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What happens when a gorgeous, curvy network exec from LA shows up on the doorstep of my ranch? A big, fat pay-off to replace what my thieving ex took, and enough sexual chemistry to light the Montana Sky on fire.Her plan? Send a cast of city slickers to the ranch to learn how to saddle up like a real cowboy.I've got one condition. She has to come learn the ropes before I'll agree to let strangers come work my ranch. She thinks it'll be a piece of cake. I'm sure she's not going to last. But it's going to be fun watching her try. There's just one problem. I want her to save a horse and ride...me.Saddle Up is a steamy, heartfelt, stand-alone romantic comedy in the Ryker Ranch series. This series includes Saddle Up, Bucked Off, Ridden Hard, and Roped Tight. Each book can stand alone and follows all four of the Ryker brothers. Save a horse, ride a Ryker.

240 pages, Paperback

First published December 17, 2019

977 people are currently reading
1507 people want to read

About the author

Kim Loraine

79 books1,065 followers
USA Today bestselling author Kim Loraine was raised a Navy brat but spent most of her life growing up in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. A proper Washingtonian, she's addicted to coffee, doesn't let a little rain ruin her day, and thinks the sun is a gift from God. When not chasing her three little minions around, Kim spends her time writing, reading, and binge watching Doctor Who.

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5 stars
771 (40%)
4 stars
661 (34%)
3 stars
374 (19%)
2 stars
86 (4%)
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23 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 313 reviews
Profile Image for Ⓐlleskelle - That ranting lady ッ.
1,038 reviews949 followers
September 23, 2020
***FREE TODAY***

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4 stars⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ He calls her "Darlin'"
Pitch me any romance about some honest rugged rancher coming undone for the city girl and I'm here for it. Any time.

I can't ever suppose because I like a trope it will work out for the best though. Just like me, my reading mood is a fickle thing, it's temperamental.
Unpredictable needs notwithstanding, Kim Loraine catered to my reading mood with perfection with this lighthearted and fun romance, minor conflict, on page chemistry between the main leads and a sweet HEA.
It was my first book from the author.

"Saddle Up" was sweet with some serious sexy times, yes it's very predictable but predictable can still be enjoyable, I don't need twisted plot devices to appreciate a good romance. The "opposites attract" trope doesn't corral much conflict or angst considering how sweet about each other Ever and Clint are at first sight. It never occured to me they wouldn't end up together. It's quite obvious from the moment Ever gets her pretty heels on Ryker's ranch she got Clint ensnared.
“-'There's another blanket right next to you. Just wrap it around your waist. It'll be like a kilt. I can pretend this is Outlander. Can you do a Scottish accent?'
-'No.' Standing, I unbuttoned my jeans but stopped when I felt the weight of her gaze on me. ‘You gonna watch?’”

Special mention to all the little things that made me like this book, easy banter and humor, a tight knit family of ranchers (two brothers and one sister I look forward to read about!), a nurturing ranch mama, the tedious and repetitive tasks of a ranch life... Yes, Saddle Up has all the makings of a nice afternoon book, I must say these cowboy romances are the ultimate fantasy for little French me. Even mucking up horse stalls sounds fun when you read about it.(I think not in real life for sure!) The heroine sure was perky at stupid AM ready to get on with her chores. LOL.
“Spread your legs darlin'. I promised you I'd put some cowboy in you while you were here.”

Now, I know we don't all see eye to eye about cowboy/western romance... some of my friends can't help but get the following visual:

Me on the other hand?
Each and every cowboy romance I dive into is like a revival of the movie "Longest Ride"' best moments. Oh yeah.
















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Profile Image for chan ☆.
1,348 reviews60.6k followers
Read
July 23, 2020
was for a video but temporarily scrapped
Profile Image for Heroesinbooks.
1,167 reviews349 followers
September 20, 2020
4 Clint and Ever Stars

This was a really enjoyable book. I seem to have a soft spot for hot cowboys and Clint Ryker is pretty much the epitome of Ranch hot guys.
The Ryker Family have been through a lot and they find themselves in a situation where they are struggling financially. Potential financial rescue comes in the form of a TV Network from LA who want to film a Ranch Reality Series in the wilds of Montana and the sleepy town of Sunrise may just be the place. Clint is not keen on the idea but with no other options , he and his family agree. The one bright point is the gorgeous producer , Ever Wilson. It was pretty much lust at first sight for these two and they certainly fell in love quickly.

The secondary characters are great and I definitely want to read their books. Small town, close family and lots of heat made this a really good read. There is very low angst in this novel but I needed a book I could just escape into and enjoy.

