Happy that Iris got her happy ever after! Griffin is a new intriguing character with a tragic past. The romance with Iris and Griffin is very sweet. I can't wait to see where Colt's story goes.

Iris is the caretaker of her family. She is the glue that hold her family together. She dedicated her life to take care of them. When all her sibling found their own happiness, Iris feel that it is time now for her to find her own happiness. She have a dream to open a bakery and she found a shop that is owned by Griffin.

Griffin is new to town and is a hermit. He lost everything and seek to live his life away from everyone. Until Iris evaded his space. She is determined to get Griffin to agreed to rent the bakery shop to him.


This is the story about grief, friendship and second chance in love. Both Iris and Griffin have their fair share of grief and thru their friendship, they share a bond. Both of them forge an unusual relationship and did not expect that they would help each other to grow and heal. The story develop at a slow pace but peak up after the middle and too fast at the ending in my opinion.

I enjoyed this book immensely.

This book is part of a series but it never once made me think I was missing something by not reading the others.

This book made me laugh and it made me cry.
It took me a while to get through it, but I don't think it was the books fault. I believe life events took away my ability to concentrate on reading for a time. Once I got back into it, I couldn't put it down.

I highly recommend this book, thank you Harlequin and Netgalley for allowing me to read this title for an honest review.

The more I read this series, the less I care for it. Yates’s female protagonists are always less than. Why all 3 Daniels' sisters had to be virgins before they met their husbands is absurd. Yes, losing their parents did a number on them, but why did they isolate themselves? Why were the Daniels men allowed to sow their oats but the women had to remain virginal? It’s hard to get past that to enjoy the love stories because the women are coming from a position of weakness. They each had to find their strength. This all just seems so regressive.

Also, what’s with the titles? Is Ryder Daniels really a hero or just a young man who did what was best for his family (Book 10)? Perhaps martyr would be more appropriate. What is a Last Christmas Cowboy (Book 11)? Griffin isn’t a heartbreaker; he’s heartbroken (Book 12).

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from HQN through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

**2.5 Stars**

A book about a reclusive and grouchy mountain man that I didn’t fully love?? Say it ain’t so! I haven’t loved the last few books in this series, but I was so hopeful going into THE HEARTBREAKER OF ECHO PASS! Iris is a caregiver at heart who has taken care of her siblings since she was a child. She finally decides it’s time for her to live her own life by starting her own bakery. The problem? The rent in the space she wants is too high, so she decides to seek out the landowner to negotiate. Of course, the owner is a fierce, sexy recluse who just wants to be left alone.

Let’s start with what I liked. Iris saved this book for me. She was pragmatic yet hopeful. She knows she’s not the prettiest, but she also knows her worth and believes in her talent as a baker. I loved her journey; I just wish it was less tied to the hero’s journey. The intimate scenes in this book were excellent – crazy sexy and emotional. The perfect balance to the angsty tone of the story. I could feel the connection between Iris and Griffin. The chemistry was literally palpable, and the intensity was breathtaking.

Now that I’ve mentioned what I liked… my god, this book was depressing. It had SO much potential, and yet, Maisey Yates writing about widowers strikes again. I have yet to read a Yates book about a widower that isn’t the dreariest book ever. Honestly, the wallowing, the self-blame, the anger… it was a lot. Griffin was so freaking tortured I wasn’t convinced that he had genuine feels for Iris or if she was just the “right place, right time” woman. I liked that Iris was extremely aware that Griffin was emotionally unavailable, but that made me respect her a little less when she did give in to the ~feelings~.

Overall, this book was okay. It had its good moments; Yates does emotions really well, but I was just feeling sad by the end of the book, and that’s never a good thing for a romance novel.

**I received a free copy of this book in order to provide an honest review**

Another book i was looking for ward to but it just misses the mark.
I got overwhelmed with their inner dialogue. I’m wanted more action and talking between them.
It was too slow for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for my honest review.

I really liked The Heartbreaker of Echo Pass, though I did find the first half of it a bit difficult to get through. Both main characters are in a lot of pain and living in their trauma, so it makes for a depressing read. It did seem as though they were both 'saved' by each other in the end when really should gone to therapy or just gotten some type of treatment.
Anyway, I liked both Griffin and Iris and the final message of choosing to hope/be happy was really lovely.
4 stars.

I’ve really enjoyed this series and I think I’ve been waiting for Iris’s book.

