If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would! It was phenomenal! I thoroughly enjoyed 'Holding the Reins' but this beats it by a mile!

The description was incredible, very detailed, I could clearly imagine the rooms and characters. Paisley described the characters by using celebrities which helped me visualise what they really looked like.

The back story to each character is explored and it's interesting to see and understand them better. I loved Wade in the first book because he reminded me of another character from a different series but his book and made me fully fall in love with him. You realise he has a completely different side to him and it's so nice to see Ivy bring that out.

There's so many sweet moments between the characters throughout that make you go "aww" but the not so sweet moments are something else... the spice was SPICING!!! I had to take pauses and collect myself before continuing to read, I would give it a 5 spice rating. I understand that might not be everyone's cup of tea but it definitely adds to the characters stories and journey together.

I would definitely read this book again and I will be recommending to all my followers on my booktok. I'm so excited for this series to continue, you read each book about the 2 main characters but you fall in love with the side characters too, I hope their journeys continue.

TRAINING THE HEART - PAISLEY HOPE - ARC
This is the second book in Paisley Hopes
Silver Pines Ranch series.
If your a fan of Elsie Silver then these books are for you!
Ivy and Wades story is very similar to the story of Cole and Violet in the gold rush ranch series. This was a good book but I did feel like l'd read it before. Still an enjoyable read but not something I devoured quickly.
Forced proximity, grumpy x sunshine and only one bed are some of my fave tropes and this book has them all! It's spicy too 🌶️🌶️ I cannot wait for book 3 and really hope it's Ginger and Cole's story!
@rachaelmcreads

I requested Training The Heart before I’d even read Holding the Reins because I knew it was a series that I just had to read. I enjoyed HTR and it was a strong start to the series and don’t get me wrong, Nash Carter - the man, the myth, the legend makes for an iconic first book MMC but make no mistake, he’s no Wade Ashby ❤️‍🔥

🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵 Wade puts all book boyfriends to shame. I just loved Wade + Ivy (Wavy?) straight out the gate *winks* and the bar has been set for the rest of the series and for all cowboy/rancher romances from here on out. I loved their dynamic, the way they communicated, the way they blossomed together. It was a joy to read!! I’m so ready for book 3 in the series!

Thank you SO much to Penguin for approving my request, I cannot wait to reread this when the audiobook is out! Thank you to Penguin Random House UK + NetGalley for the opportunity to read this before it’s released! Training The Heart is out on 17th October, for lovers of small town romances with a particular affection for the grumpy x sunshine trope - this will not disappoint! #TrainingtheHeart #NetGalley

Wade Ashby has the weight of the family business and his failed marriage on his shoulders and is currently spending all his time looking after silver pines ranch with no time for anything else including love.

Ivy Spencer has had a rough deal, an ex that was overbearing, a mom with a drink problem and she lost her father so when a job becomes available at silver pines ranch she jumps in feet first and her dream of training a racehorse on route to the Kentucky Derby just may come to fruition.

Wade is determined to keep his heart from anyone but Ivy is breaking his walls down brick by brick and once those walls come down he has no chance of building them back up.

This is the second book of the Silver Pines series and wow it did not disappoint. Wade Ashby certainly has my heart too. Ride a cowboy and save a horse err yes please. The spice is spicing and the cowboy’s are cowboying. Loved this book more than book 1 which I gave 4 ⭐️. This book gets 5⭐️ and I’m so excited for book 3 as if it’s anything like this one I’m going to devour it.

The grumpiest grump to ever grump finds his ray of sunshine and I cannot get over how well this trope is done. Wade and Ivy are just the best couple together. The way he cares for here and the way she lets him - the swoon!!!

This book is packed full of romantic gestures, found family and just pure filthy spice. What a read!!

If you’re in your cowboy era or looking to enter your cowboy era, this series is the one for you. You’ll fall in love with Silver Pines Ranch.

Also, I cannot WAIT for Ginger and Cole’s book.

Thank you NetGalley and Cornerstone for the ARC.

I felt so blessed to read this as i finished holding yeh reins in a day.

Paisley Hope may be my new favourite cowboy romance writer. I was so invested in this book and put aside all adult responsibilities just to read it. It had everything spice, romance, cowboys and a meaning behind it which i loved. I absolutely adored how strong Ivy was in this book it's so nice to see a strong female character in a romance book. I loved the grumpy meets sunshine aspect of this book too. Ivy and Wade made the perfect couple and i was willing them for their happy ending after everything that they had been through. Paisley Hope is such a phenomenal writer and i urge every romance reader to pick up her books.
She made you dislike the not so nice characters and made you fall in love with the wholesome ranch. Such a cleverly written book and i'm too excited about the next one already.

