I read Holding the Reins back in February and was absolutely blown away by Paisley Hope’s talent. After just one book, she became one of my favorite authors, and I’ve been eagerly anticipating this next installment in the Silver Pines Ranch series. Let me tell you, Paisley did not disappoint!

If you thought Nash Carter was swoon-worthy, prepare to make room in your heart for Wade Ashby. This grumpy rancher isn’t just a book boyfriend—he’s a book husband! Wade’s gruff exterior was actually so endearing, but watching him soften for Ivy? Pure magic. He’s the ultimate caretaker: he cooks, he cleans, and in the bedroom... whew, he’s everything. And if you’re after a fierce FMC who knows her worth and doesn’t shy away from a challenge, look no further than Ivy Spencer. She’s a self-aware queen, sassy, and strong, with a love for smutty audiobooks that makes her all the more relatable. I connected with her resilience and strength, especially in the way she bounced back after leaving a toxic relationship.

Beyond the romance, Training the Heart beautifully intertwines themes of self-love, healing, and trust. It’s about opening your heart again, making it so much more than just a love story. If you love a feel-good, emotionally rich read that’ll make you smile, swoon, and maybe even shed a tear, this book is it.

Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin House for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

⭐️ 5/5
🌶3/5

I needed to take a few deep breaths and center myself before this review because WOW OH WOW did Paisley overdeliver. This book is everything you wanted the sequel to "Holding the Reins" to be (another favorite book of 2024) PLUS a little more spice.

I love love love love loved the friendship between Ivy and Wade in this book. If you are a fan of Elsie Silver, Bailey Hannah and generally a fan of cowboys with dirty mouths (hello, husband if you're reading this), then do yourself a favor and pick this bad boy up.

HAPPY READING! And a huge thank you to Paisley and her publishing team for the ARC!

Thank you Netgally and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Who knew I would love the second in this series even more than the first…but here we are!

Ivy and Wade are my favorite! The grumpy sunshine troupe is my favorite! Then thrown in some cowboy romance and it’s perfection!!!! I love this whole family and little town so much!

And I’m just gonna say it Cole and Gingers book better be next!

YALL I didn’t think Paisley Hope could get any better as an author. But hot damn move over Nash Carter, and hello Wade Ashby!

Little backstory I just discovered Paisley Hope last month and I can say without a doubt she is my favorite author of 2024. I have only read 2 books by her this year and they’ve both been 5 stars. Paisley Hope is an immediate auto-buy author. And I need everyone to also buy all of her books because she can do no wrong with swoon worthy cowboys.

Alright back to the actual book review portion. Where do I even begin?!?! Ivy and Wade are everything I hope to one day have in a relationship. They are two genuine relatable caring individuals and they thrive even more together.

Ivy is a sassy, kick ass MFC who has truly been to hell and back but she never lets that stop her. Wade is grumpy, stubborn cowboy who’s had his heart crushed and doesn’t want to let anyone else in. Watching these two go from grumpy vs sunshine and blossom into soulmates was adorable. Their banter and tenderness towards each other had me kicking my feet the entire time I was reading.

If you can’t already tell I will definitely be continuing on with the Silver Pines Ranch series. And I’m hoping and praying that Cole’s book is next! I cannot recommend this book enough. Please go out and buy it! I already preordered my physical copy for my trophy shelf!

Big Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin publishing for providing me an arc to read and review!

You guys. Holy smokes. This book. I needed an ice cold shower after reading this. This was NOT another cowboy romance in a different font. This was a spicyyyyyyyyyyyyyy cowboy romance that put spicy cowboy romances to shame. Phew! 😮‍💨

This book had it all; healing journeys for our main characters, found family, growth, the funniest text convos, banter, and more. All I can say is Ivy and Wade forever 🖤

Wade. Ashby. Thats it, that’s the review.

In all seriousness, this book has all the things you want out of a cowboy romance. The banter & tension between Wade & Ivy is perfection, the found family & back story is everything you could hope for, the MAN is 110% swoon worthy, and the spice is SPICY. I knew from book 1 Wade would be that guy, and this just proves it even more. Such a fun, delicious read!

