Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Fool Hearts
SERIES: Plum Valley Cowboys
AUTHOR: Emmy Sanders
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 294 pages
RELEASE DATE: March 24, 2022
BLURB:
Best friends. Unrequited love. A story that spans decades.
Wyatt
At twelve, he was my best friend. At sixteen, he became my crush. And now, at thirty-four, he’s the man I’m still pining after.
Falling in love with Easton was never part of the plan. But now that I’ve done it, I can’t seem to stop. It doesn’t help that we’re living under the same roof. Or that Easton is so dang sweet, I want to lick him from head to toe.
But Easton is straight, and all the cattle in Texas won’t change the fact that he’ll never look at me the way I see him. I want someone who can love me back. And I won’t be able to find that while I’m hung up on my best friend.
It’s time to find a way to say goodbye.
Easton
I always knew I was a little bit different than everybody else. When kids my age were hooking up, all I wanted to do was sit on the ranch with Wyatt and plot out our future. I didn’t need anyone else.
When Wyatt leaves Plum Valley, he takes a piece of me with him. When he returns at the moment I need him most, he helps me to heal and feel whole again. We have a good life now, Wyatt and I, best friends still after all these years.
So when I happen to catch my friend down on his knees in the barn, I don’t understand why, all of a sudden, I’m thinking things I shouldn’t be. Now, I can’t stop wondering and wanting.
But would taking that chance with Wyatt risk the best thing in my life?
Fool Hearts is a small town, longtime friends to lovers romance with a whole lot of pining, a bi-awakening in a barn, swoon-worthy cowboys, a roller coaster of emotions, and one very HEA. It’s book 1 in the Plum Valley Cowboys series but can be read as a standalone.
REVIEW:
Wyatt and Easton have been best friends since kindergarten. They have grown up together – mostly at Easton’s family’s ranch. Easton is the quieter of the two. Wyatt is outgoing and charming. He also realizes he’s not like the other boys. Easton is the first one – and the only one actually – he tells that he is gay. Easton doesn’t care about that and of course Wyatt’s secret is safe with him. He just knows that Wyatt is his best friend – the one person he feels comfortable with. He’s not interested in dating despite being pursued. Both he and Wyatt managed to avoid the female population of Plum Valley who try to date them 🙂 That is until the senior prom. Becca, a friend who has over the years asked Easton out seems to be someone Easton thinks he might actually “like like”. This is of course a dagger in Wyatt’s heart because slowly he has realized as they have grown up that he is desperately, completely and irrevocably in love with his straight best friend 🙁
Wyatt stays in Plum Valley and finally goes to work for Easton’s dad on their ranch – despite never being very warm or welcoming. Easton is busy working with his horses – what he’s always wanted to do – and dating Becca. Wyatt manages some hookups out of town, but it’s getting harder and harder for him to watch Easton’s happy life with Becca – especially when Easton tells him they are going to be engaged soon. After a rather unfortunately incident in town, Wyatt realizes he has to leave to save his own sanity. As he leaves his heart breaks.
Wyatt moves away, goes to college, makes a really good friend in a woman named Sadie. His communication with Easton is less frequent – and always painful for him as Easton prepares for his wedding. Wyatt has to attend the wedding though. He has to be there for his best friend. It’s the first time they’ve seen each other in over two years. The wedding is like a knife in Wyatt’s heart as he watches his best friend and the man he’s loved for years get married to someone else. He manages to make it through and leaves right away to return to his new life with a heavy heart.
Easton and Becca build their house and are building Easton’s horse training business. They are also expecting a baby. They are very very happy. But then a tragedy occurs. Easton’s brother calls Wyatt and he drops everything and returns to Plum Valley to support his friend. And then he doesn’t leave 🙂 Despite a less than gracious welcome from Easton’s father, he is there to take care of Easton and he’s not backing down. He’s home. Easton is devastated and suffice to say that Wyatt is the one who supports him, helps him recover and regain his life. Together they are raising Easton’s son Will.
The odd little family of Easton, Wyatt and Will are mostly happy. Wyatt still has his hookups, Easton has no desire to date anyone and Will is growing up into a fierce and feisty young man. There are some incidents with those less accepting, but for the most part things are going well. Until the day that Easton accidentally witnesses Wyatt in the throes of passion in the barn with Harrison, the vet’s assistant. And he’s turned on. And jealous. And caught. But being Easton, it takes him some time to work through things. By the time he figures out that he’s attracted to Wyatt, Wyatt is in an actual relationship with Harrison – his first. But things will change yet again.
What an absolutely lovely surprise this book was for me. Apparently this is Ms. Sanders debut novel but it certainly doesn’t read that way. There were so many wonderful moments in this story and I pretty much read it in one sitting. This is one of the most thoughtful best friends to lovers stories I’ve read and I feel like this book is going to stay with me. My heart just broke over and over for Wyatt. Despite his attempts to move on with his life, he was so tied to and so in love with Easton that he never could quite make the break. Easton’s losses were also hard and Wyatt was always there for him. Poor Easton was always a little bit obtuse to the feelings of those around him and it takes him a very long time to see what’s right in front of him. The parents in this story get failing grades from me with the exception of Easton’s mother who died early in the story. And of course Easton and Wyatt were wonderful parents to Will. Will is an awesome kid and that can be directly attributable to Wyatt and Easton’s influence. The large part of the story where Wyatt and Easton are raising Will – both together and not – were really well written. The obstacles and attitudes that they had to face were realistic and true to the times. I never really did forgive Easton’s father for his poor treatment of Wyatt over the years and frankly his “apology” left a lot to be desired. We’ll see in the next book if he really can walk the walk now that he realizes his sons are not going to accept his behaviors. The rest of Easton’s family were wonderful – his brothers, his aunt, his cousins. When given the opportunity, they rallied around Easton and Wyatt in a totally accepting way.
This story takes place over basically 30+ plus years of Wyatt and Easton’s life. There are so many missed opportunities and coulda beens. One of the most lovely aspects for me was that both men wanted to look to the future, not what they might have missed. They had been through so much together of the what makes a life. Birth, death, relationships ending, raising kids, dealing with parents and family. The overarching theme was that they did that together – first as friends and then finally as lovers. When they finally got together and Easton was completely honest with Wyatt and Wyatt did not have to hide his deep love for Easton any more it was just perfect. I totally loved both of these men and really wanted them to enjoy a life together. They were so different, but they totally belonged together – just took a few decades for things to come together. I was sad about Harrison and I sure hope he is a protagonist in a future book in this series as he is the one character that also needs an HEA. I am so looking forward to the next book in this series. Highly Recommended!! Great debut with amazing promis.
RATING: 
BUY LINK: