Done and Dusted (Rebel Blue Ranch #1) by Lyla Sage

 

Summary (from the publisher): She’s off-limits, but he’s never been good at following the rules.

For the first time in her life, Clementine “Emmy” Ryder has no idea what she’s doing. She’s accomplished everything on her to-do list. She left her small hometown of Meadowlark, Wyoming; went to college; and made a career for herself by doing her favorite thing: riding horses. But after an accident makes it impossible for her to get back into the saddle, she has no choice but to return to the hometown she always wanted to escape.

Luke Brooks is Meadowlark’s most notorious bad boy, bar owner, and bachelor. He’s also the unofficial fifth member of the Ryder family. As Emmy’s older brother’s best friend, Luke spent most of his childhood antagonizing her. It’s been years since he’s seen her, but when she walks into his bar and back into his life, he can’t take his eyes off her. Despite his better judgment, he wants to do a whole lot more than just look at her.

Emmy’s got too much on her mind to think about romance. And Luke knows he should stay away from his best friend’s younger sister. But what if Luke is just what Emmy needs to get her spark back? Or will they both go up in flames?

Review: This was a cute little cowboy romance. Clementine "Emmy" Ryder and her brother's best friend, Luke Brooks, fall for each other. He's a bad boy with a reputation to match and a long-term bachelor, but when Emmy returns to town, they can't resist each other. Emmy is dealing with PTSD from a riding accident and has ADHD, Luke has an unhappy childhood and unpleasant family, and they both feel like the other is forbidden fruit because of his friendship with her brother, but none of that ultimately can stand in the way of their attraction to one another. 

This felt rushed to me! I wanted more time to get to know the characters and for the tension to build between them, but it just didn't happen. Just a bit too much talking versus telling for me. They talk a big game about how they can't be with one another because he is her brother's best friend, but there's no substance behind this apparently feeling in their behavior. Nothing glaringly bad or wrong with the book, but it just felt lacking in character development and tension building. Similarly, the writing was just fine, nothing super exciting and lots of standard language, but nothing noteworthy in the positive column either. I walked away feeling like I just didn't have much to say about this one. 

Stars: 3