𝟯.𝟱 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗦 𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗗 𝗨𝗣

I did enjoy this one quite a bit, but I did not connect to Wade and Ivy as much as I did to Cece and Nash (from the first book). I think it was the forbidden aspect that really did it for me with Holding the Reins and this one did not have that. I guess a workplace romance could ARGUABLY be seen as forbidden, but when he is the boss...that argument is invalid. Not that I want every book in a series to have the same tropes, I just did not like there were really zero stakes and everyone wanted them to get together from the very beginning.

My biggest complaint about this book, however, is the smut. To me, it wasn't written well and I found it cringey most of the time. The descriptive words used paired with Wade's dirty talk. His words just did not match up to his character at all. It was off-putting.

It may seem like I hated this book but I SWEAR I had an enjoyable time whilst reading. I am looking forward to the next book and I think it will be my favorite in the series!

Training The Heart by Paisley Hope

⭐️⭐️ 2/5

I struggled with this one for some reason … I really enjoy cowboy romances. Like REALLY enjoy them. But I just couldn’t get into this one. I was excited by the premise of the plot. A horse trainer joins a ranch full of hot cowboys to train a horse for a Kentucky Derby run. It was different than what I’m used to, and I was intrigued to see that pan out. However, that became the only thing that enticed me to keep reading.

The main character, Wade Ashby, is where I struggled most. His grumpiness pestered me endlessly, and his bedroom decorum was not up my alley. I can respect and understand that maybe this book just wasn’t written for me, but it sure was awful kinky. Admittedly, I have read some indecently kinky things in my time, but this was a hard one to get behind. I found myself skipping through the smut scenes as quickly as possible (and there were A LOT) because Wade just made me so uncomfortable. It really wasn’t Ivy, it was Wade. What he did to that scrunchie was just deplorable. I didn’t like his dirty talk at all. I found it demeaning and degrading. Some people are super into that, and that’s awesome, but that person is not me.

This book also had so much cursing in it that it was hard to read at times. I am a leisurely curser myself, but this was just a lot. There was a cuss word almost every other sentence. It just seemed like lazy writing to me. A well-placed curse word here or there can add emphasis, but like my mama says, “cussing every other word shows that you just have nothing better to say.”

All in all, the derby plot is what kept me going. I enjoyed reading about the relationship between Ivy and her horse and her “unconventional” training methods. Ginger was also a bright spot. I haven’t decided yet if I’ll be back to read her story, but we’ll see!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing - Ballantine, and Paisley Hope for the ARC copy!

I am wild about a barely restrained man, and Wade Ashby is primed and ready to break 👏
I was hooked on Paisley’s writing with Holding the Reins and was THRILLED to head back to Silver Pines for my grumpy Wade.
Competence k!nk? If you don’t know where that one is, Wade will help. you. find. it.
Ivy is such a strong character, and the oldest Ashby brother knows just how to care for her in every way and can be the steady man for her where everyone else has fallen short.

You’ll Find —
Grumpy x Sunshine
Forced Proximity
Man Obsessed
Spicy Lessons
Only One Bed
No Third Act Breakup

Thankful for the opportunity to read!

When I tell you that she is my new favorite author. If she writes it, you can best believe I’m going to be buying it and reading it. This book in the series was my absolute favorite out of all of them, super steamy and amazing writing.

Paisley Hope develops chemistry and slow-burn so naturally. Even the banter was so easily done.

Beyond the romance, the book had a healing element to it Ivy’s had depth and was open about her dreams and that is an element that I always love in stories like this.

The pacing is enjoyable and was rushed at all. I’m not a big fan of insta love or unrealistic ideas of how love should look. Paisley found the balance.

Paisley Hope is incredible. Queen of contemporary and cowboy romance.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for the ARC!

Wade and Ivyyyyyyy 🥰🥰🥰 I’m obsessed. Who doesn’t love a grumpy cowboy? 🥵 I loved that while Wade was who he was, Ivy wasn’t going to be a doormat. She could get spicy and throw it back at him. It made for great chemistry and just a fun time witnessing their story unfold. LOVED.

I was hoping wade got a book and this did NOT disappoint

Grumpy x sunshine
Small town
Fertility issues
Abusive exes
"Mine"

I cannnnot wait for book 3 plz let it be about Cole and Ginger


This is a standalone interconnected but I recommend reading the first book Holding the Reins first


Thank you NetGalley for the arc

3.5⭐️

Grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, cowboy romance?? Say less. I’m sold. Overall I enjoyed this, but the ending felt a bit rushed.

This is the first book I have read by Paisley Hope and it won't be the last! I was hooked on Wade and Ivy's story from page one. These two were so much fun! I didn't read the first book in the series, and while I want to read it, it wasn't necessary to love and understand this one! The writing style is great and I loved the characters and setting!

3.5.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy of this book.I'm glad I continued with this series because this one improved on the first one, imo and got even better. A fun quick read.

I loved this - it’s wayyy better than the first one (which I did enjoy but it wasn’t like fabulous imo) so if you’re on the fence about continuing this series PLEASE DO!!!! Wade & ivy 4ever. It’s the whole oldest sibling with the weight of the world on their shoulder mixed with the spunky girly who is tough and not afraid to go for it that makes these two such a good pair.


