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Bluebird Basin #3
Wish You Were Here
She thought she could forget him. He’ll never stop trying to prove she shouldn’t.
Davis Thompson had never been so in love as she was with Kevin Lowes. Until his relapse shattered their world. Now she’s trying to rebuild her life, wanting desperately to move on and figure out who she is and what she wants without him. There’s only one problem: Kev is returning to Bluebird Basin.
After a month in rehab, Kev is determined to recommit to his recovery and win Davis back. She says she wants space, and he’s trying to give it to her. But Bluebird Basin is a small ski hill, and as they continually cross paths, sparks reignite.
Davis doesn’t know if she can trust Kev again. And Kev must confront his darkest fears and deepest regrets if he wants to prove to her that a second chance with him is worth fighting for.
Wish You Were Here is book 3 in the Bluebird Basin Romance series but can be read as a standalone. Although reading the first two books is recommended.
Content notes: Relapse, discussions of drug use, discussions of abuse.
Tropes: second chance romance, relationship in trouble, forced proximity, reformed bad boy, hurt/comfort, redemption romance, horse therapy/cowboy, small-town romance, high angst, pining/groveling.
Davis Thompson had never been so in love as she was with Kevin Lowes. Until his relapse shattered their world. Now she’s trying to rebuild her life, wanting desperately to move on and figure out who she is and what she wants without him. There’s only one problem: Kev is returning to Bluebird Basin.
After a month in rehab, Kev is determined to recommit to his recovery and win Davis back. She says she wants space, and he’s trying to give it to her. But Bluebird Basin is a small ski hill, and as they continually cross paths, sparks reignite.
Davis doesn’t know if she can trust Kev again. And Kev must confront his darkest fears and deepest regrets if he wants to prove to her that a second chance with him is worth fighting for.
Wish You Were Here is book 3 in the Bluebird Basin Romance series but can be read as a standalone. Although reading the first two books is recommended.
Content notes: Relapse, discussions of drug use, discussions of abuse.
Tropes: second chance romance, relationship in trouble, forced proximity, reformed bad boy, hurt/comfort, redemption romance, horse therapy/cowboy, small-town romance, high angst, pining/groveling.
366 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 22, 2025
69 people are currently reading
3526 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 186 reviews
March 19, 2025
Woohoo!!! Another thrilling, gripping, heartwarming and sexy book in the BlueBird Basin series! I was beyond excited to get this book and dove in and devoured this book with a smile on my face and glee in my heart! Wish You Were Here is the third book in the BlueBird Basin series and while it will work as a stand-alone, you will be seriously missing out on some important backstories of most of the characters. Speaking of back stories, Jess K. Hardy won me over with the first book in the series, Come As You Are. I was over the moon to read a romance book with characters in my age group!!!!!! YES!!!!!!! Plus, the characters were awesome and I highly recommend reading that book and then Lips Like Sugar as well. Bluebird Basin is a ski hill and also the home of Little Timber sober home. Readers There is a lot of backstories here but I will not go into that - read the first two books in the series. You will thank me and Jess K. Hardy, of course!
I love that the author writes characters that are far from perfect. The characters have flaws, insecurities, vulnerabilities, make mistakes, and bad choices. But they also get back up, dust themselves off, take deep breathes, and get back in the saddle again so to speak. The characters feel real and are very relatable. I love their banter, teasing, sarcasm, and wit. I also love feeling of found family and community that the author creates in each book in this series. This book series also deals with addiction and mental health issues. The author handles them with care, grace, and sensitivity while also showing how addiction affects not only the addicts but those in their lives.
Wish You Were Here picks up a few months after Lips Like Sugar ends. Davis and Kev found love in Lips Like Sugar but unfortunately Kev relapsed and it was like a gut punch for both of them and their relationship. Kev has finished rehab and is coming back to Little Timber sober home and knows he will see Davis again. They have not spoken while he was away and both are hurting. Davis is certain Kev chose drugs over her. It has taken her time but she had found her footing again and is beginning to feel stronger. Kev feels he blew the best thing he ever had and is wary about seeing Davis again...
This book had all the feels! I loved it. I didn't want to put it down when life got in the way. I loved being back on the mountain with all of the characters that I love reading about. Romance books are all about the journey and I loved the journey that both of these characters went on during the course of this book. I also loved seeing the supportive characters being just that - supportive! I also enjoyed how the characters realistically dealt with their feelings and relied on others in their lives. This is a series with heart and soul. It is relatable, sexy, smart, sensitive, hard to put down, and charming. Plus, it has me rooting for all of the characters the entire way. To make the book even more loveable it has a loveable dog and in this book a horse in need of some love and companionship!
Whew! Jess K. Hardy delivered yet again! If you have not read a book by her, you are seriously missing out.
I highly recommend this book and the entire Bluebird Basin series!
Thank you to Jess K. Hardy who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com 📖
I love that the author writes characters that are far from perfect. The characters have flaws, insecurities, vulnerabilities, make mistakes, and bad choices. But they also get back up, dust themselves off, take deep breathes, and get back in the saddle again so to speak. The characters feel real and are very relatable. I love their banter, teasing, sarcasm, and wit. I also love feeling of found family and community that the author creates in each book in this series. This book series also deals with addiction and mental health issues. The author handles them with care, grace, and sensitivity while also showing how addiction affects not only the addicts but those in their lives.
Wish You Were Here picks up a few months after Lips Like Sugar ends. Davis and Kev found love in Lips Like Sugar but unfortunately Kev relapsed and it was like a gut punch for both of them and their relationship. Kev has finished rehab and is coming back to Little Timber sober home and knows he will see Davis again. They have not spoken while he was away and both are hurting. Davis is certain Kev chose drugs over her. It has taken her time but she had found her footing again and is beginning to feel stronger. Kev feels he blew the best thing he ever had and is wary about seeing Davis again...
This book had all the feels! I loved it. I didn't want to put it down when life got in the way. I loved being back on the mountain with all of the characters that I love reading about. Romance books are all about the journey and I loved the journey that both of these characters went on during the course of this book. I also loved seeing the supportive characters being just that - supportive! I also enjoyed how the characters realistically dealt with their feelings and relied on others in their lives. This is a series with heart and soul. It is relatable, sexy, smart, sensitive, hard to put down, and charming. Plus, it has me rooting for all of the characters the entire way. To make the book even more loveable it has a loveable dog and in this book a horse in need of some love and companionship!
Whew! Jess K. Hardy delivered yet again! If you have not read a book by her, you are seriously missing out.
I highly recommend this book and the entire Bluebird Basin series!
Thank you to Jess K. Hardy who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com 📖
September 14, 2025
3.5 stars
Wish You Were Here is the third book in the ‘Bluebird Basin’ series and I was excited for Davis and Kevin’s story. I felt for both of them and loved the end, but I think the older characters in the first two books worked a little better for me than this one did.
Wish You Were Here is the third book in the ‘Bluebird Basin’ series and I was excited for Davis and Kevin’s story. I felt for both of them and loved the end, but I think the older characters in the first two books worked a little better for me than this one did.
