Beautiful Surrender

Whispering Oaks Ranch #2

by Willa Kay

“All I have is time, and I’ll spend every moment of it convincing you that we are worth the risk."

Jaxon
One tragic accident was all it took to turn my life upside down. Now the ranch I once loved feels like a reminder of everything I lost, and keeping people at a distance is the only thing that still makes sense.
Craving a distraction, I create an online identity where I can seek pleasure without the complication of feelings. No expectations. No risk. Until I meet Callie Cooper. At first, she’s just another anonymous subscriber, but she quickly becomes the one connection I can’t walk away from. 
Callie is the only one who lifts the darkness, even if keeping her means breaking every rule I set for myself the day my life fell apart. 

Callie
Fight or flight has been my default setting for as long as I can remember. So when my online crush becomes all too real, I do what I do best. I run. 
Jaxon Hayes hides his damage behind piercing green eyes and a playful grin, and I bury mine beneath a layer of distrust and humility. Our jagged edges don’t fit, but he keeps reaching for me anyway, and I’m starting to wonder what it would feel like to reach back.

Genres: Westerns

Kindle Edition

Expected publication February 16, 2026

About the author

Author of heartwarming small town contemporary romance, Willa is a voracious reader turned writer living in Kentucky. Originally from Canada, she's a photographer by day, and a mom of two, married to her partner for 16 years. Willa's books blend small town swoon with delicious spice, and complex characters.

Reviews

[Irene]

virgin fmc x spicy content creater mmc

he films solo right ? right ?

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐|🌶️🌶️
Beautiful Surrender - Willa Kay

This book completely wrapped itself around my heart. Callie was such a beautiful FMC and one I connected with so deeply. Her backstory is heavy and heartbreaking and she’s very much a woman who has given up on being saved, yet she still falls in love with books. Honestly the perfect FMC for any book girlies. Soft in the places that matter and strong where it counts.

And Jaxon. Ahhh. What a beautifully muddled man. A nerdy hot cowboy with tattoos yes please, but also layered with secrets and depth. And that tongue of his absolutely does not quit. More than anything though he says everything my heart needed to hear. The way he shows up emotionally genuinely felt healing to read.

The connection between Callie and Jaxon was emotional, tender and deeply satisfying. Watching them navigate their pain and choose each other anyway was everything I want in a romance book.

Also Willa Kay you cannot do this to me. I need Griffin’s story immediately. I feel like I’m being edged having to wait until June and I am simply not okay with it. Five stars no hesitation.

[Mara · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I love the Willaverse, and I couldn't wait for this ARC to drop into my inbox.

I fell in love with Jax and all his brokenness in a heartbeat, and I wanted to hug him during the whole novel. Grief is so hard to depict and Willa did it wonderfully. Uncle Jaxy is probably the sweetest thing ever, him taking the girls to story time at the library to get his Calle fill was adorable. I loved being able to get a glimpse of the rest of the characters in the Willaverse.

Callie is such a badass I don't even know where to start with her. She had to do everything on her own and she is so resilient. It's so hard for her to let people in, but when she finally does and she gets the family she deserves... It melted my heart.

They are adorable together, I giggled like a schoolgirl, blushed with the spicy scenes and cried my eyes out. The whole package. Thank you for this wonderful treasure. My first 5-star read of the year.

Can't wait for more love stories in this universe. Apart from Griffin & Angelina, I sensed Noah & Clio and Ben & Catherine... Fingers crossed.

100% recommended!
Happy reading! 💕

[Whatkatie.reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE JAXON!!

I devoured this book. I couldn't put it down.
My heart was broken and put back together all in the same book!
Callie was so relatable, being alone for so long and constantly living in flight or fight. Anyone who has suffered at the hands of someone else understands the loneliness and the difficulty of trusting someone. I feel like this was portrayed and written so beautifully.
Then we have Jaxon. What a tortured soul he is. Blaming himself for things out of his control and battling with his demons. What he did to relax and do to have a connection to someone without needing a connection (no matter how hot 😉 or lucrative it might be).
Nobody deserves happiness more than. these two and I could have kept reading about Callie and Jax 🩷🩷
Thank you so much for this ARC!

