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Serenity Ranch #1
Bloom
Caroline Brennan just wants to be good.
A good daughter, a good friend, a good person.
It shouldn't be that hard, right?
Hunter Whitlock doesn't care about being good.
He just wants to be left alone.
Turns out, that's not so easy.
Turns out, when it comes to the pretty girl in the flowery dresses, that's not what he wants at all.
Bloom is a single POV, small town romance following a shy florist and her grumpy cowboy love interest. The Serenity Ranch Series is a spin-off series of The Sun Valley Series. It is not required to read Sun Valley, but it is recommended.
A good daughter, a good friend, a good person.
It shouldn't be that hard, right?
Hunter Whitlock doesn't care about being good.
He just wants to be left alone.
Turns out, that's not so easy.
Turns out, when it comes to the pretty girl in the flowery dresses, that's not what he wants at all.
Bloom is a single POV, small town romance following a shy florist and her grumpy cowboy love interest. The Serenity Ranch Series is a spin-off series of The Sun Valley Series. It is not required to read Sun Valley, but it is recommended.
412 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 23, 2024
397 people are currently reading
2943 people want to read
About the author
E.J. Blaise
6 books514 followersEJ Blaise is an Irish author of all things romance. When she's not creating unrealistically perfect men, she can be found travelling, reading, and dreaming of running a bookstore café.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 259 reviews
October 7, 2024
HATE IT HATE THE AUTHOR, i don’t even want to rate it 1 STAR
ok books with the absolute worst plot twists ever is so not my thing. the next book is about a woman who cheated on her boyfriend then had a secret baby with her one night stand but kept insisting that the baby is her boyfriends good luck yall
this book is about a guy who’s “separated” from his wife but only sends her divorce papers after kissing the fmc at like 50 or 60 percent like fuck off at this point
i hate all these overrated bookstagram authors who write like a math major freshman in college, please maam atleast have likeable characters. don’t write if you are going to write stuff like this. eat a biscuit and sit down and contemplate what you are doing because it’s miserable
i thought i read the worst book of 2024 already but this is fighting for spot 1
ok books with the absolute worst plot twists ever is so not my thing. the next book is about a woman who cheated on her boyfriend then had a secret baby with her one night stand but kept insisting that the baby is her boyfriends good luck yall
this book is about a guy who’s “separated” from his wife but only sends her divorce papers after kissing the fmc at like 50 or 60 percent like fuck off at this point
i hate all these overrated bookstagram authors who write like a math major freshman in college, please maam atleast have likeable characters. don’t write if you are going to write stuff like this. eat a biscuit and sit down and contemplate what you are doing because it’s miserable
i thought i read the worst book of 2024 already but this is fighting for spot 1
October 21, 2024
Dnf’ed. because wth???? Your telling me that man played around with her, told her he liked her and everything, but all this time he had a wife who he ran away from??🙄 get this man-child away from me
(another reminder that book covers will deceive you)
(another reminder that book covers will deceive you)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 1, 2024
I don’t want to talk about it. The next book better be good.
October 2, 2024
close enough welcome back derek shepherd
September 26, 2024
Simply EJ never misses *ੈ𑁍༘⋆ Bloom is the highly anticipated romance that kickstarts the Serenity Ranch series, the spin-off new series of the Sun Valley series. If you've read Sun Valley, you've met Caroline and even Hunter, so you were waiting for them to finally share their story with us just like me. AND EJ WROTE THE BEST FOR THEM!!
Read Bloom if you love:
🌼 Shy florists
🌼 Grumpy cowboys
🌼 Lonely characters
🌼 Single POV romances
🌼 Clingy boyfriends who can't stop touching their love interests
🌼 Heroes who love making little braids in their love interests' hair
🌼 Ranch life
I'm lowkey obsessed with this book and read it as soon as it came out. I literally read 65% of the book on day one, went to sleep at 4 am, went to work the next day, and when I returned from work, finished the rest at 1 am. WOW! ₊˚❀.ೃ࿔*:･ This book was IT. IS IT. AN ICON. A LEGEND!! I couldn't stop reading + had the time of my life. Getting to know Caroline and Hunter more closely was everything, and I'm so happy I got to read their story. I still have a soft spot for all Sun Valley characters, and that's never going to change, but this might be my favorite EJ Blaise novel actually.
EJ continues to write some of the best groveling scenes AND third-act breakups. Please never stop.
