Zane

The Bad Boys of Saddle Creek #1

by Kat Baxter

Emmy

I am a walking nerdy girl cliche. Smart? Check! On the spectrum? Check! Awkward? Check! Virgin? Check! The only nerdy-girl box I don’t check is “friendless.” That’s because I have the coolest best friend ever—Zane. Everyone in town thinks Zane is just a hot, bad boy inkslinger, but I know better. With me, he’s kind, sensitive and thoughtful. I know he doesn’t see me as anything more than a friend, but when I decide it’s time to lose my virginity so I can finally date and find love, he’s the only man I can imagine asking for help.

Zane

Emmy thinks we’re just friends, but I know better. I’ve been in love with her for damn near half my life. Until now, I could be satisfied being just her best friend. But now that I know she’s ready for a physical relationship with a man, all bets are off. She wants help losing her virginity so she‘ll be comfortable dating some super geek she works with? Fine. I will take her V-card, but I plan on ruining her for other men.

Genres: Friends To Lovers, Novella, Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Plus Size, Short Stories

87 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 17, 2023

About the author

USA Today Bestselling Author, Kat Baxter writes fast-paced, sweet & STEAMY romantic comedies. Readers have dubbed her “The Queen of Adorkable.” and her books “laugh-out-loud funny,” and “hot enough to melt your kindle.” She lives in Texas with her family and a menagerie of animals. Kat is the pseudonym for a bestselling historical romance author.

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Reviews

[Hey Lin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute friends to lovers book. I hate HATE HATE when the h and H are friends but he's fuckinnng everyone and she's watching from the sidelines. But this was great because he wasn't with anyone since he first saw her in high school at 17 years old. He calls her starfish and tattoos them all over his body without her knowing til later in the book.

Cute cute story!

[april ♡ probably reading smut - safety reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 🌟 3/5 🔥

"Zane is... well-- if you can have a soulmate who's a friend-- then that's what Zane is. He's my friend-mate. No, that doesn't sound right. Well, whatever you call it, that's him. He's my person, my ride or die."

This was such a cute, sweet book about friends who develop into lovers. Emmaline is on the spectrum. She's wanting to branch out and start dating, but needs direction. Who better to go to than her best friend, Zane? He's a bad boy- pierced all over (yes, there too!), tattooed, but he's been celibate for years. Why? Because he's in love with his best friend... and she has NO clue.

"You're my starfish. I'll always be here for you."

Zane is the epitome of a perfect man. He's so kind, affectionate, and caring with Emmaline. He doesn't judge her for being on the spectrum. He just genuinely loves her. Emmaline... she was a little harder to like, but I got there haha. She created an entire computer program just to figure out why Zane was mad at her at one point! She's tough to crack but she genuinely loves him too by the end. I really enjoyed this book... and the spice. ;)

"That's it, Starfish, spread that pussy open for me. I need to fuck you with my tongue. Have you come all over my face."

SAFETY:
Age: unknown
Cheating: None!
OM/OW drama: Very brief OM
Sex scene with OM/OW: None!
Virgin/celibate/manwhore: Virgin heroine, celibate hero.
Tropes: friends to lovers
HEA?: Yes!

My bookshelves may contain spoilers.

[Kate V · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 - 4 stars!

Zane was an incredibly sweet friends-to-lovers short story with just the right amount of heat to melt your Kindle. Emmaline is neurodivergent and has quirks that make her think that she will never have a relationship. Things change and one day she decides that her best friend Zane may be able to help her navigate the dating waters.

Zane is the tattooed bad boy that has been in love with Emmaline for a long time but never made a move because she clearly placed him in the friend zone. When she enlists him to help her explore her sexuality, he decides his best chance of being with Emmaline forever is showing her how it can feel to be loved by him.

“I love to watch your pussy take my cock. We were made for this. Your body was made just for mine. Your heart was made just for my heart. Goddammit, I love you so much.”