[Belize Esperanza Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so so so excited for this i bloody love willa Kays books the minute this got to my kindle i was reading it...
Im going to post thoughts whilst reading so if you don't want any spoilers stop here!!!⚠️⚠️⚠️
1. First of Callie I 100% stand by your actions he deserves it 🔪
2. Oh Callie girl I just want to hug you tight
3. Oh Jackson you're as smooth as your brother.... and will now be referred to as Jax
4. Mo I know your helping but back the fuck up right now.
5. need Jax to see she's living in her car thid second and fix it!
6. Jackson just kiss her she wants it to!
7. Big girl pants Callie, baby
8. Oh jaxc just open up you idiot
9. Bluebird🥺🥺
10. Her tattoo😭oh jax
11. “Fuck shit fuck fuck fuck.” 😂

[Kiley Hochard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, Willa Kay, for this ARC! I loved Sweet Escape and was super excited for the opportunity to read Beautiful Surrender a few weeks early.

I love how much care and consideration Kay gives her plus-sized characters. I was so refreshing to see how desired Callie is no matter her size. Jaxon was down bad and we LOVE to see it.

Would have been fives stars from me but I feel like maybe there was too much going on? Also not a huge fan of the characters avoiding each other to further the plot.

All in all, would 100% recommend this book and cannot wait for Angie and Griffin’s book!

[Joni S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has my heart. He is tattooed and pierced cowboy and she is a shy librarian. What more can a girl want in a book. Jaxon was so good for Callie. Showing her that it’s okay for someone to help and take care of you. And it’s okay to rely on someone else. He gave her a soft place to land when she needed it and she gave him healing, compassion and understanding.

[The Fabled Librarian🖤 · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ As soon as I got the ARC email from Ms.Willa, I read this book and ate it up!!

One tragic moment shattered Jaxon Hayes’ world, leaving him with a ranch full of ghosts and a heart locked up tighter than a barn at midnight. So he does what any emotionally unavailable cowboy would do—he creates an online persona built on pleasure, distance, and zero feelings. Rules intact. Walls high.

Enter Callie Cooper.

She’s supposed to be just another anonymous username… except she isn’t. She’s warmth in the dark, laughter through the screen, and the one rule Jaxon never planned on breaking. Keeping her might mean risking everything he’s worked so hard to numb—but losing her feels impossible.

For Callie, running has always been safer than staying. Especially when her online crush turns into a real man with devastating green eyes, quiet pain, and a habit of reaching for her even when she pulls away. Their edges don’t line up neatly—but maybe healing was never meant to be tidy.

✨ Expect:

* A gruff cowboy who falls *hard* and first
* A plus-size librarian with a flight response and a soft heart
* A spicy content creator with secrets
* Trauma, tenderness, and emotional slow burns
* And enough heat to melt winter itself

Perfect for readers who like their romance cozy, messy, spicy, and full of heart. 🌶️🤠📚

[SPINES & NOOK · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW | Beautiful Surrender by Willa Kay was such a soft-but-powerful read for me. Callie is an incredibly strong FMC, and I adored how much care went into her healing without ever making her feel fragile or “fixed.” Jax was everything — the way he created a space where Callie could just exist without walls, expectations, or her past defining her felt so intentional and safe. Their connection unfolded in such a raw, honest way, and it truly felt like they both stripped themselves bare emotionally long before anything physical happened.

One of my favorite parts was the pacing between admitting feelings and becoming intimate. Jax giving Callie the time, space, and reassurance to be fully sure and comfortable was refreshing and deeply respectful. That choice added so much depth to their relationship and made everything that followed feel earned and meaningful.

Honestly? I loved everything about this book. The characters, the emotional growth, the tenderness woven throughout — all of it worked. I cannot wait for the next one

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received Beautiful Surrender from Willa as an ARC, and all of the opinions shared are mine and mine alone.

Beautiful Surrender is the second book in the Whispering Oaks Ranch series. It can be read as a standalone, but I recommend reading the first book, Sweet Escape, and at least Skylines & Sanctuaries from her Oak Ridge series before reading this. You will be introduced to the entire Hayes family and learn Wilder and Ruby’s stories.

