Thank you to NetGalley for providing me this e-arc in exchange for a review!

The premise of this book really intrigued me and from the beginning I liked the characters, but as it played out, I lost interest. I enjoyed the heart of the story but the way it played out just wasn't for me.

Super cute! Very very steamy cowboy romance. I loved the connection between them but also at times I wish there was a little more groveling. But overall loved it!

thanks to netgalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for a review!

this one started out soooo well and then fell off for me in the second half. i was excited by the initial premise and watching these two fall for each other while they train this racehorse, and then that didn't end up really playing out. i didn't hate it, but it was a little to instalove for me and then the plot that brought them together fell off a bit. it was overall cute, but not what i hoped it would be.

While I enjoyed the story and the characters, it felt so similar to the Chestnut Hill series by Elsie Silver, that I often kept mentally going back to those books. Had I not read that series, I would have rated the book with four stars.
I did not feel this way about the first book in the series, however. While it did take me out of the story, I enjoyed the book overall and will continue with the series, as I like your writing!

If you’re looking for a ranch romance with actual elements of the ranch life, horse riding, or really anything related to barn you will be disappointed. Wade’s cowboy hat is used in sex scenes more than any element of the ranch having an impact on the story. This was super disappointing. Part of me believes this is a ‘ranch romance’ just for the the ‘save a horse, ride a cowboy’ line to apply.

Besides the huge disappointment with the setting of the book I have a bunch of other complaints. Super repetitive dialogue and writing ( I mean Ivy giggles in every sentence ) and the book was FAR too long with too many sex scenes crammed in.

Not one, not two, but THREE epilogue chapters. WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE.

It’s also very clear this is part of a companion series and the idea that it’s the one cop baby daddy and what’s her name, ginger are the next book. Give us a break! You don’t need to market your next book so hardcore.

The time jumps were all over the place, not just in the final chapters but also jumping over every single time we would actually get elements of the ranch life or horse training that might have been interesting or fun. The beginning of the book straight up skips over the time when Wade and Ivy are first getting to know each other.

5-10 easily spotted spelling and grammar mistakes and multiple sentences that needed to be read a few times to make sense of them. This for sure needed another edit and for some of the sex scenes to be cut out.

Not to mention my least favorite trope of all time- SURPRISE pregnancy.

Also the horses all had dumb names.

As for the pros of this horseless ranch romance? The sex was at times imaginative? But got bogged down by the sheer number of them. I’m the beginning it was fun to see kinks and sex explored that’s not typically featured in romance novels but ten scenes later and it’s only repetitive.

This is my second Paisley Hope book and I adored it!
The chemistry between our main characters was palpable and I had moments in the book that had me swooning. Loved it!

I'm new to the cowboy romance world but this book truly sold me on it! I'll be back for more.

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

4.5 stars

I love a cowboy/ranch romance! This book was great! It had characters with deep backgrounds and really good chemistry. It was filled with more spice than I was expecting which is always a plus. I can’t wait for book 3!

Would recommend!

Training the Heart is a good time for readers who love a tropey cowboy story. It'll check the boxes for those looking for spice, a cute small-town setting, and a fun cast of side characters. For me, the plot development, character depth, and writing style weren't robust enough. If this is your exact kind of book, go for it - it'll probably scratch the itch.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the ARC!

5⭐/3.5🌶️

dude. Ivy and Wade are EVERYTHING to me. Thank you Netgalley for an arc of this book, and i need yall to know the second i finished it i went and bought the audiobook and ebook copy, PLUS book 1 🤣 im obsessed.

My first ever Paisley Hope book was Protect, from the hot shot series that came out this January. Prior to that i had books of hers on my tbr (have you seen those beautiful covers???) but life happens and i just never got to them. After finishing Protect, i loved seeing Hope's style of writing and thought ok lets bump her books up on my tbr. Literally that day i noticed Training the Heart on netgalley and said ok this is a sign.

I know this is book 2 in the series, but i dove in head first and loved every second. I never felt confused, so can confirm they are stand alones. I LOVE a cowboy book. And Paisley, unsurprisingly, can write the HELL out of a cinnamon roll alpha male. Wade had such a caring heart and such a dirty mouth, i felt like i had whiplash (in a good way) while reading. And who the hell doesn't love a tattoo moment...!

As for Ivy, she was so badass. Leaving what she knew to escape an abusive situation, and recognizing her worth and how much more she deserves, ugh. It was so heartwarming watching her grow and bond with Wade, all while dealing with the issues she had with her mother and medical issues.

No spoilers, but usually im not a fan of the trope that takes place in the last quarter of the book, but it was so sweet and wholesome i didnt even care. I KNEW right away what was happening and was like well fuck. But kept going and was so so happy i did :) ALSO! that bonus chapter 😳🙏🏽

Paisley has gained a new fan, and im so excited to go back and read Holding the Reins this week. Thank you netgalley for the push i needed to find my new favorite author!!

Really enjoyed this sweet cowboy romance even with the grumpiest MMC. I absolutely adored all of the acts of service and seeing him fall head over heels for ivy.

🤠💖COWBOY ROMANCE LOVERS, ASSEMBLE! 💖🤠

Wade. Fkn. Ashby. 😮‍💨🔥

Y’all, this man is the grumpiest, broodiest, bossiest cowboy out there—but when it comes to Ivy? He’s all in and completely wrecked for her. And I ate it UP. He cooks, makes her coffee, and has a filthy mouth (bless). What more could you possibly want?!

