The last time I saw Declan St. James was at our rehearsal dinner. That was shortly before he jilted me at the altar. To avoid the swarm of whispers and finger pointing every time I dared to show my face in public, I fled two hours south to Atlanta and never looked back. Over the last decade, I’d planned hundreds of scenarios about how our next meeting would go down. The expletives I’d hurl at … him. Which knee I might use to annihilate his balls. Which dimpled cheek on his ridiculously handsome face I would send a stinging slap across.
But being elbow deep in a cow’s ass was not one of them.
Normally, I didn’t get up close and personal to a bovine’s rectum. At least not since veterinarian school. But desperate times found me back home to attend my grandfather’s funeral, who happened to be the town’s large animal vet. Those two facts had left me wading through manure in Roy Wallace’s pasture to care for a distressed heifer.
While time and maturity seemed to have changed him from the boy I knew, I still wasn’t falling for his charm. Or his hard, chiseled body. Or ass you could eat dinner off of.
No, I wasn’t going back down that street again. Unfortunately, Declan didn’t seem to get the message. Instead, he seemed as stubborn as he ever was and ready for a fight. It’ll be the fight of his life for me to let him back in my heart
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I enjoy a Katie Ashley book and I was beyond excited to receive Reining Her In, a Second chance romance, Animals, cute kid, what’s not to like, but I have to admit I wasn’t sure that I would like it especially when I got to how and why that he jilted Peyton, Declan I thought got off to easy, Peyton she was funny, feisty and far to forgiving for my liking, my all time favourite moment …… Knee’s to the nuts, an enjoyable read
Love this second chance romance that is filled with awesome characters!! Katie has me saying just one more chapter!! I love small town stories!
I received a review copy before release for an honest review.
This is a standalone story from a fun author. This story is told in the first person but only from the female heroines POV. I typically like hearing from both sides but in this case it really worked. However I did feel that to really feel how sorry Declan was for what he did and for me to forgive him I never got his side of things.
This is a 2nd chance story of a guy, Declan who abandons his long time girlfriend, Peyton on their wedding day at the wedding alter and calls her from the honeymoon to say he is not coming. To me this was absolutely awful, terrible and honestly I never felt Declan suffered enough in this story for what he did to Peyton.
This all happened when they were 20 and so he claims to have grown up and changed etc etc etc and while he seemed to have grown up, how do you really get over something like that even 10 years later. I just felt he got her forgiveness way too easily. Added to that he ends up married for 5 years and even ends up with a 4 year old child. Now his ex is painted pretty awfully as a cheater but she also did some good things and one is she decorated their home and its where Peyton hangs out and I kinda felt super bad for her reading that in this story. On the other hand Peyton just ends up with her career. I did not see him suffer enough and atone for what he did.
That said I did enjoy the story and I loved Peyton. She is a tough cookie and she was so much fun as vet in a small ranching town. There are some cute and funny moments as she moves home when her grandfather dies and he leaves her his veterinarian practice which is why she can’t escape Declan.
Let me start this review off by saying LOOK AT THIS COVER!! Gorgeous. It gives you the perfect image of Peyton and Declan.
My heart broke for Peyton. Her fiance Declan was a real immature jerk who broke her heart and pretty much ran her out of town. Fast forward 10 years later, a tragedy brings her back home and into Declan’s path.
While I didn’t agree with Declan’s 20 year old choices, I knew he was young and made a huge mistake. Who didn’t at that age? I was on his side hoping Peyton would finally give him a second chance….with a whole lot of groveling, pleading and begging!
Their second chance love story was sweet. I found myself laughing multiple times at their antics. The ending had my heart swooning. It was the perfect ending for this little family!
This wasn’t bad, I just had a really hard time with this second chance. It was funny, goodness was it funny! I just couldn’t with the jilted bride giving in to her ex. No matter how much time goes by.
