A slow burn forced proximity romance with a spooky twist!
Soul Searching
Sweetwater Peak
Contemporary Romance, Western Romance
Dial Press
September 30, 2025
ebook, paperback, audiobook
368
Home is where the heart is—and this one is haunted.
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Rebel Blue Ranch series returns with a brand-new story, featuring a small-town upholsterer in need of a fresh start, a photographer whose life has come to a screeching halt . . . and the supernatural forces that bring them together.
Collins Cartwright does not want to go home. Sweetwater Peak, Wyoming, was supposed to be in her rearview mirror, but when she finds out a developer is trying to buy her parents’ antiques shop out from under them, she doesn’t have a choice—at least, that’s what she tells her family. They don’t need to know she’s lost her job and is out of money. Or that the ghosts who have always been her companions have recently gone silent.
But just because she’s returned home doesn’t mean she has to stay with her parents or crash on her twin sister’s couch. Lucky for her, the new-to-town upholsterer has a room for rent above his store. Unluckily, it is absolutely crawling with more ghosts who are freezing her out. And Collins hates being ignored.
Brady Cooper is absolutely and totally fine. Seriously, there’s no secret reason why he decided to uproot his life and suddenly move to Sweetwater Peak. He just needed a change of pace. At least that’s what he tells himself. And everyone else.
When he agrees to let the elusive Collins Cartwright stay in his spare room, he doesn’t know that she’s absolutely bonkers—constantly talking to herself and having conversations with no one—or that she looked like that. But as they begin to get closer, the lines between them start to blur, leaving both of them—and the ghosts who have been pushing them together—wondering whether their temporary arrangement could be something more permanent.
Spooky Small Town in the Mountains but make it ROMANCE.
You don’t have to remind me how late I am on this review but let me remind you that a Lyla Sage romance lasts forever. Soul Searching is the latest release in a brand-new series by our beloved cowboy romance author. With a new spin on western romance, Lyla brings readers to the town of Sweetwater Peak and the ghoulish impact on Collins’ and Brady’s relationship.
I really enjoyed Soul Searching. I loved the ghostly aspect of the town and particularly how Collins gift of being able to see and interact with ghosts is directly related to her success as a photographer is so unique. Brady is the perfect counterpart for Collin as she comes home to lick her wounds. I know not everyone likes it when the first encounter between the MMC and FMC isn’t a meet cute but I feel like their first poor interaction really sets the scene for their romantic growth.
As for the romance? I adored Brady and the almost forbidden aspect of their forced proximity romance. SoulSearching isn’t an “in your face” kind of a romance. I loved how subdued the heat was in order to let the characters shine.

ghost gif via giphy
I also felt like Soul Searching is a hearkening back to the 1970’s gothic ghost stories. The most obvious nod being the cover, but also the fact that the ghost story at the forefront plays such a major role in the overall storyline with Collins and Brady.
I eagerly await more stories from Sweetwater Peak and I desperately hope that we get to see more of the ghost tales in this small mountain town as well!
Jes is a self-proclaimed bookworm, who recently moved from the PNW back to the Midwest. When her nose isn’t in a book, she’s spending time with her husband, two kids, and her three fur babies, or exploring the globe. She also firmly believes that you should start the day with coffee, and end the day in bed with a good book.
