By the Bootstraps
Alexa Martin. Berkley, $19 trade paper (400p) ISBN 978-0-593-81637-0
Martin (How to Sell a Romance) sparkles in this cute western romance. When cowboy romance enthusiast Luna Starr buys a farmhouse in Celestial, Tex., sight unseen and relocates from Denver, her best friend Gabby thinks she’s lost her mind. But after the death of Luna’s mother, she needs an escape, and small-town Celestial feels “like a Hallmark movie come to life”—especially when she meets two smoking hot bachelors, Silas and Tate Jacobs, who happen to be somewhat-estranged fraternal twins. Silas is Luna’s new neighbor, owner of the successful Starlight Ridge Ranch, while Tate is a high school football coach and handyman. As Luna works to transform her new home (she wants it to look like “if Barbie were to buy a farmhouse”), she’s plagued by problems big and small, including a bathtub falling through the ceiling, Gabby’s overprotective worrying, and the lingering grief she can’t outrun. Getting involved with the perpetually bickering Jacobs twins will only add more chaos to her life, but the more she comes to know them, the harder she falls for one of the brothers. The leads charm, and a cast of lovable, folksy locals adds to the fun. Readers will be eager to return to Celestial. (May)
Details
Reviewed on: 02/18/2026
Genre: Romance/Erotica