This book was spicy, sweet, and so freaking addictive. While I still have a soft spot for Holding the Reins (Nash Carter, you’ll always have my heart 🥵), Wade and Ivy’s story had me HOOKED. Their chemistry? Off. The. Charts. The romance? Small town, workplace, grumpy/sunshine perfection. Wade is protective, possessive, and just MMC gold. And Ivy? A total badass who’s been through it but still keeps her heart open. I adored watching them work through their struggles together.

And that tattoo Wade gets?? Swooning.

Plus, Paisley is out here teasing us with just enough Cole & Ginger crumbs to make me feral for the next book. Those two are gonna be chaotic and I AM READY.

Huge thanks to @netgalley & @randomhouse for the ARC! 💕

I didn't love the first one, and while I loved the plot more on this one, there is so much spice in this book. Like after 50% mark there are just way too many s*x scenes in this book. I felt like it cheapened their relationship and made it all seem physical? I'm not sure. But once I started skipping the smut l enjoyed it more.
I would have preferred two to three smut scenes removed for actual plot points.

After his father's death and the break up of his marriage, Wade Ashby has his family's ranch to manage. Of course, his brothers are there but the main responsibility falls on his shoulders. Then he hired a new horse trainer and his life gets just a little more complex. Cute story. A little predictable and a lot spicy.

It is the second book in her Silver Pines series.
It’s Wade and Ivy’s story.
It’s a grumpy/sunshine, workplace, forced proximity, spicy with a side of sweet romance.
Wade and Ivy have both built walls around their hearts and it seems that they both know how to break down the other’s walls.
I loved this book.
Wade Ashby has become a new favorite grumpy book boyfriend of mine. He knows how to talk dirty and also be sweet.
I definitely recommend this book. It’s a stand alone but I also recommend the other book in this series, Holding the Reins.

I loved this cowboy/rancher romance. Ivy is an incredibly strong character and I loved seeing the transformation of both characters at the end of the book! This book had a lot of horse training vocabulary that I was not super familiar with but did have a glossary in the back.

*I wish I would have read any content warnings more carefully about this one!*

I already knew this was going to be amazing wow. I will literally read anything this author writes.

I need the physical book immediately to put it on my shelf 🙂‍↕️

If you know me you know I WILL DEVOUR a cowboy romance every time!!

Thank you to NetGalley & Dell for allowing me to read & give my honest review!!

After reading the first book I couldn't wait to dive into book 2. I feel in love with Ivy almost instantly. And knew there was more under Wade's gruff exterior. I enjoyed ready their story but felt like there was a lot of Cole and Gingers story mixed in which took away from Ivy and Wade. It's really hard not to love the Ashby family though. I really wanted more details of Ivy and Wade and less of Cole and Ginger mixed in.

Wade Ashby the man that you are 😮‍💨😮‍💨 and Ivy?! I’m obsessed with a FMC that knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to get it. I love that Wade is obsessed with Ivy from day one and doesn’t know what to do with himself. Toeing the line of trying to keep things professional while things are clearly building between them emotionally is delicious to read.

I love what Paisley is doing with this series, the men are phenomenal and the women are forces to be reckoned with.



Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me the absolute privilege to read this book.

𝘈 𝘩𝘶𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺, 𝘙𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘗𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘏𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.

Training The Heart has solidified why Paisley Hope is now one of my favorite authors. This book is everything I’ve ever wanted in a small town romance! It’s charming, sweet, funny, sexy, emotional, swoonworthy; I absolutely love everything about it!

Let’s take a moment to talk about Wade Ashby.

WADE. ASHBY.

What a man! What a gorgeous, big-hearted hunk of a man! He’s officially on my list as one of the best book boyfriends of all time. How a grumpy, gruff, broody, deliciously filthy man can also be the sweetest, most perfect gentleman is beyond me. He’s perfection in every way! His emotional journey from being so done with love to falling madly in love was so satisfying. I loved watching him grow and open his heart up to Ivy! Nothing is better than a big, strong man becoming completely undone for a woman!

And sweet, sassy Ivy Spencer… She’s truly a woman after my own heart! I really couldn’t adore her more. She’s beautiful, smart, talented, carefree and just a breath of fresh air. Yes, she was a little broken inside from the emotional abuse her ex put her through and the situation with her mother, but that never stopped her from having dreams and wanting to live them. I admired her strength so much! She’s easily one of my favorite FMC ever!

The biggest highlight for me was the intense chemistry between Wade and Ivy. It was ELECTRIC. So much fire, so much passion, so much I-can’t-get-enough-of-you, I-have-to-have-you-right-now. They really had me screaming, kicking, fanning myself and taking a break for a glass of ice cold water to cool down! *whew*

I can’t recommend this book enough — This one is for the hopeless romantics who want a rugged, devastatingly handsome man a cowboy hat to come sweep them off their feet!

𝐅𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬

𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵, 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘴𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘪𝘵.

𝘐𝘷𝘺’𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵.

𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦. 𝘐’𝘮 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦.

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵, 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵. 𝘐’𝘮 𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘺.

𝘐 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘰 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦.

Training the Heart is the second installment in the Silver Pines Ranch series.

If you enjoy grumpy cowboys and steamy romances, you’ll love this one!

It’s instant attraction when Wade Ashby first meets Ivy Spencer, the new horse trainer on his ranch. (Very) slowly but surely they fall for each other.

I really enjoyed this story, it’s even steamier than the first!