Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Saddle to Sunup
SERIES: The Darling Brothers
AUTHOR: Emmy Sanders
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 310 pages
RELEASE DATE: December 18, 2025
BLURB:
He gave me my first kiss. I never expected he might be my last.
Lawson
Ever since Oakley Beaumont skipped town, it feels as if my life has gone off the rails. Even worse than my divorce and moving back into my childhood bedroom at the Darling Ranch is the fact that I’m learning there’s a whole lot about myself I simply don’t know.
Like whether or not I’m straight.
And why the sudden absence of my best friend left a hole in my chest I haven’t been able to fill in the three years he’s been gone.
First things first: I need to bring Oakley home.
Then maybe I can tackle the matter of my love life. After all, I’m ready to get back in the saddle.
And who better to help me than the cowboy who once promised me forever?
Saddle to Sunup is a friends-to-lovers romance set in small town Montana, with a queer awakening for a single dad in his forties, a reunion that feels a lot like a second chance, playful banter, a bit of rope, and one very HEA. It’s book 3 in The Darling Brothers series but can be read as a standalone.
REVIEW:
Note: This is the third book in this series, but it works fine as a standalone. I enjoyed the other two books so I recommend them as well but they aren’t necessarily prerequisites to reading this story.
Lawson is the oldest Darling brother. He’s coming out of a 20 year marriage. He’s got a daughter that he adores. But he’s got a hole in his heart – not his ex-wife shaped, but his best friend Oakley shaped. He feels like he’s broken and he needs to figure things out. The only way he figures he can do this is with his life-long best friend Oakley. And since Oakley left town several years before, Lawson decides to go to him. He wants to bring his best friend home.
Oakley left town looking to make a new start and life with another love. That didn’t work out, but he didn’t move back. But when Lawson needs him, he’s there for him. Lawson is struggling to figure himself out and why he has the feelings he has when he’s with Oakley. They have been best friends since childhood, but it turns out that maybe they are more than friends 😉
There are things to navigate – like Wendy, Lawson’s daughter. The breakup of his marriage and why he feels so stuck. But Oakley is there to support and love him through it. This is a very satisfying journey for both of them.
I really liked this story. I appreciated the Ace rep, the references to a certain magical story especially throughout the flashbacks of Oak and Law during their growing up years. It’s a very beautiful journey for them both to get to where they need to be. I love friends to lovers and the true faith and vulnerability that these kinds of stories have to navigate carefully. The risk is there, but the reward is more than worth it 😉 There is plenty of humor and heart along the way also – a signature for this author. I cannot wait for Remi’s story although I’ll be sorry to say goodbye to this world.
RATING: 
BUY LINK:
