Heartless (Chestnut Springs, 2)

I love me a good grumpy hero and Cade is the full package. He is weighed down with responsibility and duty to the point he doesn’t allow frivolity to have a place in his life. Has been that way since he was eight. He is grumpy and doesn’t have much to smile about taking care of his brothers, his ranch, his son and warding off any other disappointment in life. But then Willa saunters into his life like a Gail force wind with inappropriate jokes to ease the tension and without a care in the world except to the few she is loyal to. She loosens up the strangle hold he has on his heart and he grounds her in a way that makes her feel secure in her own skin. They really do complete each other. And Luke was the perfect addition to the story. He seemed like a realistic little boy in the mix which a lot of romances fail to get the kid in the mix right. But E Silver did it well. I also loved that they don’t linger too long ever in miscommunication land too long. They are both bold with their emotions and insecurities. Mini spoiler - this had one of my fav tropes when done right and that’s the surprise preggo trope. It’s done well. It didn’t overshadow the relationship and it was believable that it was an accident. I like how healthily they overcame the hurdle. I will say that the culmination of the romance and story was a little more quiet than the others I’ve read by the author. Little less dramatic but I think that matched Cades personality more. But that was overshadowed by the epic spice scenes in this one. Man Cade is a heart throb for sure.

This book was such a sweet, heart touching story. I love the grumpy/sunshine trope so I'm biased; but it really is well written and with some fantastic dialogue. The MCs, and even the side characters, have depth. Going thru their personal and relationship growth was a journey worth taking.Wila is a witty, fiercely loyal woman who is such a mama bear. Ever want to dish out to a child that was mean to your child- Wila understands that feeling. Cade is like an M&M- hard on the outside, but oh so sweet and gooey on the inside when he warms up.The book has intimacy and spice. 2.5 out of 5 spice- it's vanilla sprinkled with some dirty talk, but like the rest of the book- well written.If you enjoy romance/cowboy romance then this book is worth your time. I recommend the purchase/download, you won't regret it.

There are several reasons why I adore Elsie Silver. Her books are Swoon Heaven! They make you fall in love with love and smile for hours. She never stops surprising me, never stops delivering more than I expect and I never stop craving for moreI say this every time and I swear I always mean it: This is my favorite book of Elsie LOL. I know. But seriously, her books keep getting better and better but I think this really might be my favorite, let me tell you why: For starters, I think this is her funniest book. The chemistry between Willa, Cade and the rest of the cast was just so natural with the most H I L A R I O U S banter ever. I think I spent at least 75% of the time laughing. Second, the family love in this book was stronger than ever. Not only we get to see the Eatons back in action, but we also witness a new sweet little family forming between Cade, Willa and little Luke. That alone made me swoon from start to finish. The grumpy/sunshine dynamic was on freaking point! It was literally sunshine melting the grump's heart in every page and if you are a fan of this trope... you can't missI need to start talking about Willa. Because she is now in my top 5 favorite heroines in Romance. The ovaries of this woman deserve a standing ovation. She was Sunshine in human form but not easily scared of the grumpiest grump ever. She was fun, daring, the funniest smartass mouth ever and not easily embarrassed. Her attitude was one of my favorite parts of the book. Willa and Luke? OMG my heart melted a little more every time they were together. She was the perfect counterbalance for Cade's wounded soul."Willa Grant is a s disturber, waltzing into my life and complicating it without even trying. Looking all pleased with herself over it."I wanted to transport myself inside the book and hug Cade. He was just a huge teddy bear disguised as a bearded, grumpy cowboy. I could see his walls melting in every page. Although I loved both POVs, his was my favorite. I always love how Elsie writes the Grump's perspective in every story but she exceeded all my expectations with Cade's. I bit my lip many times and sighed dreamily reading how in awe he was of her. Hiding feelings and reactions when he saw her with Luke. I loved his caring heart and how he quickly became protective of her."At his core, Cade is a caretaker. Selfless. With such a big heart I almost can't wrap my head around it."I swear, these two were the swooniest couple ever. They were sweet, funny and the tension was to die for! It was a ticking bomb ready to explode... and it did. Deliciously. Hot. Chef's freaking kiss. We all know how Elsie writes the sweetest guys that are dirty talking alphas in the bedroom? Well, you'll get one of those, plus a dirty talking heroine who's not afraid of saying what she wants.*fans herself* All that sexy chemistry plus vulnerability, acceptance, the need for the other one to just be close and the simple wish to make each other happy in any way... My heart couldn't take it anymore. It was perfection. And let's just say that happy ending was everything I was hoping it would be, just the cherry on the top of a delicious cake!"How hard would it be to smile more, to laugh more, if it made her look this happy?"Need to also mention how happy it made me to see the rest of the Eatons meddling, joking and showing up for each other. I am so in love with this family, I want to know everything about them, I want all of their happy ever afters and I want to see them growing and growing!So, I'm just going to go curl up in bed and nurse the hangover I have after reading such a beautiful book.

Everything about this story was perfect, no notes. I am a sucker for an age gap romance and grumpy/sunshine, but this was my first time reading a single dad trope and Elsie does it justice. The amount of love and selflessness Cade Eaton has (while still being so grumpy) is just addictive to read about. He is a caretaker through and through and would do anything for his family.The way Willa Grant meets Cade for the first time was such a cute intro to her personality (aside from what we saw in Reckless) and made me so excited to have an entire book about her. She is so care free, fun loving, and no nonsense, even though she does have some self doubt she hides away. She is fiercely protective over the people she loves, and that’s something her and Cade can agree on. I love when she stood up to Cade on night one of her job and set the tone for how he was going to treat her for the summer.We get some glimpses of Cade slowly falling for Willa even though he’s trying to not let himself go there for various reasons. But the build up and the tension was insanely perfect! The late night front porch scene has been on replay in my head since I read it for the first time. So 5/5 stars for everything about Cade and Willa’s relationship.The biggest star of the show was how Willa loves Luke like he needs. Giving him attention and affection and so much love that every child needs and deserves. They pulled at my heartstrings in almost every interaction. The pool scene was the moment I think we all fell in love with Willa!Overall, this story was one of my favorites for this year so far.