So why not 5 stars? It felt a bit rushed in places - I would have loved to have read more about Ever and Clint and it felt like the story could have been a bit deeper in places. Still a great read though with a sweet hero , a very likeable heroine and the promise of lots more potential books to come about the Ryker Ranch. Sign me up - I'm hooked.

I listened and read. Great narration by Aaron Shedlock and Stella Hunter.

HEA? Yes - more HFN because it leads into another character's book
Cheating? No way - these two are all about each other.
Profile Image for Naadira  Moodley (BookedMercy) .
369 reviews79 followers
December 19, 2019
I love me some cowboy! The cover alone is so drool worthy. I mean hubba hubba, right? I gravitate towards an opposite attracts pairing and what's more opposite than a city girl meets a cowboy.

Ever Wilson goes to a ranch in Montana with hopes of getting her new reality show off the ground. The Ryker ranch is the perfect spot to host the show with the sinfully sexy Ryker brothers showing the contestants the ropes. Clint, the oldest Ryker sibling, is the majority owner of the ranch and after he got cheated by someone close to him, his family business is in the red. He needs the capital to make the ranch a success again and the reality show is the only thing that can help at the moment but once Clint sets his eyes on Ever, he knows his life will never be the same. They live completely different lives but having Ever in the ranch proves there is so much more to the city girl and she is not uptight as one would presume. He knows Ever on the ranch is only temporary but he is drawn to her and she is a risk he is willing to take.

It kind of bugged me how compliant Ever was at times. Either than that, this was a short–kind of–sweet romance. I didn't get the enemies to lovers vibe in this book. Clint was bordering on sweet towards Ever and he was swoony at times. The characters had an instant connection that they tried to ignore but the sexual tension kept on growing. I would have liked to see a bit about the reality show in this book though. Maybe in the other books. Hopefully. I would like to know more about Sera (Clint's sister).
Profile Image for Lea Bookjoy.
1,804 reviews91 followers
August 17, 2021
French & English reviews

UH même pas fini !

C'est rare que je ne finisse pas un livre mais là ... Je ne sais pas si c'est parce que les romances de cowboy ne sont pas pour moi ou juste le style beaucoup trop niais mais j'ai tenu 30 % avant de déclarer forfait : l'instalove n'était déjà pas top mais en plus les héros étaient trop clichés / niais et j'ai passé beaucoup trop de temps à lever les yeux au ciel en lisant leurs interactions ><

Bref, pas une romance pour moi même si l'auteure a d'autres livres bien mieux (notamment sa série "Siren Coven")

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

UH not even finished !

It's rare that I don't finish a book but there ... I don't know if it's because cowboy romances aren't for me or just the style was way too silly but I kept reading until 30% before I gave up : the instalove was already not great but in addition the heroes were too cliché / silly and I spent too much time rolling my eyes reading their interactions ><

In short, not a romance for me even if the author has other much better books (in particular her series "Siren Coven")
Profile Image for Coco.V.
50k reviews132 followers
Want to read
June 16, 2020
🎁 FREE on Amazon today (6/16/2020)! 🎁
Profile Image for Sara Reads Romance.
743 reviews122 followers
March 25, 2022
This is my first ever Kim Loraine book and I can’t wait to read more by her. It’s been a long time since I read a cowboy romance and this baby didn't disappoint. From the very beginning I knew I was going to love this baby! Considering the length of this book I was expecting that our main characters, Clint and Ever, would jump right into things but this was a nice little slow burn which I very much loved and appreciated. You could really feel the tension building and building as the story moved along. I thought this was so cute and I can't wait to read more from the Ryker Ranch series.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Profile Image for Paige.
1,330 reviews113 followers
January 11, 2022
2.75 stars.

Meh. Didn’t buy the enemies to instalove.

Did like the setting, premise, and family dynamic.

Contains: e2l, city girl country boy, reality tv producer heroine, cowboy hero, shitty ex (hero’s), big family, shelter from storm, cuddle for body warmth, horses, tall and small, Montana, Christmas, mechanical bull, possessive hero

CW: side character w abusive partner (nothing shown, injuries described)

4/5🔥
Profile Image for Pam Nelson.
3,831 reviews123 followers
March 10, 2022
Good first Book in the series wasn’t a fan of the name Ever. But we get enough of the story to enjoy the book and know what’s coming next. Will they won’t they was kind of obvious. Clint was the stand out for me I believe the next books will be of the siblings and that will be interesting.