Read Bloom if you love:
🌼 Shy florists
🌼 Grumpy cowboys
🌼 Lonely characters
🌼 Single POV romances
🌼 Clingy boyfriends who can't stop touching their love interests
🌼 Heroes who love making little braids in their love interests' hair
🌼 Ranch life
I'm lowkey obsessed with this book and read it as soon as it came out. I literally read 65% of the book on day one, went to sleep at 4 am, went to work the next day, and when I returned from work, finished the rest at 1 am. WOW! ₊˚❀.ೃ࿔*:･ This book was IT. IS IT. AN ICON. A LEGEND!! I couldn't stop reading + had the time of my life. Getting to know Caroline and Hunter more closely was everything, and I'm so happy I got to read their story. I still have a soft spot for all Sun Valley characters, and that's never going to change, but this might be my favorite EJ Blaise novel actually.
EJ continues to write some of the best groveling scenes AND third-act breakups. Please never stop.
October 26, 2024
A tad bit long if you ask me, could have gone without 100 pages of slow slow slowburn, and the plot twist was not so twisty with all the hints.
But to finally see them sweet little things together? 100% worth it!
Now… Lux and Everett? That’s going to be so fun 🤓
But to finally see them sweet little things together? 100% worth it!
Now… Lux and Everett? That’s going to be so fun 🤓
January 6, 2025
** One of my Top 20 of 2024 Picks on www.JeevesReads.com! **
Uhhh… yeah, I woefully underestimated how much I was going to LOVE this. It’s the kind of book that I want to savor for days to make the experience last as long as possible. I had a good feeling about it early on, but this stole my heart more and more with every page. There are so many LAYERS that bring depth to the story as we get to know the characters better. Our heroine truly does bloom before our eyes, and I loved watching her find the strength inside of herself. She’s a pushover and a people pleaser, too nervous to clash with anyone… at least until she meets a certain grumpy cowboy. I adored the friction between them and the subtle changes to the dynamic. It’s a slow, torturous burn that’s got some seriously angsty moments, but the chemistry was front and center. We (mostly) only get snippets of the hero’s POV at the beginning of each chapter, and I loved trying to figure him out. He frustrated me (and the heroine!) to no end, and yet… I loved him. It was a pretty spectacular introduction to this new-to-me author, and the kind of story I won’t forget anytime soon.
The story follows Caroline (22), a shy florist who has spent years doubting herself. Her alcoholic father has torn down her self-esteem to the point that she is convinced that no one wants her around. So when Caroline meets a grumpy cowboy who doesn’t try to hide his annoyance with her, it’s the final straw. Caroline finds herself pushing back for once, and Hunter (30) takes notice. The two clash as they shift from strangers to reluctant friends to something that feels like more, but Hunter continues to hold back. As Caroline and Hunter navigate their complicated feelings, they become an important part of each other’s lives.
This was a surprise release and it caught me at the perfect time, so I went in blind with zero expectations. I’ve been meaning to check out Blaise’s work, and a grumpy/sunshine cowboy romance was impossible to resist. It’s also a series starter, spun off from a previous series. I didn’t have any trouble jumping in, but now I’m definitely going to have to check out the Sun Valley series. Caroline’s story is woven together with one of the past couple’s, and it’s really fascinating how insight into her background changes a lot. I also found it so interesting that Hunter’s life mirrors Caroline’s in a way that would not be obvious on the surface. His secret is a BIG one, and we get some good grovel, let me tell you. I don’t usually love a man who messes up so much, but his adoration bled from the page. I was absolutely hooked. I’ll share a detailed spoiler at the end of this post if you’re interested, because his secret could definitely be triggering to some readers. For me, I was simply floored at the depth of the romance. It’s not a short book, and we truly do see Caroline and Hunter go through so many stages. Their story is not an easy one, but it gave me so many SWOONS. I was rubbing my chest from the ache. It’s such a multifaceted love story, and an impactful one for sure. I loved it!
SPOILER:
Uhhh… yeah, I woefully underestimated how much I was going to LOVE this. It’s the kind of book that I want to savor for days to make the experience last as long as possible. I had a good feeling about it early on, but this stole my heart more and more with every page. There are so many LAYERS that bring depth to the story as we get to know the characters better. Our heroine truly does bloom before our eyes, and I loved watching her find the strength inside of herself. She’s a pushover and a people pleaser, too nervous to clash with anyone… at least until she meets a certain grumpy cowboy. I adored the friction between them and the subtle changes to the dynamic. It’s a slow, torturous burn that’s got some seriously angsty moments, but the chemistry was front and center. We (mostly) only get snippets of the hero’s POV at the beginning of each chapter, and I loved trying to figure him out. He frustrated me (and the heroine!) to no end, and yet… I loved him. It was a pretty spectacular introduction to this new-to-me author, and the kind of story I won’t forget anytime soon.
