A well written story about the relationship between Ivy and Wade that doesn’t get off to a very good start. Wade is looking for a temporary head horse trainer got his ranch . Ivy arrive late and Wade thinks she doesn’t have suitable experience as she doesn’t look old enough but soon finds out she has a way with horses and all the staff are instantly taken with Ivy but wade always manages to rub Ivy up the wrong way. A good steady read following the relationship between them and the twist and turners for Ivy in a man’s world whilst changing wades preconceived ideas. And instant attraction between them. Good read 4/5

I did like the first book of the series a little bit more, to be honest, but that was mainly because I personally wasn't that into some of the spicy scenes.
I did really enjoy and like the book though - solid 4 stars!
It was the perfect combination of sweet and spicy, and it did cover some heavier topics.
Wade was the perfect grumpy cowboy and I love when a guy is grumpy to everyone else except her, and Ivy was his sunshine. :)
I loved his nickname for her (trouble <3) and how they became such a great team and how he was just always there for her. That was exactly what Ivy deserved, especially after coming out of her horrible last relationship.

After reading this book I just love the whole Ashby family and the NotAngels even more, and I definitely can't wait for the next book in the series!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book I was nervous on how I would feel about Wade being the MMC coming from the first book and obviously not seeing much of his other than his mostly closed off grumpy side but I absolutely love him and Paisley Hope CAN JUST WRITE MEN 😘🤌🏽 He is the embodiment of a gentleman and also if the saying if he wanted to he would.

Ivy was also so fantastic especially with the topics she was dealing with but it was beautifully written and I loved ivy's sassy stubborn remarks.

Thank you Penguin Random House and Paisley Hope for the opportunity to read this early I can not wait for the next one

This is the 2nd book in the Silver Pines Ranch series, and it follows Ivy and Wade. Wade is the oldest Ashby, who is in charge of the ranch where Ivy was hired to help out with the horses. Wade is a typical grumpy cowboy who has a rough exterior but is so lovely when he is around the people he loves. Ivy has had a tough couple of years. However, she is a ball of sunshine who doesn't shy away from Wade and his grumpy ways. I loved every minute of this book, and I love Wade and Ivy. I love how Ivy fits in perfectly with his family and how he is fiercely protective of her throughout. I love how they rile each other up and how they work together so well. This book gets released on the 17th of October, and if you've read the first one and loved it, or you're a fan of Elsie Silver and Lyla Sage, you'll love this series

The sequel I never knew I needed until I read this book.

When Ivy Spencer lands on the ranch, and is huge hit with the horses and the family. Wade is still as hostile as ever, with the world on his shoulders.

Can Ivy be the one to break the hostile persona and what is she hiding from her past.

Just as steamy as Holding the Reins. Can’t wait for the third!

4.25 stars, I absolutely loved this book, Wade and Ivy were just so perfect for each other. It's grumpy/sunshine, small town, cowboy romance, forced proximity, and found family, some of my favourite tropes. Wade has a lot on his shoulders, he's just left a failed marriage and has a ranch to run. He's grumpy and very bossy. In comes Ivy, who's left an abusive relationship (check trigger warnings) and has come to Silver Pines ranch for a fresh start and to have her dream of training a race horse come true. Ivy is so fierce, sassy and strong and has overcome so many difficult situations. Ivy and Wade had such a strong connection and really opened up and helped each other to heal so beautifully. They had such good banter with each other, that had me giggling. Wade does so many sweet things for Ivy as well as being a freak in the sheets. It still had a lot of spice in the book and sometimes it felt very overpowering for the story. Overall, it was a really good read and I couldn't get enough of it and I'm excited now for the rest of the series!
Thank you to Net Galley and Paisley Hope for the ARC read. All opinions are my own!

Wow, what a follow up to Holding the Reins!

I absolutely loved Wade and Ivy’s story, they had such a great dynamic, the banter and connection between them both was so gorgeously written. I absolutely adored their journey together, they both had so much depth as characters, and Paisley handled difficult topics which such raw grace.

Training the Heart is an fab grumpy x sunshine read, with lots of laughter and plenty of spice!

Can’t wait to see where the series goes next.

This is the second book in the Silver Pines series.
I really enjoyed Holding The Reins.
This book follows on from that but this time our female main character is Ivy who has had a really bad past relationship and manages to get a job at Silver Pines ranch as a head horse trainer.
Wade is her grumpy boss but somehow Ivy manages to break down his hard exterior and a relationship blossoms.

I struggled to get through this book. There was ALOT of spice and some of it went on for a very long time 🙈
It got a little boring as the book went on & I wanted more about them & less spice!