Audio book source: Hoopla
Story Rating: 3.5 stars
Narrators: Alexa Elmy & Willem Bloom
Narration Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Romance
Length: 11h 54m
June 19, 2025
The book tackled the topic of addiction with care, but left romance and the heroine’s personality somewhere in the draft folder.
May 22, 2025
This is the most thoughtful second chance romance I've ever read. It's angsty and it made me cry. It's the kind of romance that affirms how much I love this genre.
Kev relapsed while living in a sober living home and broke Davis's heart in the process. While he's away at rehab, she tries to figure out how to move forward without him. She never wants to experience that pain again and she needs to figure out what she's going to do with her life, since she dropped out of grad school. When Kev returns to Little Timber, he knows he has no right to anything with Davis. He has to focus on his recovery and work through the shame and trauma that led to his addiction.
Kev and Davis still want each other though, even if she has trouble forgiving him and they know the timing is all wrong, paving the way for my favorite niche trope: Normal Friend Stuff. I was impressed with their ability to forge a new friendship, albeit one with chemistry simmering under the surface. They both have things they need to work through before they can give their relationship another shot.
This was made clear by Kev going through the process of groveling, not only with Davis but the other people he hurt. I loved the idea of extending the grovel. So often our actions hurt more than the person we're in a relationship with. In this instance, Kev's relapse scared many people who had been walking alongside him at Little Timber. He has to make amends and it doesn't happen all at once. He grows and changes in word and deed. It takes time and that makes it all the more meaningful. No one owes Kev another chance or forgiveness—though he does get both—and watching him go through the steps and then make amends with others made this one of the best grovels I've ever read.
A few other things I loved: Kev gives Davis letters from rehab that he never sent and she gives him a shoebox of notes she wrote while he was away. All of the Little Timber men. The guys buy him clothes and shoes from Goodwill (a true sacrifice!) before his date with Davis and The spotlight on equine therapy—while I would have liked more explanation of how it works and more hands on scenes of Kev learning and receiving instructions, the role of horses was very powerful. Then there was a very refreshing family planning discussion in which Kev and Davis acknowledged birth control isn't foolproof and Kev talks about how he wouldn't be in a good place mentally to deal with an unplanned pregnancy. They decide to pull out (still not foolproof) or use condoms to ensure pregnancy prevention. This should be standard but it's rare to find in romance so I have to shout it out.
While I genuinely loved the story itself with my whole heart, I needed a little more from the depiction of the sober living home and role of therapy. However, it's possible some of my issues are because I didn't read the first book where some of this might have been explained. That said, if this book is to function as a standalone and since Kev is coming off of a relapse, it would have been helpful to get more details about the program and see how Kev is working to process his addiction. The inclusion of therapy for Kev (and Davis) would have been a good way to round this out. I was surprised no one ever encouraged Davis to see anyone while Kev was away. She was not only dealing with the trauma of his relapse but her dad's heinous actions (from book 1) and certainly could have used the support. I also wanted to know about any guidelines around starting a romantic relationship while in recovery, since the conventional wisdom is generally nothing until after a year of sobriety. While Kev and Davis take things very slow, I was surprised this wasn't addressed more explicitly by Madigan. That said, addiction recovery is far from my area of expertise so I'll defer to those in the field.
Very much looking forward to Hardy's next book! I'll be thinking about the way she elevated the grovel for a long time to come.
Characters: Davis is a white grad school dropout in her mid 20s. Her family dog is named Murphy. Kev is a 28 year old white man in a sober living home who builds trails and works with horses as part of his recovery. He primarily works with a Mustang mare named River. This is set in Red Falls/Bluebird Basin, MT.
Content notes: substance abuse, overdose/relapse (after 9 months sober), sober living home, alcoholism (secondary character), depression, anxiety, nightmare, perceived infidelity , FMC is estranged from her father , past drug assault, secondary character estranged from alcoholic husband, arthritis (secondary character), cognitive decline (secondary character's mom), vomit, weight loss (can't eat), past child physical abuse and neglect, past foster care, past abandonment by MMC's alcoholic father at 12 years old (later found out he was in prison), past juvenile detention and jail, past death of MMC's mother (substance abuse), past death of MMC's grandparents/guardians (sepsis, heart attack), past death of FMC's grandfather, family planning discussion, baby epilogue, on page sex, edging, alcohol (not around MMC), inebriation, ableist language, hyperbolic language around addiction, "clean" used in terms of addiction, references to cancer research (FMC's old program)
Kev relapsed while living in a sober living home and broke Davis's heart in the process. While he's away at rehab, she tries to figure out how to move forward without him. She never wants to experience that pain again and she needs to figure out what she's going to do with her life, since she dropped out of grad school. When Kev returns to Little Timber, he knows he has no right to anything with Davis. He has to focus on his recovery and work through the shame and trauma that led to his addiction.
Kev and Davis still want each other though, even if she has trouble forgiving him and they know the timing is all wrong, paving the way for my favorite niche trope: Normal Friend Stuff. I was impressed with their ability to forge a new friendship, albeit one with chemistry simmering under the surface. They both have things they need to work through before they can give their relationship another shot.
This was made clear by Kev going through the process of groveling, not only with Davis but the other people he hurt. I loved the idea of extending the grovel. So often our actions hurt more than the person we're in a relationship with. In this instance, Kev's relapse scared many people who had been walking alongside him at Little Timber. He has to make amends and it doesn't happen all at once. He grows and changes in word and deed. It takes time and that makes it all the more meaningful. No one owes Kev another chance or forgiveness—though he does get both—and watching him go through the steps and then make amends with others made this one of the best grovels I've ever read.
A few other things I loved: Kev gives Davis letters from rehab that he never sent and she gives him a shoebox of notes she wrote while he was away. All of the Little Timber men. The guys buy him clothes and shoes from Goodwill (a true sacrifice!) before his date with Davis and The spotlight on equine therapy—while I would have liked more explanation of how it works and more hands on scenes of Kev learning and receiving instructions, the role of horses was very powerful. Then there was a very refreshing family planning discussion in which Kev and Davis acknowledged birth control isn't foolproof and Kev talks about how he wouldn't be in a good place mentally to deal with an unplanned pregnancy. They decide to pull out (still not foolproof) or use condoms to ensure pregnancy prevention. This should be standard but it's rare to find in romance so I have to shout it out.
While I genuinely loved the story itself with my whole heart, I needed a little more from the depiction of the sober living home and role of therapy. However, it's possible some of my issues are because I didn't read the first book where some of this might have been explained. That said, if this book is to function as a standalone and since Kev is coming off of a relapse, it would have been helpful to get more details about the program and see how Kev is working to process his addiction. The inclusion of therapy for Kev (and Davis) would have been a good way to round this out. I was surprised no one ever encouraged Davis to see anyone while Kev was away. She was not only dealing with the trauma of his relapse but her dad's heinous actions (from book 1) and certainly could have used the support. I also wanted to know about any guidelines around starting a romantic relationship while in recovery, since the conventional wisdom is generally nothing until after a year of sobriety. While Kev and Davis take things very slow, I was surprised this wasn't addressed more explicitly by Madigan. That said, addiction recovery is far from my area of expertise so I'll defer to those in the field.