The story follows Caroline (22), a shy florist who has spent years doubting herself. Her alcoholic father has torn down her self-esteem to the point that she is convinced that no one wants her around. So when Caroline meets a grumpy cowboy who doesn’t try to hide his annoyance with her, it’s the final straw. Caroline finds herself pushing back for once, and Hunter (30) takes notice. The two clash as they shift from strangers to reluctant friends to something that feels like more, but Hunter continues to hold back. As Caroline and Hunter navigate their complicated feelings, they become an important part of each other’s lives.
This was a surprise release and it caught me at the perfect time, so I went in blind with zero expectations. I’ve been meaning to check out Blaise’s work, and a grumpy/sunshine cowboy romance was impossible to resist. It’s also a series starter, spun off from a previous series. I didn’t have any trouble jumping in, but now I’m definitely going to have to check out the Sun Valley series. Caroline’s story is woven together with one of the past couple’s, and it’s really fascinating how insight into her background changes a lot. I also found it so interesting that Hunter’s life mirrors Caroline’s in a way that would not be obvious on the surface. His secret is a BIG one, and we get some good grovel, let me tell you. I don’t usually love a man who messes up so much, but his adoration bled from the page. I was absolutely hooked. I’ll share a detailed spoiler at the end of this post if you’re interested, because his secret could definitely be triggering to some readers. For me, I was simply floored at the depth of the romance. It’s not a short book, and we truly do see Caroline and Hunter go through so many stages. Their story is not an easy one, but it gave me so many SWOONS. I was rubbing my chest from the ache. It’s such a multifaceted love story, and an impactful one for sure. I loved it!
SPOILER:
September 26, 2024
was contemplating whether to give this 4 or 5 stars but fuck it… this was beautiful and made me cry and swoon😭🩵
June 6, 2025
I fell for one of those TikTok videos where they post a picture of the tiniest paragraph of a scene that happens in the book which is pretty ironic when I think about it.
But here’s a list of reasons why I give this a 2 ⭐️ :
• 500+ pages for no reason, trust me I could turn this into max 300 page book cause I swear half of it is the same shit just rewritten in a different day or setting.
• If you think it’s grumpy x sunshine, it’s not. It’s about a FMC who thinks she can act all happy but is miserable everyday and everyone sees through her fake smiles because all she does is cry, flinch, stutter, and be sad.
• The FMC only characteristic is that she cries (which is fine for some characters but she has no personality or traits other than crying over everything and anything)
• The FMC may say that she’s over her ex who she was with 5+ years ago but doesn’t fail to mention him almost every chapter and compares almost anything to him
• FMC has no backbone at all.
• OW DRAMA ‼️‼️‼️‼️
🚨NOW SPOILER ALERT 🚨
THE MMC LITERALLY TELLS HER HE CANT BE WITH HER BC OF HIS PAST, THEN GETS WITH HER ONLY FOR HIS 🚨WIFE🚨 TO SHOW UP CS THEY’RE SEPARATED AND HE NEVER TOLD THR FMC ABOUT HER AND HE STILL HASN’T DIVORCED HER.
Btw mmc literally falls for fmc 1 year after leaving his wife and sends her divorce papers 6 months after he left all because he fell for fmc. LIKE WHAT WHY NOT EARLIER SHE LITERALLY CHEATED ON YOU.
But here’s a list of reasons why I give this a 2 ⭐️ :
• 500+ pages for no reason, trust me I could turn this into max 300 page book cause I swear half of it is the same shit just rewritten in a different day or setting.
• If you think it’s grumpy x sunshine, it’s not. It’s about a FMC who thinks she can act all happy but is miserable everyday and everyone sees through her fake smiles because all she does is cry, flinch, stutter, and be sad.
• The FMC only characteristic is that she cries (which is fine for some characters but she has no personality or traits other than crying over everything and anything)
• The FMC may say that she’s over her ex who she was with 5+ years ago but doesn’t fail to mention him almost every chapter and compares almost anything to him
• FMC has no backbone at all.
