read! definitely recommend for anyone who loves the tropes in these books or is looking for a bingeable quick read! can’t wait to read veronica’s book next!
tropes:
🩵 age gap
🩺 fake dating
🩵 small town romance
🩺 grumpy x grumpy
thank you so so much to corinne michaels and her team for the eARC!
⋆˚࿔pre-read/pre-release
so so excited to read this one!! absolutely loved west of forever so i’m excited to go back into this world! also the tropes being grumpyxgrumpy, fake dating, and an age gap romance?! so excited!
thank you to corinne michaels and her team for the eARC!
Review of advance copy received from Author
ares was exactly what I need it.
August 30, 2026
TROPES: Age Gap, Fake Dating, Only One Bed, Cowgirl x City Boy, Small Town, Meddling Dad
Thank you so much to the author and her team for the gifted Character ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thought and opinions are my own.
Oh my god… I LOVED THIS 😭🫶 This was a highly anticipated release for me after I read, and loved, book one West of Forever earlier this year. And this one y’all… topped book one by a landslide in my opinion!! I absolutely adored Harper and Ares so much that it actually physically HURT when I finished this one in two short days. I didn’t want this one to end. The chemistry between Harper and Ares was immediately undeniable and Corinne had such a masterful way of bringing us along on their journey that had me kicking my feet and squealing every time they tried to lie to theirselves that their relationship was fake…. Ain’t nothing fake about it OKAYYYYYY
Ugh, take away my memory so I can read this one again for this first time… I miss them already… OH AND DON’T GET ME STARTED ON THE SPICE IN THIS ONE. I felt like West of Forever was extremely mild for what I tend to expect from Corinne (it kind of gave me closed door spice vibes tbh), so I was not expecting the astronomical HEAT Corinne gave us in this one. The hotel room glass scene. The DRESSING ROOM SCENE. I was speechless in the best way possible. Oh Ares, THE MAN YOU ARE
I cannot wait for book three in this series… I am seriously already feral for it 😩
Star Rating: 4.25 🌟
Spice Rating: 3 🥵🔥
For more bookish content and review, please consider giving my bookstagram a follow (link below and in my bio):
https://www.instagram.com/lovinmyshelf
Thank you so much to the author and her team for the gifted Character ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thought and opinions are my own.
Oh my god… I LOVED THIS 😭🫶 This was a highly anticipated release for me after I read, and loved, book one West of Forever earlier this year. And this one y’all… topped book one by a landslide in my opinion!! I absolutely adored Harper and Ares so much that it actually physically HURT when I finished this one in two short days. I didn’t want this one to end. The chemistry between Harper and Ares was immediately undeniable and Corinne had such a masterful way of bringing us along on their journey that had me kicking my feet and squealing every time they tried to lie to theirselves that their relationship was fake…. Ain’t nothing fake about it OKAYYYYYY
Ugh, take away my memory so I can read this one again for this first time… I miss them already… OH AND DON’T GET ME STARTED ON THE SPICE IN THIS ONE. I felt like West of Forever was extremely mild for what I tend to expect from Corinne (it kind of gave me closed door spice vibes tbh), so I was not expecting the astronomical HEAT Corinne gave us in this one. The hotel room glass scene. The DRESSING ROOM SCENE. I was speechless in the best way possible. Oh Ares, THE MAN YOU ARE
I cannot wait for book three in this series… I am seriously already feral for it 😩
Star Rating: 4.25 🌟
Spice Rating: 3 🥵🔥
For more bookish content and review, please consider giving my bookstagram a follow (link below and in my bio):
https://www.instagram.com/lovinmyshelf
August 16, 2026
Title: Never Been Tamed
Author: Corinne Michaels
Series: Heartstone Ranch, 2
Format: Edelweiss ebook
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Overall score: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice level:🌶️🌶️🌶️
POV’s: Harper (FMC) & Ares (MMC)
What to expect:
*Fake dating romance
*Forced proximity
*Meddling parents/grandparents
Safety:
No OW/OM drama. Death of parents/grandparent off page. Cheating off page, not between MC’s. Does have a third act breakup.
