Paisley Hope has quickly become a favorite author of mine and this cowboy series is a top one for the year! She writes swoony heroes, lovable characters and spice that spices. The storyline flows beautifully, drawing you in from the first page and has you buckled up the entire ride loving every minute of it. She's a unique author and one that is going to be a fan favorite for years to come!

Wade Ashby has the weight of the family ranch on his shoulders. He wants to make a run at the Durby and his new trainer Ivy might just be what he needs. Ivy has been struggling in life so when the chance to work on the ranch comes up she takes it. She thinks she might have found a home at Silver Pines with the Ashbys and their extended group. As they start planning for the Durby run Wade and Ivy work closely and things begin to heat up between them.

This is the second book in the Silver Pines Ranch series and the Cowboy Romance perfection kept going. Wade Ashby is a grumpy cowboy who has blocked his heart away because of his awful ex and family responsibilities. I love how Ivy brought him out of his shell. This book was very spicy and when he gets the tattoo on his hand... wow. This book has an amazing family and I can’t wait to read each book in this series.

Read This If You Like:
🏇Small Town Romance
💜One Bed
🏇Road Trip
💜Forced Proximity
🏇Workplace
💜He Takes Care of Her

dnf %46

I really can’t bring myself to read any more of it since I’m not enjoying it. I’m not sure if it’s me or the book, but it felt like there was a lack of real connection! It seemed to focus mainly on their physical attraction, which didn’t really click with me. And honestly, Wade kind of creeped me out with what he did with the scrunchie.

very thankful that i got this arc

Loved the small town. Loved the cowboys. Loved the cute aspects of their relationship but it was so overshadowed by all of the smut. We could have cut out 50 pages of sex scenes and there still would have been plenty!! I do really enjoy these characters and am very excited for the next book because the Cole/Ginger coupling has had me on the edge of my seat since book one.

Ty to Random House, Dell Romance & NetGalley for the ARC <3

I freaking love this book. The way that the characters were written was done so well, you can’t help but be in love with them and relate to them. I just love it when a character makes sense and individually and as a couple both Wade and Ivy made sense.
The spice, oh my god the spice! And that bonus scene?!? 🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵

Overall : 4.75

✨ARC Review✨
I so enjoyed going back to Silver Pines with the Ashby family again!

Training the Heart is oldest brother Wade’s story alongside the ranch’s new horse trainer Ivy Spencer.

Wade is the definition of a grumpy cowboy! He has a hard time trusting and letting people in after a failed marriage and the loss of his dad. But he also has a sweet caring side underneath it all, and I loved seeing that come out in his relationship with Ivy.

Ivy comes to the Ashby’s ranch after a failed relationship of her own. After years of manipulation and hurt, it was so nice to see her first of all do what she loved by connecting with the horses, and then begin to get the support and partnership she’d been missing for so long.

Ivy’s taken care of others so much in her life so it was nice to see her and Wade find that balance of her taking care of herself, which she loved to remind him she could do, and letting each other help and be a support.

Through their relationship, Wade and Ivy both broke down their walls for each other. Their lives clicked together in a great way. I loved the connection they developed and seeing their determination to make it work no matter what the future brought.

This book has a little bit of everything that I love in a romance book from the cowboys, to the caretaking, and a “standing up to the ex” scene which I can never get enough of!

Thank you Paisley, Random House, and NetGalley for the ARC opportunity!
I’m so glad I was able to go back to Silver Pines and can’t wait to get back to the Ashby’s with Cole and Ginger’s book!!

I received an ARC copy and I will never turn down a cowboy romance novel!

After reading the first book, I couldn’t wait to read Wade and Ivy’s story. Their banter was on point and their relationship was adorable. Wade is a grumpy hardass cowboy, but (of course) had a secret soft side for Ivy. The story was predictable, but I ate up every word. The spice is spicy (and there maybe was too much spice?…maybe), but I still enjoyed it! I will be reading the next one for sure.