• OW DRAMA ‼️‼️‼️‼️
🚨NOW SPOILER ALERT 🚨
THE MMC LITERALLY TELLS HER HE CANT BE WITH HER BC OF HIS PAST, THEN GETS WITH HER ONLY FOR HIS 🚨WIFE🚨 TO SHOW UP CS THEY’RE SEPARATED AND HE NEVER TOLD THR FMC ABOUT HER AND HE STILL HASN’T DIVORCED HER.
Btw mmc literally falls for fmc 1 year after leaving his wife and sends her divorce papers 6 months after he left all because he fell for fmc. LIKE WHAT WHY NOT EARLIER SHE LITERALLY CHEATED ON YOU.
February 11, 2025
Sorry to be a hater, but this was just so bad😭
My random unorganized thoughts lol:
There was literally no plot until the 75% point where we find out the mmc has a wife??😃 basically his wife cheated on him. He left. Didn’t serve the divorce papers until he kissed the fmc.
Caroline’s dad was so cruel to her it was literally borderline cartoon villain behavior which honestly made it hard to take seriously. It was a heavy topic that wasn’t handled well imo and felt like it was just used for the mmc to be ~protective~ over her.
I literally hated all of the characters in this book. They all sucked and were insufferable in their own ways.
Writing was clunky/ straight up bad. This read like a Wattpad fanfic (derogatory)
Oh and the mmc was 6’6”😐 I think my eyes rolled so far back into my head I saw my brain that promptly shriveled up from reading something so stupid. What the fuck is up with romance authors making their mmcs clownishly tall? I’m so over it.
Overall it was just boring as hell. This shit pissed me awf.
My random unorganized thoughts lol:
There was literally no plot until the 75% point where we find out the mmc has a wife??😃 basically his wife cheated on him. He left. Didn’t serve the divorce papers until he kissed the fmc.
Caroline’s dad was so cruel to her it was literally borderline cartoon villain behavior which honestly made it hard to take seriously. It was a heavy topic that wasn’t handled well imo and felt like it was just used for the mmc to be ~protective~ over her.
I literally hated all of the characters in this book. They all sucked and were insufferable in their own ways.
Writing was clunky/ straight up bad. This read like a Wattpad fanfic (derogatory)
Oh and the mmc was 6’6”😐 I think my eyes rolled so far back into my head I saw my brain that promptly shriveled up from reading something so stupid. What the fuck is up with romance authors making their mmcs clownishly tall? I’m so over it.
Overall it was just boring as hell. This shit pissed me awf.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 16, 2024
this is the type of romance i've been looking for lately
it doesn't really follow a plot, but it follows the romance as caroline and hunter slowly lower their walls and face their insecurites and fall in love with each other. it's focused on the romanace instead of the smut and marking off a check list of tropes. it felt like ROMANCE again.
i love smut in books just as much as the next person, but it's so refreshing to read a book that isn't focused on it, that has only 4 scenes in it in total.
caroline deserved her happy ending. she made me so sad, constantly thinking she wasn't good enough for anyone, that she was just meant to be invisible. and hunter trying so hard to prove to her that she was worth it, that he loved her so much. i asbolutely loved the grumpy
/sunshine to this book
i fell in love with ej's books when i first read "unexpected" last year, and her writing has improved SO MUCH. this book was so mature and emotional and so good. i was very happy to see that i enjoyed it as much as i did. i couldn't put it down
it doesn't really follow a plot, but it follows the romance as caroline and hunter slowly lower their walls and face their insecurites and fall in love with each other. it's focused on the romanace instead of the smut and marking off a check list of tropes. it felt like ROMANCE again.
i love smut in books just as much as the next person, but it's so refreshing to read a book that isn't focused on it, that has only 4 scenes in it in total.
caroline deserved her happy ending. she made me so sad, constantly thinking she wasn't good enough for anyone, that she was just meant to be invisible. and hunter trying so hard to prove to her that she was worth it, that he loved her so much. i asbolutely loved the grumpy
/sunshine to this book
i fell in love with ej's books when i first read "unexpected" last year, and her writing has improved SO MUCH. this book was so mature and emotional and so good. i was very happy to see that i enjoyed it as much as i did. i couldn't put it down
October 29, 2024
Ok I never logged that I finished this one and that’s because it finished ME. EJ I love you and your writing, this hit the spot and itched the itch.
