Paisley Hope's *Training the Heart* is a steamy and heartwarming cowboy romance that delivers on the promise of Wade and Ivy's story, hinted at in the previous Silver Pines Ranch book. While I enjoyed the first book, I was particularly excited to dive into Wade's story, and he certainly didn't disappoint!

Wade, a grumpy ranch owner burdened by family responsibilities and past hurts, is the epitome of the strong, silent type. Ivy, a sunny and independent horse trainer with her own turbulent past, arrives at Silver Pines Ranch with dreams of training a racehorse for the Kentucky Derby. Despite their vastly different personalities and training philosophies, their undeniable chemistry ignites, creating a push-and-pull dynamic that's both entertaining and emotionally resonant.

I loved how Wade's gruff exterior masks a deep caring for Ivy. His "acts of service," like the sweet movie nights they share, speak volumes about his feelings. Both characters have been hurt by past relationships, and it's beautiful to watch them slowly open up to each other and find the love and support they've always craved. The sense of family and community within the Silver Pines Ranch group is a wonderful addition to the story.

One of my favorite quotes from the book perfectly encapsulates Wade's feelings: "One: I’m wildly in love with Ivy. I not only love her, I need her, like the moon needs the sun to set every night just so it can rise. Two: there’s no me without her anymore, she just doesn’t know it yet.”

While I did enjoy *Training the Heart*, I found myself connecting slightly less with it than the first book in the series. Some of the dialogue felt a bit cringy at times, which detracted slightly from the overall flow. However, the story itself is compelling, the spice is definitely there, and Wade and Ivy's relationship is truly top-tier. I particularly loved the trope used at the end (which I won't spoil!), even though I saw it coming. It felt fitting for their journey and added a satisfying touch to their HEA.

Overall, *Training the Heart* is a delightful addition to the Silver Pines Ranch series. It's a story about second chances, finding love in unexpected places, and the power of vulnerability. Four stars. I'm eager to see what Paisley Hope has in store next!

I really enjoyed the first book in the series, but this book was a miss for me. Wade and Ivy's relationship felt like it was based so much on a physical relationship. I love open door romances, but I found myself skimming through many of the spicy scenes because they were so long and drawn out. I felt like there were so many times that the f word was used, and I checked- it was used 707 times. I was so distracted by its over use that it took me out of the story.

I felt like Ivy and Cece (who is Wade's sister and the FMC of book one of this story) had a similar backstory. They both had abusive exes and escaped them to start over.

I love the family dynamics, and the found family aspect of the book was top notch.

For me, the lack of character growth and development took away from my enjoyment of the book. It focused too much on the physical and not enough on the emotional connection.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dell for an ARC of this book.

I loved this book so much. This ranch is just the best setting and I love this family so much. The love story in this is so amazing and loving. I loved seeing the characters grow with each other and fall in love. I also see how much the family meddles in everything. I just love this series so much and I highly recommend it.

Paisley Hope has become a MUST READ NOW author for me, and this book is EXACTLY why!! I loved Wade and Ivy so much- don’t get me wrong, Holding the Reins was excellent, but this book was incredible.

Their chemistry from the get-go was so off the charts. Wade has been taking on the pressure of maintaining the family ranch for years and thrives on control to manage a tight ship. The stress and workload have taken on a toll, along with his divorce and toxic ex.
Ivy is his opposite in so many ways- her sunny personality is a daily distraction for Wade, who slowly starts to find her as irresistible as everyone else. Literally from their initial interaction, she’s creating chaos in his life- her first impression is hilarious and her smutty audiobooks are putting Wade on edge!

When they finally give in to their feelings, it is HOT. Wade is just as dominant in bed as he is in real life, and the combination of that and her sass was 🥵. These two had me blushing!

It’s going to be VERY hard to top Wade Ashby, but if anyone can, it’s Paisley Hope! I look forward to Cole x Ginger next!

Tropes

🐎 Small town/cowboy
🐎 Boss x employee
🐎 Forced proximity
🐎 Tattoed MMC (no spoilers but this was my favorite part of this book🔥)

Thank you to NetGalley, Paisley Hope and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

*Blushes feverishly* I am sure there are spicier books out there. But I haven’t read them.

Once I picked my jaw up off the floor, there was so much to adore about this book. I loved Holding the Reins so much and Training the Heart delivered similar energy.

To start, Silver Pines Ranch is a place for the Found Family. Paisley Hope’s storytelling is fast-paced and character-driven.