On to the next!
I quite enjoyed the narration I wasn’t sure if I would but Aaron is always a plus for me Stella was new I think to me but I enjoyed it.
Profile Image for William.
2,865 reviews30 followers
March 15, 2021
Perfection!

What a perfect love connection! The protagonists realizing what’s important in life; and the city girl realizing she’s destined to become a country girl!
Profile Image for Chelsea Johnson.
1,202 reviews47 followers
September 19, 2022
I wavered on this. The timeline was way compressed (a day or so worth of initial meeting, then a gap while things got figured out, three weeks at the ranch and then a Christmas proposal) and I felt like there was a lot that could/should have been explored that didn't get looked at. Overall, I think a lot of my issues with this were just due to the fact that I feel like this book should have been longer. These characters/storylines needed to be fleshed out a lot more. Not sure if I'll read the rest of this series or not; it looks like the rest of the books are longer so hopefully they'll have the stuff I was missing in this but I don't know if I'll race to find them immediately.

There really wasn't a lot of time for me to make a full opinion on people. I liked the fact that Clint wanted to keep the ranch going and did his best to make things worked but there were constant references to Jess and what happened but beyond the "she showed up and I thought she was forever but then she stole everything", there wasn't really a lot more into how her betrayal effected things. Yes, there was a conversation where things were mentioned about her having caused him to not want to love but it seemed like he got over that right quick.

Similar to Clint, there wasn't a ton of time to really form an opinion on Ever. On the one hand I did kind of roll my eyes at how she seemed to kind of take a cavalier approach to the ranch at first. Like, granted Clint admitted he should have given her a little more info but at the same time, you'd think she'd have been smart enough to go "hey what will we possibly need" and she probably could have made it an "here's info for the show" on top of the "let's be smart while going to this ranch" situation. Her whole thing on leaving kind of came out of nowhere. Again with the length of the book, everything was really compressed and she'd made a couple comments about wanting someone she couldn't have, but nothing was really talked about until Clint spilled his feelings and she ran away.
Profile Image for Jess Brady.
Author 1 book168 followers
August 30, 2022
Clint Ryker is the OG cowboy, and I was not disappointed!!

I've read several of Kim's cowboys, so I knew all about Clint and Ever, but I really wanted their story. How these two people from different worlds ended up together and made their love look so effortless.

At 37 Clint oversees the entirety of Ryker Ranch but since his almost-fiancée left him as well as drained the ranches funds his family has been struggling. He needs something that is going to save the ranch and his family before they lose their family legacy forever. Leave it to Mama Ryker to come up with a solution to save not only the ranch but Clint from turmoil.

Ever just needs to get the owner of Ryker Ranch to sign off on this deal and then she can get back to California but the moment she sets her eyes on Clint Ryker that seems easier said than done. He is everything she never knew she wanted not to mention the way he fills out a pair of Wranglers, but she can't let herself fall for the cowboy or they both risk losing everything.

I loved this book! From the way they first meet to the way that Clint treats Ever even before he realizes what he is doing. His protective instincts are in place from the very start, and they just grow stronger the closer he gets to her.

Ever fears hoping for something for the first time in her life and she might have found a forever hope in the most unlikely of places. Dive right on into the Ryker Ranch series and see how these brothers find the women that make them swoon!!
Profile Image for Jan .
2,156 reviews45 followers
October 25, 2021
I do love a swoon-worthy cowboy and Clint Ryker ticks all the right box's

I thoroughly enjoyed this insta love story however I was left a little confused. This is book 1 in a new series but there's definitely a lot more that went on before this book begins.
This is in the blurb below but it isn't mentioned in the book, so what exactly went down? Saddle Up starts where Clint is picking up the pieces after his ex-fiance had pretty much left the family broke after doing away with all their money.
Blurb: His dad has all but promised him the ranch when he retires.

His mama loves the woman he plans to marry.

And his almost-fiancee? She's the perfect finishing touch to the life he's got planned out for himself.

Except all hell breaks loose when she takes off with one of the ranch hands and most of the Ryker Ranch money in her pocket.
Heartbroken and trust demolished, Clint doesn't know if he'll ever find love again. Until Ever Wilson walks onto his property


I would have liked more depth and more insight as to what went on there before Ever turned up on the Ryker ranch to save the day with her tv series proposal. Is it in a previous book from another series?