October 31, 2024
to be quite honest i didn't think i was gonna like this book in the first like 25% but as the book went on i ended up enjoying it! i literally couldn't put it down
abandoned
September 29, 2024llegué hasta 53% y no pude MAS cb yo intenté darle un chance porque el material podia mejorar pero alas it did not
-el pai alcoholico me encabronaba y entraban a detalles cuando le daba una pela y eso yo lo cojo personal i CAN’t! ME ENCABRONO DE UNA
-el love interest tiene problemas serios porque en una todo estaba bien y en otra la insultaba y era bien mean con ella y despues le pedia perdon y yo cb TE PEINAS O TE HACES ROLO mamau decidete que quieres ser en la vida de ella porque este hot and cold is toxic as fuck y like te lo venden que he’s shy y grumpy pero a mi parecer he’s just annoying as fuck
like si ya tienes el pai que es un horrible figure in her life tienes que contrarrestarlo con un love interest bueno y a este yo lo hubiese mandau pal carajo a la primera que me dijo que me callara la boca y que si no me doy cuenta cuando alguien no quiere hablar conmigo
-el pai alcoholico me encabronaba y entraban a detalles cuando le daba una pela y eso yo lo cojo personal i CAN’t! ME ENCABRONO DE UNA
-el love interest tiene problemas serios porque en una todo estaba bien y en otra la insultaba y era bien mean con ella y despues le pedia perdon y yo cb TE PEINAS O TE HACES ROLO mamau decidete que quieres ser en la vida de ella porque este hot and cold is toxic as fuck y like te lo venden que he’s shy y grumpy pero a mi parecer he’s just annoying as fuck
like si ya tienes el pai que es un horrible figure in her life tienes que contrarrestarlo con un love interest bueno y a este yo lo hubiese mandau pal carajo a la primera que me dijo que me callara la boca y que si no me doy cuenta cuando alguien no quiere hablar conmigo
September 30, 2024
Wish I read the safety warnings before I got 75% in and found out H has a FUCKING WIFE HE RAN AWAY FROM!!! And the wife calls him the same pet name H was calling h throughout the story. I don’t care if the wife cheated on him first he should have divorced her before moving on or at the very least told the h about his history? Which is the whole reason why he kept her at arms length for a long time? She was heart broken and humiliated, and she’s obviously very insecure.
This was gearing up to be a 3 star read and but then they included this completely unnecessary plot point.
This was gearing up to be a 3 star read and but then they included this completely unnecessary plot point.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 29, 2024
I really loved the book at first but then i really really wanted to see her develop she didn't she stayed the way she is i can relate to her which is why i wanted to see her get stronger but she didn't she did not learn to stand up by herself to,the very end like the guy didn't file divorce until he kissed her !! That is just sad he has prob too
September 24, 2024
HAPPY RELEASE DAY TO BLOOM, EJ AND 🧡 CUNTER 🧡
was very blessed to beta read this for Erin and I can say with absolute certainty that Bloom is one of my favourite books of the year!
Shy girl x grumpy boy absolutely slays me and erin killed it with one :)
Hunter and Caroline are so stinkin’ cute and angsty and ugh their tension i love them so much. This story was quite surprising for me, I wasn’t expecting it to go the way I did but it made such perfect sense for these characters and made me love it all the more; had me screaming and crying fr!
I remember reading Bide and feeling a bit unsure about Caroline, but this book has made me fall in love with her - she’s such a kind, strong-hearted woman and i want to protect her from the world!! AND MY BIG BOI HUNTER!!!! i love me a southern gentleman who’s not so gentlemanly 🤭 the way this man loves and protects Caroline is exactly what my princess deserves!
and of course the whole jackson family is magnificent as always - I loved seeing more of Lux and Caroline’s dynamic and the friendship they have is so beautiful, and it made me love Lux that much more; seeing Caroline find the friends and love she deserves was so heartwarming.
EVERYONE GO READ BLOOM AND THANK ME LATER 🧡
was very blessed to beta read this for Erin and I can say with absolute certainty that Bloom is one of my favourite books of the year!
Shy girl x grumpy boy absolutely slays me and erin killed it with one :)
Hunter and Caroline are so stinkin’ cute and angsty and ugh their tension i love them so much. This story was quite surprising for me, I wasn’t expecting it to go the way I did but it made such perfect sense for these characters and made me love it all the more; had me screaming and crying fr!
