The Hero of Hope Springs

Gold Valley #10

by Maisey Yates

Will Gold Valley’s most honorable cowboy finally claim the woman he’s always wanted?

For as long as brooding cowboy Ryder Daniels has known Sammy Marshall, she has been his sunshine. Her free spirit and bright smile saved him after the devastating loss of his parents and gave him the strength to care for his orphaned family. Only Ryder knows how vulnerable Sammy is, so he’s kept his attraction for his best friend under wraps for years. But what Sammy’s asking for now might be a step too far…

Something has been missing from Sammy’s life, and she thinks she knows what it is. Deciding she wants a baby is easy; realizing she wants her best friend to be the father is…complicated. Especially when a new heat between them sparks to life! When Sammy discovers she’s pregnant, Ryder makes it clear he wants it all. But having suffered the fallout of her parents’ disastrous relationship, Sammy is wary of letting Ryder too close. This cowboy will have to prove he’s proposing out of more than just honor…

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Friends To Lovers, Westerns, Audiobook, Contemporary Romance, Adult

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 21, 2020

About the author

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Maisey Yates lives in rural Oregon with her three children and her husband, whose chiseled jaw and arresting features continue to make her swoon. She feels the epic trek she takes several times a day from her office to her coffee maker is a true example of her pioneer spirit. In 2009, at the age of twenty-three Maisey sold her first book.

Since then it’s been a whirlwind of sexy alpha males and happily ever afters, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Maisey divides her writing time between dark, passionate category romances set just about everywhere on earth and light sexy contemporary romances set practically in her back yard.

She believes that she clearly has the best job in the world.

Reviews

[Tina Loves To Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cowboy romance, and this is the 10th book in the Gold Valley series. I have read all the other books in this book series before picking this book up, and I have read this book two times. I could not put this book down, so I spend the day reading this book. I loved being back Hope Springs again, and I love getting to really know Ryder. You also get to know Sammy more. I really loved this book. All the characters are so different, but I love them all and want to keep reading about them. Both of these characters have to learn to know what love is, and I loved taking this wild ride with them. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (HQN Books) or author (Maisey Yates) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, and I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

[♥Rachel♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ryder has loved Samantha since she showed up on his property not long after his parents’ death and suddenly became responsible for all his younger siblings. Dealing with the grief and having to abandon his dream plans was made bearable by Sammy’s presence. Her beauty inside and out was like sunshine in his life, but he always held back from anything but a platonic relationship, because Sammy came from her own terrible situation. Ryder realized she needed a protector and friend, and that was more important than his desires.

Now that Sammy wants a baby and throws it out there that she’d like him to be the father, he can’t hold back any longer. Once this barrier comes down, Ryder is all in and not just about co-parenting. He’s not just some nice guy to hold her hand, he’s a real flesh and blood male who’s been longing for her for years. Loved Ryder!

Sammy has led people to think she’s a free spirit, casual about love and hookups, but in truth she needs control. Any of her romantic partners have been casual because that’s the way she protects herself. Not letting anyone in too close. Sammy’s seen the affects of an all-consuming “love” with her parents, volatile and abusive, and she wants nothing to do with that. However, Sammy would love the chance to have a baby and give it all the love her big heart has to offer. When Ryder unexpectedly agrees to her request, she doesn’t bargain on everything that includes: passion and commitment and it scares her.

I just love a good unrequited love romance. Ryder finally getting the girl he’s wanted after so many years was a pleasure to watch. I love seeing him let go of his reserve and let me tell you these two were hot together! Sammy never let anyone that close, so she finally gets to experience a whole other facet of romance, one where she can trust the person she’s with and let go. She feels wanton and needy for Ryder and I just loved it!

As usual, the small ranching town of Gold Valley is vividly described, making it come to life so I can almost smell the pines, and feel the breeze. Maisey Yates writes the most delicious cowboys, but more than that she writes beautifully emotional stories that make you care for each and every character. The Hero of Hope Springs is part of a series, but each book can easily be read and enjoyed as a standalone.

A copy was kindly provided by HQN via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Stacee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very excited to finally get Sammy and Ryder’s story and I will say it’s not what I expected.

I’ve liked the two of them since they first made a showing in a previous book. Ryder is just as stoic and steadfast as I thought he would be, but he’s also passionate and loyal. Sammy is much more calculating and unsure of everything than she appears to be. Of course, I loved seeing the other siblings and I truly hope some of them get a book.