Very much looking forward to Hardy's next book! I'll be thinking about the way she elevated the grovel for a long time to come.
Characters: Davis is a white grad school dropout in her mid 20s. Her family dog is named Murphy. Kev is a 28 year old white man in a sober living home who builds trails and works with horses as part of his recovery. He primarily works with a Mustang mare named River. This is set in Red Falls/Bluebird Basin, MT.
Content notes: substance abuse, overdose/relapse (after 9 months sober), sober living home, alcoholism (secondary character), depression, anxiety, nightmare, perceived infidelity , FMC is estranged from her father , past drug assault, secondary character estranged from alcoholic husband, arthritis (secondary character), cognitive decline (secondary character's mom), vomit, weight loss (can't eat), past child physical abuse and neglect, past foster care, past abandonment by MMC's alcoholic father at 12 years old (later found out he was in prison), past juvenile detention and jail, past death of MMC's mother (substance abuse), past death of MMC's grandparents/guardians (sepsis, heart attack), past death of FMC's grandfather, family planning discussion, baby epilogue, on page sex, edging, alcohol (not around MMC), inebriation, ableist language, hyperbolic language around addiction, "clean" used in terms of addiction, references to cancer research (FMC's old program)
March 17, 2025
Thanks Jess K Hardy for the early peek at this book out 4/22 (which I had already pre-ordered).
The Bluebird Basin series is rightly celebrated for is portrayal of Gen-X romance, people in their late 40s-50s who have lived full lives, and are finding love again. In the background of the previous books was the story of Davis and Kev. Davis is the daughter of Ashley, who married Little Timber sober home director Madigan in Come As You Are. Kev is one of the recovering addicts living and working at Bluebird Basin. They are immediately drawn to each other, but given the circumstances are in slow-flirt mode for that book. In the second book Lips Like Sugar, Kev's relapse triggers the Low Moment for MCs Cole and Mira, who feel responsible for allowing it. In Kev and Ashley's book we find out what happened to have them grow apart, and the long, hard path back together.
This was the first addiction/recovery romance I had read. It's different; the characters spend a lot of time apart while they both (but mostly Kev) work on themselves and their issues. Hardy does a great job of reminding us (and them) of their connection even while the characters are separated and are rebuilding their relationship. There's a metaphor running through the book of the trust Kev builds with a damaged horse, and the trust he is building with himself. Honestly, I have never been more emotionally invested in a horse eating an apple.
It's so comforting to read a book and know you are in capable hands to steer you through. Just when I would get impatient for something to happen, it would happen, or a needed conversation takes place. A character reads young for his age? I remember that he spent years in stasis, or never had the development of a normal teen. A character holds onto anger long after everyone else has let it go? Maybe she needs that shield to feel protected in an unsafe world. I got frustrated reading that Ashley was letting her husband's work be put ahead of her protecting daughter's mental health, but realized that she, like the other characters (and like the author) are trusting each other to know what they can handle, and to ask for what they need (and also, of course, Kev needed to come back for Romance Reasons).
With exceptional skill and sensitivity, Hardy is exactly able to capture the devastation and anger that one wrong decision, one wrong moment can cause. She is so good at getting to the underlying feeling of just GAH I wish it just had never happened and destroyed what we had. "'What do you want me to do?' Hold me. Kiss me. Never have changed. Never have pulled away. Never have left." This is an incredibly slow burn of a book, Kev and Ashley have to take it slow, "because she deserves your steadiness" and to make sure the foundations are there for a strong future. But the pacing of the story is so compelling that it never felt like it lagged. It helps that Hardy can really craft some beautiful prose.
Hardy's male characters are the most emotionally aware one might ever read. Maybe its all that Little Timber group work, maybe its just that Madigan and Cole are canonically easy cryers and model it for others. Men speak appreciatively of their friendships, they make amends with each other and hug it out, they talk about how the patriarchy sets men up for loneliness, and they say I love you to each other out loud. And of course, in a meta sort of way, they all read romance novels (not uncommon for incarcerated men). And they read them for the same reason we all do, "I felt safe reading about that bad stuff because the ending was always happy. Like, the characters went through even worse [stuff] than I'd been though, but everything always worked out. Everyone always got their happily ever after. I think I needed that."
If you have read the rest of the series, you will find a lot to love here (and if you haven't, you can start with this book). There are continued glimpses of Madigan and Cole (never enough Cole), and a rich setting full of potential for future books. Personally I would prefer that Hardy go back to the cohort of 50-something friends finding their HEAs, because she's filling a vast gap in the romance canon there, but I trust this author to craft something I'm going to want to read no matter what she does.
The Bluebird Basin series is rightly celebrated for is portrayal of Gen-X romance, people in their late 40s-50s who have lived full lives, and are finding love again. In the background of the previous books was the story of Davis and Kev. Davis is the daughter of Ashley, who married Little Timber sober home director Madigan in Come As You Are. Kev is one of the recovering addicts living and working at Bluebird Basin. They are immediately drawn to each other, but given the circumstances are in slow-flirt mode for that book. In the second book Lips Like Sugar, Kev's relapse triggers the Low Moment for MCs Cole and Mira, who feel responsible for allowing it. In Kev and Ashley's book we find out what happened to have them grow apart, and the long, hard path back together.
This was the first addiction/recovery romance I had read. It's different; the characters spend a lot of time apart while they both (but mostly Kev) work on themselves and their issues. Hardy does a great job of reminding us (and them) of their connection even while the characters are separated and are rebuilding their relationship. There's a metaphor running through the book of the trust Kev builds with a damaged horse, and the trust he is building with himself. Honestly, I have never been more emotionally invested in a horse eating an apple.
It's so comforting to read a book and know you are in capable hands to steer you through. Just when I would get impatient for something to happen, it would happen, or a needed conversation takes place. A character reads young for his age? I remember that he spent years in stasis, or never had the development of a normal teen. A character holds onto anger long after everyone else has let it go? Maybe she needs that shield to feel protected in an unsafe world. I got frustrated reading that Ashley was letting her husband's work be put ahead of her protecting daughter's mental health, but realized that she, like the other characters (and like the author) are trusting each other to know what they can handle, and to ask for what they need (and also, of course, Kev needed to come back for Romance Reasons).
With exceptional skill and sensitivity, Hardy is exactly able to capture the devastation and anger that one wrong decision, one wrong moment can cause. She is so good at getting to the underlying feeling of just GAH I wish it just had never happened and destroyed what we had. "'What do you want me to do?' Hold me. Kiss me. Never have changed. Never have pulled away. Never have left." This is an incredibly slow burn of a book, Kev and Ashley have to take it slow, "because she deserves your steadiness" and to make sure the foundations are there for a strong future. But the pacing of the story is so compelling that it never felt like it lagged. It helps that Hardy can really craft some beautiful prose.
Hardy's male characters are the most emotionally aware one might ever read. Maybe its all that Little Timber group work, maybe its just that Madigan and Cole are canonically easy cryers and model it for others. Men speak appreciatively of their friendships, they make amends with each other and hug it out, they talk about how the patriarchy sets men up for loneliness, and they say I love you to each other out loud. And of course, in a meta sort of way, they all read romance novels (not uncommon for incarcerated men). And they read them for the same reason we all do, "I felt safe reading about that bad stuff because the ending was always happy. Like, the characters went through even worse [stuff] than I'd been though, but everything always worked out. Everyone always got their happily ever after. I think I needed that."
