4.5 stars

This was the perfect small town romance that gave me all of the cozy feelings that come with country, a small town, and family.

I wouldn't necessarily consider this novel a second chance romance but there definitely was a relationship that had previously been left unexplored. It's a surprisingly emotional novel dealing with familial loss as well as struggling with difficult familial relationships.

Along with loving the relationship that developed, I loved reading about this family and this small town. Between the setting and the writing, I fell in love with this story. I hope to continue reading this series and will be looking into this authors other works.

***Thank you to the publisher for supplying me with an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

I'm not a huge fan of sports romances, so I passed this one to my mom and she just devoured it. Sweet, memorable and a great HEA!

Baseball and cowboys - now that's a hard to beat combination and when you add in an enemies to lovers, forced proximity, small town romance, it's a story full of all my favorites. This one doesn't really go into a lot of depth, but sometimes that's just right for a fun bit of escapism, and in the current times, we could all use a bit of that. This is the third in a series, and while it's considered a standalone, there were a few things that I felt like would have been clearer had I read the first two books. It was mostly just background information, and that didn't take anything away from this couple, just something worth mentioning. I'd also note that this is a pretty clean romance overall. Intimacies are fade out, so any steamy fun will be left up to the readers' imagination. Again, that's not something that influences me either way, but for those who look for one or the other, this one leaves the steamy scenes to the imagination. The book is well written and entertaining, and it certainly held my interest, so I'd say if you're looking for a fun, clean romance, this one fills the bill.

Really enjoyed this story and this new to me author. Thank you for the opportunity to take a chance on this book. I will definitely be checking out more from Liza Kendall in the future.

Sweet, funny and full of delicious drama…

Silverlake Ranch has become one of my favourite spots to visit lately! The Braddock family suffered a huge family tragedy and, years later, each sibling still struggled. The series takes us through their innermost thoughts to get to heart of their troubles, their pain and their hopes. Their stories are full of off-beat characters, wheelbarrows full of emotion and sweet, sweet love…

This time out Ace was forced to come home after one too many scandals. He was a celebrity and seemed spoiled and over-cocky but watching his transformation made my heart truly happy. With Mia more than happy to keep him on the straight and narrow, he (almost) went willingly… Mia was struggling too and hid a lot of her pain behind lots and lots of work. Ace coming back was going to give her the opportunity to earn some money (sober companion, who knew?) and also deal with some long-held issues of her own.

Ace’s family, Mia’s father and ex, the siblings’ need (and want) to reconcile… Everyone got a turn either helping or hindering and above all watching (with popcorn like I did) the, at turns, hilarious and tear-filled moments. Each character has their own unique personality and it shone through the pages once again.

I’m still on high alert for Deck’s story and Lila is sure to meet someone she deserves. I can’t wait to find out!

3.5 Stars

Hometown Hero is Liza Kendall’s third book in the Silverlake Ranch series, and my first book by the author. This book can be read as a standalone, there were lots of characters from the previous two books that were in the story and because this was my first book I felt like I did not appreciate them as much without that history that others who have read the series would have.

Hometown Hero starts with Andrew (Ace) Braddock, one of the stars of the Austin Lone Stars, taking the blame for his friend’s mistakes which results in a broken ankle and being sent to lay low on his family’s ranch. Meanwhile, on the periphery of said ranch, Mia Adams is running around with three jobs and trying her best to stay afloat from the massive amount of debt left by her missing ex-husband. She decides to take a nursing job to be Ace’s “sober companion” during his time in Silverlake and is responsible for making she that he stays out of trouble. The only problem is that Mia has always resented Ace in the past for taking up so much of her dad’s time and attention away from her when they grew up. When Ace and Mia meet for the first time since their high school years, they are both surprised by the attraction they feel towards each other and cannot seem to stay away from one another.

I found this book to be a little bit slow but there was so much development of both Mia and Ace that I still enjoyed it. I find sometimes with contemporary romances that the “playboy” character type undergoes this very rapid transformation into a one-woman man, and I was worried that this would be the case here as well. But, to my surprise I actually believed it when it happened to Ace. He had gone through a lot in his life that he was pushing away until he couldn’t any more, and was forced to come to terms with it. I also liked that even though Mia and Ace had that immediate initial chemistry, they both were real adults and did not act on it right away. It just made the story seem more real and kept me rooting for them to work through their problems individually and together in order to come together in a healthy way. Mia also went through a big change throughout the book as well, she started off with a hectic life and no real plans and worked through all of those issues as well.

Overall, I did really enjoy this book. I do wish the pace of it was a bit faster, but I understand why it moved at the speed that it did. I recommend reading the first two books in order to gain a better understanding of the secondary characters. I think I will be going back now to read those as well.

