By the Bootstraps
By: Alexa Martin
Published Year: 2026
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 400
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion of this novel.
Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Fueled by a love of romance novels, Luna Starr was destined for a life with her head in the clouds. Her delusional tendencies serve her well…or at least they used to. When life throws her a curveball, she decides it’s time to turn her cowboy fantasies into reality and purchases a tiny farm in Celestial, Texas. After all, don’t all heroines try to outrun grief?
Tate Jacobs hates cowboys, which is a small problem, considering his family happens to own the largest ranch in Celestial. Life might not have gone the way he wanted, but as head coach at his old high school and the town’s best (and only) handyman, he’s figured out how to stay busy and keep his head down—until the new girl in town shows up. Luna’s new property is a bad accident waiting to happen unless someone helps her with her DIY home renovations.
As Tate and Luna spend more time together fixing up her house, unexpected feelings and undeniable chemistry bubble to the surface. Luna might’ve moved to Celestial to make her cowboy dreams come true, but somewhere beneath the vast Texas skies, she discovers that love in the real world can be far better than she imagined.
First Impressions
I love Alexa Martin but haven’t read any cowboy romances so I was intrigued. I have to admit, I really don’t like the cover and would not have picked it up if I didn’t already like Martin.
What I thought
The majority of this book was really cute.
After her mother passes away, Luna decides to move from Denver to Celestial, Texas. She uses her mom’s life insurance to purchase a home on some acres of land ad fix it up to make it her dream home. When she moves down, she meets not one but two hot cowboys who are seemingly into her. She settles in and finds herself and a new lease on life.
We’ll start with what worked with me. The town of Celestial is adorable. I could live in this town for a few books and be very happy. All of the side characters were so sweet. I also liked Luna and Tate and Silas. I didn’t necessarily get Luna’s instant attraction to Tate over Silas, but I liked them when they were together. Tate seems like a really good guy and I enjoyed his football coach scenes specifically.
What didn’t work for me was the third act break. I found the reason for Luna breaking down to come out of nowhere. The issues that come up were not built up to at all. She has some difficulties with her mom and how she passed as well as her mom’s brother. I think we could’ve easily focused on those and not added in another breakdown that was unjustified. This kind of left a little bit of a bad taste in my mouth right at the end of the book.
I wish that Martin had focused more on the exploration of the trauma Luna was dealing with regarding her mom’s death and a little less on her home renovations. I also read this following Abby Jimenez’s newest novel and there were some similar storylines that Jimenez executed better.
This is a fun read. Luna and Tate are very cute and the setting is 5/5. I am hoping that Martin continues this as a series because I want to read about Silas, Ciara, and Millie. Is this my favorite of Martin’s books? No. Is it still a solid romance? Yes. I would recommend it if you enjoy small town romance books for sure. Here’s hoping she continues in Celestial!