Paisley Hope, yet again, gave us a heartfelt and emotionally charged romance with TTH. This story is as much about personal growth and healing as it is about love, and she did a wonderful job balancing the two.

Wade “Chief” Ashby is everyone’s new book boyfriend! He’s struggling to shoulder the weight of his responsibilities while keeping his heart safely guarded. Ivy “Trouble” Spencer is the strong, independent woman we all want to be. Together, their journey from reluctant allies to passionate partners felt so real. Silver Pines Ranch is the perfect setting and gave us such an accurate representation of ranch life and the challenges of training a racehorse.

The chemistry between Wade and Ivy explodes off the page literally from the moment they met! Their emotional growth makes their love story all the more swoon-worthy.

While the pacing of the book occasionally lags, particularly in the middle, but the fiery connection between Wade & Ivy makes up for it.
Highly recommend if you’re looking for a second-chance, found family, cowboy romance!

Wow! What a great follow up to an already stunning series. I knew immediately that I was going to fall in love with this second book because we got a small taste of Wade in Holding the Reins, I just knew he would be top tier book boyfriend material! Both of these characters have my whole heart, with the witty banter and another perfect blend of small town, workplace romance and cowboys? ABSOLUTELY! Diving even further into what's to come, I cannot wait for the next book in this series!

Thank you so much for this ARC, I hope I can get the next one because I need to read it!!

THIS WAS HOTTT and a must-read if you love small town/cowboy romances!

“𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙙𝙤𝙪𝙗𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪… 𝙔𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙨𝙤 𝙛 **𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙮 𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙧, 𝙄𝙫𝙮.”

Paisley has quickly become one of my favorite authors and she really popped off with this one!! She had me immediately hooked with the dedication.

Also Grumpy x Sunshine is one of my favorite tropes, but make it ✨grumpy cowboy✨ and I’m SOLD. It also had so many of my favorite micro-tropes from "I didn't know where else to go" to hair washing. 🥹

I thought Nash Carter was my man, but Wade Ashby with his BDE just took the top spot. He was grumpy and dominating, but also a gentleman and so stinkin’ sweet. And I adored Ivy and her brattiness. They balanced each other out perfectly and provided some top-tier banter.

I’m just obsessed with this family!! Can I move to Silver Pines Ranch already?? I wanna be a part of the Not Angels.

And I need that Ginger and Law Daddy book ASAP!! 😩

“𝘾𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩, 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙚. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙄’𝙢 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙗𝙞𝙩. 𝙄’𝙢 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚. 𝙄’𝙢 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”

𝐀𝐝𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐁𝐑 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲:
🤠 Grumpy x Sunshine
🤠 Boss x Employee
🤠 Forced Proximity
🤠 Spicy Lessons
🤠 Small Town/Cowboy Vibes
🤠 Dual POV

Thank you NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book, and thank you Dell Romance/Random House Publishing for the #gifted copy.

Wade Ashby can do no wrong, ladies! grumbly and gruff and bossy cowboy on the outside, warm and protective and a soft spot for his woman (and family!) on the inside. he also has a penchant for collecting Ivy’s scrunchies for *reasons*. haha! Ivy is his perfect match with a stubbornness and wit to balance his dry humor and banter. in a life full of unexpected surprises, these two tap into the much needed unconditional love they both yearn for. and watching them fall is the very best part!! entirely unputtdownable and swoony and spicyyy and perfect. love the world that Paisley’s created! she’s a word magician!

Sometimes you need to read a silly, little cowboy romance because life doesn’t need to be so serious. Sometimes that cowboy romance may not be anything crazy but it does bring you joy. Training The Heart did just that, and that’s all that matters.

I think Ivy’s character journey does well illustrating the effects of a toxic relationship and healing of moving forward. I like that Ivy has a completely different personality and character journey than Cece, the last book’s female lead. However, the one con I couldn’t shake is how much Ivy giggled. I don’t necessarily correlate naivety with a giggle response, but reading “Ivy giggled.” as a reply so many times cheapened the experience of her retort. This came off more foolish than humorous, which her character didn’t strike me as.