Spice level = max or ✨nearly✨ there

This was such a fun and sweet cowboy romance! Wade is our grumpy rancher to our sunshine fmc.
I loved seeing him fall for for Ivy. The two just balanced each other out in a way I loved! Ivy also gave as much as she took from Wade so loved seeing her fiesty side show too! Also Wade's spicy talk! Whew!
Can't wait for the next book!

Thank you Random House Publishing Group for giving me an ARC of Training the Heart! Paisley Hope is now one of my favorite authors. I enjoyed reading Ivy's story on Silver Pines Ranch.

Special shot out to Random House Publishing Group for providing me an ARC of this book to read. You rock!

Ivy Spencer arrives at Silver Pines Ranch to cover for the horse trainer while she's on maternity leave. Recently out of an abusive relationship, she's looking to connect with the horses and do her job the best she can--even if her boss doesn't approve of her methods.

Wade Ashby is the grumpiest of grumps, and also the head of the ranch since his father passed away. He holds the weight of the world on his hands and never -- I mean NEVER -- smiles. Ivy brings chaos with her to the ranch, at his utmost annoyance (why are there scrunchies everywhere!?). But he needs her to train his star horses. Only after working closely with her does he realize how attractive he finds her. Sparks fly between the two on a night of forced proximity, but will they be able to keep it professional after that? A trip to Nashville to a horse auction pushes them to their limits.

The reluctant love between Wade and Ivy is sweet as molasses, except in the bedroom. The spice is definitely spicin' in this book! It's a slower burn so the tension between the two builds a lot which leaves for scorching scenes. I found some of the scenes repetitive, but overall I thought the book was good! I would definitely recommend the series to a friend who likes cowboy romance.

While this did keep me entertained, I wasn't overall impressed by it. There was almost too much focus on the MMC's and FMC's pasts and not enough character growth. Also, and this may be an unpopular opinion, but the sm*t was a bit too much for me. I can appreciate a few scenes, but about 40% of the way through, it was almost nothing but sexy scenes for almost another 20% of the book. It just wasn't my favorite but I liked the idea of it!

I’ve enjoyed this author’s others works, this book just wasn’t for me. It felt over-the-top, almost satirical even, in the way it was written to be “Southern.” I felt like it was making fun of the South as opposed to representing it.

The writing was not what I’d come to expect from her. I read the ARC, so some of these things may have been address prior to publishing, but there was a lot of word repetition and several misuses of expressions and colloquialisms. The story felt forced in order to include tropes/microtropes.

Disclaimer for the below: This is an assumption. Totally just something I’ve noticed being different from indie-published books.

I think this is going to be a copy/paste situation moving forward when I see this in a book. I assume this is a trad-pub deal, but in publish houses need to be so politically correct, they are forcing an emphasis on verbal consent.

This may be a controversial opinion (though I’ve spoken with many women who have the same issue with it), but I think that consent can often be given with non-verbal cues. So when we are mid-spice scene, and the MMC stops to say “is this okay, may I, are you sure, I need to hear it, use your words,” it pulls me out of the moment.

Paisley Hope has quickly become one of my favorite authors. The way she writes her books is so easy to read and always has me flipping the pages. Training The Heart is book two in the Silver Pines Ranch series and one I was super excited to read. This book centers on Ivy, the new horse trainer, and Wade, the ranch's owner.

One thing about me is that I will always enjoy a grumpy MMC, and LET ME TELL YOU, Wade was exceptional at displaying a grumpy personality. What I enjoyed was seeing how sweet he actually turned out to be under all that grumpiness for his girl, Ivy. They took the trope grumpy x sunshine to another level. This man was down bad for Ivy from day one, even though he tried to fight it as best as he could. I loved that Ivy didn't back down regardless of his personality and stood her ground throughout the entire book.

I had the best time reading this book, and I can't wait to see what's next in this series!

The second book in the Silver Pines series did not disappoint. This book follows Wade, the grumpy older brother of the Ashby clan and Ivy, the new horse trainer.

I loved how right off the bat, Ivy was not intimidated by Wade’s attitude. She gave it right back to him in the best way. It became clear pretty quickly that he was going to fall for her, especially when he started to keep her scrunchies she was leaving everywhere.

For such a grump, Wade had me swooning. Loved his only soft for her attitude and just how smitten he was right from the beginning. There were so many sweet moments that I was not expecting from him. He was such a great and stable partner for Ivy who had some of her own issues to work through. Ivy had some really great interactions with the rest of the Ashby’s and Cece’s friends that I really enjoyed.

I can’t wait to get my hands on book three of the Silver Pines series!

Cowboy romances aren't romance books I normally read, but I loved Ivy and Wade's story! 😍 When I always try a new category of romance, I always get excited when I fall for a really good story. I definitely recommend this book. I love Ivy's personality and I'm such a sucker for a grumpy mmc. I'll never get over a good grumpy x sunshine story.

No spoilers here!
You should most definitely read this book if you like:
- Small Town Romance
- Dirty Talking Cowboy
- Grumpy x Sunshine
- Forced Proximity
- One Bed
- Man Obsessed
- Strong FMC

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the early copy!