The last chapter 😱😳 didn’t need to be there! I was happy with the epilogue 🙈

I give this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to Netgalley, and Penguin Random House UK for the ARC.

I forgot how spicy the first book was, until I read this one 🥵 of course, that’s not the only good thing about this story.

A forbidden romance between a boss and his head horse trainer ticks a lot of my favourite boxes - only one bed, touch her again and die, both of them are jealous - so I absolutely devoured this book. It’s well-written, immersive and I felt like I was a part of the Ashby family.

However, after all the build up and anticipation for the derby, it felt like the ending was super rushed. Ivy’s career and success was superseded by a surprise, which I hate, and despite the fact her wins were still celebrated, I felt they came secondary all of a sudden for other things.

Nonetheless, I will be recommending this book to everyone when it comes out on the 17th October. I’ve already pre-ordered my trophy version 😂

Thank you NetGalley and Paisley for giving me the chance to read this book early in exchange for my honest thoughts 🫶🏻

Training the Heart by Paisley Hope 🐎💜
ARC Review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Release: October 17th (UK + AU), December 31st (North America).

Tropes to expect:
🐎 Boss x Employee
☀️ Grumpy x Sunshine
🏠 Forced Proximity
🛏️ One Bed
👶🏼 Surprise Pregnancy
🌾 Ranch Setting
💜 Found Family

Oh it was so good to be back in Silver Pines. I didn’t realise I missed them so much until I read about them again and loved fell in love with all the characters again. Seeing my babies Cece and Nash make a few appearances made me heart burst 💕

Our grumpy MMC Wade Ashby, the man that he is 🫠🙌🏼 Through his grumpiness and hard exterior we got to learn his soft side and what a treat it was. The boys giving him shit for his soft side never failed to make me laugh. I love Wade and he didn’t disappoint. The filthy mouth on that man 🫠

Ivy Spencer our FMC was a ray of sunshine to read about. We got to learn about her past self and the things she went through. Wade never wanted a repeat of these events and helped Ivy get through them. Ivy was just herself even during some spicy scenes in particular the
🤠👠 scene 🥵🥵 my fav!

I did feel that there were a lot of spice scenes which took away from the plot. I wished the surprise pregnancy happened a bit earlier since it was what I was looking forward to the most as it wasn’t focused on much. Would’ve loved to see more of the pregnancy 💕👶🏼

As always Paisley has the best found family and all the characters are so loveable. The banter between the boys with text messages had me giggling. The Not Angels girl gang serves as always.

Cannot wait for what the next books will bring to the series. Cole and Ginger’s banter in this book has me so excited for there’s in April 2025 🤭

Thankyou to @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouseuk for the ARC, so greatful 💜

• Training the Heart
By Paisley Hope •
☆☆☆☆

~ ARC REVIEW - May contain spoilers ~
~ All opinions are my own ~


• Ivy Spencer steps in to cover maternity leave at the ranch and her grumpy new boss is a challenge. She enjoys tormenting him and watching him squirm.
Wade is grumpy and the stress of day to day life having to manage everything since his father passed can get a bit much at times.

The two bond over the love of horses and the plans for training and the ranch but it isn't love before it's more than a professional relationship.

▪︎ Please check trigger warnings.

I really enjoyed the characters, this book for me was definitely smuttier than the first and at times it did feel for me that I hoped for more space in between the smut and to get further along with the plot and focus on the story.

Be still my pulsing, beating heart.
Wade Ashby, the man you are.
Ivy, you deserve all the nice things in the world and more.

If I could see a rom-com about life on a ranch with horse racing, I would want Wade and Ivy on the big screen. They are so cute together it hurts. I love all the cameos that we get from all the other characters, I missed Cece and Nash so I’m super happy we got to see them again.

And that ending oh myyyyyy!!
The only little hiccup I had is the tattoo, I just couldn’t get my head around that. If it was in the heat of the moment and it was just in a sharpie, sure I would get the vibe. But the tattoo on the hand? I can’t see it. Other than that I’m in love with everything.

I’m hoping we’ll get to see a certain single dad with a certain fiery and loud mouthed best friend in the next one!!

Having been a huge fan of #HoldingtheReins this was a hugely anticipated read for me and I’m so grateful to Paisley Hope, Netgalley and Penguin Random House UK for allowing me access to this ARC.

I adored Wade and Ivy. I clicked with Ivy straightaway when she was listening to a smutty book out loud whilst working and was caught by her boss… Wade.

If you like grumpy and sunshine tropes and cowboy romance this is the book for you. It was a bit of a slow burn but once Wade and Ivy admitted their feelings it was sex left, right and centre! They barely came up for breath 🤣🥵

Ivy is a total badass, she is so strong with what she’s been through to come out the other side and make sure she gets what she wants in life, hats off to her - a huge round of applause. Girl is going to smash life!

