Book Blurb
Jasmine Starling lives by three rules: no dating, no sex, and absolutely no falling in love. But the moment Ryan West—tall, tempting, and unfairly gorgeous—steps into her world, those rules start to crumble fast. One smile warms places inside her that she thought were frozen for good. Ryan teases her, touches the soft spots she hides from everyone else, and wakes up a hunger she’s tried to bury for years. He makes her feel alive again—body, heart, and everything in between.
What begins as innocent sparks swiftly grows into a slow, hot burn they can’t put out. As danger draws nearer and old wounds surface, Jasmine finds herself craving him in ways she swore she never would. Wrangling Ryan is a fierce, steamy outback romance where desire hits hard, trust cuts deep, and one night could never be enough.
Get your copy today!
Publisher: Dusty Saddle Publishing
About the characters
Jasmine Starling is the second of three daughters from a farming family in outback Australia. Her story starts with Maranoa Herald news editor Ryan West admiring her at her older sister Rose’s wedding. Ryan moved from Sydney to the rural town of Bandara for a job promotion: it’s his first gig as an editor after years as a journalist.
Aided by Jasmine’s parents, Keith and Elizabeth, Ryan’s newspaper investigates and reports Bandara’s soaring drugs and crime rate, and the mystery behind a helicopter crash that injured Jasmine’s younger sister, Daisy (in book one: Forgiving Liam, Rose’s story).
Jasmine faces the prejudice of being an unwed, young mother of a little boy, Josh. She keeps Josh’s father’s identity a secret. After a failed date with Ryan due to an anxiety attack, she focuses on her studies and her new job in a law firm. Meanwhile, Ryan faces his demons – memories of infidelity, the death of his unborn child, and a failed marriage.
He chooses to move forward, but can’t help falling in love with Jasmine whenever he meets her during his encounters with Keith and Elizabeth to solve the mystery behind the drugs, crime, and deaths in their small town.
Find out what happens in this small-town Australian romance story, which sizzles with spice and still has its sweet moments.
What inspired the author to write Wrangling Ryan?
There were lingering questions in the previous book, Forgiving Liam, and readers wanted Jasmine’s story. I felt she deserved a love story of her own, having been through so much pain. I fell in love with the Starlings, a family running a cattle farming business near Bandara, a fictional small town in western Queensland. It all started with Keith and Elizabeth’s story in the prequel to the Starling Sisters series, before moving on to their daughter Rose’s story over twenty years later.
Jasmine is different from Rose. If I have to be critical of my characters (and believe me, they are all flawed, but aren’t we all?), Jasmine is the least spoiled of the three sisters. She’s the middle child who doesn’t get the adoration Rose gets from her father, or the attention the youngest sister, Daisy, receives. No, Jasmine’s the quiet one of the trio. She’s tougher, more cynical, and doesn’t take rubbish from anyone.
She’s focused on raising her son, Josh, while finishing law school and starting her career at a law firm.
Like Elizabeth in the prequel, Ryan moves from the city to boost his career. In fact, he works for the same news corporation Elizabeth used to work for, where she’s a bit of a legend for her crime stories. Ryan looks up to Elizabeth and Keith, getting their help to investigate serious crimes in their small town. He’s a reformed player who made some big personal mistakes, but I’ve decided to give him a second chance. Beyond his ruggedly handsome looks and charm, he’s got a heart of gold and would walk to the ends of the earth to follow Jasmine… even if he doesn’t know it at the start.
Chemistry can be instant, but falling in love can take time, and this is what I wanted to convey in the story. No relationship is perfect, but true love is the glue that holds together two fragile hearts.
Get the series
The Starling Sisters series is published by Dusty Saddle Publishing.
Elizabeth (prequel to the Starling Sisters series) – a Judges’ Favorite in the Independent Press Awards 2023.
Forgiving Liam (book one) – a Firebird Book Awards winner (romance) 2024.
Wrangling Ryan (book two), released in December 2025.