Here’s what you can expect:

-Grumpy/Sunshine
-Workplace Romance
-Forced Proximity
-Possessive MMC who is down bad and tries to fight it
-Only one bed
-Found family

Make no mistake, Wade Ashby is 100% the star of this story. He’s got a dirty mouth and a heart of GOLD. He’s a care-taker, a family man; he pretends to be a grouch but he’s actually a softie. He knows what he wants (like for real, trust me) and he has got it bad for our girl, Ivy.

Note: Unlike Holding the Reins, I don’t think this book is going to resonate with every romance reader. Definitely check trigger warnings because this book deals with some incredibly heavy content. Additionally, there is a trope—which many of us dislike—that I’d love to warn you about but don’t want to spoil anything.

And, like I said, LOTS of spice - so do with that what you will. I think it’s an amount (and overall percentage of the book that) that could alienate some audiences.

Thank you so much to Dell and NetGalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I can’t wait to read Riding High.

Ivy Spencer is trying Ron,ate a fresh start at Silver Pines Ranch. After leaving her old life behind she is looking to make a fresh start and train a race horse for the prestigious Kentucky Derby. Enter her new boss, the grumpy Wade Ashby. After his failed marriage he swore off love, but as he starts to get to know Ivy he knows there is no going back from his feelings. As they begin to spend more time with one another lines and feelings begin to blur for both of them. As their walls come down can they let each other in?

I was leery to start this book, I was not as intrigued with Wade Ashby at first. He was merely the protective older brother. However, as I got further into this book I realized he was so much more. Especially his dirty talk. That was the ultimate surprise and in the best way. If there is anything Paisley Hope is good at its writing spicy scenes. This boom did not disappoint in that department at all. Some moments even left me blushing.

I was also very interested in the character of Ivy. She worked so hard to beget out of her old life in-order to create her new one. I could not help but admire her motivation and passion to not settle for what had been dealt to her. Watching her grow as a character and take back her life was empowering to see.

I also loved the returning characters from the first book. They added even more life and laughter.

Overall, Training the Heart was a fun read that left me counting down until I can return to Silver Pines again.

I love Paisley Hope and these cowboy romances. This town and family is almost a part of me. I love the emotions, the romance, the family, and all of the lessons learned. These are some of my favorite romance books ever! They remind me a lot of Elsie silver.

I’m such a sucker for a hot cowboy romance. This one definitely delivered!
This series is exceeding my expectations in the best way and I’m having so much fun with it. It’s a bit on the longer side, I do feel like a little trim in certain spots would be beneficial. Overall, the story is told really well. I am a big fan of Paisley Hope and Silver Pines Ranch now.
Wade, the grumpy dirty talking man, and Ivy, the girl that needs a little extra boost of confidence (don’t we all) are so hot together. Not just that, but they complimented each other really well.

This was another Hot and Steamy cowboy romance by Paisley Hope.

She does a great job writing these stories. I do think this was a little on the long side and somethings could’ve been left out without taking away from the story. But overall this was a really enjoyable read!!

“Ivy Spencer is mine and I’m the luckiest man alive because she landed on my doorstep. And you know what?
Finders keepers.”

Scrunchies and M&M Sundaes for the win! Paisley Hope has done it AGAIN. WOW.

Training the Heart is a beautifully written and emotionally charged romance novel that explores themes of healing, resilience, and the unexpected ways love can bloom. Wade and Ivy both have their own demons but when they came together it was pure magic. The chemistry between Wade and Ivy really bloomed the second they spoke to each other. The banter was top tier and flowed so well.

Wade was the exact balm that Ivy needed to thrive but Wade also needed Ivy just as much. Their intimacy was so charged and tangible that it made for a great story. Paisley Hope has a way of writing such deep and real characters that it never really feels like reading. I really thought I was going to be a Nash girl but Wade stepped in and said “Hold my beer”.

The amount of care and love through not only words but actions really did it for me in this book. Plus, any man that’s form of after care is an ice cream sundae with m&ms is a winner to me. 😊
The building tension from Holding the Reins and Training the Heart between Cole and Ginger has me beyond ready for the next book! I can’t wait to see what those two get up to.

Thank you Netgalley & Random House for sending me this arc.

Unfortunately this wasn’t for me. I loved the concept of the book but I really could not get into the writing style and had to DNF.

