Change of Hart by Bailey Hannah
Gifted [Thank you to @baileyhannahwrites for allowing me early access to this story!]
⭐️ 5 🌶️ 3 💀 0

Source: ARC Get it on May 27th

Length: 416 Pages

Tropes/Themes:
✨ Second Chance
✨ Cowboy
✨ Dual POV (and timeline)
✨ Reformed Playboy

What its about:
They met when they were children, and what was just innocent friendship soon blossomed into something more- but when life gets in the way they part ways. Flash forward fourteen years, and she’s moved back into town to take care of her mother. Seeing her from the back of a bronc at the rodeo, he decides not to waste this opportunity- she’s back and now she’s it.

My Review:
Normally a second chance romance isn’t something for me- but what I’ve learned is that every second chance before Change of Hart wasn't for me. Not only was this story beautiful, but the intricacies of their lives, family, friends, and experiences play so wonderfully into the story. This book is not only realistic, but it pulls on your heart strings, keeps you captivated, and rooting for the couple to find their way through it all, back to one another.

Favorite Quote:
”But I fell in love with Blair once before, and I had that bliss for years. Now? I’m not falling. That sounds too accidental for what I’m doing. I’m jumping in headfirst, praying she loves my level of crazy and jumps with me.”

Denver + Blair.. Let’s just say this is my favorite book of the series so far. This book has a lot of heart ache and triggers but so many real life scenarios that made it that much better. I will list the triggers below but also check the book.

Blair and Denver have been best friends since the age of 13, fell in love, experienced heart ache and reconnected. They hit many hard moments early in life with parent loss , unexpected pregnancy with a hard decision and Blair moving away to college. After being apart for 14 years while they both tried to get over each other and not realizing they were each still in love with each other, Blair moves back home to take care of her sick mom and Denver is determined to show Blair he is still in love with her and ready to be there and take care of her.

Finding their way back to each other wasn’t easy but the story is beautiful. It can be read as a standalone but is the third book in the wells ranch series.

The entire time I was confusing this book for Paisley Hopes cowboy series. I felt like this was just a bunch of tropes shoved together. I pushed myself to finish this. 70% and it kind of got interesting. There was really no pining between Denny and Blair. Their explanation of their relationship happened early on and then they were back together for the rest of the book. I also feel like her having pierced nipples did not fit her character and she didn’t even explain why. I’m really bummed about this book… I love the first two in the series. The third act conflict was a very serious topic, and it just felt like the brushed right past it with a simple I’m sorry. Like no woman who went through that would simple forgive him that easily! There is just no way. I get that it’s fiction but…come on…

I will say there was a few lines in the spicy bits that I did highlight cause I liked them lol especially when she asked him who this pussy belongs to 🔥 it saved the whole book

I was so excited to receive the ARC of Change of Hart! I read Alive and Wells at the end of 2023 and fell in love with Wells Ranch.

I would rate this book 4.5 stars (rounded to 5). I'm going to start off by saying second change romances are not usually my thing. However, this one was done perfectly! You really get to grow with the characters through the flashbacks, and the communication between the characters is so good. I think this is my favorite book in the series so far!

Change of Hart has changed my life as Bailey Hannah always tends to do. This is tied as my top read of 2025 (but would have still been #1 if the original September 2024 pub date happened - IT IS THAT WONDERFUL). I have reviewed to Goodreads (see below), but it’s only preliminary because I cannot talk about everything this book means to me without spoilers and I’m choosing to hold that version until release day. Let’s just say as a Blair Hart girly, I am beyond grateful to the universe for giving me my own Lucy & Denver Wells to cherish. 💕 Thank you to Bailey Hannah for once again creating characters and a story that are so painfully real and treasured to me. Thank you to the publisher for this ARC!

From Goodreads:
BAILEY HANNAH, YOU MINX. 99% of this review has to remain [REDACTED] until release because I cannot and will not and must not get through this without spoilers and a 10K word novel stream of consciousness style.

100 gold stars for you and 1 entire Kleenex box destroyed for me! Did I go to bed once I opened this book? No, and you’re not my real dad so you can’t punish me for staying up all night!!!

Change of Hart is tied for my NUMBER ONE read of the year and I may or may not have just said sorry for peaking early in my other winning review BUT I’M NOT SORRY AT ALL. If you’ve been along for the ride of developments in this series - HOLD ONTO YOUR BUTT. I promise you’re not ready and there’s nothing you can do to get that way and I imagine you will also lose sleep over Denver and Blair. 😈 GOODNIGHT BESOS UNTIL MAY!

*Thank you to the publisher for an ARC; I’ll never forgive you for irrevocably changing my life with this one. 😘*

Change of Heart by Bailey Hannah
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice Level: 4/5
All reviews are my own opinions.

This book? Whew. It was everything.

Change of Heart is an emotional, second-chance romance that hits you right in the feels while turning the heat way up. Bailey Hannah has this amazing way of writing characters that feel so real and raw—you can’t help but root for them. The chemistry between the leads is undeniable, and their journey from pain to passion is one you won’t forget.