I adored Wade, he comes across as this super grumpy, unhappy cowboy who doesn’t want anyone but his family in his life, doesn’t care about anyone or anything else but underneath it all (literally 🙊😍) he is a big softy who has so much heart and love to give and he’s been through shit in his life which has made him close off his heart.

Ivy and Wade help each other break down their barriers - they go through quite a bit together in the book and at times, I was tearing up for Ivy because she was made to feel like she was worthless and useless… and let me tell you, she’s far from it.

This book was so much more than the sex, cowboy romance and brings up a lot about Ivy and Wade. It was touching at times. I wanted to hug them both.

I just love, love the Ashby family and I can’t wait for more from Paisley Hope. The whole Ashby family need their own book - and the fact that we get Shania Twain references and songs throughout… well Paisley Hope, I’m your biggest fan!

I loved it!!

I adored book one in this series so I had high hopes for book 2! It did not disappoint. I loved the chemistry between Wade and Ivy. Ivy is such a likeable fmc. She’s a book girlie which I loved! The banter was brilliant. I loved how much Ivy teased Wade. The Ashby’s are such a thought knit family and I loved the small town aspect of the book too. I cannot wait to continue this series.

i could tell from the dedication and first 2 pages i was going to love this book

the mine tattoo 🥵

Wade is a grump cowboy and the owner of the ranch

Ivy is the new horse trainer he can’t stand that everyone loves (or does he)

It’s cowboy, it’s slow burn, it’s everything.

And the sexual tension in this book is second to none and when the spice hits it hits ❤️‍🔥

Not to mention the banter between the family and friends in amazing!

i absolutely LOVED wade in this book and it’s made me fall back in love with cow boy romances again he is so kind, caring and everything you want.

And Ivy was just everything, from her hardships, her independence and her energetic presence 🫶🏻

I would definitely check trigger warnings before reading as it does cover a few.

But other than that solid 4.5🌟

Did I think this series could get better? Not really no. Did it? absolutely. Nash seems like a fumbling teenager next to Wade, and I am so here for it and I love Nash. I am cackling and have been for at least 75% of this book. Calling her a brat within the first chapter. Check? Oh wait no, in the fricking prologue. Honestly, that was like a fucking beacon in a storm telling me that this book is for me.

This one is sunshine horse trainer x grumpy ranch owner, and Wade may be my favourite grumpy MC of all time. I did get slight age gap vibes at the beginning of this book, but we later learn that there is only a 5-year age gap, so maybe the boss x employee dynamic is hitting a bit too hard. I absolutely love Ivy, she is a complete badass and she doesn’t care what people think, especially when it comes to men. Wade thinking she is all innocent and naïve, not aware that all the ranch hands are after her and her just not giving a fuck is feeding my soul.

This book is so refreshing. I have never, ever seen a girlie become an absolute fumbling mess over seeing a scantily clad guy like Ivy did seeing Wade in a towel. I don’t understand it but I’m sure it’s doing something for feminism. I loved it.

A big contributing factor for my love of this book is that both Ivy and Wade are utterly feral for each other off the bat. The power they hold over each other is actually scary. There were sex scenes that did seem logistically impossible, but at the end of the day, this is a book, and I don’t actually care about unrealistic sexual positions. What I do care about is the god damn scrunchy on the dick??? Really Wade? This isn’t even an observation on the author, just menThat one is a bit questionable; I will never look at a scrunchy the same again. I would have laughed hysterically if I were Ivy hearing Wade admit that. They’re obsessed with each other it’s sickening and wholly wonderful.

At first Wade’s tattoo did confuse me, but as the logistical elements of his reasoning played out, it made perfect sense. We do think it would have been a nice little wink to have ‘mercy’ painted on his skin too, it would have made for some serious fun with the power dynamic, but beggars can’t be choosers. If you learn one thing from this review, just know that the mc’s are kinky as fuck. It came so far out of left field; I honestly wasn’t expecting it at all. Yes, there are super sappy romance moments, but the majority is just pure unadulterated filth.

Wade laughing at Janelle faces is giving me life, FINALLY. I love how that little confidence push from Ivy and he is instantly able to actually prioritise himself. Yes, this man was always confident, but did he have the confidence to think he was good enough? No.

I do think there was maybe too many hints about Ivy’s ‘condition’, I knew from the morning of the bridal shower. It could have just clicked with me for some reason, I could be iin the minority here but I do think this was done very blatantly. On the other end of this, I didn’t see Ivy and Wade suspicion of Brad’s manipulation hit me like an absolute frate train. Obviously, he did it. He is fucking rancid, and I would put nothing past him, but I for one may have been manipulated by his little performance at the hospital. How can someone come off as such a normal, almost caring person and be so vicious and just cruel.