Zane is the best and knows Emmaline like the back of his hand. Emmaline is completely oblivious to his feelings and when she realizes what she means to him, her reaction was genuine and endearing. The two of them make a perfect pair and accept each other's differences and quirks. Overall, this was pretty short but a great little read between longer books.

"You’re my starfish. I’ll always be here for you.”

[Miki’s⚠️ Safety Reviews & Rants⚠️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick spicy read with lots of heart❤️.
I really enjoyed it.
Zane is has been BFF with Emmy since they were 17yr she’s on the spectrum and doesn’t have any interest in any romantic relationships. So Zane is friend zoned right off the bat.

Years pass, we don’t know how many cause the author never tells us, and Zane has been in love with Emmy this whole time. She decides that she want to maybe start a romantic relationship with a co worker that’s also in the spectrum. She asks Zane for help but he’s definitely not gonna do anything but make her HIS.

This was super sweet! Zane loves her so much and is so patient and understanding cause she his woman.
It’s takes a minute for Emmy to catch on but she gets there.

Zane is celibate for years, again we don’t know how many cause we have no idea how old they are. 💕but I love this! Love me a faithful man.

Zane tattoo his entire body with meaningful tats that all represents her in some way❤️‍🔥

It’s short and sweet with some spice🔥and a HEA.

I reduced one ⭐️ star cause I was loving all it until the end. Zane explains he basically knew how special she was to him from day 1. He tells her on his 18th bday a week after they met he got his first tattoo of course representing by her on his body.
BUT then he say that he spent years fucking EVERY available woman to “fuck her out of his system”.
Now I can understand to a degree. She wasn’t ready. BUT he already had tattoos all over his body representing his love for her. He already knew he loved her. He got a reputation for being a player and it make me sick🤮. He wised up and became celibate and I LOVE that…..but it makes me so mad when this trope is played. I love you but I’m gonna fuck everyone cause I can’t have you. It’s like having your cake and eating it to.

Up until then it was a 5 star short read. Maybe I’m being a bitch about it. But like did you have to throw that in there? Everything else was left with out of descriptions. We don’t even know how old they are!
So yeah could have left that up to imagination.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not safe to me (I am a very particular person, safe is when they are both with others after meeting or the perfect case, they are both celibate after meeting)
He is celibate has been years, but he was not after meeting her. They met at high school and he fucked for two years every willing women, he said it was miracle he did not impregnate or caught a std. He did a tattoo about her the week after they met, but yet he still tried to get over her by fucking other women all the while tattoing his body with things that were related to her.
She is a virgin and has never been kissed, she wasnt pinning or in love with him so when his manwhore phase happened she didnt care



It is a low rating and it could been worse safety wise but I felt like the rug was pulled when he confessed he has a mw phase after being in love with her. I dont like it


"I’ve done a lot of stupid shit in my life, but even I was smart enough to see how special she was. I made plenty of mistakes getting from there to here. There were a couple of years when I pretty much fucked any woman I could, thinking I could fuck away my feelings for Emmy. And let me tell you, I was lucky that I didn’t screw up my whole life during that time. Lucky I didn’t get some woman pregnant or catch anything. Lucky that my behavior didn’t disgust Emmy and make her end our friendship. Thank God, it didn’t take me long to realize I was being a dumbass and that no other woman in the world could replace her. So, yeah, maybe I earned my reputation for being wild, but it’s not who I am. Not anymore. Despite the tattoos and piercings."

[Lolina ⋆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novella had me on the floorrr 😭😭
*+:｡.｡ 3.5 stars ｡.｡:+*

As soon as I read the blurb I knew this was going to be so goofy, and it really was. I loved it so much omfg 💀.

It had the typical 'I need you to teach me how to date/ have sex' scenario, but the dialogue and internal monologue were so funny 😭.

The way that the H was internally hating on this one guy cracked me upppp I can't 😭. And the first date scene was so goofy as well. The first thing the h said to Zane after he got all dressed up was:

“Why do you look like a banker?” I ask.

BYE. 😭

*+:｡.｡｡.｡:+*

This was so lighthearted and fun.