I’ve really liked the glimpses of Iris that we’ve seen in other books. She’s been quiet and unassuming and I was wondering what sort of woman she’d be once she broke out. Griffin is grumpy and hurting and together there’s a boatload of hurt and an interesting sort of friends with benefits situation.

Plot wise, it was good. Of course there’s a lot more inner monologue than I would have liked, but that’s been the standard in this family’s books. They did have a good amount of open conversations and honestly, the angst came from a direction I wasn’t expecting. Thankfully, it didn’t last long and the epilogue was fantastic.

Overall, this was a great addition to the series and I’m hoping there’s an upcoming story with Griffin’s sister and Iris’s cousin.

**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**

Thank you to Maisey Yates and Harlequin for the advanced reader copy.

I was really looking forward to finally digging into Iris' story and I was not disappointed. The Heartbreaker of Echo Pass was so much more than I expected and I was so happy with how Iris' happy ending came about. It was certainly hard fought but so much sweeter for it.

The exploration of grief, the different types and the ways that grief never disappears was so well done. Yates does an excellent job of exploring the ways these characters have been effected by their loss and it was so wonderful to see the characters progressions through their grief.

Iris and Griffin have continued to stay with me long after reading and I will definitely revisit their story.

Iris Daniels has long felt like she was second best. Not as vibrant as her sisters and mostly valued because of her usefulness to the family. Iris was the oldest sister when they lost their parents, and at fourteen she stepped in as sort of the mother while her older brother, Ryder assumed the role of guardian at the young age of eighteen. But who was there to comfort and mother Iris? Seeing all her siblings find love and happiness Iris is determined to take her life out of pause and do something just for herself. She knows she’s good at cooking and baking and has the perfect place in town to set up shop. Trouble is the rent the new owner is charging is prohibitive.

Iris finds out that the new owner is a hermit living up at a remote mountain cabin and decides to strike up a deal with him. She figures this guy is an old curmudgeon, but is shocked to find a much younger, grumpy man. His big, burly, bearded, but underneath that gruff appearance he’s the most handsome man she’s laid eyes on, and she wants!

Griffin bought his mountain property to get away from all the prying and pity and to wallow in his grief. Iris throws a wrench in works when she shows up with her cookies and determination. Theirs was a passionate romance, electricity sparking between them from that very first meeting!

I’ve long been a fan of Maisey Yates’ romances! The Heartbreaker of Echo Pass was heartfelt and emotional. Iris understands grief and so recognizes it clearly in Griffin, and my heart broke for everything they had endured. They shared a bond and struck up a friendship even though he’s pretty grumpy at first. Hard not soften up when being plied with delicious food and treats! I was hungry just reading!

I fell hard for Griffin, because once Iris showed up it was like he woke up from the five years he’d just been existing, and he was all in. I could tell Iris was going to give some trouble, but luckily, she had a lot of good advice from her close-knit, loving family.

The Heartbreaker of Echo Pass is the twelfth book in the series, but it can be read as a standalone in a pinch. However, you’ll miss some of Iris’ history and the sibling’s romances.

So good! @maiseyyates sure knows how to create characters you can’t help but cheer for 🥰

Iris was one of my favourite characters we met in the Gold Valley series, & I couldn’t wait to finally get to read her story 😍 she is incredibly strong, passionate, & driven to go after what she wants. Her family always keeps things interesting, & their loyalty to each other is heartwarming 🥰And Griffin was a complete cinnamon bun character whose backstory pulls on your heartstrings 💕 He makes you want to give him a big hug 🤗

I can’t say enough good things about both the Gold Valley, & Copper Ridge series ♥️ and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens with other characters 👏🏻

If you haven’t read these books yet, I definitely recommend them 🤩

3.5/5 Stars

** I received this as an E-ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review, Thank you!**

This was super easy to read and quick to get through. I really enjoyed the romance between our two characters. I'll even admit that I ended up getting emotional while reading. I found Iris to be an easy character to connect to, she was very relatable. I will admit the reason i went with 3.5 instead of a 4 star is because the ending felt very abrupt to me. I felt like we get to our big moment and then it was just over. I would've liked extra pages at the end just to wrap up the story and characters relationships. Overall a good read and would recommend.

This was a tough one to rate. It was good but it touched on one of my pet peeves so I'll try and put those aside.

