Lucky River Ranch, Book 2
From the Publisher:
Roping horses leads to riding cowboys in this sexy friends-to-lovers, fake-dating, lessons-in-seduction romance by Jessica Peterson.
One fake dating plan.
One cowboy Casanova.
One very real case of falling way too hard.
Wyatt Rivers is the perfect no-strings hookup―a cowboy Casanova who rocks a Stetson, looks smokin’ hot in his Wranglers, and never rests his head on the same pillow twice.
He’s exactly what she’s looking for. If only he wasn’t also her best friend…
Sally Powell is back in her hometown of Harstville, Texas, waiting for her dream job to start thousands of miles away. While she’s here, she hopes to end an epic dry spell in the bedroom, preferably with a local cowboy. If the rumors are true, they really do ride harder and stay on longer.
Wyatt has been her best friend since second grade, and she’s been in love with him for almost as long. But he’s as wild and untamed as a colt that can’t be broken―not to mention, totally out of her league with his good looks and heartbreaker reputation.
Then Sally gets to thinking: since Wyatt is such an expert, why doesn’t he teach her the ropes of how to find a hookup? He begrudgingly agrees, and a little fake flirting leads to fake dating, which leads to real kissing, which leads to real…well, everything else.
And let her just say, the rumors are absolutely true.
Sally wants so badly to be Wyatt’s last rodeo. But she’s leaving town soon, and even if she wasn’t, she’s not sure Wyatt would ever change his playboy ways.
Cowboys can’t be tamed. And apparently, neither can hearts.
Wyatt is an interconnected standalone novel in the Lucky River Ranch series, perfect for fans of Elsie Silver and Lyla Sage.
Delicious tropes:
All the pining!
Friends to lovers (with DECADES of tension)
Fake dating
Lessons in seduction
Small town
Hot cowboys
Sally has just finished her veterinary studies and is preparing to start her new job in New York. In the meantime, she’s back in the small town she loves, helping her father at his veterinary practice. Her dad is immensely proud of her and sees her upcoming move as the chance for her to achieve everything he never did. But while he dreams big for her, Sally feels happiest at home—and quietly dreads leaving. Still, her father won’t hear of her staying; he’s determined for her to make it in the big city.
Her childhood best friend, Wyatt, is now the foreman of the ranch where he grew up. Seeing Sally again brings back old memories—she was there for him during some of the hardest times in his life, especially after his mother died. Though they’ve always been close, Sally has long been in love with Wyatt but has never found the courage to tell him. Wyatt, for his part, cares deeply for her but has never been the settling-down type. A lifelong flirt, he’s never seen himself in a serious relationship, not even with Sally.
Sally’s romantic history is virtually nonexistent, leaving her feeling sexually inexperienced and insecure. Hoping to change that, she turns to the one person she trusts most—Wyatt—and asks him to teach her about sex. What starts as an arrangement quickly spirals into a fake dating situation, with all the tension and confusion that comes with it.
This book leans heavily on the sexual side of their relationship, with more emphasis on steamy scenes than emotional development. While I still enjoyed the story, I found myself eager to reach the end—something that rarely happens for me. I love spice, but I also want to see a deeper connection and growth between the characters, and that felt lacking here. Hopefully, the next book in the series will balance passion with a stronger romantic arc.
10/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
WYATT by Jessica Peterson. Bloom Books. ( August 19, 2025). ISBN: 978-1464248306. 418p.
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