Review:
Ares is returning to his grandmothers small town to take over his grandfathers medical office after being forced to take some time off from his cardiologist practice in Chicago.
While at the local bar, Ares runs into Harper and immediately comes to her rescue when her ex-fiancé and his current girlfriend corner Harper into coming to their wedding.
The two form a pact to help each other out over the next couple of months. Harper will help Ares get patients at his medical office, Ares will stand in as her fake boyfriend to get the ex and his girlfriend off their radar.
Soon enough the small town is meddling, a former coworker of Ares is causing trouble, and feelings are developing. I adore a book that has meddling elderly people in the storyline! It is truly one of my favorite mini-tropes!
Thank you to the author, Sourcebooks, and Edelweiss for the opportunity to read and review this title!
Author: Corinne Michaels
Series: Heartstone Ranch, 2
Format: Edelweiss ebook
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Overall score: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice level:🌶️🌶️🌶️
POV’s: Harper (FMC) & Ares (MMC)
What to expect:
*Fake dating romance
*Forced proximity
*Meddling parents/grandparents
Safety:
No OW/OM drama. Death of parents/grandparent off page. Cheating off page, not between MC’s. Does have a third act breakup.
Review:
Ares is returning to his grandmothers small town to take over his grandfathers medical office after being forced to take some time off from his cardiologist practice in Chicago.
While at the local bar, Ares runs into Harper and immediately comes to her rescue when her ex-fiancé and his current girlfriend corner Harper into coming to their wedding.
The two form a pact to help each other out over the next couple of months. Harper will help Ares get patients at his medical office, Ares will stand in as her fake boyfriend to get the ex and his girlfriend off their radar.
Soon enough the small town is meddling, a former coworker of Ares is causing trouble, and feelings are developing. I adore a book that has meddling elderly people in the storyline! It is truly one of my favorite mini-tropes!
Thank you to the author, Sourcebooks, and Edelweiss for the opportunity to read and review this title!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 6, 2026
“Her warmth is addicting. Her smile is alluring. Her heart is welcoming. She’s so easy to love.”
There’s just nothing like finishing a book and knowing with your whole being that it’s a story that will stick with you for YEARS. (And also the bonus epilogue had me WRECKED, in the best way. Corinne, be kind to my soul in book 4 okay? I can’t handle it.) 🥹😭💖
“She’s my rock and the light in the darkness.”
🎧 The audiobook is narrated by Jason Clarke & Desireé Ketchum and their narration together was so amazing. Truly a talented pair of narrators. Jason’s voice for Clyde TOOK ME OUT AT THE KNEES IN THE BONUS SCENE. The depth of emotion was amazing.
“Nobody puts Harper at the singles table.” I stare up at him, trying to fight back a smile. “And why is that?” I manage to ask.
“Because you’re not single. You’re mine.”
Ares Pierce was a broken man with all the talent in the world. He lost himself in the quest of his career as a cardiologist. One bad day left him shattered and on a 6 month trip to Infinity Ridge. This man is grumpy but so attentive and sweet to Harper. I loved getting to see him make ‘friends’.
“You’re in charge, sweetheart—what do you want?”
“Touch me.”
“Where?”
“Everywhere.”
Harper Stone? She’s my new idol. Her people pleasing ways was so relatable to me. She gives her whole self into making others happy or avoiding awkward conversations. It took ‘fake’ dating the town’s new grump to finally start valuing herself.
“You need a hobby.”
“I have one.”
“I’m not a hobby.”
“No, but I think finding new ways to make you scream is becoming one.”
Harper and Ares together was just absolute perfection. The banter in this book was DIVINE. I am not sure the chemistry between them was EVER fake, and Ares was down bad right from the get go. (Even after their first bumpy encounter.)
“You’ve changed my perspective, Harper. In a few weeks, I’m not even the same person. I’m riding horses, going on dates, taking trips to the mountains, doing dirty things in dressing rooms.”
I chuckle. “I think I’m corrupting you.”
He kisses my neck. “If this is what corruption looks like, then you can corrupt me anytime.”
And the SPIIIIICE?! Corinne Michaels gifted the readers with some great scenes, including a dressing room chap moment that is honestly iconic. 😂❤️🔥🫠
I could go on and on about how much I loved this book, just know if I could rate it higher than 5⭐️ I absolutely would! Add this to your TBR ASAP!
Tropes:
🏠 Small Town
⛅️ Grumpy x Grumpy
🫶🏼 Cardiologist x Cowgirl
🤭 Fake Dating
🍷 Age Gap
🛏️ Only One Bed
💃🏻 Meddling Family
There’s just nothing like finishing a book and knowing with your whole being that it’s a story that will stick with you for YEARS. (And also the bonus epilogue had me WRECKED, in the best way. Corinne, be kind to my soul in book 4 okay? I can’t handle it.) 🥹😭💖
“She’s my rock and the light in the darkness.”
🎧 The audiobook is narrated by Jason Clarke & Desireé Ketchum and their narration together was so amazing. Truly a talented pair of narrators. Jason’s voice for Clyde TOOK ME OUT AT THE KNEES IN THE BONUS SCENE. The depth of emotion was amazing.
“Nobody puts Harper at the singles table.” I stare up at him, trying to fight back a smile. “And why is that?” I manage to ask.
“Because you’re not single. You’re mine.”
Ares Pierce was a broken man with all the talent in the world. He lost himself in the quest of his career as a cardiologist. One bad day left him shattered and on a 6 month trip to Infinity Ridge. This man is grumpy but so attentive and sweet to Harper. I loved getting to see him make ‘friends’.
“You’re in charge, sweetheart—what do you want?”
“Touch me.”
“Where?”
“Everywhere.”
Harper Stone? She’s my new idol. Her people pleasing ways was so relatable to me. She gives her whole self into making others happy or avoiding awkward conversations. It took ‘fake’ dating the town’s new grump to finally start valuing herself.
“You need a hobby.”
“I have one.”
“I’m not a hobby.”
“No, but I think finding new ways to make you scream is becoming one.”
Harper and Ares together was just absolute perfection. The banter in this book was DIVINE. I am not sure the chemistry between them was EVER fake, and Ares was down bad right from the get go. (Even after their first bumpy encounter.)
“You’ve changed my perspective, Harper. In a few weeks, I’m not even the same person. I’m riding horses, going on dates, taking trips to the mountains, doing dirty things in dressing rooms.”
I chuckle. “I think I’m corrupting you.”
He kisses my neck. “If this is what corruption looks like, then you can corrupt me anytime.”
And the SPIIIIICE?! Corinne Michaels gifted the readers with some great scenes, including a dressing room chap moment that is honestly iconic. 😂❤️🔥🫠
I could go on and on about how much I loved this book, just know if I could rate it higher than 5⭐️ I absolutely would! Add this to your TBR ASAP!
Tropes:
🏠 Small Town
⛅️ Grumpy x Grumpy
🫶🏼 Cardiologist x Cowgirl
🤭 Fake Dating
🍷 Age Gap
🛏️ Only One Bed
💃🏻 Meddling Family
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Ares and Harper were something special! Thanks to Team Corinne Michaels for the ALC. These are my honest thoughts!
I LOVE THE STONE FAMILY. Harper has been saddled with the job of taking care of dear ol' dad. Mr. Stone is a hard man to wrangle, and taking care of him is a full time job. After her best friend and her fiancé broke up Harper's engagement several years ago, she's been a solo gal with trust issues... primarily, trust in herself. And when a cute stranger looks her way in the bar, well... everything changes.
Dr. Ares Pierce has come back to small town Colorado after being forced to take a sabbatical from his fancy job at a fancy hospital in Chicago. He missed his grandfather's funeral, the other Dr. Pierce, and his grandmother misses him terribly. But his return to Infinity Ridge is begrudging. He doesn't want to work in a private practice. He wants to work in cardiology. Until the most beautiful woman he's ever seen puts him in his place, and then keeps showing up around town. And when that girl, Harper, is blind-sided by her ex, a fake relationship is instantly the only solution she can come up with, and from there, a budding relationship becomes so much more than either of them could have hoped for.
READ IF YOU LOVE:
- Fake dating
- Cowgirl x City Boy
- Family ranch
- He's a doctor
- She's a caretaker
- She's a little country, he's a bit fake country
- Forced proximity
- Small town
- Age gap
- Small town gossip + meddling dad's/grandma's/the bingo ladies
- Boundaries and forgiveness
- A weekend getaway + there's only one bed! (but there's also a mirror, + that *really* works out for Harper)
- Semi-public displays of *ahem* affection
THE AUDIOBOOK: JASON CLARKE WAS LITERALLY PERFECT AS ARES. He's a buttoned-up doctor by day and a little saucy by night, and this casting was absolute perfection. Desireé Ketchum was also fantastic as Harper. I binged this audiobook in a day and felt so immersed in this story. The pacing, emotions, and story were so fun to experience on audio. Out October 6th!
I LOVE THE STONE FAMILY. Harper has been saddled with the job of taking care of dear ol' dad. Mr. Stone is a hard man to wrangle, and taking care of him is a full time job. After her best friend and her fiancé broke up Harper's engagement several years ago, she's been a solo gal with trust issues... primarily, trust in herself. And when a cute stranger looks her way in the bar, well... everything changes.
Dr. Ares Pierce has come back to small town Colorado after being forced to take a sabbatical from his fancy job at a fancy hospital in Chicago. He missed his grandfather's funeral, the other Dr. Pierce, and his grandmother misses him terribly. But his return to Infinity Ridge is begrudging. He doesn't want to work in a private practice. He wants to work in cardiology. Until the most beautiful woman he's ever seen puts him in his place, and then keeps showing up around town. And when that girl, Harper, is blind-sided by her ex, a fake relationship is instantly the only solution she can come up with, and from there, a budding relationship becomes so much more than either of them could have hoped for.
READ IF YOU LOVE:
- Fake dating
- Cowgirl x City Boy
- Family ranch
- He's a doctor
- She's a caretaker
- She's a little country, he's a bit fake country
- Forced proximity
- Small town
- Age gap
- Small town gossip + meddling dad's/grandma's/the bingo ladies
- Boundaries and forgiveness
- A weekend getaway + there's only one bed! (but there's also a mirror, + that *really* works out for Harper)
- Semi-public displays of *ahem* affection
THE AUDIOBOOK: JASON CLARKE WAS LITERALLY PERFECT AS ARES. He's a buttoned-up doctor by day and a little saucy by night, and this casting was absolute perfection. Desireé Ketchum was also fantastic as Harper. I binged this audiobook in a day and felt so immersed in this story. The pacing, emotions, and story were so fun to experience on audio. Out October 6th!
October 9, 2026
Audiobook 🎧
Corinne does it again. I love Infinity Ridge and the Stone family. Ares and and Harper were something special in this book.
Ares is returning to Colorado after the death of his grandfather and being forced to take sabbatical leave from his hospital in Chicago. Harper has been given the job of taking care of her dad which is somewhat a struggle and full time job. After a few encounters together, Harper is ambushed by her ex-fiancé and ex-best-friend in the bar - she comes up with the idea of fake dating Ares to save her. Soon they build up a fun friendship and their relationship turns more real than they first realised.
Harper is so sassy. She loves with her whole heart and puts everyone else's needs before her own - even if those people mistreated her in the past. Ares is a grumpy doctor. He didn't want to be in Colorado, but as he gets to know Harper more - he finds a reason to love it more.
These two had great chemistry. I loved the back and fourth banter. The mixture of tension, heart, humour and spice. They worked well together. Perfect.
The grand gesture was like something out of a movie!!
I really enjoyed this small town and its people. Harper's dad had me cackling at times.
I'm looking forward to coming back in book three!
- Small Town Romance
- Age Gap
- Fake Dating
- Only One Bed
- Cowgirl x City Boy
- Grumpy x Grumpy
- Meddling Family
Corinne does it again. I love Infinity Ridge and the Stone family. Ares and and Harper were something special in this book.
Ares is returning to Colorado after the death of his grandfather and being forced to take sabbatical leave from his hospital in Chicago. Harper has been given the job of taking care of her dad which is somewhat a struggle and full time job. After a few encounters together, Harper is ambushed by her ex-fiancé and ex-best-friend in the bar - she comes up with the idea of fake dating Ares to save her. Soon they build up a fun friendship and their relationship turns more real than they first realised.
Harper is so sassy. She loves with her whole heart and puts everyone else's needs before her own - even if those people mistreated her in the past. Ares is a grumpy doctor. He didn't want to be in Colorado, but as he gets to know Harper more - he finds a reason to love it more.
These two had great chemistry. I loved the back and fourth banter. The mixture of tension, heart, humour and spice. They worked well together. Perfect.
The grand gesture was like something out of a movie!!
I really enjoyed this small town and its people. Harper's dad had me cackling at times.
I'm looking forward to coming back in book three!
- Small Town Romance
- Age Gap
- Fake Dating
- Only One Bed
- Cowgirl x City Boy
- Grumpy x Grumpy
- Meddling Family
Review of advance copy received from Author
What to Expect:
Fake Dating
Cowgirl/City Doctor
Small Town
Forced Proximity
Age Gap
Only One Bed moment
Heartstone Ranch and Infinity Ridge is something special. We first visited with West of Forever where we met the Stone's and their chaotic but loving family. I loved West of Forever so Never Been Tamed has been one of my highly anticipated reads of the year and let me tell you... Corinne absolutely outdid herself with this one.
Harper Stone is the caretaker of the family and trying to wrangle in her father has now become a full time job. Ares Pierce is a doctor from Chicago on sabbatical after a surgery gone wrong. While in town, he decides to help out at his late grandfather's practice however the town is slow to warm up to him. After Harper is put in an awkward position by her ex-fiancé and ex-best friend Ares ends up coming to her rescue as her fake boyfriend.
What started as a surprise arrangement turns into a mutually beneficial deal between Ares and Harper... as long as they ignore the growing attraction they feel towards each other. Fortunately for us, Infinity Ridge is full of busybody's in the form of their family members. There were so many moments that had me cackling with delight, including the weekend getaway that Clyde Stone booked for them.
Throughout the story, the chemistry between Ares and Harper was fantastic. I was very quickly obsessed with the banter between the two and how they complemented each other. Even as they were fighting to say that this was a fake relationship, there was nothing fake about their connection and how they found solace in each other. And when they finally give into their feelings? The spice was HOT. Between the mirror scene and the dressing room scene, I could not get enough of Ares and his mouth.
Thank you so much to Corinne and her team for the early copy of Never Been Tamed. This is easily one of my favorite reads of the year and I am so excited to head back to Heartstone Ranch soon!
Fake Dating
Cowgirl/City Doctor
Small Town
Forced Proximity
Age Gap
Only One Bed moment
Heartstone Ranch and Infinity Ridge is something special. We first visited with West of Forever where we met the Stone's and their chaotic but loving family. I loved West of Forever so Never Been Tamed has been one of my highly anticipated reads of the year and let me tell you... Corinne absolutely outdid herself with this one.
Harper Stone is the caretaker of the family and trying to wrangle in her father has now become a full time job. Ares Pierce is a doctor from Chicago on sabbatical after a surgery gone wrong. While in town, he decides to help out at his late grandfather's practice however the town is slow to warm up to him. After Harper is put in an awkward position by her ex-fiancé and ex-best friend Ares ends up coming to her rescue as her fake boyfriend.
What started as a surprise arrangement turns into a mutually beneficial deal between Ares and Harper... as long as they ignore the growing attraction they feel towards each other. Fortunately for us, Infinity Ridge is full of busybody's in the form of their family members. There were so many moments that had me cackling with delight, including the weekend getaway that Clyde Stone booked for them.