Rating 3.5

Iris loss both her parents at a young age. She and her siblings (she was the older girl and she had a brother who was able to care for all as the oldest) banded together and raised themselves. As the older girl, Iris took the role of "mother" and dedicated her life to taking care of everyone as well as the household. She loved and cared for her family to the detriment of her own wants. When all her sidings found the HEA she realized it was her turn. She decides the first thing on her list was to open a bakery, she's a wonderful baker and cook. Iris knows just the location too. She finds out who owns the building, Griffin chance.

Iris learns he lives in a primitive cabin in the mountains and heads up there with some of her baked goods as ammunition, or maybe as bribery.

Griffin Chance has lost everything and he's making sure that he gets the punishment he deserves. His grief is unbearable at times and he want's to live his life in total solitude. No family, no friends, no creature comforts for him. But one day he gets a knock on his door and from that point on his life takes a different turn. Griffin begins to realize the things he's been missing and the reality of life continues to evolve. And all this is from one individual, Iris, sweet and kind Iris.

These two navigate some heavy and sweet moments. The character development evolves at good pace, but the story line is pretty slow the first third of the book (I almost decided to put it aside for a bit). The secondary characters are all likable and assist in the story line. Love the theme of family, loyalty and small town feel. I did feel the end was a little rush.

Now just a side note. The issue of a dead wife in storylines has always been touchy for me. I struggle with the hero's dedication to dead wife and the heroine. It's such a balancing act and some authors do it well, others not so much. MY has written a few books with this issue and done wonderful, but this one I think wasn't her best in my humble opinion. It left me unsettled for some reason, just wasn't executed to my satisfaction. Again this is my issue and others might be totally okay with it.

Iris has always been the caretaker. Even before her parents death she and her brother has always taken care of the siblings group and others. As she's watching everyone go on with their lives she's finally going to take a chance to start a new business but has to get though less then friendly Griffin to do so. Finally coming up with an agreement that works for both of she's finally out there doing her own thing but it worried she's still gonna be place as second and as the caretake as she slowly falls for Griffin.

I just really loved Iris's characters. Personally feel like she's the most relatable and couldn't help but root for her. She knows where she's comfortable at but is seen as boring and spinster-ish and wants to break out of that mold. She's finally doing something for herself and I kept hoping she would keep fighting for what she wants, that includes getting the guy. I mean she really like Griffin but was having a bit of confidence issues based on her upbringing and was worried that she would take second place and has always been kinda like that and didn't want that cycle to continue. She was cautious which was understandable. Then there was Griffin who was dealing with grief and isolating himself from those he loves because I loved seeing Iris bring him out in the light again. There was plenty of romance and steamy scenes. Overall this was a pretty great book I really enjoyed it.

In The Heartbreaker of Echo Pass, the 12th book in the Gold Valley series, Maisey Yates has written what I believe to be the most emotionally wrenching and profound novel about loss, grief and grieving, heartache, loneliness, and healing, that it's been my tearful pleasure to read in decades. I believe this is her best novel to date, and it gets 5-stars from this reader.

We finally get to Iris Daniels' book. After losing all of their parents, 14-year-old Iris and her 18-year-old brother, Ryder, raised the rest of their younger siblings, and added more family members as this series has progressed. Ryder ran the Hope Springs family ranch, and Iris became the caregiver, the cook, the pseudo-mom to her younger siblings. But her siblings have now all found their mates, and while they still rely on her cooking skills at dinnertime, Iris has become an empty-nester, a 31-year-old virgin who's never even been kissed, and she's decided to finally begin to act on her dream of owning and operating her own bakery. She's found the space on Main Street, but can't afford the rent, so she decides to meet the owner of the property and see if he can give her a break for a percentage of her profits.

The owner of the building in question is Griffin Chance, who has totally isolated himself in the deep woods of Echo Pass since losing his wife and baby daughter in a house fire 5 years earlier. He's a big, strong, mountain of a man, and has been wallowing in his own heartbreak and loneliness ever since. When Iris shows up at his door with a plate of her cookies and a proposition, he doesn't know what to make of her, and ends up agreeing to bartering his storefront building in exchange for her cleaning and cooking skills at his small, rundown, rustic cabin in the woods. Griffin and his grief call out to Iris' caregiving nature, and a friendship slowly forms between the two, although Griffin doesn't give up his secrets easily, nor does Iris admit to her virginity, her lack of dating experience, and her feeling that she's always been second-fiddle to the siblings she raised, and even to her own deceased mother. It's time for her to strike out on her own, and in meeting and getting to know and help Griffin, does she ever.