There’s tension, there’s heartache, there’s healing—and there’s spice. Four-pepper heat that builds beautifully with the emotional connection. It’s the kind of story where you feel every glance, every touch, and every moment of vulnerability.

If you’re into heartfelt romances with real depth and seriously swoony steam, this book needs to be on your TBR. I’ll definitely be reading more from this author!

I am just eating these books up by Bailey Hannah. This book makes you want to curl up with a blanket, cancel your plans, and fall headfirst into a world of small town secrets, heartbreak, and the kind of love that never really goes away. BECAUSE IT NEVER DID FOR THESE TWO!!

Blair Hart is a relatable and resilient! With the news of her moms diagnosis, she is back in Wells Canyon where she was staying away from and just not the town but Denver Wells. Reasons for staying away are deep and painful, and broke my heart a little. Bailey does an incredible job of peeling back those emotions little by little. When Blair is back though, not only is she taking on work, her family but she is also now needing to confront Denver who she can't shake as this man still has her hart ( ... see what I did there)

Denver is every bit the swoon worthy cowboy I want to read about, but he’s also complex, wounded, and carrying a reputation that he can't get rid of from when Blair left. He is ready to prove he is not the same man who hurt Blair. Watching him do this over and over and beings hope! His growth is genuine, his vulnerability raw, and his love for Blair??!?! NEVER WENT AWAY!

You looking for a book with all the feels: grief, longing, redemption, and slow-burning tension this will keep you up past your bedtime.. PROMISE.

5 ⭐️

If you like:
Second Chance
Small Town
Childhood friends
Cowboy(SaddleBronc Rider)
Reformed Playboy

Thank you Net galley for the e arc!! Can I just say I was absolutely shocked that I was approved for this arc. I'm such a huge fan/ lover of the wells ranch series that I couldn't believe my luck.This book was no exception. We follow Blair who has moved back to Wells canyon because her dad need help caring for her mom because she was diagnosed with dementia. When Blair moves back in town she is immediately thrust back in to small town life, she's helping her best friend with her newborn, helping her sister with here 10 year old, taking care of her mom and running into Denver wells her ex boyfriend since they were 13 years old!!! The story switches timelines between past and present and Blair and Denver's love story is beautiful and tragic at the same time. We watch Blair and Denver put the pieces back together and work on their relationship now that they are older and wiser. Bailey Hannah does such a beautiful job of writing a heartfelt, heartwarming, yet heartbreaking story of young love and also she does such an amazing job writing about small town country life. Also can we just talk about the spice YALL it had me breathing heavily lol,l mean the girl can write spicy, spicy scene and I eat it up every single time. I also really enjoy that we get snippets of the past couples from the other wells canyon books, I think about those characters a lot and I'm happy to read about them again.If you're looking for a sweet, spicy, cowboy time look no further!

Thank you Bailey Hannah for the opportunity to read Change of Hart as an ARC.

It felt so good to be back on Wells Ranch and this book did not disappoint adding even more of the characters into this story.
I honestly don’t know where to start…..Denver (Denny) and Blair’s story took me on an emotional roller coaster that I didn’t want to end. Who doesn’t love it when childhood best friends turn into lovers?
Seeing parts of their story from the beginning made me love these two even more.
You get to see both grow individually and through their friendship together that eventually blossomed to a soul mate relationship.

Denver and Blair’s love story had me hooked from the get-go. But be warned—their heartbreak will hit you right in the feels, and trust me, I was a mess! Bailey’s writing is so powerful that I was crying and laughing along with the characters. You'll go from aching for their broken hearts to smiling at their fun, playful banter. It’s a must-read, and definitely my favorite in the series!

Please be aware of the trigger warnings available at the beginning of the book before reading.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Dell for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

I loved going back to Wells Canyon for a third time. This book should be the standard for second-chance romance. I loved going back in time to see what went wrong in the first place, and I LOVED that there was no third-act breakup. Why put Denny through it again, or any character? Blair returns home to help care for her mother and sees Denver (Denny) for the first time in 14 years, seeing it as an opportunity to get his girl back. The things this man does in this book are phenomenal. I loved the chemistry and the heart between the two of them. They went through hell as teenagers, and seeing how they've grown separately and then come back together is super sweet. 

Also, I think the author does a wonderful job balancing the difficult topics with sweet and spicy moments. Hannah is able to write about vulnerable topics with sensitivity, and it feels truly part of the story rather than just randomly being put in the book to check a box. 


Read if you like:
- Second chance
- Dual POV
- Dual timeline
- Small town
- It was always you
- Mental health rep

Bailey Hannah will always be a must read author in my mind. Every book she publishes has heart, laughter and emotions in one deliciously outlined story. This one is no different. Change of Hart is a second chance, no third act breakup

This book is the 3rd in the series and it follows Denny and Blair. There are so many emotional components to this book that you will laugh and you will cry and reach for a fan because the history and chemistry is top tiered. This book does run on a dual timeline so there is some past and present moments but it only makes the FMC and MMC's story's so much more real (to me, anyway). I loved the second chance trope and this book does not disappoint.