~ Harshita

I have been really enjoying the Silverlake Ranch series by Liza Kendall. The first two books in this series, Walk Me Home and Home With You are excellent reads. Number three, Hometown Hero continues in this same vein. This enemies to lovers story has been fun to read. Austin Lone Stars baseball star Ace Braddock is home recuperating from a broken ankle sustained in a car accident. He has been assigned a "minder" to keep him on the straight and narrow because it was rumored that alcohol was involved in the accident. Mia Adams, daughter of Ace's youth baseball coach and mentor, is hired to keep Ace out of trouble. These two have histories that greatly affect their feelings for each other as well as emotional issues. The plot and storyline is well done. This book is a great addition to the series.

So we are up to book 3 of the Silverlake Ranch series by Liza Kendall. I can't tell you how much I've been enjoying this family. There is just something about families that make you get dragged into their issues. It's always complicated and never what it seems.

How could you not enjoy that? It makes for a good story.

Up this time it's Ace's story. He's as you can tell the home-town hero. Unfortunately, he's done something stupid. He allowed himself to be a fall guy. You might think that makes him a good guy but I'm not sure about that.

As we've seen from the past books this family really has trouble being a family since their parents passing. They don't really talk or even pay attention to each other. Which of course makes for a good book but not so much for a happy family. There is many a time throughout the series that I wanted to yell at them to stop and listen. I will admit what I do love is how for each book they grow closer and closer.

This is a wonderful reason to read the series in order.

I really like Ace but he was a little blind to what was going on around him. He was also racked with guilt about his parents that is so sad that he took all on. I will admit that most around him knew the true Ace but that wasn't so for Mia.

I felt at times that Mia acted like a child about the way her father felt about Ace. It wasn't really his fault he was a kid when most of her feelings happened. Plus his life was shit too. I did feel that for her it was easier to blame Ace then face reality and the fact she got crappy parents.

After spending part of the book treating Ace badly she did figure a few realities out and so did Ace. He saw how she felt about how her father acted and stood for her.

By the end of this book, these two got their acts together and grew as a couple. I really did enjoy the way the story moved and ended. Still more books to come of this series at least I hope so. We aren't done with this family yet.

Andrew “Ace” Braddock plays center field for the Austin Lone Stars and is known just as well for his playing off the field as he is for his playing on the field. When Ace decides to secretly take the fall for one of his fellow players he finds himself with a broken ankle and in the middle of a scandal. Being forced to lay low, Ace heads back to his family's ranch in Silverlake, Texas, completely not ready to face all of the demons waiting for him there.

The last person Mia Adams wants to see or deal with is Ace Braddock. It's bad enough that he stole all of her dad's time when they were growing up since her dad was the high school baseball coach but Mia needs the money and the Lone Stars' have offered her a whole lot to babysit Ace.

The more time Mia and Ace spend together, the more they both realize that there is a lot more to the other than ever thought. Ace may really test Mia's patience, but deep down she realizes that he is a good guy. When Mia and Ace finally give in to their feelings, it looks like they will both get their happy ending but of course they have to take a slight detour first but in the end they finally find their forever.

Overall this was a sweet and enjoyable story. I have never read this author before and did enjoy her writing. I really liked Ace. He was a smart aleck, but a great guy. I loved the fun things he did. I enjoyed Mia too. I had a hard time wrapping my head around some of her money issues but she was a really hard worker and a very caring person.

Quick satisfying romance - sports, enemies to lovers, hometown hero, successful nurse. This book was cute and comfortable. It will definitely please fans of this series.

A baseball star with a reckless streak meets his match with a nurse who can’t be swayed by his charm in Hometown Hero. Mia Adams cannot catch a break. She’s working multiple jobs to try to pay off the debt her scumbag ex left in her name before skipping town. She’s a nurse, takes care of so many with compassion and kindness, and has a side business she’s trying to expand on top of it all. She doesn’t have time for Ace’s attitude, but she definitely could use the money his team is paying her to be his babysitter. Andrew “Easy Ace” Braddock works hard and plays harder. But his luck and bad boy charm can’t get him out of the latest pickle he finds himself in. Injured and laying low in Silverlake while he heals, Ace basks in being the hometown hero at first, which makes him a bit hard to like. He’s overly impressed with himself and doesn’t see past his own nose more often than not, which is frustrating, especially when you see how hard his actions have been on Mia and his brother Declan. Fortunately, around the halfway point Ace has a breakthrough. I enjoyed watching him become a better man. He screws up – a lot – but when he does it in the second half of the book it comes from a good (if misguided) place. Ace has a lot of lessons to learn in Hometown Hero but once he starts to grow his journey is one worth reading.

