Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Virgin Hearts
SERIES: Plum Valley Cowboys
AUTHOR: Emmy Sanders
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 290 pages
RELEASE DATE: April 21, 2022
BLURB:
Can an inexperienced cowboy wrangle the adult movie star of his dreams?
Hawthorne
I’ve lived in the same small town my entire life. And I like it, for the most part: being a rancher, taking care of my chickens, and even my meddlesome family. What I don’t like are the limited dating options. I’m gay, and at thirty-six-years-old, I’ve never been with a man.
When I enter a contest to win my favorite adult entertainer’s support for our town’s first Pride Parade, I never expect to win. And I definitely never expect to find myself in a friends-with-benefits relationship with the man.
The problem is, I quickly realize I want more. But could someone as confident, sexy, and independent as Silver ever consider building a life with a simple cowboy like me?
Mateo
My work is my life. Filming under the moniker Silver, I’m happy enough. I’m making good money, I’m free from my crummy past, I’m well on my way to the career I actually dream about, and I’m not looking for any complications.
Enter Hawthorne Moore, with his sweet-as-molasses drawl, that adorable gap-toothed smile, and the beautiful way in which he begs, and suddenly, I find myself getting in too deep. And that’s a problem, because I’ve spent years building up these walls around my heart, and I don’t know how to bust them down.
Can I work through my trauma and lasso myself a cowboy, or will I lose the only man who’s ever loved me?
Virgin Hearts is a friends-with-benefits-to-more romance that includes a flirty performer, risqué photo shoots amongst peeping bovine, an endearing cowboy whose cock (ahem, rooster) rises at dawn, dom/sub undertones, and one very HEA. It’s book 2 in the Plum Valley Cowboys series but can be read as a standalone.
REVIEW:
Note: This is the second book in this series and has a slight overlap with the timeline of the first book. While it can be read as a standalone, I personally think it’s best enjoyed after reading the first book, Fool Hearts, Easton and Wyatt’s story.
Hawthorne Moore is a gay cowboy who is trying to help his nephew plan a surprise Pride event in their small town to coincide with his dads finally getting married. One of the dads is Hawthorne’s brother Easton. Hawthorne did not realize he was gay until later in life and after watching his father’s coldness to Wyatt, he finally came out to his family and things have been a little better. He enters a contest at his favorite gay porn studio to try to win the $5000 prize and a day with the star for his event. He’s sure he won’t win. Until he gets a call from the man himself, Silver, the hottest guy on the site. Silver has kept the winner a secret on the website because Hawthorne has explained in his entry that the whole thing is a surprise for his brother and his new husband. Hawthorne cannot believe it – especially when Silver says he’ll be coming for a week to help prepare for the Pride event.
Hawthorne picks up Silver at the airport and at first he’s a little awkward. But they get back to his house and things settle down a little bit. Silver wants to see his house and land and take some photos 🙂 For promo for the contest 😉 Hawthorne begins to feel more comfortable with his guest. There are some very funny moments when others decide to drop by and it’s obvious they recognize “Silver” 😀 There are also some hilarious moments with Hawthorne’s animals at his small farm. Hawthorne eventually realizes he doesn’t even know Silver’s real name! When he shares his real name is Mateo, Hawthorne feels like he’s getting to meet the real person – not the performer. He wants to get to know that guy – not the one on the screen. Mateo is fun and flirty but he’s also a bit closed off.
When the Pride event goes off without a hitch, everyone is happy. Well everyone except for one guy who has been an as*hole his whole life to Wyatt and now to Wyatt, Easton and Hawthorne. But when he starts taking it out on a kid, Mateo steps in. Unbeknownst to Hawthorne – and everyone else – there is a lot more than meets the eye with Mateo Reyes. He’s had a difficult past but he’s put that that aside and wants to help others. It’s clear that he was very upset by what he saw and that it triggered something. But he doesn’t want to share that with Hawthorne. They do, however, agree to a friends with benefits type arrangement after sharing a VERY hot kiss 😉
Hawthorne has been made to feel bad about what he wants in bed and that he’s not enough. There are things he needs that he’s had a hard time articulating. That means he’s still pretty much a virgin when it comes to gay sex. Mateo is thrilled to be able to give him the freedom to be himself and to guide him through these experiences. Mateo is sweet and loving and gives Hawthorne what he needs. He assures him that whatever he wants is not “wrong” or laughable or anything other than right for him. They develop such a sweet relationship and then it’s time for Mateo to go back to Las Vegas 🙁
Hawthorne realizes that he has developed real feelings for Mateo and he doesn’t want to let that go. They continue to text and talk, but it’s not enough for Hawthorne and he’s tired of feeling lonely. A surprise visit to Las Vegas cheers them both up. Hawthorne learns a lot more abut Mateo and what he’s really doing besides porn. He understands that his past is a great influence on Mateo’s goals, but he still can’t Mateo to talk about it. When Hawthorne pushes for more, things go a bit sideways and Mateo is convinced that Hawthorne will tire of him and let him go because everyone leaves him 🙁 But Hawthorne is not going to give up. He will fight for Mateo with all he’s got. Mateo gets some really good advice from a number of people in this life and he does not want to screw this up despite his fears.
This is such a swoon worthy romance. I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this series but I think I loved this one even more – maybe because it’s a bit lower angst than the first one. On the surface, a virginal Texas cowboy and one of the hottest gay porn stars shouldn’t have much in common or work on any level. But they do 🙂 Hawthorne is adorably sweet and shy and he’s a bit out of his league with Mateo. He’s never had sex with another man. In fact, his dating history is pretty spotty at best. When it gets to the point of intimacy, others seem to expect something else from him other than what he wants and it’s caused him quite a bit of heartache and he’s been really lonely. When Mateo offers to guide him in the new and wonderful world of gay sex, he’s a bit cautious at first and has trouble telling Mateo what he wants. He has literally been laughed at before, so he has zero confidence in himself and thinks that maybe there really is something wrong with him. Mateo is patient and loving and just perfect for Hawthorne and helps him over these hurdles. Turns out that they are quite compatible and when they part, neither of them are thrilled about it. But Mateo has a lot to overcome with his past. While he has accomplished a lot and he wants nothing more than to help people, he’s neglected himself in the process. With the help of his best friend/roommate and his mentor and of course Hawthorne, he is able to finally take the right steps forward to help himself so that he can help others. I loved this part of the story especially because the hurt and fear that he had already faced and the possibility of being hurt again are universal themes for anyone who is going to put their heart on the line.
This second book also brings back a number of the characters from the first book. Hawthorne’s family is back in full force. It’s clear his dad has done some changing since the timeline of book 1 and he’s supporting Hawthorne in what he wants. Wyatt and Easton are here too, along with Will – who is quite the surprise 😉 I loved Aunt Perla and the cousins who also make several return visits in this story. I honestly cannot wait for book three which will center on Will, Wyatt and Easton’s son and I am really looking forward to the spinoff series for the guys at Mateo’s studio in Las Vegas. I am a huge fan of this author’s writing style and her characters. They are all so well written and I just want to give them all a big hug! I really can’t recommend this series highly enough. I hope we will get a lot more books from this author 😀
RATING: 
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