Throughout the story, the chemistry between Ares and Harper was fantastic. I was very quickly obsessed with the banter between the two and how they complemented each other. Even as they were fighting to say that this was a fake relationship, there was nothing fake about their connection and how they found solace in each other. And when they finally give into their feelings? The spice was HOT. Between the mirror scene and the dressing room scene, I could not get enough of Ares and his mouth.
Thank you so much to Corinne and her team for the early copy of Never Been Tamed. This is easily one of my favorite reads of the year and I am so excited to head back to Heartstone Ranch soon!
Review of advance copy
My gosh this one’s it 😭 Corinne set the bar so high with West of Forever and then she gave us Never Been Tamed.
It is a beautiful story of Harper learning to choose herself when she’s spent her life bending to the needs of others. And on the other hand, Ares learns how to give to someone else instead of being focused only on himself.
They’re fake dating very quickly turned into real dating and they found themselves exactly where they were meant to be…. Together 🫶🏼 and if you missed The Ridge then you’re in luck because we get to go back for some visits!!
The banter and tension were LETHAL in this one! You will need to bring a fan 🪭
Also the dang bonus scene just about took me out.. like I will never recover when this series comes to an end 😭
I’m so thankful I happy to have found Corinne and her books, they’ve made my year significantly better 💕
It is a beautiful story of Harper learning to choose herself when she’s spent her life bending to the needs of others. And on the other hand, Ares learns how to give to someone else instead of being focused only on himself.
They’re fake dating very quickly turned into real dating and they found themselves exactly where they were meant to be…. Together 🫶🏼 and if you missed The Ridge then you’re in luck because we get to go back for some visits!!
The banter and tension were LETHAL in this one! You will need to bring a fan 🪭
Also the dang bonus scene just about took me out.. like I will never recover when this series comes to an end 😭
I’m so thankful I happy to have found Corinne and her books, they’ve made my year significantly better 💕
October 11, 2026
Never Been Tamed is the second book in the Heartstone Ranch series and was a fun listen! This had fake dating, forced proximity, and all the small town vibes. Harper and Ares had a lot of cute moments, however the third act breakup was resolved way too quickly for my liking. While the reasoning for it was very valid I think it could of used a few more chapters to really show the groveling and growth of the characters. Despite that, this was still a fun read and I have a feeling book 3, Always the Rebel, which is Veronica's story will be my favorite!
Thank you to Must Love Audio for the ALC in exchange for my review!
Thank you to Must Love Audio for the ALC in exchange for my review!
October 14, 2026
RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
SPICE: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
This book would get five stars for the Dirty Dancing reference alone, but to be honest the entire story was just absolutely wonderful and was one of my easiest 6 star reads of the year.
As a people pleaser, I understood Harper down to my soul. I’ve been Harper (not the wedding part) and I just resonated with her so so much h.
And Ares. That man was exactly when she needed. And turns out he needed her too. What I loved about this is it was fake dating but the feelings between the two of them were absolutely never fake.
This book just su led me in. The audio was absolutely fantastic and I absolutely could not put it down. Everything about it was perfect.
✨ Small Town
✨ Cowgirl x City Boy
✨ He’s a Doctor
✨ Age Gap
✨ Fake Dating
✨Only One Bedt
SPICE: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
This book would get five stars for the Dirty Dancing reference alone, but to be honest the entire story was just absolutely wonderful and was one of my easiest 6 star reads of the year.
As a people pleaser, I understood Harper down to my soul. I’ve been Harper (not the wedding part) and I just resonated with her so so much h.
And Ares. That man was exactly when she needed. And turns out he needed her too. What I loved about this is it was fake dating but the feelings between the two of them were absolutely never fake.
This book just su led me in. The audio was absolutely fantastic and I absolutely could not put it down. Everything about it was perfect.
✨ Small Town
✨ Cowgirl x City Boy
✨ He’s a Doctor
✨ Age Gap
✨ Fake Dating
✨Only One Bedt
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