Wade & Ivy are the definition of “you were made for me”🤭 Watching these two souls clash together with the hottest and most engaging banter, was everything I expected from Paisley’s newest release. I truly loved seeing Wade, the grumpy/brooding cowboy, come alive again and protect Ivy from the jump. While seeing Ivy grow back into her own, continuing to be positive and refusing to let anyone break her. It was interesting to see how these two grieved the loss of their fathers, the way it made Wade retreat into himself by not speaking much on jt and how Ivy could remember her dad so openly, using the love daily to reminder self of him. Thank you to Paisley for giving us the perfect grumpyxsunshine, man obsessed love story- loved seeing these two get everything they desperately deserved.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

I really loved the first in the Silver Pines series, so I’ve been not so patiently waiting for this one! Wade is one filthy talking cowboy!

Ivy Spencer has started working as a horse trainer at Wade Ashby’s ranch. She’s only supposed to be a temporary solution, but she and Wade grow closer. She received some devastating news a few years back and has an ex that was awful. Wade knows he’s her boss and nothing can happen, but there’s only one bed!

Ivy and Wade fall fast and hard! The spice is spicccyyyy 🌶️ There’s a trope I don’t always enjoy thrown in at the end, but it was handled very well! There’s a big HEA too!

I can’t wait for more!

Read if you like
Cowboys
Small towns
Workplace romance
One bed trope
Spicy scrunchy moments (iykyk)

Paisley.. Are you f’in kidding me?! This. Was. EVERYTHING!

God damn do I love a grump and Wade Ashby delivered. But you know what I love more than a grump? A grumpy simp. And boy is he ever. I will NEVER look at a scrunchie without blushing & smirking.

Ivy is, to put it simply, Wade’s perfect match. She sees his bullshit and raises it ten fold. Our girl is a spit fire and she is not afraid to go toe to toe with the boss man.

Their chemistry?! Someone call the god damn fire department. Wade is both tough and gentle, and that plays out perfectly in the bedroom. You’ll just have to read to see what I mean.

I don’t know what’s in the water at Silver Pines but I’d like a tall glass of it.

This was sooo much better than the last book I read from this author. The hero had me in a chokehold!

Another amazing book in the Silver Pines Ranch series.

I loved Ivy and Wades banter and cute little moments together. I thought a lot of the issues the author brought up in this book were done so well and added a lot of depth to the characters and storyline. I am a huge hater of the surprise pregnancy trope but I actually really liked it here. It added a good twist and brought the characters closer together.

HOLY SPICE THOUGH. There were alot ALOT of spicy scenes in this book! I thought the first book in the series was heavy on the spice but I feel like it was nothing in comparison to this one! If you’re looking for some juicy spice then this is the one for you!

WOW! Could not stop reading, I was glued to the kindle until I finished reading the entire book. The banter, the forced proximity, although the ankle thing was a little over the top but anything for the plot. Wade is the best cowboy to have ever exist and having Ivy they compliment each other. A great book.

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
SPICE : 🔥🔥🔥💥

Okay Wade Ashby, I see you! This man was the grumpiest of grumps and I loved every single second of him, because beneath that gruff exterior was a man who always tools care of his people… and I swear my panties melted to the floor with this acts of service man.

💜 Ranch Owner x Horse Trainer
💜 Grumpy x Sunshine
💜 Boss x Employee
💜 Forced Proximity
💜 One Bed Situation
💜 Dom/ Sub Dynamics


Ivy and Wade were incredible together! Ivy absolutely gave zero cares to how grumpy this man, she just challenged him anyway… their banter was absolute top tier and Wade needed someone like her to shake him from his routine and make him feel things. The push and pull between them was like a powder keg… and when these two ignited… 🥵🥵🥵🫠🫠🫠

The spice was immaculate. It takes a whole lot to make me blush but this book did it. And the. It did it again.