Bravo Paisley Hope Bravo ❤️

The follow up to Holding the Reins I read this immediately after and was incredibly thankful I didn’t have to wait to continue the story - please say Cole is up next! Loved finding out more about training race horses and really enjoyed that as a background story to a not-quite-enemies to lovers storyline.

and just like that, we are back in silver pines, and arent we happy to be here! wade ashby runs the family business and has no time for distractions. ivy spencer is a HUGE distraction. cue fireworks. the spice was epic, loved it.

📖Book Review📖

#adprproduct

I want to thank NetGalley for approving me for an ARC of this book.

👦🏻Grumpy MMC
💞Forced Proximity
🐎Workplace Romance
🛏️One Bed

Once again Paisley Hope has delivered a small-town romance that will have all the cowboy girlies swooning! I loved Wade and Ivy, the ease of their relationship and the spicy scenes were 🥵. I can't wait to read the next one in this series.

⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

When I tell you after reading Holding the Reins (number 1 in the Silver Pines series) I did not walk, I ran to get this ARC I am not exaggerating. I enjoyed Holding the Reins so much I had very high expectations for Training the Heart. I knew I was going to be in for a wild read after reading that dedication 😳🤭.

Ivy is fresh out of an abusive relationship when she starts working at Silver Pines ranch. Wade is a seriously grumpy alpha character with a lot of responsibility on his plate and no time for anything but his ranch. Obviously fate has other ideas and the more time Wade and Ivy spend together the more they realise they just might be perfectly matched.

I enjoyed this book but I wasn’t as glued to it as I was in CeCe and Nash’s story. There were definitely moments I enjoyed and I once again loved the side characters stories. I really enjoy how Paisley Hope has some real heavy topics in her novel but dealt with in (respectfully) lighthearted ways and I loved the communication between Ivy and Wade - for once I wasn’t frustrated with a miscommunication trope. My only real criticism of this is similar to the last book in the sense there was too much spice for me. Don’t get me wrong, I love a spicy scene but I don’t think these spicy scenes did enough to move the story along and after a while they got to be a bit samey. I really wanted more romance and less jumping straight into bed.

I’m so excited for the next book, manifesting that it will be Cole and Ginger 🤞🏼 and overall I really enjoyed it. It definitely won’t be my favourite of the series but it was a solid read.

Tropes
💗 Grumpy x Sunshine
💗 Alpha Hero
💗 Small Town Romance

🌟 3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.


MINOR SPOILER for anyone wanting to know if there is a third act breakup.
If you hate third act breakups like me and look up if there’s a third act breakup before reading a book then you will be happy to know that there is not 😊.

This is perfection.

I really needed a new cowboy romance to sink my teeth into and I was so happy when I found these.

The plot was thick, and funny ( I was giggling and kicking my feet) the characters are developed in a way I have recently found lacking in some other romance books!

It is also spicy AF, but that does not overshadow the writing or the plot! I am a very happy girl.

WHERE DO I START?!
This doesn’t get 5 stars it gets 5 freaking HUNDRED stars omg.

Ivy. IVY SPENCER. THE WOMAN YOU ARE. Strong, fiery, sassy, kind, caring, humble, respectful and god bless her so vulnerable in her own skin. I have never related to a character so much. She has been through hell and back and it has affected her deeply and it shows sometimes but she is so strong and capable that she refuses to let it change her life completely. I love her so much and she was the PERFECT addition to the ‘Not Angels’

Moving onto Wade. Chief. WADE COWBOY ASHBY. Good lord that man, and his mouth. We love a grumpy cowboy who falls first and HARD. The way that man made me simp over words written on a page was UNFATHOMABLE. He can call me brat any day 🥵

Once again, Paisley has smashed the found family trope. The ashbys were back in full force with this one! And the Not Angels (my soul sisters).

The mental abuse from a spouse storyline was done well, trigger warning for blackmail and verbal abuse.
I also think the alcoholism storyline line (again, TW) added another depth to Ivys character and background (mother is an alcoholic) that was woven into the overall plot fantastically. There were all these little moments and sub plots that kept the story flowing beautifully.

Also it had THE ONE BED trope. I mean, COME ON.

Grumpy X Sunshine
Forced Proximity
He Falls First
Man Obsessed & In Denial
Strong FMC
Road Trip/ One Bed
Surprise Twist (Pregnancy)
Takes Care Of Her/ Acts Of Service
No Third Act Break up
Found Family


Ever had a book you loved so much it’s hard to get the words together to tell everyone how much you loved it? That’s how I’m feeling with this book. We’re only half way through this cowboy series and I can’t wait for more.