Beautiful Surrender is hands down my favorite book from Willa and her best work! It’s a dual POV story that does include some heavy topics including child abuse, murder, a traumatic accident that results in death, homelessness, and other topics that Willa clearly states at the beginning of the book. We meet Callie and Jaxon, and get to watch how they help each other grow from their traumatic pasts while also falling in love. The best part, well parts, are Callie’s cat, Atticus, and Wilder and Olivia’s girls, Emmy Lou and Gracie Mae!

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

****ARC REVIEW****



As always, Willa freaking delivers. These are such a sweet and caring main characters that you easily get attached to and root for. The plot was plotting, the love was blooming, and Atticus was living his best life taking over any space he wanted.

Right from the beginning you gravitate towards both Callie & Jaxon. They fit so perfectly well together and have so much respect for one another.

Callie is our independent, strong (headed), and sweet FMC who has worked hard for everything she has. Unfortunately, life sucks (pickles) and she’s had to endure so much already, but nothing is stopping her from persevering to get what she wants & deserves.

Jaxon is one of the sweetest, caring, and spiciest MMC in the Willaverse (Luca, you’re still my #1). Being a spicy content creator, he sure knows what to say and how to lay it down😉, but he too has his own trauma he needs to heal from.

Callie & Jaxon are just so perfect. ❤️

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given an ARC and this is my honest review.

Both Callie and Jaxon are flawed, broken by things that happened in their past, yet they are drawn to each other. This is Book 2 in Whispering Oaks Ranch but was easily read as a stand-alone. The secret (or not so secret) personas of Jaxson and Callie made for a nice touch and added some spice. I always enjoy stories with a warm family feel to them and Jaxson’s family provides that. This is a wonderfully written book about healing, finding closure, and moving on from the past.

Writing a spicy novel is a delicate balance between telling too much information and not enough. In my opinion, a bit too many details were shared. A book can be spicy but there was a little bit too much information in certain scenes.

[Nicole Nielsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My sweet Callie & Jaxon! They were such a sweet and raw couple facing two separate but challenging struggles. Jaxon being stuck in the past and hurting himself in the process. Callie always looking over her shoulder waiting for the next bad thing to happen.

They are the definition of fate and what is meant to be will happen.

I loved how complex the characters were and how they found a way to trust and love each other so deeply.
I read this book in less than 24 hours, I couldn’t get enough! Willa Kay is such a great writer and I loved the plus sized FMC!

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book to read and review.

I am such a damn sucker for fat FMCs being loved well, caretaking, and found family, and Willa Kay absolutely delivered on all fronts. I snort laughed and cried more than once while reading.

4.5 ⭐️

⭐️: Barely finished, almost DNF
⭐️⭐️: Finished, but was nothing wonderful
⭐️⭐️⭐️: Enjoyed, but would probably not read again
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: Highly enjoyed, would likely read again
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: This book is now a part of my regular rotation to re-read and/or changed my brain chemistry

[Carson Steiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just want to start out by commending Willa Kay for writing books that immediately rip a reader's heart out, and then make us feel all the feels with a wonderful story of found family and healing.
The standards for men these days are set sooooo high by this book and I will never complain.
I really loved the pacing of this one and the journey these characters experienced. The personality and characterization was so fun to read! I couldn't put it down the whole time!

[Kodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so incredible, genuinely everytime Willa writes a book I think it’s her best work ever and then the next one comes out and I’m blown away all over again. Callie and Jaxon genuinely hold such a special place in my heart, especially sweet Callie. This book will make you laugh, sob and squeal with delight by the end.

[AmandaRobyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The tears I shed in this book.

I don’t want to spoil anything but this book is devastatingly beautiful. The heart ache and suffering both Callie and Jaxon go through is tough. But there was a lot of beauty.

Some of the things Jaxon did for Callie had me choking up.

I love this small town and all the characters that have come out of it.


Thanks for allowing me to be an ARC reader.

[Emily 🎀📚 · Rating 5 out of 5]

She’s done it again?!?!
I love all of Willa Kay’s books and I swear they just keep getting better and better.
Couldn’t be happier to receive this ARC
Jax - PERFECTION.
I love Callie so much, I’m so glad she got her happy ending.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Willa you gotta stop writing stuff that keeps me up all night reading 😅 no for real I loved this. I loved the first book, but this one: the vulnerability in these characters, the backstories, the trauma, the found family, the heartbreaking moments, and oh… the spice😍 it has it all.