But I also loved how “all in” Wade was in every aspect of their relationship and how he also helped Ivy heal from past trauma too by supporting her and empowering her!

I also loved seeing the “not angels” and the whole Ashby clan… I’m ready for Cole, even though Wade and Ivy are going to live rent free in my brain forever.

I didn’t think I could love a man in Laurel Springs, Kentucky like Nash from from Holding the Reins… I was wrong.

Wade Ashby is cool, calm, and collected. That is until Ivy Spencer shows up on his ranch to be his head horse trainer for a few months. She’s his opposite, but he’s drawn to her and has forbidden anyone on his payroll from laying a claim. But how long will he be able to stay away from “Trouble”?

This small town romance is full of banter, heart, and TENSION. There is a content warning provided as this books dives into some heavier topics.

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House- Ballantine for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“At the very least, Ivy, you need a man whose hands don’t shake when he touches you.”
“You got steady hands, Chief?”
“Rock fucking steady.”

5⭐️ 4🌶️

What you’ll find:
💜Grumpy x sunshine
🐎Man obsessed (and in denial about it😂)
💜Forced proximity
🐎One bed
💜He takes care of her
🐎No third act break up
💜Spicy AF🥵🔥
🐎He gets a hand tattoo for her👁️🫦👁️

Okay, this books was SO GOOD! While there was plenty of good banter and sweet moments, this book touched on some heavier topics that really helped flesh out the book as a whole. Paisley wrote about them so well and handled them with care (there are content warnings at the beginning of the book👏🏼), and it was so fun to see the growth from the previous book.

Those who know me know I love a grumpy cowboy and a sunshine girl, and Wade and Ivy did not disappoint!

Wade Ashby has skyrocketed into being one of my favorite MMC’s! I absolutely adore a man obsessed who’s in denial about it😂 I liked him as a supporting character in Holding the Reins, but fell in love with him the more we got to see his character get fleshed out in this book. From the beginning, in one way or another, he wanted to take care of Ivy and support her however he could. The way he doesn’t want to be another person that takes from her is so sweet🥹😭 If this man were a love language, he’d be Acts of Service without a doubt!

Ivy was such a fun FMC, and I didn’t expect to relate to her as much as I did. Seeing her get emotional over being taken care of was so heartbreaking and relatable🥺 Ivy being an independent eldest daughter who has been constantly disappointed by men learn how to trust Wade and lean on him was so healing for me.

I think Wade and Ivy shoulder a lot, from being the eldest siblings to having trust issues due to past partners. And while they seem like polar opposites, I think they saw those parts of themselves in each other and were able to heal each other and themselves in the way they appreciate and take care of each other.

Now for the 🔥SPICE🔥
LORD👏🏼HAVE👏🏼MERCY🔥🔥🔥 There was such good tension building in the first half of this book, but once things started to heat up, it HEATED UP! This was so much spicier than I thought it would be, and I’m here for it. I constantly had to pause my reading to fan my face😂🥵

This was such a fun, sexy, and heartfelt read, it makes me even more excited for the next Silver Pines book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you haven’t read a Paisley Hope book yet, I encourage you to pick up this series ASAP!! Just keeps getting better and better, never want to leave the Silver Pines ranch.

The scrunchie scene… hello? What?!? HOT. HOT. HOT. (Gotta read to find out 😉)

Wade - My grumpy little teddy bear. Dang do I love how much he cares for his family and of course the love he has for Ivy. Protecting those he loves and his ranch is ingrained in Wade’s DNA. Since his family is taken care of for the moment, Wade takes the time to follow after his father and get a horse that is going to run in the Derby. In order to do that he needs to find a highly recommended and qualified temporary horse trainer after his official trainer goes on maternity leave. In walks the irresistible, not qualified, dare he say a little clumsy Ivy. Wade knows Ivy could be the one to flip his word upside down, which is why he needs to stay as far away from her as possible. However, his job is to be with her as much as possible to get the horse ready for the next years Derby. He also finds himself volunteering his home and services when Ivy hurts her ankle and need assistance, so she can get back to training as soon as possible. Wade doesn’t know how to explain why he invited the person he’s suppose to be stay away from into his home for multiple weeks to take care of them, all he knows is, he will not come out of this unscathed.