If you have read the rest of the series, you will find a lot to love here (and if you haven't, you can start with this book). There are continued glimpses of Madigan and Cole (never enough Cole), and a rich setting full of potential for future books. Personally I would prefer that Hardy go back to the cohort of 50-something friends finding their HEAs, because she's filling a vast gap in the romance canon there, but I trust this author to craft something I'm going to want to read no matter what she does.
July 4, 2025
This series has been a wonderful surprise. Book 1 and 2 are mature romance where the main characters are in their forties and fifties. This book centers around Davis and Kev. Both in their twenties. They appear in the previous books but Wish You Were Here can be read as a standalone.
This is a second chance and man did Davis and Kev fight. For themselves and their way back to one another. I really enjoyed their story. Heavy on emotion and struggles. It’s a slow burn and I liked that cause what they were fighting for took and needed time. Their love was so strong and beautiful.
I really hope I get more from this world cause this ensemble has captured my heart.
This is a second chance and man did Davis and Kev fight. For themselves and their way back to one another. I really enjoyed their story. Heavy on emotion and struggles. It’s a slow burn and I liked that cause what they were fighting for took and needed time. Their love was so strong and beautiful.
I really hope I get more from this world cause this ensemble has captured my heart.
June 20, 2025
Really, really emotional in the best ways. One for the horse girls.
April 21, 2025
My gosh, for someone deep in a reading slump to devour this book quickly and be emotionally wrecked (but in a good way) is really saying something. Before starting the book, check the content warnings as they feature prominently. If you are okay with them, then delay no further! This is one of the most emotionally charged romances I have read in a long time. It struck the perfect balance between being emotionally charged with pining and self discovery, while not feeling drawn out and manufactured. The reader is immediately invested in the characters - they feel real, gritty and honest. This isn't a light and fluffy romance, but it also has some of the most delightful scenes and easy humor.
As for the "spice" - and I put that in quotes, because it feels so integral to the story and not like a separate aspect added in for bonus points - was also honest and natural. There was no exaggeration or more than was needed, each scene was perfectly timed in the overall story and character arcs. This was also exceptionally done in Come As You Are. Come As You Are was my favorite in the series, but this one may have knocked it off its pedestal. I hope for many more in this series, I am now FULLY invested in every single side character and their well-being.
Thank you to Jess K Hardy and NetGalley for a digital advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
As for the "spice" - and I put that in quotes, because it feels so integral to the story and not like a separate aspect added in for bonus points - was also honest and natural. There was no exaggeration or more than was needed, each scene was perfectly timed in the overall story and character arcs. This was also exceptionally done in Come As You Are. Come As You Are was my favorite in the series, but this one may have knocked it off its pedestal. I hope for many more in this series, I am now FULLY invested in every single side character and their well-being.
Thank you to Jess K Hardy and NetGalley for a digital advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
April 26, 2025
4 Stars for Wishing I Was There
Wrenching, sexy, and a good dose of funny. The main problem is most of the plot happens prior to this book. The good news is that Come As You Are, the first book in this series, is a 5-star wonder. Read it first.
✔️ Dual POVs (Kev x Davis)
✔️ Set in Idaho
✔️ Open-door contemporary romance (3/5🌶️)
✔️ Tropes: Second-chance romance
⚠️ CW: Addiction, child neglect (off page)
Wrenching, sexy, and a good dose of funny. The main problem is most of the plot happens prior to this book. The good news is that Come As You Are, the first book in this series, is a 5-star wonder. Read it first.
✔️ Dual POVs (Kev x Davis)
✔️ Set in Idaho
✔️ Open-door contemporary romance (3/5🌶️)
✔️ Tropes: Second-chance romance
⚠️ CW: Addiction, child neglect (off page)
June 5, 2025
What worked for me:
✔️ the characters were raw and well developed and relatable
✔️ I loved that it wasn't fluffy. This had grit and was emotional
✔️ I loved the "found family" aspect and the group of support that both Davis and Kev have
What didn't work for me:
🚫 I didn't fall in love with the main characters as much in this book as I have in other romance books. I'm a sucker for swoon, and while you get yearning and growth, it felt more like a personal journey than a romance book
🚫 It felt drawn out. I don't mean that I didn't like the slow burn, I just sometimes wished it were faster paced
If you liked this book, you might like: Saving 6 and Redeeming 6 by Chloe Walsh (but the characters are much younger than Davis and Kev), the 2000 show “Higher Ground,” the tv show “Euphoria” (maybe)
-Synopsis and Review-
I liked the content of this story - about an addict and someone who loves an addict. It hit close to home, so it was difficult, at times, for me to read. I sadly didn't realize this was the third book in a series until I started reading and I do think that without the context of the other characters, you get lost a bit. That said, if you're able to jump into books, this could be a standalone.
It follows Davis and Kev a few months after Kev's addiction leads to Davis' heartbreak. The two then partake on their own journeys of self-discovery, personal growth and healing. It's heavy and emotional.
Thank you to NetGalley, Victory Editing, Pinkity Publishing and Jess K Hardy for this eARC. This was my honest review.
✔️ the characters were raw and well developed and relatable
✔️ I loved that it wasn't fluffy. This had grit and was emotional
✔️ I loved the "found family" aspect and the group of support that both Davis and Kev have
What didn't work for me:
🚫 I didn't fall in love with the main characters as much in this book as I have in other romance books. I'm a sucker for swoon, and while you get yearning and growth, it felt more like a personal journey than a romance book
🚫 It felt drawn out. I don't mean that I didn't like the slow burn, I just sometimes wished it were faster paced
If you liked this book, you might like: Saving 6 and Redeeming 6 by Chloe Walsh (but the characters are much younger than Davis and Kev), the 2000 show “Higher Ground,” the tv show “Euphoria” (maybe)
-Synopsis and Review-
I liked the content of this story - about an addict and someone who loves an addict. It hit close to home, so it was difficult, at times, for me to read. I sadly didn't realize this was the third book in a series until I started reading and I do think that without the context of the other characters, you get lost a bit. That said, if you're able to jump into books, this could be a standalone.
It follows Davis and Kev a few months after Kev's addiction leads to Davis' heartbreak. The two then partake on their own journeys of self-discovery, personal growth and healing. It's heavy and emotional.
Thank you to NetGalley, Victory Editing, Pinkity Publishing and Jess K Hardy for this eARC. This was my honest review.
September 9, 2025
3.5 stars
March 21, 2025
I read this ARC last weekend. I devoured it. I read it and cried. So many real tears. Last night I woke up at 3:45AM (perimenopause can fuck right off) and immediately thought, “Kev and Darren… Damon… DAVIS! Kev and Davis worked so hard to be completely honest with each other. The shoebox. 🥹”
The beautiful, difficult path that Kev and Davis take to truly learn and know one another was heartbreaking and healing to read. I will be thinking about this book for a long time.
