Training the Heart by Paisley Hope

 Wade Ashby is a closed book.

With the weight of the family business on his shoulders, and his ongoing battle to escape a failed marriage, he only has time for one thing: looking after his ranch.

Life has dealt Ivy Spencer some tough blows.

So when the opportunity to work on the Silver Pines ranch presents itself, she grabs it by the horns. Nothing will stand in the way of her dream of training a racehorse on route to the Kentucky Derby.

Wade might be determined to keep his heart under lock and key, but Ivy’s constant presence soon ignites a passion he thought he’d lost long ago.

And once she starts tearing down his walls, there’s no going back. . .

It has only been a matter of weeks since I finished reading Holding the Reins which was my first ever Cowboy romance and the Ashby family definitely got under my skin so I wasted no time in jumping straight into Training the Heart which focuses on Cece's grumpy brother Wade who we already met in Holding the Reins.

Wade sure is a grump walking around under a dark cloud but new town comer Ivy is the polar opposite full of positivity and sunshine which is admirable when we learn that she has her own battles behind the big smile. It isn't long before a spark of attraction begins to ignite and being in a forced close proximity situation when Ivy gets hurt things go from saucy to spicy!

We get to unravel both Ivy and Wade's history to reveal the struggles they both face and this adds a little depth to an otherwise steamy storyline. There are a number of sex scenes so if a little smut isn't your kind of read then step aside on this one. Although the ending was to be expected I still enjoyed reading the build upto the inevitable.

If you haven't read Holding the Reins you can still go in and read Training the Heart as a standalone you will still follow the storyline with ease, I just like that I felt like I already had a bond with the family and an insight into Wade's moody persona already!

I am chomping at the bit now to read Cole's story and I think his will be the spiciest of them all!

Holding the Reins by Paisley Hope

CeCe Ashby is looking for a fresh start after escaping the toxic relationship that has consumed her adult life.

Unsure of what the future holds, she returns to the small town of Laurel Creek and her family’s ranch.

Nash Carter is the recently retired hockey superstar of the Dallas Stars, Laurel Creek’s hometown hero, and notorious bachelor.

He may look good in a cowboy hat, but he is also CeCe's brother’s best friend… and therefore off limits.

When CeCe reappears in her hometown in need of a job, Nash knows he has to have her, and not entirely for business.

As ‘just one night’ turns into many, Nash learns that where CeCe Ashby is concerned his typical rules don’t apply. Now he has to figure out if he can push his past trauma aside to live the life he never dared dream of.

All he has to do? Take a deep breath and let go of the reins…

Yee-haw, I have just read my first ever small town cowboy romance and it is definitely my first and not my last because Holding The Reins by Paisley Hope was an exciting ride!

This is the first book out of three in the of the Silver Pines Ranch series and it introduces us to Cece who is heading back to her family home after splitting from her cheating fiancé. After reuniting with family and friends it seems like this is the distraction she needs but what she never expected was to bump into her brothers befriend Nash who is a permanent fixture in the town now too.

Nash has an unfamiliar urge to protect Cece which soon feels like attraction but there is always that unwritten rule isn’t there you never go for a friends sibling!

This was a brilliant debut so praise where praise is due to Paisley Hope, she really does lure you straight into the storyline, connecting us with these two characters who ooze sexual chemistry. This storyline is steamy but not in a seedy way and there is a storyline wrapped around the pair rather than it just all being pure smut! 

As my first cowboy romance I was a little worried it would go over my head a bit but I had no trouble with this storyline it really is just a easy smutty romance with a bit of a twang! 

I can’t wait to start Training the Heart next although I am intrigued to see where we will be taken next as I feel like Cece and Nash have told their story so my guess is maybe one of Cece’s brothers are about to go riding!

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