✩🪡🐎Review:
*Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*
I’m not horsing around when I say this book is a masterpiece!
“Lost and Lassoed” follows Teddy Andersen, an aspiring clothing designer, and Gus Ryder, her best friend’s older brother. The only thing they have in common is how much they hate each other. But when Gus’ workload starts to overwhelm him, Teddy is the only person who can help take care of his six-year-old daughter. 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 or not to act on them. Can they keep things cool? Or will both of them get burned?
Gus and Teddy’s relationship has been hinted at since book 1, so I highly anticipated their love story. Let me tell you that Sage went above and beyond all my expectations! She totally delivered!
Both characters are similar in that they take care of people—their families and their friends. When it comes to being cared for, however, they struggle to ask for help. Teddy, for instance, feels left behind as she watches other people, her best friend included, move into new phases of their lives and feels like she cannot confide in anyone about her fears (this is something that hits closet home for me). Gus is too stubborn to depend on others despite suffering under the weight of trying to be a father, son, rancher, and brother all at once.
With Teddy agreeing to be Riley’s part-time babysitter, they strike up a truce and discover just how alike they are. Their romance is a slow burn that drove me crazy, but there is nothing I wouldn’t undergo for them! I couldn’t get enough of their banter, the moments when they took care of each other, and the way they just fit!
I can’t write this review without obsessing over Gus’ daughter Riley! I love that this story is bigger than just Gus and Teddy. At its core, “Lost and Lassoed” captures what it means to love the people in our lives with our entire being. That love manifests itself in the way Gus and Teddy both care for their friends, their family, and of course, for Riley. Riley’s character brings a sense of joy that alleviates some of the more heartbreaking moments of the novel. I love her relationship with Gus, Teddy, and her mother Camille throughout this book. Their family is not considered “conventional,” but the one they formed is perfect all the same!
“Lost and Lassoed” will definitely join my list of favorite books of all time. I can’t wait to get to “Wild and Wrangled” after the massive cliffhanger the epilogue left on!
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