Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Wishing Hearts

SERIES:  Plum Valley Cowboys

AUTHOR:  Emmy Sanders

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  319 pages

RELEASE DATE:  September 14, 2023

BLURB:

A shameless flirt. A single dad. And an unexpected chance at love.

Harrison
When I left Plum Valley ten years ago, I never thought I’d return. But a call about animals in crisis brings me back to the town that inadvertently broke my heart.

What I don’t expect? Sam. The animal control officer looks every bit a cowboy wet dream, and for whatever reason, he’s latched on to me like a dog with a bone.

One impulsive night together only leaves me wanting more, but as a single parent with loads of baggage, dating isn’t easy. Could I try with Sam, the man with the quick smile and surprisingly filthy mouth?

Or am I only setting myself up for another round of heartache?

Sammy
I can’t say I’ve ever been called a wallflower. When I see something I want, I go after it. And what I want is Harrison.

But the veterinarian with the soulful blue eyes has his walls built up high. He doesn’t seem to understand that his messy life doesn’t scare me one bit. In fact, I’ve always wanted a family to call my own. A family like his.

Convincing Harrison we could work may be a challenge, but I’m up for the task. Amidst pillow forts, bedtime stories, and camping under the stars, I know I’m falling—for all of it.

I just hope I’m not the only one wishing for a happily-ever-after in the end.

Wishing Hearts is a small-town Texas romance between a busy single dad and a golden retriever of a man who knows how to work a pair of chaps. There’s shenanigans in a storage shed or two, a rambunctious little girl and her sidekick dog, family date nights, fun with rope, and one very HEA. It’s book 6 in the Plum Valley Cowboys series but can be read as a standalone.

REVIEW:

Note:  This is the sixth book in this series.  There are major spoilers for some of the previous books.  I would recommend reading at least the first book in the series before this one because it does all the previous books, but if you’re Ok with that, it does work as a standalone.

I’ve been waiting for this story since the first book, Fool Hearts.   The one niggle from that book was Harrison’s broken heart and I so wanted to know that he ended up ok at the end of the day.  While it’s sad that it took so long for him to get his HEA, man he got a really great one.  I was waiting for the other shoe to drop, some sort of breakup and torture.  Thankfully I was wrong 😉  Sam is such a delightful and lovely man.  What a big heart he has!  Given his background and the fact that he is so open was just – swoon!  He immediately recognizes that Harrison is a little like an abused animal and that he is going to have to tread lightly.  He needs to get Harrison to trust him – that he’s not going to hurt him.  Harrison is more than a little skittish.  He’s had his heart broken.  Badly.  He describes it as fragile – a glass heart.  He’s not sure he can survive another heartbreak.  He’s not had luck in love at all and he’s got to make his daughter his priority.

I loved Harrison’s parents.  I loved Sammy’s coworkers, Tilda and Carl, who are his found family – before he makes one of his own 🙂  I actually really appreciated that this story really focuses on the life Harrison has made after he left Plum Valley and heartbreak behind.  He loves his daughter and takes his responsibilities as a single dad seriously.  He’s unfortunately taken to the level of real self-sacrifice.  It takes a good man in Sammy to convince him that his needs, wants, desires are also important.  Honestly Sammy is the best book boyfriend ever.  He is truly the best.  He hasn’t had luck in love either.  He knows himself.  He’s a lot.  He can’t be anything other than himself and that’s a lot for other people.  That confession about never breaking up with anyone and he’s only been left just broke my heart a little bit.  I really didn’t want him to go through that again – even if it was temporary.

The one niggle I had with this story was Winnie.  I thought she read younger than 10 a good part of the time.  It doesn’t take away from the story, but she just wasn’t as believable a character as the rest of the story.  The fact that it takes some convincing for Harrison to realize that he doesn’t have to keep denying himself any semblance of happiness takes up a lot of this book and that’s appropriate.  The guy has denied himself for a decade!

Sammy and Harrison are so good for each other.  Their relationship builds at what I thought was an appropriate pace.  Taking into account their pasts, personalities, and their current status I was loving their romance.  Also they are hella’ hot together.  There was just so much to love about this story.  I honestly think it might be my favorite of this series after all the time spent in Plum Valley.  Who would’ve guessed that?  For fans of the series, RUN do not walk to get this book.  It’s the swoon-worthy HEA that we’ve all been waiting for.  HIGHLY recommended.

RATING: 

BUY LINK:

Amazon