Regardless of the above, I really enjoyed Clint and Ever's story. I listened to this book in audio and enjoyed the smooth male voice of the narrator who really did Clint justice, so much so I then downloaded the other books in the series which are available in a box set 1-3
Recommended quick swoon-worthy cowboy romance.
Profile Image for SanNit's Büchersalat.
699 reviews2 followers
July 1, 2022
Bei dieser Geschichte wurde mein Cowboy Romance Herz glücklich gemacht.
Auch das Thema Reality-TV war wieder neu und wird im nächsten Teilen erst richtig ausgebaut werden. Da bin ich gespannt drauf.
Diese Einführungsstory, ich nenne sie jetzt mal so, hat auf jeden Fall alles gehabt, was ich in diesem Genre erwarte. Eine Ranch, auf der auch gearbeitet wird, Cowboys natürlich und mein Favorit, der Familienanhang. In diesem Fall die Ryker Geschwister und ihre Mam.
Da steht der Unterhaltung nichts mehr im Weg.
Es hat zwischen Clint und Ever von Beginn an geknistert, aber beide haben versucht es geschäftlich zu belassen. Ich fand es sehr gut, dass sich die Autorin bis zum leidenschaftlichen Ausbruch Zeit gelassen hat. Um noch kurz auf die Charaktere einzugehen, auch die fand ich alle toll und ich möchte mehr über sie lesen.
Wer was lockeres, knisterndes, und cowboymaßiges sucht, ist hier absolut richtig.
Profile Image for Nikki'J'.
915 reviews23 followers
September 2, 2021
Saddle Up was a great introduction to Ryker Ranch. It was fun and sweet and gave a good dose of ranch life. Hot cowboys with a cheeky side working hard are a great combination for a series you can get hooked on. Clint has the sexy cowboy swagger down and makes you want to head out and find yourself one. Ever is sweet, feisty and independent, a city girl who you can't help but like right away.

Ryker Ranch is in trouble. Clint's ex ran off with most of the ranches money and now he has to figure out how to save his families legacy. Ever has the most unconventional solution for a rancher, let her use the ranch for her networks newest reality show.

Clint isn't keen on the idea but with his mama meddling, he agrees to meet with the network. Ever and her assistant Joey show up and Ever falls for Clint (literally). From the first meeting, these two have chemistry but Clint isn't willing to take another risk which could put his families livelihood on the line and Ever doesn't let anybody in, she's too used to looking after herself.

The chemistry is too strong and even though there seems no way for them to work they give in to each other. Now it's a matter of how far will they go to be with each other and make a life at Ryker Ranch.
Profile Image for Katie B.
368 reviews8 followers
August 6, 2024
4⭐️
1.5🌶️

Okay, but why was this the cutest thing I’ve ever read? A short and sweet cowboy romance that I absolutely adored. Clint Ryker is the epitome of a swoony cowboy (technically a rancher but hey, I’m a city girl so…) He was just the cutest little grump but an absolute softy for our FMC Ever. Ever is a producer from LA, interested in using Ryker Ranch for the set of a new reality show. *Cue the meet cute*
These two were so good together and their HEA had me giggling and kicking my feet.

Get you a man who would fly across the country to win you back, who will take any time he can get with you - get you a Clint Ryker.
Profile Image for Laurie Anne.
953 reviews18 followers
December 9, 2020
I'm loving the entire Ryker Family!
I started with Ridden Hard and just finished Saddle Up. Aaron and Stella were awesome as always as Clint and Ever. Really enjoyed this book and how well the author is able to give us some push and pull and a HEA within a reasonable 5 hours listening time. Sometimes you just want a great story but dont have 11 + hours to dedicate to listening. one of the things I like most about this series is how quickly I fell in love with all the characters.
Getting ready to hear Buck's story next!!
Profile Image for Val.
678 reviews8 followers
February 17, 2021
Wow!

I am not into cowboys at all but I gave it a shot! This is the sweetest and light/easy read!!! I love the concept of the story and how things came so it! The characters are likable and truly cute banters! Unfortunately, it was cut short & I want more and this is a girl who isn’t into country books. This is my first time reading/listening by this author, Kim Lorraine. She did a great job! The narrators are fantastic! This won’t be the last book I’ll read from her. If you are in a book slump & need a little pep, this is it!!!
Profile Image for Kathryn.
630 reviews15 followers
July 5, 2020
I enjoyed this story very much. I liked that Clint and Ever were grown. Not silver fo age but adults who had experienced life and knew what they wanted.

Clint was leary of women after a bad break-up and Ever had trust issues based on her childhood.

They came together naturally and really enjoyed that part of the story. I also enjoyed how Ever was welcomed into the family and bond amongst the brothers and their mom.

