REVIEW: Wild and Wrangled by Lyla Sage

In Wild and Wrangled by Lyla Sage, Lawyer Camille “Cam” Ashwood has pretty much given up hope that romance is going to be part of her future. That’s why she agreed to a loveless marriage with a guy her snobby parents actually approve of–as long as it means they’ll leave her alone and her daughter will be financially set. But it wasn’t always that way. Cam did have true love back when she was in her late teens. Dusty Tucker was the guy who stole her heart and never let go. And after he traveled the world for over a decade, having him back in Meadowlark, Wyoming, is bittersweet. It’s made even more so when her groom decides he can’t go through with the wedding after all, leaving Cam to start over again. With nowhere to go and big decisions to make, she’d love to bounce ideas off her old friend, Dusty. But it’s probably not a good idea. Because he still sets off sparks in her body and smiles at her like she’s his entire world.

‘If you would’ve told me ten years ago that Dusty Tucker would be unzipping my wedding dress, I would’ve probably said, “Duh.” I never could have imagined it would be a wedding dress I was wearing to marry another man who didn’t show up to the altar.’

When Dusty first came back to his hometown after working at ranches and horse sanctuaries all over the globe, he figured he’d be safe even with Cam still in town. She was engaged. That meant hands off. And that was the plan. If they ran into each other, fine. Dusty could be polite and even offer friendship if Cam was up for that. But then he spots her in the Devil’s Boot, nursing a drink in her wedding gown but with no groom in sight. Ticked off on her behalf, Dusty rescues the distraught bride. And it sets into motion a new chapter in their relationship. Many years after their high school romance was squashed, he would give anything for a chance with Cam again. But Dusty knows she needs to heal first from her ordeal. And when she becomes his neighbor, renting a beautiful house in town on the same property as his cabin, he knows biding his time and making his case to Cam when the time is right is the best move.

‘I’d never fallen out of love with Cam–not in all the time we were apart. Cam taught me what it was like to love and be loved. I took that with me around the world.’

A perfect send-off for the series, WILD AND WRANGLED gave readers one last visit with all the Rebel Blue Ranch characters we’ve come to know and love while giving a final couple the HEA they’ve been dreaming of for fifteen years. And it was *everything*.

“I’ve waited half a lifetime for you, Cam.”

Have you ever read a romance that made you smile the whole way through? That’s exactly what I did with WILD AND WRANGLED, the last book in Lyla Sage’s heartfelt Rebel Blue Ranch series. The sentimentality, found family, small town vibes, and the tangled up past between the main characters made for an emotional but overall uplifting book that I sincerely hated to see end. And just a heads up: you’ll want to read *all* the way to the end, past the Acknowledgements–there’s a special chapter that will have Rebel Blue Ranch fans crying happily with how it all comes full circle.

Second chance romance is my literary happy place. So, Dusty and Cam’s story is one I’ve been waiting for, particularly since reading Gus and Teddy’s book, Lost and Lassoed. It was clear there was a lot of history (and love still) between former high school sweethearts Cam and Dusty. And boy wasn’t it mysterious as to what happened to break them apart. I thought the flashback scenes Sage included were perfectly done–they were extremely sweet and funny, showing how well Dusty and Cam’s personalities meshed right from the start.

I will admit that I was a little bit perturbed with Cam over what happened after graduation as well as how she handled a truth bomb from Dusty present day. I got where she was coming from, how she grew up with money but with her parents running her life. I just wasn’t impressed with how Cam shut down and didn’t really communicate with Dusty. But that was my only small quibble. The rest of the story was all heart and passion. And I was there for every minute of it.

QOTD: Have you read any of Lyla Sage’s Rebel Blue Ranch series yet?

Book Info:

Publication: April 15th, 2025 | The Dial Press | Rebel Blue Ranch #4

She’s the one that got away. He’s the one that never let her go.

From the bestselling author of Done and Dusted and Swift and Saddled, the next book in the Rebel Blue Ranch series, a small town romance in which past lovers get a second chance to rediscover what they lost.

Camille Ashwood had always loved a plan. Her latest was her best yet. She was going to get married so she could secure her daughter’s future, get her overbearing parents off her back, and finally start building her own life in small town Meadowlark, Wyoming. Easy, right?

But when her groom doesn’t show up to the wedding, Cam’s life is turned upside down—she doesn’t even have a place to live. That is, until she finds out the house she’s loved since high school is available to rent. There’s only one problem: the neighbor.

Dusty Tucker has spent nearly all of his adult life running. Running from what, though? More like who: Cam Ashwood. But ever since he returned home last year, the girl who was his first, well, everything has become a woman seemingly determined to keep him at arm’s length. And he was okay with that—at least, that’s what he kept telling himself. She was getting married, after all. But now she’s single and living next door. Dusty wants to show her that they can be friends, and that he can stay put.

Despite her best attempts to stay far away from Dusty Tucker, Cam realizes that being close to him is like slipping on her favorite jeans. Easy. Comfortable. That is until past wounds start to open and feelings—both old and new—wreak havoc. Nearly ten years after they first met, Dusty and Cam begin to wonder if their first love can also be their last. And this time, will it be forever?