Lyla Sage – Done & Dusted

By Amie Kealy

*potential spoilers for those who haven’t read it, so turn your horse around if you don’t wish to run into any barrels!*

It’s official – I am in my cowboy romance era!!

As a rule of thumb, I generally steer away from straight romance novels, unless I’m in the mood for a trashy, eat-your-heart-out romance, as I always miss the world-building aspects of fantasy that is the ying to romances, at times, cringey yang. But let me tell you now, Lyla Sage’s Done & Dusted was so addictive and easy-going that I demolished it in 24 hours!

Set in Wyoming, the book follows Emmy Ryder’s return home after a riding accident where she navigates what her next step in life will be. Making this book even better is the dual narration. And you might not agree but the best part of any dual narrative is reading it from the male’s point of view *swoon* because who doesn’t love a ‘she fell first, he fellharder vibe’! (I know I do). Queue Luke Brooks, Meadowlark’s bad boy bachelor with a big heart. Luke Brooks is the unofficial member of Emmy’s family and best friend of her older brother… you can already see the plot unfold in just that one sentence but despite it’s obvious plot-line, the slow-burn romance and pacing of the book is spot on.

Emmy returns home and on her first night goes out with her best friend to the town’s one local bar, which is owned by non-other than Luke Brooks. And from that first chapter the tension and chemistry between the main characters is alive. At first their angsty dislike of each other drives the plot, the fraught stares and general dislike making for a decadent enemy-lovers narrative. But after a tender moment shared between the two, where Luke holds Emmy in his arms after she suffers from a panic attack, you can’t help but ache for the blossoming romance and companionship that slowly starts to unfold.

We see Luke guide Emmy back through the basics of horse-riding. Where she was once a professional barrel racer, a bad fall off her horse steals her confidence and ability to ride without being overcome by panic attacks and shakes. But Luke helps her build her confidence again, and in this tender display of compassion and patience, the once reckless bad boy, shows his true colours and stole Emmy’s and my hearts!

What I liked so much about this book was how easy and lighthearted it was. We saw Luke guide Emmy out of a relatively dark period of her life but it was so refreshing and inspiring to see her lean into his support but also be brave and confident to continue to overcome her fear in her own right. The romance between the two of them was fiery but also soft, which by that I mean it felt natural and not forced in a way some writers try and present enemy-lovers or slow burn. Lyla Sage didn’t try and jam-pack her novel with all the book tropes we book-girlies melt for, which made it feel like she was simply telling the story how she envisioned it in her head, rather than trying to play up for the booktok community (which I will say some books have started doing – and I don’t hate it, but it also fails to feel authentic).

We got the happy ending that I knew would prevail with Emmy and Luke finally announcing their romance to the rest of her family, with her older brother’s disgruntled acceptance, her being able to get back on the horse, no pun intended, and complete her final competition as a barrel racer, and Luke sliding a key to his house over the table to her at breakfast one morning – could he be any sweeter?!

Whilst it’s sad that their story is wrapped up in just one book, I’m looking forward to reading Sage’s next instalment of the Rebel Blue Ranch series which focuses on one of Emmy’s other brothers, Wes and the project he is undertaking at the ranch. I’m all saddled up to be taken on another cowboy romance and can’t wait to sit down and devour Swift & Saddled when it arrives in the post. 5,6,7,8!