I remember reading Bide and feeling a bit unsure about Caroline, but this book has made me fall in love with her - she’s such a kind, strong-hearted woman and i want to protect her from the world!! AND MY BIG BOI HUNTER!!!! i love me a southern gentleman who’s not so gentlemanly 🤭 the way this man loves and protects Caroline is exactly what my princess deserves!
and of course the whole jackson family is magnificent as always - I loved seeing more of Lux and Caroline’s dynamic and the friendship they have is so beautiful, and it made me love Lux that much more; seeing Caroline find the friends and love she deserves was so heartwarming.
EVERYONE GO READ BLOOM AND THANK ME LATER 🧡
September 25, 2024
hunter and caroline truly made my heart hurt. in the best of ways. caroline was honestly so relatable i saw so much of myself in her. the way these two fell in love was beautiful and seeing hunter slowly open up was amazing. i loved the little POV of his that we got and I loved seeing his thoughts in the beginning of each chapter. lux was definitely a standout in this book and i ADORE her. can't wait for her book and I hope it's with everett.
September 26, 2024
Not me sobbing at 12 am over this
September 26, 2024
I’ve been waiting for this book and it did not at all disappoint.
This book was emotional in a way that touched ur soul in the most quietest of ways (idk how else to describe it) Caroline and Hunter are characters that are so real, that’s something this author does so ridiculously well, her characters are authentic and real in a way where people can truly relate to them at their core.
Caroline is a character I see bits of me in and i am so happy my sunshine flower girl got her WELL DESERVED hea. EJ Blaise delivered yet another masterpiece that makes me all choked up thinking about how impactful this book and the rest of her other books are. Real, vulnerable, authentic, heartwarming, well deserved. Those are the words I would use to sum up this book and I love love loved it. (Also the found family in this is peak)
To all my Caroline’s out there, you EXACTLY as you are, you are enough.
very very very excited to see who’s book is next!!
This book was emotional in a way that touched ur soul in the most quietest of ways (idk how else to describe it) Caroline and Hunter are characters that are so real, that’s something this author does so ridiculously well, her characters are authentic and real in a way where people can truly relate to them at their core.
Caroline is a character I see bits of me in and i am so happy my sunshine flower girl got her WELL DESERVED hea. EJ Blaise delivered yet another masterpiece that makes me all choked up thinking about how impactful this book and the rest of her other books are. Real, vulnerable, authentic, heartwarming, well deserved. Those are the words I would use to sum up this book and I love love loved it. (Also the found family in this is peak)
To all my Caroline’s out there, you EXACTLY as you are, you are enough.
very very very excited to see who’s book is next!!
September 27, 2024
This is not for me. I don't like mousy, underconfident fmc. I feel embarrassed for her! Girl where is the backbone!?? Stand up for yourself atleast once! DNF💁🏻♀️
September 30, 2024
This book was just delicious for me. I loved it and I’m so glad I took a chance on reading it because I nearly didn’t. The angst was just what I was looking for; I was aching with it. I loved Caroline as a character, my heart just broke for her and all she had been through. Her personality, her backstory, it was beautifully written for me.
The romance, too, was just gorgeous. I actually really liked only getting Caroline’s POV, because Hunter’s feelings for her just felt so clear. The slow burn was so good. It was so sweet but there was also a really hot, steamy side to this book. It was all just perfectly pitched for what I wanted to read at that time.
I think the plot twist near the end will definitely be divisive but I personally really enjoyed the angst it led to. I could have done with less cattiness from a particular character as I found that route a bit tired and boring, but the twist itself worked for me. I wasn’t so crazy about the ending as I found it a bit underwhelming but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book overall.
It was just one of those books where I simultaneously couldn’t stop reading but also wanted it to keep on going. I just really, really enjoyed it. It made my chest ache and I felt emotional whilst reading it, it just hit everything I wanted it to. I will definitely be looking out for more books from this author in the future.
Content Notes: Small town, age gap, grumpy MMC, cowboy/rancher MMC, slow burn.
Warnings:
Other:
The romance, too, was just gorgeous. I actually really liked only getting Caroline’s POV, because Hunter’s feelings for her just felt so clear. The slow burn was so good. It was so sweet but there was also a really hot, steamy side to this book. It was all just perfectly pitched for what I wanted to read at that time.
I think the plot twist near the end will definitely be divisive but I personally really enjoyed the angst it led to. I could have done with less cattiness from a particular character as I found that route a bit tired and boring, but the twist itself worked for me. I wasn’t so crazy about the ending as I found it a bit underwhelming but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book overall.