Heat level was 🔥🔥, could have been more in my opinion. ( LOL ) I would recommend for fans of contemporary romance, cowboys, alpha males, strong females.
Profile Image for Bookish Lauren.
Author 1 book179 followers
December 8, 2020
This was a new to me author. I really enjoyed the majority of the story. There was lots of chemistry between Clint and Ever, emotionally and physically.

I hoped for the story to be longer so that there would be more depth and less insta-love. That really isn't my thing. I do want to continue the series though because I liked the author's overall writing style.

I also loved the strong family factor weaved into the story.
Profile Image for Hailey Siedel.
487 reviews10 followers
July 11, 2025
This was an okay read, more of a filler. I know it’s a shorter book so things can’t go into super deep detail but it still felt like they were changing their minds and moods so quickly, like the next sentence.

The main girl had a hang up about them being together but only towards the end. She was all for it until they were together and then she told him about the forbidden element and pushed him away. There was no indication of doubts earlier.

⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️.75/5
Profile Image for Lizs.book.nook ||Elizabeth||.
1,396 reviews47 followers
December 19, 2019
This book was ruggedly sexy and so much fun!
The chemistry between Ever and Clint was palpable. You could feel what they felt. Kim Loraine allowed you to be a part of this story. To feel their yearning for one another. To feel that push and pull. To feel the love radiating from every pore. This story was so much fun. Kim Loraine took a city girl and made her a cowgirl through and through, and a cowboy that would do just about anything for his love.
The quirky innuendos, the brothers with their own flirty and broody personalities, the sweet mama taking care of her children, what isn’t there to love!?!
Those innuendos though...totally had me rolling on the floor laughing because, let’s be honest, my mind goes exactly where Kim Loraine wanted it to go.

“Well let’s see if I can’t get some cowboy in you before you leave.”

I loved this story from page one down to the very last word. Kim Loraine continues to be one of my absolute favorite authors and people out there.
Profile Image for Sassy Angel.
2,940 reviews
December 24, 2019
This is a great story! I always love reading anything by Kim Loraine. I loved the interactions between Clint and Ever.

Clint's family ranch is in trouble when a reality show wants to use his ranch for a show about becoming a cowboy. He meets Ever who is one of the producers and agrees as long as she comes to try it out. He doesn't want anyone to hurt themselves. Ever agrees and comes for three weeks. During that time she discovers some things about herself. Clint and Ever have instant connection. Will they discover that they were meant to be?

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Sharon Ryder Roberts.
1,080 reviews17 followers
October 26, 2020
Not as steamy as i was expecting but still a romantic novel none the less. Her time learning the ropes on the ranch went really quick, all that she done was master how to ride a horse and how to care for them, thought the book was rushed and more could of been added like learning how to tend to the cows! Any way its worth a read.
Profile Image for Dawn.
1,081 reviews51 followers
November 4, 2020
Cute romance filled with angst and love. When a TV producer shows up in ridiculous hills to Ryker Ranch Clint has a mix of agitation and intrigue. As he gets to know Ever he realizes he has met someone important to him.

Follow their story in this book. I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Nicole.
275 reviews18 followers
February 4, 2022
3.5 ⭐

This was a short, cute read (164 p). A cowboy/rancher, a city girl, instalove, opposite attracts. Sex in a cabin during a snowstorm, a little drama (she left, he came after her) and then - boom - engagement.
Profile Image for Kristi.
1,366 reviews
November 9, 2022
I’m ready to pack up and move to Ryker Ranch to live the cowboy life. How can you not fall in love with the Ryker family? Clint and his brothers are hardworking and swoon worthy and Mama is the heart of the family that everyone respects and adores. This was a great start to the series and I can’t wait to dive into Buck’s story next.

I’m a huge fan of duet narration and Aaron Shedlock and Stella Hunter did an incredible job of bringing Kim Loraine’s characters to life.
Profile Image for Vikki The Fee.
236 reviews
December 21, 2025
Audible - 3⭐️ I am giving this book the benefit of the doubt and three stars. I blame my blasé feelings toward this book on how many of these cookie-cutter plots I’ve read lately. The actors/narrators are excellent.
Profile Image for Christine.
142 reviews8 followers
December 17, 2019
What a perfect book....and I don't like "cowboy" books......but this one has made me a cowboy book reader. And this book has all the feels! Loved it so much!
Profile Image for Heather W.
4,068 reviews35 followers
December 24, 2019
Saddle Up: An Opposites Attract Romance is the first book in the Ryker Ranch series and is a great start to this new series.

Can country boy Clint Ryker and city girl Ever Wilson put their differences aside and follow their attraction to see where it may lead them?

I read and reviewed this book with no obligation.
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