The beautiful, difficult path that Kev and Davis take to truly learn and know one another was heartbreaking and healing to read. I will be thinking about this book for a long time.
May 4, 2025
I enjoyed the gen x main characters in the first two Bluebird books and felt welcomed by the familiar location and cast of characters. I was less interested in the young 20-somethings in this one. The healthy, supportive relationships among the men in recovery were refreshing, and I appreciated the inclusion of a trans character. Recommended if you are into horses, stories about addiction, and small towns.
July 22, 2025
I like this series featuring recovering addicts who try to rebuild their lives and find love along the way.
The first two books focus on older MCs (the male MC in book 2 is in fact a grandfather in his early 50s) and I really liked seeing mature characters with complicated and colourful pasts living their best lives.
This book is different, it's characters are in their 20s, this is sort of second chance (the male MC relapsed in book 2) and now is back trying to get his life back on track. And win back the love he lost.
It is a very emotional story, rather angsty, fitting the the younger protagonists.
Both MCs went through an emotional hell, they had to do a lot of soul-searching and finding answers for themselves before they could attempt to repair their relationship. I really liked seeing them work through their stuff. With some help from their friends and family.
The horse therapy was interesting though it could do with some more details, especially with regard to the other recovering addicts.
Two minor issues I had refer to the intimacy aspect in the story. The numerous interrupted encounters between the MCs when it comes to intimacy fell too much. We know already they have strong chemistry, there is no need to read about it every other page. The "we can't/shouldn't" were not necessary, one time was enough.
Then the whole intimacy episode with the permission asked for/granted, with the whole community getting involved so that they can finally be together, it felt wrong to me. Too many people were involved in something so personal.
Either way, these are minor complaints and overall I enjoyed the book a lot. It is just different than the first two.
PS: It has the sweetest, most feel-good, happy epilogue!
CW: addiction, relapse, time in rehab (no details), child neglect (in the past), death of a parent due to addiction (in the past)
The first two books focus on older MCs (the male MC in book 2 is in fact a grandfather in his early 50s) and I really liked seeing mature characters with complicated and colourful pasts living their best lives.
This book is different, it's characters are in their 20s, this is sort of second chance (the male MC relapsed in book 2) and now is back trying to get his life back on track. And win back the love he lost.
It is a very emotional story, rather angsty, fitting the the younger protagonists.
Both MCs went through an emotional hell, they had to do a lot of soul-searching and finding answers for themselves before they could attempt to repair their relationship. I really liked seeing them work through their stuff. With some help from their friends and family.
The horse therapy was interesting though it could do with some more details, especially with regard to the other recovering addicts.
Two minor issues I had refer to the intimacy aspect in the story. The numerous interrupted encounters between the MCs when it comes to intimacy fell too much. We know already they have strong chemistry, there is no need to read about it every other page. The "we can't/shouldn't" were not necessary, one time was enough.
Then the whole intimacy episode with the permission asked for/granted, with the whole community getting involved so that they can finally be together, it felt wrong to me. Too many people were involved in something so personal.
Either way, these are minor complaints and overall I enjoyed the book a lot. It is just different than the first two.
PS: It has the sweetest, most feel-good, happy epilogue!
CW: addiction, relapse, time in rehab (no details), child neglect (in the past), death of a parent due to addiction (in the past)
May 8, 2025
Somehow this excellent series just keeps getting better?
I knew that Davis and Kev were going to be full of angst, pain, and the hardest won second chance, and I was absolutely right. And it was worth all the struggle, stumbling, and lust filled glances to get the happily ever after. This is a wicked slow burn for all the right reasons. Kev relapsed before the story starts, and between going to rehab and trying to put his life back together at Bluebird Basin, he's in no position to start a relationship. And Davis was devastated by Kev's relapse and has a hard time trusting him now that he's back in her life. But despite the trauma, they love each other and they can't help being drawn back together.
Jess is such a master of writing about love, addiction, recovery, community, trauma, and all the ways they overlap. I trusted the journey she wanted to take readers on with this book, and she saw me through to the other side beautifully. There are lovely, self-aware metaphors layered through the story, characters from the earlier books get their moments here, and spending time with Kev doing equine therapy and Davis training for a mountain bike race grounded the story without every overwhelming the love story. Because there is so much love here. It practically oozes out of the pages, and I can't wait to feel it again when I come back to Bluebird Basin.
I knew that Davis and Kev were going to be full of angst, pain, and the hardest won second chance, and I was absolutely right. And it was worth all the struggle, stumbling, and lust filled glances to get the happily ever after. This is a wicked slow burn for all the right reasons. Kev relapsed before the story starts, and between going to rehab and trying to put his life back together at Bluebird Basin, he's in no position to start a relationship. And Davis was devastated by Kev's relapse and has a hard time trusting him now that he's back in her life. But despite the trauma, they love each other and they can't help being drawn back together.
Jess is such a master of writing about love, addiction, recovery, community, trauma, and all the ways they overlap. I trusted the journey she wanted to take readers on with this book, and she saw me through to the other side beautifully. There are lovely, self-aware metaphors layered through the story, characters from the earlier books get their moments here, and spending time with Kev doing equine therapy and Davis training for a mountain bike race grounded the story without every overwhelming the love story. Because there is so much love here. It practically oozes out of the pages, and I can't wait to feel it again when I come back to Bluebird Basin.
May 8, 2025
5 🌟
Spice: open door, veryyy slow burn
I just knew this one was going to be emotional. I was so invested in Davis and Kev in books 1&2. The way these two worked on fixing things was so mature 👏 Kev opening up to her about his rehab and what caused the replase was such a vulnerable moment.
I was equally invested in Kevs relationship with River. His work to only gain her trust was so moving. Group time with the Little Timber guys never fails to leave me tearful. We love guys not afraid to show their emotions.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review
Spice: open door, veryyy slow burn
I just knew this one was going to be emotional. I was so invested in Davis and Kev in books 1&2. The way these two worked on fixing things was so mature 👏 Kev opening up to her about his rehab and what caused the replase was such a vulnerable moment.
I was equally invested in Kevs relationship with River. His work to only gain her trust was so moving. Group time with the Little Timber guys never fails to leave me tearful. We love guys not afraid to show their emotions.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review
April 23, 2025
Damn if Jess K. Hardy can’t write ANOTHER banger of a book! It’s perfect—funny and tender and heartbreaking and sexy as hell, I’m so glad I got to revisit Bluebird Basin. I would highly recommend reading the first two books in this series first (because they too are excellent) for character connections. This is Kev and Davis’s story. Davis is the daughter of Ashley (heroine from Come as You Are) and stepdaughter of Madigan, the head honcho of Little Timber, a men’s sober living facility where love interest Kevin Lowes is a resident. This book begins with the night Davis finds Kev using and his departure from rehab to return to Little Timber. Hardy can write emotion so well and all of the feelings entangled with an addict trying to get his life on track and the anger, frustrations, and hurt from the people who love him. Davis and Kev’s journey is not an easy one by any stretch of the imagination, but it is hard fought so that the HEA is amazingly powerful. This book is deeply rooted in the work is takes to overcome feelings of self-doubt and uncertainty and believing that love and respect are possible when you surround yourself with people also invested in the same things.
