Trouble Brewing: Crossroads Ranch

by Walker Rose, Michelle Sparks (Narrator), Troy Duran (Narrator)

An addictive, spicy enemies-to-lovers western romance

Welcome to Scandal, North Dakota, where loyalty runs deep and rivalries never die—especially between a country girl and a city boy who’s forgotten his roots…

Calder

I swore I’d never return to my family ranch and brewery. Those memories are best left buried in the dust. But when my father passes, it’s on me to sell up. The problem? Meredith Winslow—the girl running my father’s business. Except she’s no longer a girl… In those tight jeans, with a hotter-than-hell smirk and a fiery temper to match, she’s all woman. And she’s refusing to leave.

Meredith agrees to show me the ropes so I can help out until we sell. It’s exhausting work, so why can’t I sleep at night? Is it the paper-thin wall between us, the question of what she’s wearing to bed, or the thought of taking away the only home she’s ever known?

Meredith

I’ve worn my boots to the bone at Crossroads Ranch, feeding the horses by day and serving beer to the locals by night. Then brooding, bossy, sex-in-a-suit Calder turns up to kick the door closed on my life with one perfectly polished shoe.

This is the place I grew up wild and free. Calder says we have to leave it all behind. And I can’t let that happen…

Because somewhere between the eye rolls and heated arguments, early morning starts turn into late night flirting. Calling last orders turns into roaming hands and finally knowing what his stubble feels like against my neck. Riding side-by-side with our legs brushing turns into a hard, fast, stolen moment against a fence post…

Our chemistry burns hotter than any North Dakota summer. But this man might take everything from me—and if he keeps looking at me with those sparkling brown eyes, I’m worried I might just hand it right to him…

Audible Audio

Expected publication June 24, 2026

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW

First off I love a good enemies to lovers. The more they dislike each other the better.
SECOND…. A cliffhanger?!? The ending of the book had me 🤯🤯🤯🤯

[Cups of Fiction · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️ - The series has potential

Trouble Brewing is a small-town enemies to lovers romance between Meredith, a country girl and Calder, a city boy who has forgotten his country roots. After the tragic deaths of Calder’s father and stepmother (who is also Meredith’s half-sister) Calder comes back to the town and ranch he grew up on, only to find the forgotten young girl he knew has grown into a beautiful woman who hates being attracted to.

I struggled with the beginning of this book, while I liked Troy Duran’s narration of Calder’s POV it was hard for me to get into and get used to Michelle Sparks’ narration of Meredith’s POV. It was really breathy and it made the insta-lust thoughts Meredith was having so cringey.

But as I pushed through I got used to the narrator and as Calder and Meredith’s emotional relationship developed I got more invested in the story. Especially with the mystery plot line that sets up the rest of the series. I think the insta-lust was what I struggled with especially since this was enemies to lovers. I just prefer a more slow burn approach to this trope.

Overall this series has a lot of potential and I would definitely continue it.

Overall Rating : 3 ⭐️
Story: 3.5 ⭐️
Narration: 2 ⭐️
Spice : 3 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the ALC and opportunity to review this book.

[Lexa K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this one, and I liked the whole idea of the ranch boy come home after a family tragedy and the girl left behind.

But for me I struggled with the narration for Meredith. As one of the rare people who likes to listen at x1 speed for audiobooks I could not stand how breathy and drawn out Michelle Sparks narrated. Every time her parts would come on I'd cringe and struggle to stay invested. In the end I had to speed up to 1.5x just to be able to finish the book which was frustrating as it meant that Calder's perspective was not the experience I wanted. I did however enjoy his chapters far more and could listen to that man speak for days.

If I'd read this as a physical copy rather than listened to the audio I think I would have enjoyed this far more, but if you listen faster then I imagine this will not be a problem for you and is more of a 'me' issue than the book itself.

I liked the cliffhanger ending, and I may pick up the actual book for the next in the series, but for me the audio would be a no.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me access to an advance copy of this book.

[Jennifer Wycech · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enemies to lovers
Small town
Cowboy romance
Workplace romance
He owns the brewery and she manages it
Dual POV - 1st person

Dual narration - Troy Duran & Michelle Sparks
I love these two narrators they both always perform so fabulously

Book #1 Crossroads Ranch series

The cover drew me in first, then I read the blurb, then I saw the narrators and knew I needed this book in my ears. I was slightly disappointed that it is not duet narration however these narrators did a great job in dual narration style. The book takes a little bit to get into as it is a little bit quick that the MC's go from hating each other to hooking up fairly quickly. Reconnecting after 20 years apart the tension is thick between these two.

Overall, this was a good book. Not the best Cowboy romance I have read but it was still very enjoyable. I will definitely be reading book 2 because I NEED to know what happens next... That ending had my jaw on the floor.

[TheBookishHen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for the ALC. All opinions are my own.

4.25 🌟
Spice: open door
Format: ALC

As an audio reread I still enjoyed this story. The narrators did a decent job. Maybe not my favorite audiobook, but good enough. I have loved all the books I've read from this author and this one is no different. This story pulled me right in. I was fully invested and looking at everything from both sides. I would definitely say there is some insta lust between Calder & Meredith. It didn't totally put me off though and I enjoyed how their romance played out. The bit of mystery surrounding the accident was intriguing and left us with questions at the end. I didn't see a cliffhanger coming 😅 but I suppose I should have. With our couple having an HEA I can only assume the next book will be one of the brothers and I am definitely here for that. Especially if it's a certain tech guy and the ranch vet 🤭

[Julia Bozza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a really fun small town romance! I’ve read plenty of books in this subgenre but I can’t remember reading one with an ongoing mystery woven through the story so I thought that was unique. The mystery added an extra layer of intrigue, and the cliffhanger ending definitely has me curious to see where the series goes next. The audiobook narrators were also fantastic and brought a lot of life to the characters.

While I enjoyed the romance, it wasn’t necessarily the standout part of the book for me. I found some of the character dynamics more compelling, even when they were frustrating. There were moments where I struggled with certain characters and their choices (HOLLY), and I felt like some perspectives were given more grace than others. That said, the story kept me engaged, the mystery was interesting, and I’m definitely planning to continue the series.

[Amanda M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed listening to this one and reading it. Loved the enemies to lovers and small town vibe in this book. It's got all kinds of tension, banter, emotion, humor, romance and so much more. Michelle Sparks and Troy Duran delivered a really good performance. These two narrators brought out all the qualities that made this narrative what it is. I liked how they brought the story to life. This was a fantastic story. And now after that ending, I can't wait to see what's next in the series. A huge thanks to Negalley, Bookouture Audio, and the author for a copy of this. All thoughts and opinions are my own and freely expressed.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was a study in grief, family, and love. All come in many forms and everyone experiences them differently and this book shows us that and more. Calder Cross is the kind of man we all wish existed. He knows he has flaws and emotional baggage but he is learning and growing through his grief f losing his dad (and his mom years earlier). Meredith has lost so much and now has to face losing her livelihood along with her sister and brother in law who were both older and like her parents. They clash and wade through their grief until they realize that they are perfect for each other.
The narrators were perfect for these characters and brought the emotion when telling this story.

[Franny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this! The premise was original and makes for a strong series starter. Calder and Meredith are drawn together after a car accident that takes the lives of a couple, his father and her sister. Calder and his brothers had left town after they got together, and now must return to deal with the aftermath and to take care of the family business, one that Meredith has been supporting. This was messy and had great tension. I can't wait to see where Walker Rose takes the story next.