I cannot wait for Ginger and Cole; they fuel my veins. The first two books have just been blatant foreplay for them, and I cannot wait to see their heart drops. Their chemistry is boiling over, we just need to see them admit a little bit of emotion. I cannot wait. If we do not get this book, I will be outraged. Please Paisley, is that so much to ask?

Overall, this book was entirely thrilling. Yes, I had some minor problems, but nothing that could not be forgiven. I am so excited to continue this series and see what else this author has to grace our little reader hearts with. If I had to describe this book in one word, feral.

The first book in the ‘Silver Pines’ series, ‘Holding the Reins’, has been a romance reading highlight of my year so far so I was so excited to realise that book two was coming out so soon after and I snapped it up from NetGalley.

There’s something so cosy about a small town romance series where familiar faces pop in and out of the new story where you finally get to know the side characters I fell in love with in previous books, and ‘Training the Heart’ delivered exactly that.


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. . .

Because the only way he’ll open up his heart again is if it stays that way forever.


Wade is the brother of CeCe - the protagonist of ‘Holding the Reins’ - and Ivy is a brand new face that we got a few glimpses of in the previous book. I fell in love with Ivy pretty instantly. She’s strong, independent and very sure of her abilities as a horse trainer, but she’s also a bit more delicate and messy in her confidence in herself following an emotionally abusive relationship. She’s perfectly rounded and so easy to like and empathise with - she’s the type of character that you can imagine having been friends with for years and years.


There’s a huge focus on both Wade and Ivy growing into their new lives and the new version of themselves after a bad marriage and divorce, and a horrible relationship. They learn to embrace their new freedom and the lessons they learned, sometimes from their own work, but also from their burgeoning relationship.

There are some of my favourite tropes in the book that only made me more excited and invested in their romance. We’ve got grump sunshine, workplace romance, age gap (not icky or too much of a gap), forced proximity and one bed. I mean, what more could you ask for?

The first 40% of this book was my perfect cowboy romance and I was so happy it lived up to my enjoyment of book one. But then it went a little off for me. The spice was incredible at first, but there’s so much of it that it quickly became a little boring for me. ‘Training the Heart’ was a lot spicier than ‘Holding the Reins’ in the volume of the scenes, and I know that’s part of the appeal of cowboy romance, it is for me too, but there was so much in this book that it got repetitive and boring in the language and what they were saying to each other.

There was still a lot of plot and focus on character development that allowed me to push on and I just skimmed a few of the spicy scenes. I’m all in for spice, but I just hope that in the next book it’s a bit more varied and potentially a bit less - it’s all about the tension and the build up!

I’m all in on the Ashby family and I’m so pleased that the third book is coming out so soon - currently being released in May 2025 - and we’re finally getting the dive into the electric tension between Cole and Ginger.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the review copy.

‘Training the Heart’ by Paisley Hope will be released on 17 October 2024 by Penguin in paperback and e-book.

Written by Sophie

I will start by saying I really loved book one when I read it, so was very excited to read Ivy and Wades story.

I really enjoyed the ranch aspect in this story, and it definitely felt more like a cowboy romance. The horse training and plot around this was done really well, and I felt this brought a different side to a cowboy romance. I liked Ivys back story, and this gave her some good depth and I felt she was pretty relatable. In terms of the relationship, I felt there could’ve been more tension and not just jumping straight in; felt very much lust to love. Wade also became very much like Nash in his alpha man personality; although I appreciate how grumpy he was!

I thought this book was well written, however did feel a little long. I found myself skim reading some parts, especially the spice. There was just too much of this for me personally and it became repetitive, but if this is something you enjoy then this one definitely will tick boxes for you!

I enjoyed this one more than book one. I liked that it focused more on the ranch and the horse training. It definitely had more of a cowboy vibe.
I like Wade and Ivy, however Wade did become quite similar to Nash in character - very alpha male.
It was super fun being back in this world with these characters though and I loved the banter between Cole and Ginger. Their book is going to be fire!
I did find it overly long. Again there was too much spice, it became quite repetitive and each time was more and more like the last so it didn’t make sense why there were so many spicy scenes. I was very glad to see more talk of consent in this book, but again there was a dubious drunken moment.
All in all it was a good fun read that scratched the cowboy itch. I just wish it had been a bit shorter and snappier!

Thiiiiiiis author. I was so excited for the next instalment of this series. Honestly, move over Elsie Silver because Hope is obliterating the small town romance. just book PERFECTION