Being no stranger to grief and grieving, having lost my own mother at age 15, and my first and best friend at 38, and too many other dear friends to mention, this novel and Ms. Yates' deep understanding of love and loss, of grief and healing, and of moving on, struck a deep chord that resonated within me so strongly that I spent half of this novel in tears. I don't know where or how Ms. Yates came to such a deep understanding of the pain of loss and missed opportunities, but did she ever!

Ms. Yates' insight into all the emotional baggage these two characters are and have been carrying alone, her use of alternate narration as we get to know them, and their constant internal dialogue as these two wounded strangers try to help and heal each other, with all their misgivings, with all their doubts, with all their fears, made for one impossible to put down, deeply engrossing, and unforgettable read, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Thank you, Maisey Yates, for this incredible and deeply moving read. I absolutely loved it.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

4 1/2 STARS!

Sweet, sentimental and oh so satisfying! Maisey Yates can wrap a cowboy around your heart faster than you can turn around, and the latest in her beloved Gold Valley series is keeping up the tradition. A gruff, broken man just met his match when shy, motherly Iris comes knocking. I love this series, and watching Iris finally work towards her happily ever after was really heartwarming.

Iris is good natured and true, and seeing her finally take a step forward to make some of her own dreams come true is very satisfying.

Griffin is a broken man, but watching him come back to life under the watchful eye of a good woman is really powerful.

I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone who enjoys a small town with a close knit family who loves each other through thick and thin and especially celebrates when one finds their happily ever after.

Another good read from Maisey Yates. She’s a favorite of mine for a reason, and that reason is likable, sexy reads with a healthy dose of heart. Iris and Griffin are both recovering from loss, and Yates sketches that journey well for both, although there was perhaps a little too much internal monologuing, which became repetitive toward the end. Having said that, there were some deeply emotional moments among all the thinking, and I will admit to weeping for sweet Iris, who had a hidden layer of pain.

A fun meet-cute and an excellent use of the grumpy mountain man trope (Griffin was all kinds of hot), plus a chance to revisit the Daniels family and a beautiful epilogue all equaled a satisfying installment in a reliably enjoyable series. Looking forward to Jake and Colt’s books—maybe with Griffin’s sister?!

The most exquisitely profound rendering of grief I've ever read!

As this is the fourth book of the Hope Springs family, we know all about the tragedy that nearly leveled the Daniels family years ago. Iris is still finding her independence, all the more important now that each of her siblings have found their own HEAs. In order to set up the bakery she's always dreamed of, she's going to need the help of her potential landlord to cut her a deal she can manage.

Griffin has been hiding away from the entire world for the past five years after an unimaginable loss shattered his entire sense of self. He's not the least bit interested in helping the determined young woman who ignores every hint to leave him alone. But it turns out there's an extra dash of hope in her plate of cookies, one that starts him on the road to living again.

This author must have experienced tragedy personally to be able to write such a visceral, gut-wrenching examination of all the various depths of emotion required to come back from a loss that redefines one's life. Both Iris and Griffin know grief, but where that shared understanding initially brings them together, it also serves to drive them apart. On the surface, the romance is simple and straightforward. In this story, however, the complexity of the feelings - of love, guilt, failures, purpose - are brought out one by one, aired out and refreshed, and then reassigned a proper role as these two figure out how to keep on living. It's beautifully done, enthralling and captivating, heart-warming and heart-breaking all at the same time.

If you're already invested in the Daniels family, you don't want to miss this one. If you like spunky heroines who take on grumpy mountain men, this is your catnip. If you want to know what living after world-shattering loss looks like, this is the only book you need. I wholeheartedly recommend this story for anyone who loves to read romances. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

Iris Daniels’ parents died when she was 14, leaving her and her 18 year old brother to raise their younger siblings and cousins. While her brother was running the ranch, Iris stepped in as the parent figure, putting her own needs on hold. Now 31, with everyone living their own lives, Iris is ready to begin living hers. When she decides to open her own bakery, she must approach Griffin Chance, a hermit after the death of his wife and child. They will each need to face the ghosts of their past in order to move on with their lives and face a future.

Overall, Maisey Yates’s The Heartbreaker of Echo Pass is a decent light romance book. While the character development could be somewhat better, the characters are not two-dimensional, as we sometimes see in books. Over the story line develops well. My main complaint is the overuse of the virgin woman trope. Can we be done with that already?

I love anything Massey Yates writes. Chance and Iris have had some tragic times in both of their lives. They met, fall in love, and learn how to overcome their tragedies.