Not only is Wish You Were Here emotional, but it’s so funny and you should definitely read it for selfish reasons because it will give you all the butterflies, all the good feelings that come from two characters fighting for their relationship. If you’ve never read her before, Hardy knows how to write one hell of a sex scene and boy does she do Davis and Kev justice from Davis’s horny I-can’t-peel-my-eyes-from-him-even-though-I’m-so-mad-at-him vibes, to Kev’s grand gesture(s) and cornered study room shenanigans. This book is hot with a slowburn that pays off. And if those things aren’t enough, there’s an emotional relationship with a horse, men who cry, wooing with fancy snacks, pet name Baby, a horse who loves peppermints, and Kevin Lowes dirty talk, and men who read romance novels. Please do yourself a favor and read this entire series. I cannot imagine a better place to escape to that inside the world of Bluebird Basin. I received an early copy from the author, all opinions are my own.
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Vibes: 😡😥🤞🏻💪😏🤣🚴♀️🐎🔥💥💥💥😍😊😍😊😍😊
Steam: 🪭🪭🪭
CW: drug addiction/relapse, child abandonment (off page but discussed)
Not only is Wish You Were Here emotional, but it’s so funny and you should definitely read it for selfish reasons because it will give you all the butterflies, all the good feelings that come from two characters fighting for their relationship. If you’ve never read her before, Hardy knows how to write one hell of a sex scene and boy does she do Davis and Kev justice from Davis’s horny I-can’t-peel-my-eyes-from-him-even-though-I’m-so-mad-at-him vibes, to Kev’s grand gesture(s) and cornered study room shenanigans. This book is hot with a slowburn that pays off. And if those things aren’t enough, there’s an emotional relationship with a horse, men who cry, wooing with fancy snacks, pet name Baby, a horse who loves peppermints, and Kevin Lowes dirty talk, and men who read romance novels. Please do yourself a favor and read this entire series. I cannot imagine a better place to escape to that inside the world of Bluebird Basin. I received an early copy from the author, all opinions are my own.
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Vibes: 😡😥🤞🏻💪😏🤣🚴♀️🐎🔥💥💥💥😍😊😍😊😍😊
Steam: 🪭🪭🪭
CW: drug addiction/relapse, child abandonment (off page but discussed)
April 11, 2025
My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Gah!! I live this author. The third book in this series did NOT disappoint. I love that the main male character reads romance novels. As a substance abuse counselor, it is so great to see treatment, recovery, and sober living written about in a mainstream novel. People can and do recover.
April 8, 2025
This series has never shied away from emotional intensity, and this instalment takes that to a whole new level. The first book had its fair share of angst, but it also carried a romantic, swoony undercurrent that gave the heaviness some lift. This one? It hits hard—and keeps hitting.
Davis and Kev are not your typical second-chance couple. Their love story is threaded with addiction, heartbreak, and a profound sense of loss. Davis still aches from the emotional fallout of Kev’s relapse—how he left, how she couldn’t save him, how the drugs won. When he returns to the sober living home her mother runs, there’s no warm reunion—just wary glances, tightly held emotions, and the kind of pain that doesn’t fade with time.
We met Davis in the first book, and while I missed the second, I expected to pick up on the emotional continuity. But I found myself searching for more context around her and Kev’s bond—something that could ground the depth of their connection. Their feelings are intense, no doubt, but sometimes I felt like I was meant to already know how deep the love ran, rather than experience it unfolding on the page.
Still, there’s no denying that these two are tethered by something fierce. Kev’s only just begun his recovery—just 30 days sober—and Davis is grappling with the kind of betrayal that cuts deep. There’s also an undercurrent of uncertainty: another woman may or may not have been involved, and Davis is left piecing things together, raw and reeling.
What follows is not an easy road. The emotional terrain is jagged and relentless. There are no quick fixes, no easy forgiveness, no typical romantic gestures to sweep the pain away. And honestly? At times I wondered if they were meant to be together—or if loving each other meant letting go.
But the story stays true to itself. It’s about healing, growth, and the slow, often painful journey back to trust. If you’re in the mood for a romance that doesn’t sugarcoat the hard stuff—one that explores what it means to choose someone again after everything—this will land exactly where it’s meant to.
For me, while I appreciated the emotional honesty and the writing itself, I found myself missing that visceral, heart-clutching swoon that makes me fall hard in romance. This one didn’t quite give me that “ride or die” feeling—it felt more like two people learning how to survive, and maybe, just maybe, finding their way back to each other.
3 stars
I received an ARC from NetGalley, and all opinions in this review are my own.
Davis and Kev are not your typical second-chance couple. Their love story is threaded with addiction, heartbreak, and a profound sense of loss. Davis still aches from the emotional fallout of Kev’s relapse—how he left, how she couldn’t save him, how the drugs won. When he returns to the sober living home her mother runs, there’s no warm reunion—just wary glances, tightly held emotions, and the kind of pain that doesn’t fade with time.
We met Davis in the first book, and while I missed the second, I expected to pick up on the emotional continuity. But I found myself searching for more context around her and Kev’s bond—something that could ground the depth of their connection. Their feelings are intense, no doubt, but sometimes I felt like I was meant to already know how deep the love ran, rather than experience it unfolding on the page.
Still, there’s no denying that these two are tethered by something fierce. Kev’s only just begun his recovery—just 30 days sober—and Davis is grappling with the kind of betrayal that cuts deep. There’s also an undercurrent of uncertainty: another woman may or may not have been involved, and Davis is left piecing things together, raw and reeling.
What follows is not an easy road. The emotional terrain is jagged and relentless. There are no quick fixes, no easy forgiveness, no typical romantic gestures to sweep the pain away. And honestly? At times I wondered if they were meant to be together—or if loving each other meant letting go.
But the story stays true to itself. It’s about healing, growth, and the slow, often painful journey back to trust. If you’re in the mood for a romance that doesn’t sugarcoat the hard stuff—one that explores what it means to choose someone again after everything—this will land exactly where it’s meant to.
For me, while I appreciated the emotional honesty and the writing itself, I found myself missing that visceral, heart-clutching swoon that makes me fall hard in romance. This one didn’t quite give me that “ride or die” feeling—it felt more like two people learning how to survive, and maybe, just maybe, finding their way back to each other.
3 stars
I received an ARC from NetGalley, and all opinions in this review are my own.
April 13, 2025
Jess K Hardy has become one of my new favorite writers. She writes about Gen X’ers and relatable struggles for this generation. Love stories that feel real and relatable. However, as a continuation of the Bluebird series, she steps into Gen Z generation to give us Davis and Kevin’s story which started in the previous two books. There are some heavy topics tackled with drug relapse, parental abandonment and rehabilitation. I wasn’t sure at first about their story because most of their story in previous books happened off page as side notes to the main stories. Davis is the daughter of the main character of book 1 so it is helpful to read those previous books but you could possibly read this as a stand alone.
