Change of Hart by Bailey Hannah was an incredible book to start my 2025 reading journey with. The third book in her Wells Ranch series can be read as a stand alone.

When Blair Hart’s mom is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s she leaves behind her life in Vancouver to help take care of her, help her sister with her nephew, her best friend with her new baby, and become the town’s new Nurse Practitioner. Oh yeah, she also has to come face to face with the love of her life, whom she hasn’t seen in 14 years and who she still loves.

Denver Wells is a man who, when he finds out that Blair is back in town and not involved with someone pulls no stops in letting her know that he wants her back and will do whatever he has to do to prove she can count on him.

Dual POV, flashbacks, and really great secondary characters (love you, Cass and Whit!)help to make this book excellent. The flashbacks give us their backstory and make us fall in love with the characters from their childhood.

The author writes all of her characters with love for each of them and it shows. I laughed out loud and I sobbed. (My husband asked if I was okay at one point). The storylines were hard, but she handled them with grace and wrote the characters where no one was the bad guy, and I appreciated that so much.

This was my very first Bailey Hannah book and when I finished this, I immediately pre-ordered the paperbacks of the whole series, got ebooks of the other two so I can read them now, AND got the audiobooks of the first two. I’ll be buying the audiobook of this one when it comes out too. Seriously.

I really, really hope that there is a fourth book for Whit and Colt!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

It took me a while to find the words to describe this book and how I felt about it. Bailey Hannah is one of my all time favorite authors and I love all of her books, but this one hit me a little harder than the others. It was so deeply emotional and achingly romantic, and it’s one of those books that just stay with you.

The second chance trope was perfectly executed, but paired with the childhood friends to lovers/high school sweethearts aspect, it was utter perfection. There was so much yearning and pining and heartbreak, and this story tugged on my heartstrings in the most devastatingly beautiful way. Blair and Denver were so clearly meant for each other, but were torn apart by circumstances and regretful actions, and seeing them find their way back to each other was heartwarming. They taught me that there is so much strength in vulnerability, and letting the people you love be there for you unconditionally.

I can confidently say that not only is “Change of Hart” Bailey’s best work yet (and I say that as someone who would fight an army to defend Alive and Wells and Seeing Red), but it’s also going to be my top read this year. I loved the characters and the story, but it goes so much deeper than that. I’ve never felt so many emotions while reading a book. I actually savored this one instead of rushing through it in one sitting (but tbh I took a lot of crying breaks lol) and I’ve honestly never been so moved by a book before. It felt like I’d stepped between the pages and was feeling every single thing Blair and Denny were. I don’t think I’ve ever had such a visceral and deep emotional connection to any other book characters before, and not many authors can make you feel that way.

The story itself was incredibly emotional, with portrayals of loss and grief, but the connection to the characters forged through Bailey’s wonderful writing made me feel everything so much more deeply. I truly felt like I was right there with the characters, experiencing everything they were myself.
Blair and Denver are one of those couples that despite every obstacle, are meant to be together. The flashbacks to how they met and how their relationship developed when they were just teens were so precious and meaningful and really added to the emotional depth of the book. Blair and Denny were such complex characters and I related very deeply to both of them. They were written in a way that makes you feel like they’re your closest friends, and you can’t help but root for their happiness, and feel devastated by their hardships and pain. They had such strong character development, and taught me so much through their story. This book reminded me of why I love the romance genre so much. In typical Bailey Hannah fashion, the spice was scorching hot, and the romance swoony. But the way it tackled some incredibly emotional topics alongside one of the most moving love stories I’ve ever read? Absolute perfection. No notes.

I will forever hold these two close to my heart and their story will stay with me for a long time to come. Thank you Bailey, for writing this book — sometimes you can just tell that a story desperately needed to be told, and this one was so very powerful.

I loved how this book explored healing, how sometimes the past isn’t something you just move on from, but something you have to revisit and rebuild. Denver has to prove he’s changed, but Blair also has to let herself be vulnerable again, which, considering their history, isn’t easy. The banter between them is spot-on, and the sexual tension is off the charts.
The setting of this small town with its familiar faces makes it feel like you’re right there with them, watching the drama unfold. It’s one of those books where the pacing keeps you glued to the pages, hoping for a happy ending, and then finally getting it.

I sure do love me a cowboy romance and Bailey Hannah’s books are no exception.

Spicy, sexy, and emotional, the perfect blend for an addictive read!

I devoured the book in less than 24 hours!

What I loved…
- angsty - emotional - spicy
- second chance - childhood lovers
- dual timeline - we learn about their past relationship in flashbacks that had me giggling and crying
- he’s down BAD for her
- playboy that leaves it all behind for a chance at her
- each one of these books has gotten better than the last in terms of how the author tackles hard subjects, the care she puts into each emotional issue or health struggle is apparent and all are handled with care.

What I didn’t love…
- I LOVED the flashbacks at the beginning but towards the end I wanted less flashbacks and more present
- personal preference but the sheer number of -ing uses kills me


🌶️ - Once the spice starts, it’s pretty frequent. Explicit scenes start around 44%. 🌶️Chapters are: 22, 25, 33, 35, 36, 45, 48. As for the intensity, fully explicit but only mildly passed vanilla imo.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House/Dell for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶🌶

🍨Second chance
🧸Small town
🍨Cowboy
🧸Dual timeline


I was super excited for Blair and Denver's story, and I have to say, they went way beyond what I was expecting—these two brought out so many emotions in me.

This is a second-chance romance with dual timeline, which was perfect for understanding what really happened in their past. I absolutely loved the chapters set in the past; they showed how they fell in love and also how much they went through. This book tackles some heavier topics, so definitely check the CWs, but I think everything was portrayed really well. It helped me connect with the characters without making it too heavy to keep reading. I really liked that certain topics were addressed here—I love it when a romance book dives into serious themes because it makes the story feel real.

Blair and Denver are truly made for each other, and I loved watching them find their way back together. I especially loved how Denver never denied his feelings—you can see from the start how much he loves his girl. Seriously, this man is EVERYTHING! The two of them together made me feel so much, and I was so happy to see them finally get the ending they’ve always deserved.

Thank you so much, Dell and NetGalley for sending me this ARC!

4.5 stars

Blair and Denver are two people who are undeniably meant to be together but got lost along the way and now aren’t in each others lives… until Blair moves back to her hometown and runs into Denny.
I loved this book so much!! Bailey Hannah is the queen of writing cowboy romances that are angsty yet funny with characters who are so relatable and easy to love. This book was childhood friends to lovers, second chance romance at its finest. Denny was such a sweetheart and his commitment to earning back Blair’s trust was so sweet. He would do literally anything for her and i loved that even though Blair was so independent and strong she was willing to let him in to help her.
This book is in dual timeline so you get to see Denny and Blair from the past become friends and fall in love but you also see why their relationship fell apart which was so heartbreaking. Both characters put the time and effort into rebuilding the relationship and didn’t rush into it.
This book also had really great mental health/grief rep as well as some fun cameos from the previous books’ couples. You won’t want to miss this one when it comes out!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for the ARC!!