Silver Pines Ranch, Kentucky, is the principal setting for a tale of a country music lady, Cassie Spencer, and the rugged wrangler she falls for head over heels. FREEING THE WILD does not at first make Cassie out to be sympathetic or interested in anyone but herself. This changes.  

Cassie is an upcoming country singer and songwriter who is under pressure from her manager, Dax O’Brien, to tour nonstop. She’s briefly taking time to visit her sister Ivy, the boss’s intended wife at Silver Pines. While there, she’ll get some footage on horseback for her adoring fans. Dax keeps telling her social media fans are fickle. Haden Westbrook, head wrangler, doesn’t know Cassie, as it’s her first time to grace the ranch outside Laurel Creek. He just sees yet another pretty dude taking liberties with stunned young ranch hands, and getting on a horse she can’t ride. 

Having picked Cassie out of the dust and checked she’s not hurt, Haden gives her a friendly warning. They meet again that evening as Cassie explores the bar in town, where Haden happens to socialise. They’re both single, and they have an impromptu fling. But Cassie leaves, then writes a song based on their brief encounter, suggesting the man did her wrong. While it seems to be a staple of country music that someone did someone wrong, when Haden finds out what’s going on, he’s justifiably upset. Also, he can’t get the lady out of his head. Selfish or not.  

As I said, Cassie changes, following a scary event while she’s performing. Her sister is a sympathetic figure in a world that doesn’t have too many of those. The ranch seems like a haven to rest. Would that she were actually on speaking terms with the head wrangler. This is the fourth book in the Silver Pines Ranch series, so we meet other young couples who may be familiar. The nearby Penny Lane horse rescue is where Haden spends his spare time. I’ve read other ranch romances in which distance from friends and towns ended relationships. A cluster of homes seems much healthier, especially when wives start expecting babies. In this case, Silver Pines is being turned into a guest ranch and wedding destination. Raising stock alone doesn’t cover costs anymore.

FREEING THE WILD by Paisley Hope does not include wild horses, but does include several adult romance scenes. I may be in a minority, but I wish I wasn’t reading phone sex and wanted them to get on with the story. How their lives and careers could be reconciled is the heart of the tale, and this contains interesting developments and good lessons.