The story starts with the relapse of Kevin’s addiction. It felt like I jumped into their relationship mid story. However, Ms Hardy takes us back to their early relationship and weaves their love story through flashbacks. There is an intensity that leaps off the page and I would say this book is emotional and at times overwhelming. The love story foundation is there but at the heart is the slow evolution of Kevin learning to care about himself. The scenes with Kevin and River the horse are so beautiful and emotional.
I loved the epilogue and the authors note letting us know that Jen and Scotty’s story is coming next. Hooray for another Gen X love story. Check this out!
The story starts with the relapse of Kevin’s addiction. It felt like I jumped into their relationship mid story. However, Ms Hardy takes us back to their early relationship and weaves their love story through flashbacks. There is an intensity that leaps off the page and I would say this book is emotional and at times overwhelming. The love story foundation is there but at the heart is the slow evolution of Kevin learning to care about himself. The scenes with Kevin and River the horse are so beautiful and emotional.
I loved the epilogue and the authors note letting us know that Jen and Scotty’s story is coming next. Hooray for another Gen X love story. Check this out!
April 13, 2025
i was so surprised - i didn’t know this book was a thing until i saw it on netgalley! one of my favorite series (the first two books were bangers). while this one wasn’t quite as good as the others, it WAS still good (went from a 3.5 to a 4 in the last third). this one dealt a lot more with addiction, recovery, and felt more emotional overall.
#netgalley
#netgalley
April 18, 2025
This is an unexpected, emotional and great second chance romance. I read this book despite how much I don't like the cover. I'm also not usually a fan of this trope but this one was worth it. Well paced, perfectly built tension, great cast of characters and extremely well researched to deal with sensitive topics like drug addiction, relapse, child abuse (referenced in past tense) and more. I had not previously read any other books by this author or in this series and will go back to read the rest.
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for giving me access to the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for giving me access to the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
April 3, 2025
A huge thank you to the author for gifting me her book!! ❤️ This was a second-chance romance between Kevin and Davis. This is the third book in the series, but it can be read as a stand-alone. Triggers of addiction, discussions of drug use, and discussions of abuse. After six months of intense rehab, Kevin was back at Little Timber, a sober living house that Davis's family-owned. After, reconnecting with each other after six months apart, they relearned how to be together in a healthier way. I truly enjoyed reading their love story. Kevin and Davis loved each other deeply but had to relearn how to heal and grow together. The love story was sweet and featured some hot and steamy scenes that I loved. I loved how training a wild horse helped Kevin gain insight into himself and his own healing. I also loved that Davis learned to love herself, which allowed her to be a better person and take the time to figure out her future. The supporting characters were fantastic. I definitely want to read more about them in the future. The ending was adorable. Overall, it was a sweet and lovely love story. Thanks again to the author for my ARC!
April 7, 2025
If you're after an emotional read, this one's for you.
We learn a little about Kev and Davis in the previous two books, with Kev relapsing towards the end of the last story. Throughout this book, Kev is working on healing himself from his past trauma and battle with addiction, whilst trying to win back Davis.
Very emotional with some hard hitting topics, but wonderfully written
We learn a little about Kev and Davis in the previous two books, with Kev relapsing towards the end of the last story. Throughout this book, Kev is working on healing himself from his past trauma and battle with addiction, whilst trying to win back Davis.
Very emotional with some hard hitting topics, but wonderfully written
June 11, 2025
“If someone came along right now and gave me the chance to start over, to have all the things I grew up without, to have a happy, normal childhood, I wouldn’t take it. I wouldn’t fucking take it. I’d go through my same life again, over and over a thousand times. As long as it meant I got to meet you at the end.” - Kevin Lowes❤️
This series is SO underrated! I thought that Ashley and Madigan were my favorites but Kev and Davis are a close second. Parts of this story really hit home for me (I sobbed through at least 1/3 of this book) but it was so worth it!
I hope Jess Hardy continues this series because I’ll be here to read every single one!
This series is SO underrated! I thought that Ashley and Madigan were my favorites but Kev and Davis are a close second. Parts of this story really hit home for me (I sobbed through at least 1/3 of this book) but it was so worth it!
I hope Jess Hardy continues this series because I’ll be here to read every single one!
Read
May 16, 2025DNF @ 47%.
I appreciate that both characters have to work on themselves, but the story seems stuck in the 'I love you, you broke my heart' stage. They are *just* exchanging letters from the missing years at almost 50% through the book.
I appreciate that both characters have to work on themselves, but the story seems stuck in the 'I love you, you broke my heart' stage. They are *just* exchanging letters from the missing years at almost 50% through the book.
April 30, 2025
TLDR: This is an angsty, heartfelt, heartbreaking and promising second chance slow-burn of a romance chocked full of pining but also fear, uncertainty and recovery.
Review:
I could tell from the synopsis that Wish You Were Here was going to be intense, but when I tell you that it wrecked me in the best ways, I do not joke. I wish I could be reading this book for the first time again, already.
The book opens with Davis unable to sleep and so upset and anxious she feels sick. Something has happened with her boyfriend, Kev, and while it’s unclear what exactly happened, it’s messed her up. The next chapter, the reader meets Kev as he is finishing rehab after relapsing. He is full of guilt, remorse, self-hatred, and he’s exhausted with life and trying to be a better person than he feels he is.
Clearly, Jess K. Hardy pulls no punches with the circumstances Kev and Davis find themselves in - these characters are real, tender and flawed and I couldn’t help but root for them from Page 1. In fact, I was in looooove with this story from the get-go. The unique Romance set-up, the mastery of pining the Hardy writes, the build-up of the emotional and romantic tension - I knew this was a 5 Star book before I was even half-way through it.
And while this is a Romance, Hardy spent the time building Kev and Davis as characters so that the other aspects of their lives were not only important to the plot, but drove their own motivations outside of their attraction to one another. I mean, as a Romance Reader, I was here for the HEA but when an author can make me think that maybe actually it won’t work out for the couple - that’s good shit, right there.
This will be in my Top Romances of 2025, easily.
Obligatory: This book can be read as a stand-alone, and Hardy does a good job catching a reader up on the previous events so that someone new to Blue Basin Ranch won’t feel left out or info-dumped on…but the series is well worth a read as a whole, especially for all the relationship building between the (main and minor!) characters that goes on in previous books.
Review:
I could tell from the synopsis that Wish You Were Here was going to be intense, but when I tell you that it wrecked me in the best ways, I do not joke. I wish I could be reading this book for the first time again, already.
The book opens with Davis unable to sleep and so upset and anxious she feels sick. Something has happened with her boyfriend, Kev, and while it’s unclear what exactly happened, it’s messed her up. The next chapter, the reader meets Kev as he is finishing rehab after relapsing. He is full of guilt, remorse, self-hatred, and he’s exhausted with life and trying to be a better person than he feels he is.
Clearly, Jess K. Hardy pulls no punches with the circumstances Kev and Davis find themselves in - these characters are real, tender and flawed and I couldn’t help but root for them from Page 1. In fact, I was in looooove with this story from the get-go. The unique Romance set-up, the mastery of pining the Hardy writes, the build-up of the emotional and romantic tension - I knew this was a 5 Star book before I was even half-way through it.
