e-ALC, 06:24:45
Narrated by: Shayna Small & Landon Woodson
Release Date: February 3, 2026
Published by: HarperCollins
Read from: January 30-31, 2026
Stand-alone
Source: Netgalley (I received this ALC free from the publisher and Netgalley. This did nothing to influence my review!)
Content Warning: Animal Death, Gun Violence, Violence, Addiction
For Readers Interested In: Audio, Dual POV, Sparkly Covers, Most Anticipated, Own, Racial/Ethnic Diversity, Realistic Fiction, Romance, Texas local reads, YAWhen life lassoes Josie and Shawn back together three years after their dreamy first date, their second chance at love is anything but easy. A big-hearted rodeo romance set in Houston, Texas, by the critically acclaimed Liara Tamani, author of What She Missed, All The Things We Never Knew, and Calling My Name. This bold first-love story is for fans of Nothing Like the Movies and Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute.
This ain’t Josie’s first rodeo. Her parents own several fancy restaurants in Houston, and they just opened a new one right outside the stadium. Josie is expected to stay inside the restaurant and help, and maybe take over their growing empire one day, but that isn’t what Josie wants. She’d rather be at the rodeo itself than in a high-end restaurant next to it. Or eating funnel cakes and Texas-sized corn dogs at the carnival on the grounds. Or better yet, riding her horse at her grandparents’ ranch, the very place her mom wants to sell.
It ain’t Shawn’s first rodeo either. He’s been riding bulls since his mom died, doing everything he can to live up to his rodeo-champion stepfather’s sky-high expectations. But as Shawn’s stardom rises, so do tensions in their relationship. His stepfather’s drinking and gambling problems sure don’t help.
After one unforgettable night leaves Josie and Shawn wanting nothing but each other, their lives become entwined in increasingly complex ways. Can they save Josie’s family land? Or will Shawn’s stepfather and his shady plan be the ranch’s ruin? Will one wrong move cost them everything? Rodeo after rodeo, year after year, can Josie and Shawn keep their hearts open through the secrets, twists, and turns?
This Ain’t Our First Rodeo is a contemporary western love story full of bulls, brawls, and horses. It’s a tender second chance cowboy romance about family, friendship, mistakes, and the blessings of choosing to love anyway. Black cowboys and cowgirls like Josie and Shawn have long helped shape the American West—a legacy that shines in Liara Tamani’s storytelling. Her writing is quick-witted, swoony, and authentic, with characters who are easy to love and hard to forget.
*MY THOUGHTS*
I really need to start reading the synopsis of these books lol When I saw this cover I just knew it was going to be a really cutesy type romance. But yeah, no this was more serious than I thought. It just wasn’t at all what I was expecting.
So it’s been a long time since I read something that had my actual home town as the setting. And to have places that I actually recognize in them as well. Hell I even learned something about this place from this book. I was not expecting to have to go back and Google some things about this place where I’ve lived almost all my life. I did get a tiny bit annoyed because the narrator was a little heavy with the drawl and that’s one thing I can’t stand lol We do not all talk like that. But I know there are some who do, especially in some places where they still have horses out there, so I gave some grace. Especially since the author is from here too.
The story itself came with a lot of surprises. I was not expecting all the drama that was in this. I DID look at Storygraph because someone warned me that there was addiction, but it was betting or gambling and I was ok with it, so I didn’t look further. But I should have because Lordt this was crazy lol This turned out to be something like a Romeo and Juliet kind of story. I loved to see they were falling for each other, but Lordt they fell fast. Also, I wish they had added some content warnings. I had no idea about the animal and that could have potentially messed me up. I wanted to add this to one of our school programs, but I don’t think this is something we’d be interested in, especially not with the unidentified warning.
The romance was very cute. It was like insta-love tho for real for real. I did have to remember that some time had passed between it, but for the most part that first time it felt like they fell in love then. And that made it weird to me lol The things they went through, like the ending with the ranch and her parents, and his parent, and the random people who were up to no good…. Yeah it almost ended just like they did too. But again, I gave grace because this is a Western romance.
With this coming out right as the rodeo is starting up (my husband is part of the Black Heritage Committee so I know alllllll about these things lol) I am hella excited to share this book with multiple people. There are a few things I wished were changed, but for the most part, this was good. And I loved it. This felt like a love letter to Houston and its rodeo culture. And for that, I can’t thank Liara Tamani enough.
Overall, I give this
