Wrangled and Tangled by Taylor Wilson-West

If you’re in the mood for a good cowboy romance, Wrangled and Tangled by Taylor Wilson-West is a great pick. Wrangled and Tangled features Spencer, single-dad mechanic, and Heath, playboy rodeo star. While the two men are instantly attracted to each other, Spencer’s concern about prioritizing his daughter and a miscommunication about Heath’s relationship status make their road to happily-ever-after bumpy. However, when Heath is accused of murdering Levi Walker and needs to stay with someone who can give him an alibi, Spencer begrudgingly lets Heath stay with him. While Heath’s name is being cleared, the tension between Spencer and Heath stretches taut until it snaps. 

The romantic tension was one of my favorite parts in this book. I loved watching Spencer and Heath struggle internally to balance their desire with their responsibilities, watching them resist each other until they couldn’t help themselves. The pacing in general was done really well. When I first started reading, I was a little worried that Wrangled and Tangled was going to be an insta-love story. Instead, I got instant attraction and a slower building of yearning and desire. The combination worked amazingly–the way that Spencer and Heath fell in love was so real and believable.

While the romantic plot was great, some other plot elements didn’t really work for me. Mainly, the murder felt out of place in this story. It was sudden and could have been incorporated more into the other elements of the story. The murder works as a plot device to force Spencer and Heath together, but that same end goal could have been achieved with a plumbing issue or a robbery. There are a lot of ways to make it so that Heath has to stay with Spencer that aren’t as severe as a murder. Also, I think it would be more satisfying to the readers to see Levi confronted and held accountable for his actions instead of being murdered. Maybe the murder will make more sense after the second book comes out.

The other element of this story that was executed well was the body positivity. Spencer is described as having “arms the size of pythons” and a round belly. He’s also described as the most beautiful man that Heath has ever seen. Taylor Wilson-West hits just the right balance of celebrating different bodies while also acknowledging some of the challenges that different bodies face. Spencer is consistently gorgeous–not because of or in spite of his stomach. I also liked that, while Spencer’s size (and his daughter’s size) are mentioned occasionally, that element isn’t the main focus of the story.

Overall, Wrangled and Tangled was so much fun to read, and I’m really excited for the next book.

Thanks for reading with me,

Katie