Wade Ashby may be grumpy but that man knows how to communicate! I love how he knows when/and how often he checks in on Ivy. But similarly, I love how Ivy knows how to ask the “right” questions that are perfect for Wade. “How do you feel about that? Is it a weight you welcome or weather?” So simple but perfectly put for how Wade converses.

I like how Paisley writes a heavier romance topic (i.e. emotional abuse, grief, and healing) in a digestible, ‘beach read’ style flow. I look forward to reading the next installment in the Silver Pines series.

Wade was THAT guy… swoony, loving, caring, but the biggest grump ever - yet the minute he lets you in, you see through that facade! I absolutely loved his character development and the way he changed throughout the book with the right partner. Ivy - for all that she has been through - was one of the strongest characters I’ve read. She knew what she wanted and how she was going to get it was up to the events around her. She grew to trust Wade and once they realized how amazing they were together, talk about fireworks. The plot was so well done, it flowed seamlessly with all the events that happened. Loved the banter, the honest and open communication, and don’t get me started on the steam! Loved this one to the moon and back. Amazing job, Paisley Hope! Thanks for the arc!

I've read all three of Paisley Hope's books in the last few months and they have been five star reads! She is quickly becoming a favorite author. Training the Heart is the second book in the Silver Springs series. We see this romance set up in the first book. You could read this as a standalone but I highly recommend the first book in the series as well.

Ivy Spencer is trying to move past her last bad relationship and getting a new horse training job is just the way to do it. When she arrives, she finds herself at odds with the gruff cowboy who has taken over the family farm. Their working relationship quickly turns into a secret relationship when he has to take care of her after falling off a horse. Ivy has to figure out how to navigate her work and personal life when the lines are blurring quickly.

I LOVE this series! Wade and Ivy were such a good couple. I loved their dynamic since the glimpses we saw of them in the first book. When Wade started collecting her scrunchies everywhere, I audibly sighed out loud. Paisley Hope has a way of writing characters that are funny but have depth in their feelings and backstories. Both Wade and Ivy, have a past that they just can't seem to move on from. It's refreshing to see them work together and not have some major blowout right at 80%. That doesn't mean Ivy doesn't need to take a moment to figure out her own feelings, but ultimately, they are a team. I am living for the chemistry between Cole and Ginger. I cannot wait until the next book! Ginger is such a spitfire and their push and pull is sooooo good.

Tropes: new start, boss/employee, sick bed, dirty talk, grumpy hero, found family, accidental pregnancy, small town, forced proximity, special nicknames, tattooed hero, MINE

Thank you to NetGalley, Paisley Hope, and Random House (Ballantine) for this eARC. All opinions expressed are my own. #NetGalley #TrainingTheHeart #PaisleyHope #RandomHouse #SilverPinesNovel

SWOONING! I have such a sweet spot for road trip romances and this one really hit the mark for me. The grumpy x sunshine trope paired very nicely with forced proximity. Wade & Ivy have a special connection that is heatearming and romantic. Plus who doesn’t love a cowboy romance?? I want a cowboy of my own!! Overall great series so far!

It was rough for a moment because it started in a very abrupt way. I needed more context, more seasoning for that first chapter, but after that? The chemistry build up and there is nothing I love more than a grumpy cowboy that’s softens for their girl. He dances, he’s protective but gives her space to thrive in her own way, he’s dominant but also knows when to give her dominance (😏).

This book was HOT, like burning up, room on fire, the firefighters cannot put down hot 🥵

I enjoyed thoroughly this book, the characters and the way they connected was beautiful, and how the side characters played out with actual personalities and differences was great. This book not having a third act breakup was the cherry on top.

