ARC Review: Lanyards & Lariats (Working for Love #1) by Amber W. Lynne
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Series: Working for Love #1
Author: Amber W. Lynne
Published August 5th 2025 by Carnelian & Quills Publishing
Goodreads Synopsis
She was expected to inherit the family fortune. He was supposed to write a simple story. Neither expected to find love.
Bailey Reynolds traded New York high society for a quiet life in Serenity, Texas, as a single mom raising her daughter far from the spotlight. But when her mother’s sudden passing pulls her back into the world she left behind, Bailey returns to the city to protect her legacy—and her daughter—from the very life she escaped.
Enter Malcolm “Mac” Ryan, a war-weary journalist temporarily stuck on the society beat. Their first meeting? A night of laughter, lariats, and just enough whiskey to blur the lines. Their second? Bailey pointing a shotgun at him when he shows up on her ranch to write the story of her life.
Mac isn't one to back down. Drawn to Bailey’s fierce independence and guarded heart, he offers to help her navigate ruthless headlines, a scheming ex, and the tangled secrets of the Ladder H Distillery. But as strategy sessions turn into stolen kisses and attraction grows into something deeper, a looming scandal threatens everything they’ve built.
With her family’s future at stake, Bailey must can she trust the man who’s slowly earning her heart—or will the past rewrite their ending before it begins?
She traded her Louboutins for Ariats—and stepped into a love story she never expected!
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via BookSirens. This in no way impacted on my view.
Though she might have grown up as a socialite and heiress, Bailey Reynolds is more at home on her Texas farm in her boots than she ever was in a pair of Louboutins. However, her mother's death has left her the owner for the family business, and she needs to step into the role for the good of her daughter. Crashing into a dive bar on the night of the funeral, Bailey meets Mac Ryan, a reporter who manages to change her world.
I found myself drawn into this book so much, and only put it down to go to sleep. Bailey and Mac's relationship was real and messy, and so right for their characters. Bailey had basically fled New York when her marriage became abusive, and she managed to escape with sole custody of her daughter Rosie and the keys to her mother's old farm. She was more than happy to stay there indefinitely, but the will made it clear that she was the sole owner of Ladder H, and her father and ex (who was the CEO) were ready to go to war for it. I liked how Mac may have initially gone to Texas for the story, but he soon made it clear that he would not mix business and pleasure, and his feelings for Bailey and Rosie meant he would do what he could to protect them. Bailey really struggled to let him in, thinking that she wasn't able to be loved, but once she learnt to trust herself, she could trust Mac to care for her and her daughter. The scenes between the three of them as a family were so cute, and that epilogue nearly killed me with how sweet it was! This is my first book by this author, but I'll definitely be on the lookout for more from Amber in the future.
Dates Read:
August 27-28, 2025
Rating
3 Stars
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