It was just one of those books where I simultaneously couldn’t stop reading but also wanted it to keep on going. I just really, really enjoyed it. It made my chest ache and I felt emotional whilst reading it, it just hit everything I wanted it to. I will definitely be looking out for more books from this author in the future.
Content Notes: Small town, age gap, grumpy MMC, cowboy/rancher MMC, slow burn.
Warnings:
Other:
October 5, 2024
If I had read this at any other time it wouldn’t have gotten 5⭐️, but it was the book I needed in the moment. I loved Caroline, even when she frustrated me. I was a little worried I wouldn’t feel any connection to Hunter because this book is single POV, but honestly I feel like we got such rich experiences with him that I didn’t even miss having chapters from his POV.
Guess I need to go back and read the Sun Valley series now.
Guess I need to go back and read the Sun Valley series now.
December 27, 2024
This book was literally amazing. Makes me love love.
January 25, 2025
4.5⭐️ I AM ACTUALLY SO INSANELY NOT OKAY I AM UNWELL I WILL NEVER RECOVER
February 6, 2025
i'm not really sure what to rate this but somewhere between 4-5 stars. EJ Blaise is freaking incredible
September 9, 2025
sem palavras.
October 7, 2024
I saw a spoiler when I was about 50% in that almost made me stop reading this but I’m so glad I didn’t. I love Hunter and I love the intention behind his love.
October 20, 2025
3.5 rounded down
This was a sweet book. Very likeable and very realistic characters (no one is perfect, almost no one is pure evil--and even the evil is realistically done (alcoholism is a horrible and cruel disease). However, this is a new series built off of another series and shares characters and it gets CONFUSING. SOO many names! So many similar names! Lux and Luna--way too similar and are barely ever in the same scene and mentioned chapters apart so I would get so confused why they were someone's gf on page and the next the sister of the person they claimed they were a gf of, but nope two entirely separate people.
Caroline is disliked by a LOT of people at the beginning of the book. We don't know why. I am pretty sure this is all explained in the previous series, but nothing is explained in this book on why people don't like her. She seems generally sweet, quiet (though talks a lot (kinda) when nervous), and not all the center of attention. So that's where the first confusion occurs. And it's never explained why anyone doesn't like her, ever. Her father is a huge alcoholic, and has been since Caroline's mother died when she was 8. He is absent at best, emotionally usually, and physically abusive at worst. She tells no one about this. She has had one bf throughout high school, they broke up their senior year and she is now 22 years old, and since she has never dated anyone and works on his ranch (and is friends with his sister) everyone thinks she's still obsessed with him. How anyone jumps to this conclusion, I don't know because anything that happens between characters before this book is never explained. How she looks is very vaguely described (which drives me nuts, I want clear imagery in my mind--not too much, but I need more than height and hair color).
Hank is at first very grumpy, acts like he doesn't like her, and he is at times straight up rude to her. That quickly goes away and they fall into a sweet friendship where it's clear both are attracted to each other. This is all through one POV and it works (I miss when books were regularly only one POV, honestly, I love not knowing what's going on in the MMC POV and finding things out with the MFC). But at the beginning of each chapter there is a sentence or two written through his eyes, and it's so sweet and gives just enough insight into his mind, I love this choice and this style, I haven't seen this before. The way he's physically described I can't tell if he's in extremely good shape, or if he's kinda...big in a not very in shape sort of way. I felt like the author couldn't make up her mind. Either way is fine, just be clear about it so I can envision everything in my mind.
This is a SLOW burn, it's sweet, when they finally get together its hot and steamy but not overdone. The plot is front and foremost. The book is long (412 pages) and at times it FEELS long. If they didn't focus on SOOO many characters (too many!!) I bet 50-100 pages could have been shaven off and it would have been a less confusing (only confusing due to sheer amount of people with similar names and backstories that we aren't told but are seemingly supposed to know about, the plot it self isn't confusing at all).
I was tempted to read the 2nd book until I saw it was 599 pages, and this 400 page book felt long I can't imagine reading 600 without it feeling VERY long. And I wasn't really a huge fan of that character so I think I'll pass.
If you want a sweet yet angsty read I do recommend this. I will say that years of emotional abuse and neglect has taken it's toll on Caroline (who's nickname is Line...I'm not a fan). She has almost no self-esteem, no backbone, and lets people be rude and mean to her. The growth in her is huge and very realistic, the book doesn't end with her being super duper confident and being comfortable with confrontation, but it does end with her having boundaries, MORE confidence (a lot more), and all in all a better person.