Running from her past is not what Ivy should find herself doing, yet here she is on a ranch getting ready to train a Derby horse, with the most irresistible, grumpy, man she has ever known. After falling and hurting her ankle, Wade invited her into his home to take care of her and her ✨needs✨. Ivy has never known a household or man for that matter, to be so in tune with her wants and needs in life. Wade says he’s not built to be in a relationship and yet Ivy finds him better then most men she has dated, way above her recent ex boyfriend that she ran away from and just can’t seem to shake. As Ivy gets to know Wade and his grumpy quirks, Ivy can’t help but want more. However, Ivy knows he’s not a future man and she knows this job is only temporary. But what happens when Ivy’s life starts looking like one that she wants for the long run? All she knows is to not get attached. But that’s harder then she thought possible.

Omg! Omg! Omg! Wade and Ivy,s story was SO FREAKING GOOD. I literally think about them at least once a day, I want more of them!! I want to emerge myself in all things Silver Pines and be adopted into the family. Is that possible?? Paisley, what a book, what a series. Chomping at the bit for the next one!!

This absolutely filthy cowboy smut was everything I hoped it would be. Some of the tropes were a bit repetitive from the first novel in the series (grumpy/sunshine, abusive ex, etc.) but it still hit all of the high points it needed. Though it was heavy on the spice, I felt like there was plenty of plot to keep things moving.

4 stars

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

5 sexy stars for Wade + Ivy! Paisley absolutely outdid herself with the second installment in the Silver Pines series. Paisley's writing continues to evolve and grow with this story in a beautiful way. Wade + Ivy together were hot, hot, HOT but what I loved most was the way Paisley balanced the unhinged chemistry between these two alongside their personal growth. But Wade and Ivy had demons to overcome and wounds to heal and it was beautiful to watch unfold. Per usual Paisley delivered with fun and special details like Wade's exceptional cooking skills, love of being nude, and his love of Ivy's scrunchies. Seriously, I'll never look at one the same way again. Ivy in turn had great depth with her own journey of growth, incredible horsemanship, and drive to succeed. Their shared love of showers, action movies, and ice cream was so sweet. There is a lot more of the supporting cast in this installment and I have zero complaints because as usual the whole Silver Pines gang had me CRACKING UP from Papa Dean's one liners to the boys group chat. Also, Paisley writes some of my favorite epilogues and this one did not disappoint.

Hat's off to you Paisley for this sweet and tender story that will surely leave all of us reaching for some ice cream or fan to cool off from Wade + Ivy's antics.

This has all the makings of an emotional read, but sadly it fell short for me on that front. The smut, though? Whooo, that most definitely delivered.

I do wish we got a little more of the non-sex part of their relationship because I just wasn’t emotionally invested. Every time I think they’re finally going to talk about feelings, especially with Ivy fresh out of an abusive relationship, they just go back to doing it. I’m all for a smutty book, but I do like some balance.

Another thing I really, really hoped for was to see Ivy kill it at her job. There was such a huge build up about her being this horse whisperer of sorts, but we didn’t even see them together? I wish we did.

Even with all that, this was still a fun time and I’m looking forward to book 3!

there is no place like silver pines ranch 😩

im so happy that this book lived up to my expectations, i absolutely adored cece and nash’s book and knowing that wade and ivy were to follow i couldnt have been more excited when receiving this!! these two are so perfect for each other in every way and it was so lovely to see wade go from chief no fun to finally living his life to the fullest with ivy around :’)

the banter and chemistry in this book was seriously top tier, i absolutely loved how mouthy these two were with each other 😂

i think if you loved the first book you’ll definitely love this one just as much, if not more!! take everything you found perfect in the first one and magnify it by 1000 🤭

i am now just desperately waiting for cole & gingers time to shine oh my goodness