Saddle to Sunup
The Darling Brothers, Book 3
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Saddle to Sunup
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Narrated by:
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Kale Williams
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By:
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Emmy Sanders
Summary
He gave me my first kiss. I never expected he might be my last.
Lawson
Ever since Oakley Beaumont skipped town, it feels as if my life has gone off the rails. Even worse than my divorce and moving back into my childhood bedroom at the Darling Ranch is the fact that I’m learning there’s a whole lot about myself I simply don’t know.
Like whether or not I’m straight.
And why the sudden absence of my best friend left a hole in my chest I haven’t been able to fill in the three years he’s been gone.
First things first: I need to bring Oakley home.
Then maybe I can tackle the matter of my love life. After all, I’m ready to get back in the saddle.
And who better to help me than the cowboy who once promised me forever?
Saddle to Sunup is a friends-to-lovers romance set in small town Montana, with a queer awakening for a single dad in his forties, a reunion that feels a lot like a second chance, playful banter, a bit of rope, and one very HEA. It’s book 3 in The Darling Brothers series but can be listened to as a standalone.
©2025 Emmy Sanders (P)2025 Emmy SandersSo wholesome! Hug in a book
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Unfortunately, this didn’t work for me in the way I expected it to despite some really beautiful moments woven throughout. The writing overall is strong and expressive. The intimate scenes between Lawson and Oakley were tender and vulnerable, they had chemistry and the writing does capture the longing, familiarity, and weight of their shared history. However there is a lack of meaningful conflict as from very early on, Lawson and Oakley are essentially “together" with no real resistance, uncertainty, or obstacles either internal or external that challenge their relationship shifting from friends to more. There was very little to no angst, push-and-pull, or emotional risk and given this story centres around a man discovering his sexuality later in life I was expecting to be made to feel more than this book managed to evoke.
I also wasn't a fan of how this story framed and wrote Lawsons ex-wife Laura. She is set out as an obstacle and a source for misunderstanding and it is implied that it was HER responsibility to "guide" Lawson to the realisation of his sexuality with little to no understanding or empathy of the emotional cost to this woman who was married to him for two decades, built a life and raised a child with him who through no fault of her own was not being loved or treated the way she deserved to be that entire time because Lawson wasn't aware of a fundamental truth about himself. Self discovery at any age is valid but it doesn't erase or negate the emotional impact that has on others just because someone has finally realised their truth and expecting her to be the one to solve/point out Lawsons truth to him when he himself had no clue is a really unfair burden/expectation to place on her character.
Kale Williams is back narrating and did a great job and there are elements of this that worked well for me and as stated above elements that did not, overall I think this is a good addition to the series but it is my least favorite so far. I'm looking forward to seeing where Remi's story will take us though. 🌶🌶
2.5⭐️
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