Attraction sparks immediately between Mia and Ace, but that doesn’t mean the romance is an easy one. Mia is at the end of her rope and I wanted her to not only find love but find someone she can depend on, can lean on in the hard times. I liked that she didn’t just fall all over herself with Ace. Part of that is due to her own issues with him stemming from her father ignoring her and focusing on Ace, the son he never had, when they were growing up. Mia takes a lot of hits in this book that just tug on your heartstrings. But watching her find support and love with Ace just warmed my heart.

Hometown Hero is the third book in the Silverlake Ranch series, but it can be read as a standalone. I loved Mia’s friendship with the Braddock siblings and I enjoyed watching the strained relationship between Ace and his brother Declan start to heal. And speaking of the eldest Braddock… Man, I hope author duo Liza Kendall have a book in store for Declan. The often stoic rancher grabbed my heart in the first Silverlake Ranch book and hasn’t let go since. So while I finished Mia and Ace’s book a satisfied reader, I am seriously on the edge of my seat, hoping Declan gets a book.

Hometown Hero was my first book by Liza Kendall and the 3rd book in the series, however, you don't need to have read the other two to understand the this book.

Ace and Mia have a history- Ace was her dad's protegee and stand-in father after tragedy struck his family. This history caused a lot of friction between Mia and Ace. After a suffering a major accident and injury, Ace, the now famous MLB star, moves home to his family's ranch to recover. Mia becomes Ace's sober companion since she is in need of a good paying job since her loser ex left her high and dry and in debt.

Throughout the book, both Mia and Ace hash it out and their banter is just too cute. This is not your typical romance book as it's written fairly "clean" considering how most romance books are full of steam. While I really loved the story between Mia and Ace, I did find myself wishing for a bit more steam. I also struggled with the book being written in 3rd person. Personally, I find that I relate more and feel more of the character when written in 1st person.

Overall, I give Hometown Hero a 3.5/5 stars.

Ace and Mia have a long history. Ace is the apple of Mia's father's eye as his star baseball player that made it to the major leagues, and Mia has always had to live in the shadow of that relationship. When Ace decides to take the fall for his teammates car accident, he is sent home to recuperate and stay out of the public eye. Mia is hired to be his sober companion and has a hard time not letting her lifetime of hatred for him seep into their every interaction. Their romance is very complex but it is a cute love story.

This romance is between two very complex people. Mia Adams is very busy. Her husband left her holding all sorts of debts when he abandoned her and left the country. She is trying to keep her problems secret from those people in town who would be very likely to help her. Meanwhile, she's working three jobs. When she gets a new job as the "sober companion" for a MLB star who was apparently driving drunk, she can't turn it down even though Easy Ace Braddock is not a favorite of hers.

Ace Braddock stole her father's attention from her when she was already abandoned by her mother who was always off traveling to take care of the less fortunate. Ace needed her father's attention as his baseball coach after his parents died in a head-on car crash. Ace comes across as an arrogant ass who feels entitled to all the adulation a popular and attractive athlete gathers. But inside, he is still trying to get over the guilt he feels for the death of his parents. He believes that they wouldn't have been out on the road if he hadn't manipulated them into taking him to a baseball game.

I liked the banter between the two characters as they gradually come to fall in love. Of course, there are lots of problems along the way as Ace does things that seem to be designed to take away Mia's agency and control. I didn't like how little Ace thought about how his actions would affect Mia and how readily Mia forgave him.

The story also concerned itself with family relationships as Ace has to deal with his three brothers and his sister who he more or less abandoned for his baseball career. And Mia's relationship with her father is also an important component of the story.

Fans of romances with depth will enjoy this story.

Hometown Hero by Liza Kendall is the 3rd book in her sweet Silverlake Ranch series. Having enjoyed the first two books in this series, and I was looking forward to reading Hometown Hero, and am happy to say that I loved this one too. Liza Kendall continues to rise up on my list of must-read authors for fun pure romances.

Ace Braddock, our hero, is a famous pro baseball player, who breaks his ankle in a car crash. Ace has not been home to Silverlake, Texas for a long time, with little contact with his brothers and sister. But now he is ordered by his agent and team to go home and recuperate, as well as stay out of trouble. Ace is a player in every sense of the word, either with women, drinking with his friends, or his ego.

Mia Adams, our heroine, is a nurse, who has other jobs to pay the many debts her ex left her. She is offered a job by Declan Braddock (the team is going to pay for her services as a ‘sober companion’) to be keep a close eye on Ace, and make sure no drinking and staying out of trouble. Mia makes it known she does not like Ace, especially since he is wild and a player; but most of all because her baseball coach father, always looked at Ace as a son, and sort of ignored her.