A little bit of a let down I will not lie…. I absolutely adored holding the reins (I read it when it was still indie and it became an instant obsession for me), and was soooo excited to be approved for the arc of the next book in this series. Unfortunately, it didn’t hit for me in the same way. Something about it was off, and that is a bummer since I had such high hopes and anticipation for this book, but I am excited to see where paisley takes the rest of this series.

Thank you to Dell Romance for providing me with an arc to read and review.

4.5/5 Stars

I absolutely loved book 1 in this series so I was excited to read book 2 and then life got in the way. I finally got to read it and I had such a good time. This is grumpy x sunshine, boss x employee, and small town romance. This one was really cute and also spicy as hell and I loved it. Once the spice starts, it doesn’t stop and Wade’s mouth is dirty as hell.

I am excited for the next one as I love Mabel, Cole’s daughter and I love accidental marriage. I do think this one was decent with plot in the beginning but once they got together it fell off a bit and never fully got back to plot. I didn’t mind it as it was what I needed after reading a book with very little spice but it did feel inconsistent. I really recommend this series so far if you want a high heat cowboy series.

Well this was fun! I was not expecting things to escalate so quickly, but I’m not one to complain. (Though I would have liked a tad more tension and yearning). I wanted to give Ivy a hug too though. I’d have gone with Wade to end her ex.

workplace romance? ranchers? small town? grumpy/sunshine? i see zero issues with that combo!!!

this was such a fun read and i do mean funny, because the banter between all the Ashby siblings was hilarious and had me laughing out loud.

Ivy is the newest employee to Wade. He's grumpy and she's sunshine. and you already know she is about to get UNDER his skin. They had such good tension and chemistry, I really loved reading their interactions and them becoming more. It felt right, they had amazing chemistry. when that tension finally snapped?! OH BOY. it was good and spicy!!!! Wade was a true MAN and when he talked dirty...SWOON. This book was so good and enjoyable, i was eating it up.

Wade's character was surprising, he was actually genuinely so sweet, and he treated Ivy even better. I could not have picked a better match, the plot and ending to this book was so good.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me this e-arc in exchange for a review!

The premise of this book really intrigued me and from the beginning I liked the characters, but as it played out, I lost interest. I enjoyed the heart of the story but the way it played out just wasn't for me.

Super cute! Very very steamy cowboy romance. I loved the connection between them but also at times I wish there was a little more groveling. But overall loved it!

thanks to netgalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for a review!

this one started out soooo well and then fell off for me in the second half. i was excited by the initial premise and watching these two fall for each other while they train this racehorse, and then that didn't end up really playing out. i didn't hate it, but it was a little to instalove for me and then the plot that brought them together fell off a bit. it was overall cute, but not what i hoped it would be.

While I enjoyed the story and the characters, it felt so similar to the Chestnut Hill series by Elsie Silver, that I often kept mentally going back to those books. Had I not read that series, I would have rated the book with four stars.
I did not feel this way about the first book in the series, however. While it did take me out of the story, I enjoyed the book overall and will continue with the series, as I like your writing!

If you’re looking for a ranch romance with actual elements of the ranch life, horse riding, or really anything related to barn you will be disappointed. Wade’s cowboy hat is used in sex scenes more than any element of the ranch having an impact on the story. This was super disappointing. Part of me believes this is a ‘ranch romance’ just for the the ‘save a horse, ride a cowboy’ line to apply.

Besides the huge disappointment with the setting of the book I have a bunch of other complaints. Super repetitive dialogue and writing ( I mean Ivy giggles in every sentence ) and the book was FAR too long with too many sex scenes crammed in.

Not one, not two, but THREE epilogue chapters. WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE.

It’s also very clear this is part of a companion series and the idea that it’s the one cop baby daddy and what’s her name, ginger are the next book. Give us a break! You don’t need to market your next book so hardcore.

The time jumps were all over the place, not just in the final chapters but also jumping over every single time we would actually get elements of the ranch life or horse training that might have been interesting or fun. The beginning of the book straight up skips over the time when Wade and Ivy are first getting to know each other.

5-10 easily spotted spelling and grammar mistakes and multiple sentences that needed to be read a few times to make sense of them. This for sure needed another edit and for some of the sex scenes to be cut out.

Not to mention my least favorite trope of all time- SURPRISE pregnancy.

Also the horses all had dumb names.

As for the pros of this horseless ranch romance? The sex was at times imaginative? But got bogged down by the sheer number of them. I’m the beginning it was fun to see kinks and sex explored that’s not typically featured in romance novels but ten scenes later and it’s only repetitive.