A spoiler free guide to a spicy, emotional small town romance series set in Wyoming 

Series at a Glance

Series: Kelly Ranch

Author: Julia Wolf

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Setting: Sugar Brush, Wyoming

Format: Interconnected standalone romances

Audiobook Narrators: Emma Wilder & Sean Masters

Overall Series Rating: 4 stars

What is the Kelly Ranch series about?

The Kelly Ranch series follows the romances of four couples in and around the small Wyoming town of Sugar Brush. Each book tells its own complete love story, but the characters and family connections carry throughout the series, making the books especially satisfying to read back to back.

From childhood friends and longtime crushes to wounded heroes and sunshine heroines, each romance has its own personality while still delivering the elements that make the series work so well: emotional connection, chemistry, small town charm, and just enough outside tension to keep things interesting.

Can You Read These Books as Standalones?

Yes! Each book features a different couple and their own complete romance with a happily ever after.

That said, I highly recommend reading the series in order. While each romance can stand on its own, there are ongoing family storylines, character arcs, and pieces of the larger world that continue throughout the books and there are mild spoilers for each couple and the way their story has progressed throughout the series.

SERIES TROPES

• Small Town Wyoming
• Cowboy/Ranch Romance
• Interconnected Standalones
• Close Knit Family
• Found Family
• Protective Heroes
• Emotionally Wounded Heroes
• Strong Female Leads
• Friends to Lovers
• Childhood Friends to Lovers
• Second Chance Romance
• Longtime Crushes
• Unrequited Love
• Years of Yearning
• Slow Burn
• Opposites Attract
• Single Dad
• Grumpy/Guarded Hero
• Sunshine Heroine
• Emotional Healing
• Learning to Let Yourself Be Loved
• Spicy Romance
• Tender Romance
• Strong Chemistry
• Light Romantic Suspense
• Small Town Secrets
• Happily Ever Afters

My Kelly Ranch Ranking

Ranking these is hard because I really enjoyed them all but if I had to choose my faves here’s the list:

1. Hold the Line ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
2. See it Through ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
3. Hit the Ground ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4. Set it Right ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Book by book reviews

Book 1 See it Through

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The series begins with a strong introduction to Sugar Brush and the Kelly family. This one balances emotional depth and some grittier issues with small town warmth, a Wyoming ranch setting, strong chemistry, and a dash of suspense.

Read my full review → here

Book 2 Hold the Line

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

My favorite of the series! Deke and Phoebe had something that just really worked for me. His dark, guarded personality paired with her sunshine bakery owner energy made them such a fantastic opposites attract couple. Watching Deke slowly open himself up and allow himself to be loved was emotional, tender, and incredibly satisfying.

Read my full review →here

Book 3 Hit the Ground

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Alice completely stole my heart in this one. She has been carrying around a four year crush on Caleb, so there is plenty of yearning here. I loved her sweetness and especially her relationship with Caleb’s son, Jesse. It was such a special connection, and the family dynamics added another emotional layer to the romance.

Read my full review → here

Book 4 Set it Right

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The final book brings Cormac’s story to the forefront with a childhood friends to lovers romance full of shared history, pining, and the fear of ruining a friendship. It was a quiet, grounded, and authentic romance that felt like a fitting way to close out the series.

Read my full review → here

My thoughts

I really enjoyed my time with the Kelly Ranch series, and now that I’ve finished all four books, I definitely recommend reading these as a binge. That’s exactly how I ended up reading them—I finished one and immediately wanted to see what was waiting for me next in Sugar Brush.

One of my favorite things about the series was how well Julia Wolf balances spice with emotional and tender romance. These aren’t just books about chemistry and attraction; the emotional journeys of the characters are a huge part of what makes each relationship work. Wolf does a particularly good job getting inside her characters and exploring their vulnerabilities, past experiences, and the reasons they struggle to let themselves be loved.

The female leads were another highlight for me. They each have their own personalities and stories, and I genuinely enjoyed spending time with all four of them. The Kelly family dynamics were also fantastic and gave the series that interconnected feeling that makes a romance series so easy to binge.

And then there’s Sugar Brush, Wyoming. The setting is striking and strong throughout the series, and I loved the small town atmosphere. The ranches, the community, the family connections, and the feeling of everyone knowing everyone else make the setting feel like a character in its own right. By the end of four books, I was very invested in this little fictional Wyoming town.

There is also a touch of suspense woven throughout the series. I wouldn’t classify these as romantic suspense—the romances are definitely the main focus—but each book has just enough danger or outside tension to add another layer to the story without overwhelming the relationship.

I listened to all four books on audio, narrated by Emma Wilder and Sean Masters, and the audiobook experience was fantastic. At this point, I don’t even have a new way to say how much I enjoyed them. 😂 They became such a natural fit for the characters and the Sugar Brush world, and their performances added so much emotion and nuance to the stories. If you enjoy romance on audio, this is a series I’d especially recommend listening to.

Hold the Line ended up being my favorite of the four, but I enjoyed each book for different reasons, and the series as a whole gave me exactly what I wanted from a bingeable small town romance series. Set It Right brought everything to a satisfying conclusion, and I closed the final book already knowing I wanted to seek out more from Julia Wolf.

Perfect for Readers Who Love

• Small town Wyoming romance
• Cowboy and ranch romances
• Emotional and tender love stories
• Plenty of spice
• Strong female leads
• Protective and emotionally wounded heroes
• Family dynamics and interconnected characters
• Slow burns and plenty of yearning
• A touch of suspense without full romantic suspense
• Romance series that are perfect for binge-reading
• Excellent romance audiobooks

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Novelgossip!