What follows heartwarming small-town romance bringing together an unlikely couple that was never in their destiny. Ace and Mia were totally different, complete opposites; but the attraction between them was obvious, with both determined not to act on it. In the beginning, I wasn’t crazy about Ace, as he had such an enormous ego, and thought he could do whatever he wanted, despite his family and Mia trying to tame the wild child, whom everyone else idolized. Early on, Mia became very frustrated, as Ace did what he wanted, and even went to the bar to drink. In a short time, Ace finds himself very interested in Mia, and why she is working so many jobs. A friendship builds between them, as Ace learns more about how her ex took all her money and left her totally broke. He decides to find a way to help her, especially now that he is starting to fall for her. But as the norm for Ace, he screws things up, and causes Mia to be angry and walk away. Can he convince her to give him a chance to change, and be the one for her?

It was fun watching Ace get himself into trouble with Mia, and his family so many times. The bantering between him and Mia was fun too. I loved seeing the Braddock (Declan, Rhett, Jake, Lila, Charley, Jules) family again. I got a kick out of the two dogs in the story, Declan’s dog Grouchy and Mia’s father’s dog, Stetson. I did like towards the later part of the book, Declan and Ace slowly begin to bond, as they used to be when they were younger.

Liza Kendall once again gives us another sweet emotional romance, with a small-town atmosphere, and another Braddock family member finding love. Hometown Hero was a fun story, with fantastic characters. If you enjoy pure romances, then look no further then Liza Kendall. I suggest you read Hometown Hero.

3 stars
Small town setting with enemies to lovers story. Cute story with a side of baseball and a mix of cowboys.
Side note, this is book 3 in a series and I had not read the other books.

I love this series. I love small-town, reunion type romances and this entire series is like a palette cleanser for my brain. This story is so sweet, I devoured it in one day and immediately regretted it because I don't get to be in that world anymore. Mia and Drew were a perfect match, and I loved their happy ending.

3.5 Stars
Mia and Ace hated each other as kids. Ace lost everything as a child, so Mia’s father took him in under his wing, causing Mia to be left behind. Years later, they are reunited due to Ace’s trouble making skills. Mia is forced to reckon with her past and justify the man she now knows with the boy from her childhood. Will they be able to set aside their differences and form a meaningful relationship? Or will the blind spots from their past keep them from ever becoming friends much less more?

Liza Kendall does a good job blending in cowboys, small-town and sports into one romantic story. This a very cute read and a very quick read. (I finished it in a day.) Readers of sweet romance will want to make note of this author. This was the third book in a series and I do feel like I if I had read the previous two, I may have had a better understanding of the minor characters. This is my first time reading a Liza Kendall book, and I enjoyed the main characters’ development. I look forward to reading the next book, because I want to know more about the older brother. Some phrases were a bit repetitive and there are some scenes that were overly cute. Overall this is a PG romance that gives readers a romantic escape to Silverlake Ranch.

What did a girl do about a problem like Ace Braddock? Kiss him or kill him?

Hometown Hero was a cute read. If you enjoy small town enemies to lovers romance, where the characters don’t have a real long build from frenemies to lovers, then you may like this one. Ace & Mia have history as they grew up in the same small town, and Mia’s dad gave more attention to Ace, than he ever gave Mia. That tension and Ace’s habit of getting into trouble are the main focus of this story. While this read was entertaining, I will say that it doesn’t really dive deep enough in either characters life to really have you invest. It’s a very surface level romance, so if you like that, then you will enjoy this read. While I think this is listed as standalone, I did feel like I was playing catch up for most of the book. The dynamics between Ace and his family, and just the town and established couples being mentioned. I think that reading this series in order would definitely benefit the reading experience.

All in all this was a good read. If you like small town romance, with an enemies to lovers/forced proximity storyline then you may enjoy this!

*Side note - the heat level in this book is pretty low. There is some steamy tension, but anything intimate is fade to black. This did not influence my review, but I wanted to let people know!

This is book 3 in series about a family living in a small town who lost their parents to drunk driving. This is Drew/Ace's story and he is the baseball playing brother. His story begins as he breaks his ankle in a drunk driving accident with his friend.

He is sent home to recuperate and they hire Mia to be his nurse for his recuperation. Mia hates Ace because her father was more a father to Ace than her. She also needs the job because her ex stole a bunch of money and left her with the bills.

I actually really loved Mia. She is strong and a real go getter and she gives Ace a lot of grief. Meanwhile Ace runs her ragged but also they fall for each other. I didnt really like Ace much until he starts to fall for Mia and he ends up screwing up things but with his heart in the right place.