Who does not like second chance books???? Me personally i love them and i love the writing of Katie Ashely,
Peyton was getting ready to get married, in the church waiting on the time when she gets the one phone call that destroyed her. Declan didn’t want to be like everyone else and have his life just unfold right in front of him. do the things he is supposed to do marry his high school sweetheart. that was the plan until he decided that he wanted to live make sure that he was doing the right thing but that was at Peyton’s expense. Peyton goes on with her life goes to school and becomes a vet like she has always dreamed, but there was one thing in her life that was missing. they say you can’t go back home until it’s to late. when Papa died she knew she was going to have to face the town she has spent the last ten years advoiding. it’s hard when you lose a loved one and even harder to face someone on you have once loved. well still love. can the two of them coexist in a small town. can they put the past behind them and move forward. for me this book had all the feels, and i love that it had a HEA
Enjoyable Read
I am currently in “back to school mode” and Reining Her in was the perfect read for my hectic life right now.
Entertaining, with good flow and enough drama to keep me reading but not rolling my eyes.
**ARC provided for an honest review**
Declan and Peyton! My new favorite couple and one of my top favorite reads this year. Declan and Peyton were supposed to be married but Declan ran away and then Declan left town. She became a vet and years later with her grandfather’s passing she came back to town. The sparks are still there. With forgiveness can they heal and move on? Declan has a son Cam from a previous marriage. His son is adorable and needs a mom. Can Declan and Peyton make it this time? This is a must read! I give it 5 stars and a strong recommendation!
Another beautiful, romantic, uplifting story told by the very talented Katie Ashley. Highly recommend.
Second chance at romance ! I so love this genre and Katie did a wonderful job brining Peyton and Declan to life!
So much water under the bridge. They were young and in love but had no idea what they really had. When Declan leaves Peyton at the alter 10 years ago it is so wrong and heartbreaking . Now Peyton has returned but she is not to be easily swayed. She wants no part of the man that ripped her heart out .
She is back for her family and that is her mission. She has lost her grandfather and the man she looked up to her whole life. The town vet that she also took after . She now wants to make sure that the practice goes to someone deserving but is that her? Does she want that job and all the memories that come with this town? Declan knows that he has to redeem himself even if it is only to become civil with Peyton and that is where this story shall begin for them !
Loved Peyton and her spunk and I so would have loved for her to make him grovel a bit more but loved their story !!!!
~~Michele McMullen ~~
I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. This is a second chance romance book. It was so good that I devoured it in one day. Couldn’t put it down!
Peyton moved away from her small home town because she couldn’t bare the all the gossip about beging jilted at the altar. With her grandfather’s untimely death she has to put her 10 year grudge aside and finally go back home. Hopefully she can avoid him or just kick him in the balls. She hasn’t decided yet.
Declan’s life is spinning out of control. With his upcoming divorce and a little boy to take care of. He has his hands full but when she finally comes back to town he knows it’s time to give her the apology she deserved 10 years ago. What he didn’t expect was the kick to the balls.
This was a very sweet romance and I just loved Cam. I would definitely recommend this book. Especially if you love hot single dad’s!
3.5* Peyton didn’t come home anymore, ever since Declan stood her up at the alter 10 years ago. She missed her friends and family but she didn’t want to run into him. He broke her heart and she couldn’t take it.
She was part of a successful business in Atlanta but needed to come home. When she does she of course runs into Declan at just about the worse possible time.
This book is funny at times, they still have great chemistry and I absolutely fell in love with Cameron! I did feel that she forgave him way too fast, there was a lot of blame to pass around between the two and was happy that they got to the place where they could talk about what happened in the past and go from there.
This is another Katie Ashley classic, she is the queen of writing witty, sexy, and funny romances and this is no exception. Peyton and Declan were high school sweethearts who had their future together planned out. Unfortunately, everything didn’t go according to plan and Peyton has avoided coming back to her hometown for 10 years. Due to family loss she has no choice but to return home. One of the first people she meets is Declan. Peyton still hasn’t forgiven Declan, but he works hard to convince her to trust him again and eventually get their HEA. Declan and Peyton have great chemistry in and out of the bedroom. I really liked this book, so if you are looking for a well written, sexy read this is the book for you. Advanced copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
It was her wedding day! Peyton could not have been happier! One more hour and she would be Mrs. Declan St. James!
They had been high school sweethearts and now, before going off to college, they were going to marry and start their lives together. One problem. Declan was not at the church and he was never late. One phone call from him and all the plans they had made evaporated. Jilted! He had taken an early flight to Aruba that morning because he could not go through it. He had to find himself first.
Would you give this man a second chance if he had jilted you?