And while this is a Romance, Hardy spent the time building Kev and Davis as characters so that the other aspects of their lives were not only important to the plot, but drove their own motivations outside of their attraction to one another. I mean, as a Romance Reader, I was here for the HEA but when an author can make me think that maybe actually it won’t work out for the couple - that’s good shit, right there.
This will be in my Top Romances of 2025, easily.
Obligatory: This book can be read as a stand-alone, and Hardy does a good job catching a reader up on the previous events so that someone new to Blue Basin Ranch won’t feel left out or info-dumped on…but the series is well worth a read as a whole, especially for all the relationship building between the (main and minor!) characters that goes on in previous books.
April 26, 2025
♾️⭐️
When I finished reading Wish You Were Here, I immediately messaged the author gushing about how much I loved it. I have not felt this way about a book in a long time. It made my whole heart and soul and body hurt in all the good ways. Deep cleansing cries and big, stupid smiles. It was phenomenal- the entire series has been. As a person over the age of 40, the first two books in the series were magical for me to read, and while these characters were younger this one was just OHHHHH MY GOODNESS. Beautiful. I’m going to be thinking about it for a long time, while I wait for Jen and Scott’s book (!!!).
There’s a lot of yearning and pining on both sides in this one. It’s a tough read at times. Loads of sad and emotional moments balanced beautifully by joyful ones. As with the other two books, the plot focuses on a character’s sobriety and his time spent at rehab and a sober living group, and the effect of all that on his burgeoning relationship with Davis. I highly recommend reading the series in order as the characters are mentioned throughout. This one is very low spice with a lot of really sexy slow burn, anticipatory moments leading up to the one big spicy scene…it was worth it. Also worth noting- men opening up to each other emotionally, non-toxic masculinity, refreshing male relationships based in friendship and love…it’s all fabulous.
These are books I’d love to own. I’d reread them often.
When I finished reading Wish You Were Here, I immediately messaged the author gushing about how much I loved it. I have not felt this way about a book in a long time. It made my whole heart and soul and body hurt in all the good ways. Deep cleansing cries and big, stupid smiles. It was phenomenal- the entire series has been. As a person over the age of 40, the first two books in the series were magical for me to read, and while these characters were younger this one was just OHHHHH MY GOODNESS. Beautiful. I’m going to be thinking about it for a long time, while I wait for Jen and Scott’s book (!!!).
There’s a lot of yearning and pining on both sides in this one. It’s a tough read at times. Loads of sad and emotional moments balanced beautifully by joyful ones. As with the other two books, the plot focuses on a character’s sobriety and his time spent at rehab and a sober living group, and the effect of all that on his burgeoning relationship with Davis. I highly recommend reading the series in order as the characters are mentioned throughout. This one is very low spice with a lot of really sexy slow burn, anticipatory moments leading up to the one big spicy scene…it was worth it. Also worth noting- men opening up to each other emotionally, non-toxic masculinity, refreshing male relationships based in friendship and love…it’s all fabulous.
These are books I’d love to own. I’d reread them often.
March 18, 2025
Wish You Were Here by Jess K. Hardy
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’ve been waiting for Kev and Davis’s story since the first book of Bluebird Basin, knowing it would rip my heart out and piece it back together. And it did—beautifully.
“She wouldn’t be fine. They both knew it. But Madigan nodded anyway. Because promises made on broken hearts didn’t count.” 😭😭😭
Kev is back from rehab, determined to do the work. Davis has finally started to find her way again—but just barely. The story that unfolds between them is raw, tender, and achingly real. Their journey is set against the breathtaking backdrop of Bluebird Basin, and Jess K. Hardy does a phenomenal job capturing the painful yet necessary work of forgiveness—both of others and oneself. The way the men of Little Timber rally around them is so life-affirming, a testament to love and found family.
Kev and Davis are at the heart of the interwoven storylines that make this series so special. Seeing Madigan and Ashley, Cole and Mira, and the rest of the Bluebird Basin cast—both familiar and new—was such a joy.
I’ve never read another book quite like this one. Normally, I don’t seek out stories that I know will be a gut punch, but Wish You Were Here is absolutely worth every moment of heartbreak. The last 20% is pure joy, love, and healing—the kind that leaves the best kind of scar.
Thank you, Jess, for the opportunity to read an early copy. This is easily one of my top reads of 2025.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’ve been waiting for Kev and Davis’s story since the first book of Bluebird Basin, knowing it would rip my heart out and piece it back together. And it did—beautifully.
“She wouldn’t be fine. They both knew it. But Madigan nodded anyway. Because promises made on broken hearts didn’t count.” 😭😭😭
Kev is back from rehab, determined to do the work. Davis has finally started to find her way again—but just barely. The story that unfolds between them is raw, tender, and achingly real. Their journey is set against the breathtaking backdrop of Bluebird Basin, and Jess K. Hardy does a phenomenal job capturing the painful yet necessary work of forgiveness—both of others and oneself. The way the men of Little Timber rally around them is so life-affirming, a testament to love and found family.
Kev and Davis are at the heart of the interwoven storylines that make this series so special. Seeing Madigan and Ashley, Cole and Mira, and the rest of the Bluebird Basin cast—both familiar and new—was such a joy.
I’ve never read another book quite like this one. Normally, I don’t seek out stories that I know will be a gut punch, but Wish You Were Here is absolutely worth every moment of heartbreak. The last 20% is pure joy, love, and healing—the kind that leaves the best kind of scar.
Thank you, Jess, for the opportunity to read an early copy. This is easily one of my top reads of 2025.
April 23, 2025
𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴:
✰ 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦
✰ 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺
✰ 𝘤𝘰𝘸𝘣𝘰𝘺 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦
✰ 𝘮𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨
✰ 𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘤
What an emotional heartwarming story!
Wish you were here is a book about healing, redemption, personal growth and support. Kev and Davis broke my heart and pulled it back together.
Seeing them go from being pretty much strangers after his relapse to them slowly finding each other again was beautiful.
This is a cowboy romance but definetely an original one. Being set in a recovery for addicts was something I haven't read in a romance before. I also found the relationship between the men to be endearing and supportive. How it should be really.
Unlike a lot of the books I have recommended lately, this is definetely emotional and deals with a heavy subject matter and I felt like that was handled with such care. And I appreciated that too.
Which is why I highly recommend this book.
*arc kindly provided in exchange of an honest review
✰ 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦
✰ 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺
✰ 𝘤𝘰𝘸𝘣𝘰𝘺 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦
✰ 𝘮𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨
✰ 𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘤
What an emotional heartwarming story!
Wish you were here is a book about healing, redemption, personal growth and support. Kev and Davis broke my heart and pulled it back together.
Seeing them go from being pretty much strangers after his relapse to them slowly finding each other again was beautiful.
This is a cowboy romance but definetely an original one. Being set in a recovery for addicts was something I haven't read in a romance before. I also found the relationship between the men to be endearing and supportive. How it should be really.
Unlike a lot of the books I have recommended lately, this is definetely emotional and deals with a heavy subject matter and I felt like that was handled with such care. And I appreciated that too.
Which is why I highly recommend this book.
*arc kindly provided in exchange of an honest review
Displaying 1 - 30 of 186 reviews