The plot twist was...meh, alright. I wasn't a huge fan of it, but I think it was realistically done and Hanks reaction and how he handled it was very realistic.
All in all, this was very well written, I do think maybe one more major edit (to help with the confusion of all the characters, fleshing out the background for those of us who didn't read the series this is a spin off from (I didn't even know it was based off another series this author wrote until I started reading more reviews) and to take care of a few grammar mistakes).
I do recommend this book, like I keep repeating, it's sweet, it's realistic, the characters are all fleshed out and REAL. They all have strengths and weaknesses. But it did feel long, and I did feel like one more major edit would have been hugely beneficial.
This was a sweet book. Very likeable and very realistic characters (no one is perfect, almost no one is pure evil--and even the evil is realistically done (alcoholism is a horrible and cruel disease). However, this is a new series built off of another series and shares characters and it gets CONFUSING. SOO many names! So many similar names! Lux and Luna--way too similar and are barely ever in the same scene and mentioned chapters apart so I would get so confused why they were someone's gf on page and the next the sister of the person they claimed they were a gf of, but nope two entirely separate people.
Caroline is disliked by a LOT of people at the beginning of the book. We don't know why. I am pretty sure this is all explained in the previous series, but nothing is explained in this book on why people don't like her. She seems generally sweet, quiet (though talks a lot (kinda) when nervous), and not all the center of attention. So that's where the first confusion occurs. And it's never explained why anyone doesn't like her, ever. Her father is a huge alcoholic, and has been since Caroline's mother died when she was 8. He is absent at best, emotionally usually, and physically abusive at worst. She tells no one about this. She has had one bf throughout high school, they broke up their senior year and she is now 22 years old, and since she has never dated anyone and works on his ranch (and is friends with his sister) everyone thinks she's still obsessed with him. How anyone jumps to this conclusion, I don't know because anything that happens between characters before this book is never explained. How she looks is very vaguely described (which drives me nuts, I want clear imagery in my mind--not too much, but I need more than height and hair color).
Hank is at first very grumpy, acts like he doesn't like her, and he is at times straight up rude to her. That quickly goes away and they fall into a sweet friendship where it's clear both are attracted to each other. This is all through one POV and it works (I miss when books were regularly only one POV, honestly, I love not knowing what's going on in the MMC POV and finding things out with the MFC). But at the beginning of each chapter there is a sentence or two written through his eyes, and it's so sweet and gives just enough insight into his mind, I love this choice and this style, I haven't seen this before. The way he's physically described I can't tell if he's in extremely good shape, or if he's kinda...big in a not very in shape sort of way. I felt like the author couldn't make up her mind. Either way is fine, just be clear about it so I can envision everything in my mind.
This is a SLOW burn, it's sweet, when they finally get together its hot and steamy but not overdone. The plot is front and foremost. The book is long (412 pages) and at times it FEELS long. If they didn't focus on SOOO many characters (too many!!) I bet 50-100 pages could have been shaven off and it would have been a less confusing (only confusing due to sheer amount of people with similar names and backstories that we aren't told but are seemingly supposed to know about, the plot it self isn't confusing at all).
I was tempted to read the 2nd book until I saw it was 599 pages, and this 400 page book felt long I can't imagine reading 600 without it feeling VERY long. And I wasn't really a huge fan of that character so I think I'll pass.
If you want a sweet yet angsty read I do recommend this. I will say that years of emotional abuse and neglect has taken it's toll on Caroline (who's nickname is Line...I'm not a fan). She has almost no self-esteem, no backbone, and lets people be rude and mean to her. The growth in her is huge and very realistic, the book doesn't end with her being super duper confident and being comfortable with confrontation, but it does end with her having boundaries, MORE confidence (a lot more), and all in all a better person.
The plot twist was...meh, alright. I wasn't a huge fan of it, but I think it was realistically done and Hanks reaction and how he handled it was very realistic.
All in all, this was very well written, I do think maybe one more major edit (to help with the confusion of all the characters, fleshing out the background for those of us who didn't read the series this is a spin off from (I didn't even know it was based off another series this author wrote until I started reading more reviews) and to take care of a few grammar mistakes).
I do recommend this book, like I keep repeating, it's sweet, it's realistic, the characters are all fleshed out and REAL. They all have strengths and weaknesses. But it did feel long, and I did feel like one more major edit would have been hugely beneficial.
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