Quick Synopsis

From the bestselling author of Done and Dusted and Swift and Saddled, the highly anticipated next book in the Rebel Blue Ranch series, a small-town romance in which enemies turn to lovers when they’re forced to work together during one hot summer.

Publisher’s Synopsis

Teddy Andersen doesn’t have a plan. She’s never needed one before. She’s always been more of a go-with-the-flow type of girl, but for some reason, the flow doesn’t seem to be going her way this time.

Her favorite vintage suede jacket has a hole in it, her sewing machine is broken, and her best friend just got engaged. Suddenly, everything feels like it’s starting to change. Teddy is used to being a leader, but now she feels like she’s getting left behind, wondering if life in the small town she loves is enough for her anymore.

Gus Ryder has a lot on his plate. He doesn’t know what’s harder: taking care of his family’s 8,000 acre ranch, or parenting his spunky six-year-old daughter, who is staying with him for the summer. Gus has always been the dependable one, but when his workload starts to overwhelm him, he has to admit that he can’t manage everything on his own. He needs help.

His little sister’s best friend, the woman he can’t stand, is not who he had in mind. But when no one else can step in, Teddy’s the only option he’s got. Teddy decides to use the summer to try and figure out what she wants out of life. Gus, on the other hand, starts to worry that he’ll never find what he needs.

Tempers flare, tension builds, and for the first time ever, Gus and Teddy start to see each other in a different light. As new feelings start to simmer below the surface, they must decide whether they should act on them. Can they keep things cool? Or will both of them get burned?

Book Review

In the fall, I read the first two books on the Rebel Blue Ranch series: Done & Dusted and Wild & Wrangled. I generally liked them but was not as impressed as the general concensus seemed to be. Since I did not have much to say about them, I forwent reviewing the two books. Because all the characters appear in each entry of the series, I knew I was looking forward to Teddy and Gus’s story most, and I was lucky enough to receive a copy of Lost & Lassoed. The fourth novel, Wild and Wrangled will be published on April 15.

Lost & Lassoed is a grumpy/sunshine, single father, enemies-to-lovers romance that takes place in small-town Montana on Rebel Blue Ranch. When Gus’s coparent is away for the summer, he has his daughter full-time while managing his family’s 8,000 ranch. Becoming overwhelmed, Gus hires the only option he has for a nanny – Teddy, who just lost her job.

As the best friend of Gus’s younger sister, Teddy has been around the ranch for years. All the while, Teddy and Gus have been at each other’s throats for the past 7 years, for a reason known to anyone but them. The building tension between Teddy and Gus is clear throughout the prior two novels, so I was very curious how they would finally come together. . . and in walks the old favorite: forced proximity.

Due to their animosity towards each other, the banter is funny and stinging. However, once they started to become friendly and then romantic, there is a serious over use of nicknames – so much so that it becomes cringey. I did like that the romance slowly built up and was not instalove. While Teddy is simply a pleasure to read about, Gus’s personality is revealed bit by bit and you discover a caring family man. And his daughter Riley is a spitfire.

Lyla Sage excels when it comes to family dynamics. The Ryder clan (blood and beyond) are quite close, as they mostly live on the Ranch and work together. In addition, Teddy is one of her father’s primary caregivers. So you read quite a bit of heartwarming family time.

Although this is my favorite book in the series thus far, there were a few things I did not like. The lack of communication is annoying, especially when it is revealed why Teddy and Gus’s rivalry began. I also thought Teddy’s loss of her friend was strung out a bit too long. It felt like making a mountain out of a mole hill and over-emphasized.

Overall, Lost & Lassoed is an easy, sweet, and slightly spicy cowboy romance that highlights the importance of being vulnerable and letting others in. If you decide to give this series a go, I would suggest Lost & Lassoed over the others.

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