Change of Heart was emotional, angsty, and sexy. It was everything you hope for in a second chance romance.

Denny and Blair stole my heart! Watching these two find their way back to each other after 14 years apart was so beautiful. I loved Denny's dedication to winning Blair back and how Blair made him earn her. These two will put you through the emotional ringer. Their love was an all consuming kind, and it definitely felt epic.

The spice was so good too! The "good boy" and crawling!!! I'm deceased!

The setting is great and I had a lot of fun with the girl gang.

A wonderful second chance cowboy romance.

As usual, loved this book! Bailey has become an autobuy author for me and I love this series! Blair and Denny were so cute when they were younger and I was rooting so badly for them to get their chance again!

Bailey Hannah just ripped my heart out and put it back together again with this book. I love this series so much and the longer wait I had for this book was so worth it!!! Blair and Denver are childhood sweethearts but had 14 years in between where shit really went down. The way they talked through it was so adult I can’t even relate. I love Bailey’s writing and knew this book would be a gut punch to the heart.

This is a DNF for me. It makes me so sad to say that because I am a huge Bailey Hannah fan. However, I CANNOT stand Denver! He is so annoying and immature. Also, I’m not a huge fan of time jumps in books. I feel like the character never come off as the age they are supposed to be in that time frame. Overall, it’s just not interesting enough for me to keep reading right now. Thank you for the arc. I will not post a review of this book because it was a DNF.

I can’t even put into words how much I loved this book! It was so well thought out, and the ending was so cute and sweet and perfect. TBH, there wasn’t a single point where the butterflies in my stomach stopped. I am so in love with Blair and Denver, and their characters were so RAW and felt so REAL!!!

When Blair was describing her depressive episodes and her panic attacks, it was like the emotions were so true to my own experiences that I couldn’t help but feel a sense of kinship to her character. Although the reasons for our episodes are so different, it was almost like I was watching my struggles play out before me.

Bailey, girl, idk if you’re gonna read this, but you did such an incredible job with this book. Fuck, with this ENTIRE SERIES! After reading Alive and Wells, I thought “there’s no way it can get any better than this.” But then you wrote Seeing Red, and after reading that I thought the same exact thing. AND THEN YOU HIT ME WITH THIS???

I laughed, I cried—like, an embarrassing amount—and I fell so hard for Blair and Denny’s relationship. In the future, whenever anyone asks me for a second chance romance rec, I’ll promptly deliver them this book with a side of tissues. Because I think we can all agree they’re going to need it.

This was really good! There were so many feelings. I laughed, I cried, I didn’t want it to end. I really liked how the flashbacks told the story of Denver and Blair’s past throughout the book. I kept wondering when I was going to find out what happened.

Change of Heart was a cute second chance romance that I couldn’t put down. Bailey Hannah is quickly becoming one of my favorites.

Thanks NetGalley for the eARC.

“it’s always been us. in any lifetime, any universe.”🧸💙✨
-
my heart thuds a million miles per second just at the thought of my love for these two. from endless nights crying out to my friends about my love for them (even before the tropes for this book was revealed) and my larger than life wish to get an arc of this gem, to actually losing my breath and still actively recovering from possibly one of the biggest heartaches i’ve experienced in my time reading. denny and bear have stolen my heart, mind and soul, and i’m completely okay with never getting it back, because for as long as i live my heart will beat with fervor for my fictional parents forever and ever. Den and Bear. my everything. miss Bailey Hannah, mother to many! you never seize to amaze me with your work, but you, my dear, have outdone yourself gifting us a story i’ll carry with me forever and love more than life itself💙

p.d.: i’m still in disbelief i got an arc for this after months of begging on my hands and knees to every possible outlet at my disposal😭thank you, Ballantine Books and Net Galley for the opportunity!🌟

Typically second chance AND dual timeline are not some of my preferred tropes, but this book stands apart from others. Probably my favorite representation of both. By far my favorite in the series.

Interesting/unique storyline, well written and real-feeling characters in both the past & current time. Perfectly paced. Denver gives the sweetest, most intentional love.

I was excited to finally read Blair and Denny’s book because I love second chance romances. I liked some parts and disliked others. Blair and Denny were both likable characters and were sweet when they were together. I liked the flashback scenes, as they helped me understand their connections. At the same time, I wish Blair did not give into him as soon as she did. I understand Denny was grieving his mom when they broke up, but I didn’t buy his excuses as to why he never went after her. I am not a big fan of how he became a manwhore (including one of her best friends!!). He moved on too easily and I liked how she called him out on all of it. Regardless, I liked how he was all for her once she moved back.

Check trigger warnings! There are some heavy topics in this.