Alive and Wells is book one in the Wells Ranch series by Bailey Hannah. It’s a spicy, small-town, cowboy romance.
You only have to spend a few minutes on BookTok or Bookstagram before you stumble across a cowboy book. Now, as someone who just 12 months ago would have told you she wasn’t a romance reader, I have been slowly making my way through a few romance books since joining bookish communities. I completely blame the Dream Harbor series because The Pumpkin Spice Cafe kickstarted a love affair with small-town romances, and it’s what really started my whole BookTok journey and ultimately led to the blog!
Anyway, I have looked at cowboy romance books with some scepticism since becoming a bookish creator, but it seems to be a genre that is just growing and growing, and well, of course I got FOMO, didn’t I?! “One cowboy book won’t hurt,” I thought to myself, “Let’s just see what all the fuss is about.”
So there I was, on holiday in America, sitting around the pool, not on a ranch unfortunately, and if there was ever going to be a time to try my first cowboy romance book, then that seemed perfect. So I opened up Alive and Wells by Bailey Hannah on my Kindle, fully expecting not to get the hype.
It took me about 10 pages, and then I got the hype. I was ready to leave my husband in the pool and move to the nearest cattle ranch!
What is Alive and Wells About?
Well, cowboys, obviously. But no, seriously, it actually has a really great storyline.
Cecily Kennedy has always been a city girl, but when she’s offered a job and refuge by a kind friend, she sees it as her only chance to finally get out of her abusive marriage.
When Cecily is confronted with a violent act by her husband, she finds herself taking up the offer and heading to Wells Ranch, a cattle ranch with rough and ready cowboys. Cecily doesn’t have the first clue about working on a ranch, and she’s also not sure about being around so many men. However, the guys at Wells Ranch soon show her that not everyone is like her ex-husband. But there’s one man she can’t quite figure out, Austin Well, the ranch owner and her new boss.
As attractive as Austin is, Cecily can’t cope with his personality switches. One minute he’s nice, the next it seems like he hates her and she has enough on her plate with her violent ex trying to track her down. Dealing with Austin just isn’t worth it.
Austin keeps his feelings guarded. Cecily won’t be sticking around; she may be getting stuck in around the ranch, and everyone seems to like her, but she’s a city girl. Once she’s back on her feet, she’ll leave. Austin has learnt that no one ever sticks around at Wells Ranch, so why would Cecily be the exception?
But the longer Cecily stays at Wells Ranch, the longer she feels like she’s found the place where she belongs, with people who will do anything to help her. Slowly, she and Austin open up to one another, and she begins to realise just what it feels like to be loved. Austin knows he’ll get his heart broken, but he’d do anything to keep Cecily safe. So when her past comes back to haunt her, Austin and the Wells Ranch Cowboys step in and he realises he realises he desperately wants her to stay, whether she feels the same way or not.
Book Review for Alive and Wells
Before we get into all the spice and the romance, the number one thing I loved about this book was the fact that both Cecily and Austin were in their thirties. As someone who is approaching their mid-thirties themself, I don’t always vibe with characters in their twenties. It was so, so refreshing to get a romance book where both of the main characters were in their thirties. More of this, please!
I am so glad I picked Alive and Wells as my first ever cowboy romance book because I honestly thought it was a masterclass in how to have a really strong plot that is well supported by some spicy scenes. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a time and place for a full-on smutty book, but I mostly prefer my spicy novels to have a strong story outside of how many times the characters can get it on. This did that perfectly.
Cecily’s storyline of her abusive marriage could be quite triggering for some, and it is present throughout the book so it might be worth taking a look at the triggers page at the start of the book before you decide whether this book is for you. I’m not saying anything that isn’t on that page here, so it isn’t a spoiler, just a little reassurance, the book is genuinely heartwarming, and it does have a happy ending.
So, the spice, the bit that most people will be wanting to know about in a cowboy book. It hits the spot! It doesn’t feel unnecessary or forced. We’re not shoehorning a sex scene in just to get a bit more smut in there. Yes, it’s spicy, yes, it gets spicier as it goes along, but it fits the storyline perfectly. It complements it rather than it feeling like we have to miss out on a strong story for the sake of some spice.
I don’t think there was a single Wells Ranch character I didn’t like, and I can’t wait to explore more of their stories in the rest of the series. Also, if this is your thing, I believe the descriptions of life on a working cattle ranch or pretty accurate too, so it’s not all perfection and fluff. In my opinion, this just makes the story even stronger.
In short, I don’t think I could have picked a more perfect book as my introduction to the cowboy romance genre. I 100% get the hype now, and I think I am fully in my cowboy era. There are two more books in the Wells Ranch series that are already published, and a fourth one coming in December 2025. To say I’m excited to read the rest of this series is an understatement!
If, like me, you’re not sure if cowboy romances are for you, I urge you to read Alive and Wells. Then you can come back here and thank me!
Will you be reading Alive and Wells? What cowboy romance books do you recommend I check out next? Let me know in the comments.
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