[Grecia Robles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un friends to lovers cortito bonito.
Nada memorable pero que ayudan a pasar el rato

[RLbooks (in and out) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zane was a quick, friends to lovers, sweet and steamy read. I wanted something a bit easier on my emotions after my prior book made me cry and this hit the spot. Zane (H) is in love with Emmy (h), who’s never shown interest in a relationship, til now, except she thinks she should be with someone more like herself (she’s neurodivergent and relates to the world differently). Zane loses his mind but offers to introduce her to dating, thus opening the door for these two to move their friendship into romance. Written in first person, dual POV. No ow drama, not really om drama but om is the catalyst for H taking a chance to see if h will be romantic with him. H is not a virgin but has been celibate for years (he had a prior reputation and was not celibate since knowing her at first but there’s no jealousy on her part, she wasn’t interested in a relationship) and h is a virgin.

I liked that Zane was pierced and tattooed and that he incorporated his feelings for Emmy into his tattoos. Emmy was a really likable heroine and her moments of uncertainty as she tried to work through their relationship changing were sweet and made me sympathetic. They knew each other so well after their years of friendship so their chemistry was immediately good and it made sense that their feelings were so strong. Even though this is a shorter book, there’s plenty of steaminess too, I think there were 3 scenes.

At this length, this isn’t a deep read, but it was entertaining and I had a good time! The epilogue was a bit further into the future, I think just a few months, and was cute with them heading into their HEA. There were also hints of other books in this same world, both previous couples and future ones.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

This novella was so touching and lovely. This is friends to lovers in the best way. Emmy is neurodivergent and didn’t think she could be in a relationship. But when she starts thinking maybe, Zane is there and in love with her.

This was incredibly sweet and made me cry multiple times.

Emmy is so relatable. Even tho she’s neurodivergent and I’m not, her wanting to figure this out with Zane and also not wanting to ask him what’s wrong directly felt so real to me.

Emmy has never been with anyone. Zane has been celibate for years but did have some time in the past where he had sex with other women while he loved Emmy. Thankfully, years in the past. I don’t like it but it didn’t cross over to ick because he’s so in love with her and devoted to her in the present.

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wish authors would research autism in women before jumping on the bandwagon! Do I want more books with neurodivergent characters? Yes!! But only when it actually is displayed in a realistic way and not just for the sake of checking off a box and showing how woke you are. Fun fact: women with autism are actually misdiagnosed so often because they do not act the same as males with autism (aka Sheldon from Big Bang) so yay for trying to be inclusive but also nay for making it seem like the best they can hope for is a man who got bored waiting for you to notice him.

Do people with autism have trouble with intimacy? Sometimes. They especially need the trust aspect and trust does not come easily. So I commend her for building this awesome friendship bc I love that she is showing how you don't have to be the same in order to work well together.

However (and this is a big one) the constant alluding to Zane being a fuckboy manwhore are just... yuck. And it's gross to imply that their friendship = love but he also had his needs being met by others. That is NOT love and trying to convince a neurodivergent person that he loves her is akin to gaslighting because she actually relies on him to interpret personal connections. If he actually was in love with his friend all this time then he could have put in a modicum of restraint on his "needs" and focused on what was holding her back from dating him. Instead he told himself she wasn't into sex and kept their friendship platonic because it was the only way to "love" her and keep her in his life. I

I just cringe at the manwhore-virgin trope so that's a me problem but I need a better reason than "I loved you too much to risk our friendship but I just couldn't let my dick be lonely while waiting for you to catch up." Cause despite their different personalities, I do think they should be similarly matched in their values. And while she has a checklist in order to be comfortable with committing to a sexual partner who will hopefully be a long-term partner, his only requirement are that they have a vagina and not want anything long term. Endearing.

[25 Readings Or More · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella was a nice surprise 😍
Zane and Emmaline are so freaking cute!!
And damn, Zane is the perfect man 😍😍

[Aou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet H!

[valentina · Rating 3 out of 5]

me parece que esta autora escribe muy buenos Friends to Lovers, y más porque siempre me dejan medio triste y con el corazón en la mano 😭 y obvio que también está la tensión y vaina, pero como son tan cortos capaz todo queda un poco mEH (? en fin, igual se disfrutan

[luv · Rating 3 out of 5]

chef kiss
justo como lo recetó el doctor en caso de bloqueo lector

una historia cortita, pero buena

[Fanny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Un libro breve y muy lindo. Ultimamente no tengo demasiado tiempo para leer, y estas historias cortas me estan entreteniendo mucho.

Esta autora me gusta, creo que pronto leere el siguiente tomo.

2.5 Estrellas!

[Geeky Girl Review Cafe · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been awhile since a book pulled at my heart like Zane did. I ended this book knowing it was going to stay a top read / frequent recommend of 2023.

Kat tackled a topic near and dear to my heart with this book...a neurodivergent main character. And that character being loved by a neurotypical person. As the mom of a special needs kiddo, this really got me in all my feels. This is exactly the kind of romance I want for my kiddo someday.

I adored Emmy, she was a delight with her blunt/direct talk, her analytical mind, and her quirks. I wanted nothing more than for her to get her HEA.

Zane was what I've come to look forward to in romance reads....hunky, tatted and pierced, but with a heart of gold and a soft spot for his best friend/ love of his life. How could you not fall for him??

Kudos to Kat for tackling the sensitive/not easy topic of spectrum romance. She did it with accuracy and respect and I appreciate her so much for that. She really gave this reader the reminder, hope, and belief that everyone deserves and can have their HEA.

[Jamie]

I’m just not made for novellas. I always think I can give them a chance but I just don’t like them

[Cristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars
Zane is cute. Wishing it was longer though.

[kaden⋆.𐙚 ̊⋆˙⟡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2/5 ⭐ just because he dedicated all his tattoos to her, but it was still kinda cute but cringe

[allie · Rating 1 out of 5]

idk what to think about this
it was a super quick, steamy read, though!

(spoilers)
emmy kinda went from thinking of zane as a friend to marrying him and it seemed intsalove-y to me

[Serena Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Mi estrella de mar. Tan espinosa y delicada, extraña y hermosa todo al mismo tiempo.




•Mi opinión puede contener Spoilers.
•Esta destinada a ser un descargo personal no para que alguien más lea pero si lo haces y te ofende, me disculpo porque sé lo que es que te guste un libro y otros lo critiquen.




Zane de Kat Baxter serie The bad boys of saddle creek libro 1

Argumento:

Emmy

Soy un cliché de chica nerd andante. ¿Elegante? ¡Chequeado! ¿En el espectro? ¡Chequeado! ¿Extraña? ¡Chequeado! ¿Virgen? ¡Chequeado! La única casilla de chica nerd que no marco es "sin amigos". Eso es porque tengo el mejor amigo más genial de todos: Zane. Todo el mundo en la ciudad piensa que Zane es solo un chico malo y atractivo, pero yo lo sé mejor. Conmigo es amable, sensible y considerado. Sé que él no me ve como nada más que un amiga, pero cuando decido que es hora de perder mi virginidad para finalmente tener una cita y encontrar el amor, él es el único hombre que puedo imaginar pidiendo ayuda.

Zane

Emmy cree que solo somos amigos, pero yo lo sé mejor. He estado enamorado de ella durante casi la mitad de mi vida. Hasta ahora, podía estar satisfecho siendo solo su mejor amigo.

Pero ahora que sé que está lista para una relación física con un hombre, todas las apuestas están canceladas.

¿Quiere ayuda para perder su virginidad para sentirse cómoda saliendo con un súper friki con el que trabaja? Bien.

Tomaré su tarjeta V, pero planeo arruinarla para otros hombres.



Mi humilde opinión:

Un romance de amigos a amantes con beneficios/chica curvilínea nerd/chico malo tatuado.

Desde que leí el libro de Ian y mencionó a su hermano Zane me quedaron las ganas de saber sobre él y...