This is a story of growing up and accepting not only the responsibility of your actions but also the consequences. Love is a fragile thing. It takes a lot of trust to give someone a second chance. Now it is Declan’s turn to prove his worth to Peyton and convince her their time had finally come.
I loved this book. Sometimes funny, sometimes emotional, and always entertaining, I read this book in one sitting. Could not stop reading until the end.
I am voluntarily reviewing this book. Thanks to the author for sharing a copy with me.
I am usually hesitant on second chance romances because depending on why they broke up it can sometimes be hard to believe that all can be forgiven so easily, when Declan stood Peyton up there were no big secrets or hidden reasons. He loved her he was just young and foolish, but because of that she couldn’t stand the thought of living in the same town. After 10 years away she comes home for her grandfather’s funeral and of course she immediately runs into him. Due to outside circumstances she decides to stay in town and they need to find a way to deal with the past and coexist. After a few instances that push them together and some talks they end up trying their relationship again. Does the second time have a happy ending? This was one of the better more believable second chance romances I have read and I truly enjoyed the story.
4.5 stars
Peyton Beasley is a big city vet who is devoted to her work. She’s caring, funny, and not into serious relationships. She is guarded and has a strong fear of rejection…for a reason
Declan St. James was the town golden boy and he was her everything…until on the most important day of their young lives, he failed to show up. So she has stayed away from her hometown for ten years trying to avoid the past pain and humiliation and the one man that broke her heart.
But now she has no choice but to return home and face her demons. That means dealing with some awkward moments and the gossip mill in their hometown. It does not matter how good looking he still is, she is determined to hold a grudge and does not want to have anything to do with him. But now they are both in closer proximity and avoidance is easier said than done. He seems to be everywhere. And maybe that immature boy has grown up into a way-too-hot-to-ignore man. And he may just still be as determined, handsome, and tempting as he used to be. But she still hates him…right? But Declan has also proved to be unpredictable in the past, and her response to him is anything but predictable
Peyton is kind of a hot mess but her awkward to mortifying moments did make me laugh. And Declan knew just how to poke at her and how to figure her out. They may have been apart for ten years, but their old connection and knowledge of each other was hard to deny.
Their history was both good and bad, but is there a chance to heal, move on, and find a brighter future?
This is a humorous, emotional, sexy, lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers rom-com with a lot of heart. It’s about forgiveness, giving up control, vulnerability, honesty, and rebuilding a relationship. I loved the small-town setting, and coming home and second-chance storylines. I really liked Declan and Peyton even when they were not sure what they were feeling. The side characters, especially their families gave the story more depth. Their rapport was entertaining whether they were fighting or flirting. It had some really sweet moments that definitely made me smile.
Arc provided in exchange for an honest review
If you love second chance romances like I do, Reining her in is for you!!! Don’t miss this great story. You’ll fall in love!
4.5 stars!!
I always tend to pull towards second chance romances… but this one drew me in faster than any others. Jilted? What? I couldn’t wait to dive in. You knew there would be some deep heartbreak to come back from and I was excited to see how the author would do that.
There were points throughout the story the author literally had me laughing out loud!
I thought this one made the full circle and we got a beautiful HEA!
I loved this second chance romance. When Declan stood Peyton up at their wedding she couldn’t stand the thought of living in the same town. After 10 years away she comes home for her grandfather’s funeral and ends up staying. Of course as fate would have it she immediately runs into him. While they say time heals all wounds, that’s not true. I can’t tell you any more than there’s a hot man, a ball busting vet, a little boy and animals. What’s not to love. Not to mention the slow burn of sexual tension with one heck of an explosion. I love the banter, I wanted to hate Declan but he’s too delish to hate. This will give you ALL. THE. FEELS!!
This long awaited book from Katie Ashley was FABULOUS!!!! I absolutely loved Peyton and Declan’s second chance story especially since Declan was such a Douche (capital D) when they were younger. I can totally understand why Peyton didn’t want to do anything with him. Declan’s son, Cam, was sooo amazingly sweet, and I can tell Peyton just can’t help falling in love with that little boy!
I loved this story and never wanted it to end. Only thing that I wish had been better explained was regarding exactly what happened 10 years ago to make Declan do such a douchey thing. It was kinda just glazed over. Other than that, this book is a definite MUST READ!!!!