5/5 !!!!!
I didn't expect to love Ivy and Wade more than CeCe and Nash, but here we are! I absolutely adored them and would read hundreds more pages about them (also those bonus chapters were soooo good, thank you Paisley ;) )

This book starts off with Ivy being late to her job interview to be the new horse trainer at Silver Pines Ranch, and of course, Wade is annoyed at her tardiness, but little does he know this woman will change his life. If you like a grumpy cowboy, look no further because Wade Ashby is your man. He's broody and sarcastic, but he's the most caring and selfless guy - he just shows it in his own way.

The tension between these two in the beginning was so good, I ate it upppp. Ivy was the perfect amount of sassy to Wade's grumpy personality - they meshed so well as a couple. Seeing their physical attraction grow into a loving relationship was so special (and made me so jealous of Ivy because Wade is literally the definition of a perfect cowboy imo). Ivy and Wade left their emotionally manipulative previous relationships and truly learned what love was with each other. I think I literally highlighted half of my ebook in red with sweet moments in their romance and moments that left me blushingggg. Fair warning, this book does have a lot of spice in it, so beware if that's not your thing.

This may be an unpopular opinion, but in cowboy romances I love when there is an emphasis on horses, riding, training, etc. Aside from the romance, another main plot line was Ivy and Wade buying and training a horse to race in an upcoming Kentucky Derby. I loved that they chose to purchase and train a filly as there have only been a handful of fillies to win any of the triple crown races ever! As a girl with a decent amount of horsey background, I loved this so much.

Another major plus in my opinion was the amount of Ashby family and Not Angels that we got, it really made me feel immersed in the story and that I was there having dinner at the Ashby family table! We continued to get more CeCe and Nash moments along with a ton bickering between Cole and Ginger that I giggled at every time. I really hope this continues in future books in the series :)

(plot spoilers ahead)
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I usually am not one to enjoy the surprise pregnancy trope, but I feel like it fit perfectly into the story, especially given the fact that Ivy was manipulated to believe that she couldn't successfully carry a baby to to term by her ex husband... I'm so glad we got to see Ivy live her dreams of starting a family and Wade was so supportive of her every step of the way <3

I adored this book and recommend this to all my fellow cowboy romance lovers!!!


Also, a big, big thank you to Paisley Hope and Random House for letting me read this eARC through NetGalley!

Wade Ashby the man that you are! Ivy fresh out of a toxic relationship takes a chance on a new ranch doing what she loves. Training horses. Wade has sworn off relationships until he spotted a black haired beauty. No not the horse. The chemistry was fantastic. I love the background conflicts they both had going on and how them being together muted it. Not to mention how much I love this family and how they extend their heart to outsiders.

This book had no business being that hot. Seriously, it had me over here blushing and clutching my pearls. I was not expecting things to go that route. Book one was spicy, but this book took it to another level🥵.

✨MINE✨

Not only was it spicy, but the storyline was good too. I loved Ivy and Wade’s story. I am fully invested in this family. So much that I am counting down the days until I can get my hands on the next ARC. Long live cowboys! 🤠

Grumpy/sunshine
Forced proximity
One bed
Small town
Dual POV

Thank you for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Paisley Hope for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wade and Ivy - I was so excited for this book as soon as we met them in Holding the Reins (book #1 in the series which I highly recommend reading first). They did not disappoint.

Wade is the grumpy rancher who doesn’t want Ivy causing trouble on his ranch but needs a temporary trainer while his full time trainer is on maternity leave.

Ivy is the positive but feisty trainer who doesn’t back down when Wade gives attitude. She is confident and talented and completely drives Wade wild.

I’m so obsessed with a grumpy man who turns so soft and caring for his woman.

They literally could not get enough of each other. I love spice but I could have done without a scene or two to allow a little more room for some of the bigger topics the book addressed (abuse, infertility, alcoholism) to be explored further.

Tropes:
Grumpy/sunshine
Caretaking
Forced proximity
One bed
Small town
Dual POV