I need to be a part of the Ashby family as soon as possible. I love their family aspect so much and how welcoming they all are. Ivy fits in so well with them all they all embrace her personality.
There’s not many people who would turn up to an interview a little late and tell her possible new boss. The reason is because her smutty slow burn audiobook couple had just kissed and she needed to know what happened next. This book hits all the emotions and I know there are people out there who will not read a book with the pregnancy trope but I promise you, you need to overlook that and read this book, you’ll thank yourself later. I loved the spice in this book and the fact that it gets spicier with each book just leaves you wanting the next book. The build up for Cole & Gingers story within this book is just *Chef’s Kiss*.

I really hope this series get’s the hype it deserves, any fans of the chestnut springs or Rebel Blue Ranch series are going to love this.

This book gets a 4.5 from me.

Ugh I never knew I would love a cowboy romance but my god I do! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

Small town romance with a grumpy cowboy. What more could you want? I’m really enjoying reading this series and would definitely recommend - especially for those in their cowboy era!

This is the second book in the Silver Pines series and my favourite one so far. I adore the Ashby family. They seem so fun and they love hard. Their family dinners seem like a scream and I want to be a part of that girl gang. I cannot wait for Ginger and Cole's book. Ginger is just hilarious.

This is the perfect small town cowboy romance. I loved Ivy's sass and how she wound Wade up. Their banter was entertaining and definitely made me laugh. The grumpy cowboy having movie and ice cream sundae nights was too sweet. However, the spice is amped up even more from book one, but I found it didn't overtake the plot as much.

It does cover deeper topics though and makes you feel all the emotions and I'm pretty sure I shed a tear. I just wanted to give Ivy a massive hug and I loved seeing her make friends just as much as falling in love. Wade taking care of her was swoon worthy. They are just too cute together. The found family made my heart happy.

If you're a Elsie Silver and Lyla Sage fan then I highly recommend this series.

Can you imagine turning up to an interview and explaining that one of the reasons you were 6 minutes late was because you were reading a slow burn and they had finally kissed and the roommate was about to have his turn? No, me neither but apparently that’s just how Ivy rolls!

Ivy is a strong and sassy fmc that pushes and teases Wade and takes no shit which I love! Wade was the perfect mix of grumpy and sweet, especially with the middle of the night ice cream sundaes. I really enjoyed how supportive and trusting they were of each other even with their pasts. And I will never look at scrunchies the same again!👀

Also that dedication at the start of this book is everything and had me even more excited to start this book when I read “who will tattoo mine on his hand just so it looks pretty wrapped around your throat” *melts*🥵

Whilst I really enjoyed this book and getting to see all of the characters again from Holding the Reins it felt like it was a long and slightly slow read.

Thank you to the publisher Penguin Random House UK and Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

This review only needs 6 words to explain my 5 stars… ‘Wade Ashby and THAT hand tattoo’.

I thought Nash was hot, and I loved him and CeCe, but Wade and Ivy just had something more that I couldn't put my finger on.

Wade is the ultimate grumpy cowboy. He has the weight of running the family ranch on his shoulders and a piece of work ex-wife he is finally just cutting ties with.

Ivy is the sunshine that Wade isn't looking for in his life. She has joined the ranch as his new horse trainer, and although she seems to be happy and easygoing, she certainly hasn't had an easy time of life.

As well as the light and fun side of the story with spicy lessons, girl gang fun, and family banter, there is also alcoholism, fertility issues, and domestic abuse.
This book has it all to keep you hooked each chapter.

Boss x Employee
Grumpy x Sunshine
Forced Proximity
Accidental Pregnancy
One Bed
Man Obsessed

Overall I enjoyed this book, I love a grumpy cowboy/ranch owner who isn't actually that grumpy at all

I enjoyed how supportive they were of each other and how trusting they were, even with their shitty exes

I really enjoyed their ice cream and movie nights and how much Wade looked after Ivy when she was injured

Like with the first book in this series, once the spice hits it overtakes the plot and I just wish there was more of a balance between the two, as the plot is so strong and enjoyable in the first half but it kinda just fades away in the second half

- grumpy cowboy X horse trainer
- boss x employee
- small town / ranch setting
- accidental pregnancy
- forced proximity

Thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for the ARC

This book HAS and IS everything! I loved all of it from the sassy FMC to the grumpy rancher MMC. Training the Heart has everything you could want from a great cowboy romance and more and is a perfect read for a day at the park to enjoy the sunshine and Silver Pines ranch.

I can’t wait to read Cole and Gingers story! And anything else by Paisley Hope.

Summary: Wade, burdened by his family's ranch and failed marriage, finds unexpected passion with Ivy, who's determined to train a Derby racehorse.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book, all thoughts are my own.