Overall Grade: A-/B+
Tropes: friends to lovers; brother’s best friend’s sister; small town romance; forbidden
Jessica Peterson’s final story in her Lucky River Ranch series, Ryder, is a lovely yet steamy conclusion to a series that ingratiates itself into your heart. In Ryder, I am reminded of some of Peterson’s earlier stories where the romance is simply the conduit for deeper societal messages. This newest story investigates the complications of grief as well as outdated parental expectations that influence one’s sense of identity.
Through Ryder’s characterization as well as his brothers’ earlier stories, Peterson illustrates the many ways people process grief. She shows us that each person handles loss differently. For the older brothers, they became busy, attending to the younger brothers and ensuring their family ranch remained intact. As the youngest brother, Ryder compartmentalized his grief, avoiding feeling it because the pain felt too great. As we see through his journey, this causes him to live a “half life.” It is Billie who helps him see that he must go through the process of pain to arrive at a well lived life. This is the most powerful message in this final book, and for me, it is Ryder’s story that adds the deepest meaning to the series. Peterson’s careful handling of the brothers’ grief is a masterclass in marrying romance with the struggles of human nature.
Adding to that is Billie’s journey from the girl who wants to find a place that matches her inner sense of self as she battles her parents’ expectations. Like Ryder, Billie is more than sass and independence. She is a people pleaser when it comes to her parents, and they, being traditionalists, cannot see to the heart of her interests because they see her first as a woman. Her journey involves allowing herself to have her wants (Ryder, horse therapy, and more) and standing brave in her choices. Both she and Ryder live half lives until they eventually realize, through their adoration of each other, that they can choose something fuller and more meaningful.All of this is wrapped up in the smexiness Peterson’s readers have come to love, though as always, the steam is secondary to the story. Jessica Peterson’s romances challenge what we know and feel and ask us to consider living more complete lives. Ryder and the Lucky River Ranch crew challenge us to choose love while also choosing ourselves.
In love and romance,
Professor A
Professor Romance 