Me encantó su historia de amor! Es loca y exagerada pero tan linda como sexy.

Zane era el tipo tatuado con piercings con reputación de chico malo del pueblo pero con Emmy, su mejor amiga desde la escuela, era el tipo comprometido con su amor y haría lo que fuera por estar a su lado, eso me enamoró de él. Y sus años de celibato y esos tatuajes en honor a ella? Si eso no era una prueba de su amor incondicional no sé qué era! Emmy me hizo reír mucho con su razonamiento nerd y la aplaudí cuando se lanza a por lo que siente a pesar de que no quiere arruinar su especial amistad con Zane.

La verdad esta fue una lectura rápida, con un romance de amigos a amantes dulce y picante que disfruté y alegró mi rato libre.

Me gusta mucho la escritura y los romances de Kat Baxter y quiero leer más de sus chicos malos de Saddle Creek. Pero ahora mismo voy a por la historia de Lily, la hermana de Emmy!

[Mina · Rating 5 out of 5]

First - When researching the piercing, do so without people near you and in case you are at work, in incognito.

Now, unto the review. Zane has had a crush on his BBF, Emmy since they were high school buddies. The only reason he hasn’t made his move is because of Emmy’s constant comments about not wanting to have a relationship. But the moment Emmy asks Zane for help to get into the dating field, Zane decides that enough is enough and tells her how he feels. Emmy doesn't believe because of how she is programmed - she is neurodivergent and has a hard time touching or talking about her feelings.

I loved these two and I have been waiting for Zane’s story since he made his appearance in Lone Star Sheriff. Both characters are relatable and get along great - they are opposites that complement each other!

[Whit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet! Spicy! Heart-tugging!

I loved the respect and love Zane gave Emmy each and every day. He loved her curves as well as her "special" way of processing the world around her.

That can be really difficult in a selfish world, where we want everyone to be the same, so we won't be inconvenienced when we may have to go out of our way to make someone else feel comfortable.

Zane and Emmy are perfect for each other!

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emmaline and Zane

I really enjoyed this story as it shows Zane who is considered a bad boy, and then Emmaline a woman on the Spectrum. It touches close to my heart as my own son is on the spectrum and it gives me hope maybe some day this kind of love will find him.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like I have been waiting for this book my entire life! Kat Baxter just has a way of immediately getting to my heart strings and playing just the right cords. Zane and Emmy might not look like a perfect match on paper (or on one of Emmy's computer programs), but this couple is the perfect amount of adorably sweet and absolutely hot. I didn't want this story to end. If you like Kat Baxter books, you will love Zane!!!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sarah (lou_reads_romance) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is short, sweet and a little dirty ;-)
Just what you need from a novella. The characters are instantly likeable, quirky and individuals. The heat is all there and the story is cute. A perfect quick Sunday read for me!

[Carolina]

—𝑨𝒔í 𝒒𝒖𝒆 𝒏𝒐 𝒎𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒔 ���𝒖𝒆 𝒏𝒐 𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒚 𝒆𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒐 𝒅𝒆 𝒕𝒊. 𝑷𝒐𝒓𝒒𝒖𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒅𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒐 𝒖𝒏 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒃𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒋𝒐𝒓 𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒐 𝒎𝒊 𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒂 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉𝒐 𝒎á𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒓𝒆í𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒅𝒆 𝒍𝒐 𝒒𝒖𝒆 𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒃𝒂.

[Yna from Books and Boybands · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and sweet. I'm a sucker for a childhood friends to lovers romance so this is definitely a win.

[Book Lover · Rating 5 out of 5]

A kind of unique read

Emmy and Zane's story was different, special and interesting to read. Emmy had a special personality and Zane is her best friend. The way they deal with their feelings looking for their HEA is very sweet. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you’re looking for something quick, this is a great little romance. Heroine is on the spectrum and I really enjoyed her. Hero’s attributes are typical romance lead: fit, muscles, sexy, possessive, a tattoo artist, and does everything right to woo the heroine.