Plot wise it was okay. There were several repetitive phrases and much more inner monologue than I was hoping for. These two have a lot of past hurts and each is hung up on it, which means there’s a lot a lot a lot of mental clarity trying to be worked out. The flashes of sweetness and joy were some of the best scenes. And off topic, I was annoyed at his being adamant about immediate marriage and her agreeing to it, only to complain afterwards.

Overall, it was a quick read with a comfortable set of characters who were easy to root for. I did enjoy this one, but sort of wanted more for Sammy and Ryder.

FYI: physical abuse of a child and teenager

**Huge thanks to HQN Books for providing the arc free of charge**

["Avonna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Check out all my reviews at: https://www.avonnalovesgenres.com

THE HERO OF HOPE SPRINGS (Gold Valley Book #10) by Maisey Yates is the emotional contemporary romance I have been waiting for in this Gold Valley series featuring two of my favorite characters. This book can be read as a standalone romance because it is a complete HEA, but all the family members continue to mature and change throughout the series.

Ryder Daniels has been the rock of his family ever since the death of his parents when he was only eighteen years old. He has kept the family ranch going and raised his younger siblings with the help of his sister, Iris. His days are dark as he deals with the grief of his siblings and the death of his dreams until he follows trail of sugar cubes, and suddenly there is sunshine in his life once again.

Samantha “Sammy” Marshall comes from a physically abusive home, and she escapes to watch the family of siblings on the ranch that is below her camper. She wants to be a part of a real family and leaves a trail of sugar cubes to see if Ryder will let her stay.

For seventeen years Ryder and Sammy have been friends and confidants, until Sammy decides her life is stagnant and she believes having a baby will change it. Ryder is not looking to be a father after raising his siblings, but he also will not let someone else have that type of connection to Sammy.

Can Ryder prove to Sammy that he truly loves her, and their relationship isn’t just from a sense of duty, and can Sammy let go of her fear of letting anyone all the way in after living through her parents’ abusive relationship?

I have been waiting for this relationship in the series and I was not disappointed. This is a very in depth and emotional look into both characters’ pasts and then the changes that becoming a couple brings. Best friends to lovers is a difficult road for both. This is a romance plot based more around internal changes and revelations and dialogue than any outside forces. The sex scenes are intimate and explicit, but not gratuitous. This is an intense and heartfelt coming together of two characters that I believe have always belonged together.

I always enjoy my return trips to Gold Valley!

[Simply Love Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a story The Hero of Hope Springs was. A little bit light, a little bit sexy, a little bit of drama and, in the end, a whole lot of love.

Sammy was a new age flower-child. Yes, I think that is the best way to describe her. She was a wee bit wild, told people exactly what she was thinking, stuck her nose in places it probably shouldn’t have been and came up with outrageous ideas. But, the one she’s come up with now … it’s beyond outrageous. She has her reasons for being the way she was. Her childhood was nowhere near normal and her saving grace was Hope Springs. Ryder was her hero and is now her best friend. What she proposes to him is off-the-wall and there is no way that she’ll get him to agree to it.

Ryder has been in love with Sammy from the first sugar cube. He wouldn’t allow his teenage self to act on anything. Now, he won’t allow his grown self to even think about her in any way but his friend. He doesn’t know now she would react, if she would leave or accept him for the man he is. But, her new plan has him reeling. How does he get himself into these predicaments? Find a man for her to have a baby with … right … he’ll get right on that. Until she proposes he be the baby-daddy. How he went from never wanting marriage or children to picturing Sammy in his life, round with his baby is beyond him. The heart wants what the heart wants and one taste of this woman didn’t satisfy him in the least.

Sammy and Ryder belonged together. Ryder knew that … Sammy needed some convincing. Ryder found his romantic side and Sammy couldn’t help but say yes. That was until she said stop and left a heart-broken man behind. She had issues she had to face and had to do them on her own. But, when push came to shove, she knew that there was no one in this world that would stand beside her, support her and love her the way Ryder always has.

To say I was a little taken aback with the storyline is an understatement. But, as you read about Sammy and the life she led, you understood. You also understood Ryder’s point of view in not wanting marriage or children. He felt like he’s been there, done that and had the headaches to prove it. But Sammy was always by his side through thick and thin and he would never let her down. You know this because Maisey Yates has a way of bringing her characters to life, of breathing life into them. They are complex characters that you honestly feel you know. The Hero of Hope Springs was an amazing story about love and acceptance and what you will and will not do to get that acceptance. Whoever is next in the Gold Valley series is truly lucky … they will be finding the woman or man of their dreams; they will find love and they will have not settled for anything but true happiness.

Review copy provided for a voluntary review.

[Nila (digitalcreativepages) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fabulous book by Maisey Yates.
The story might seem familiar, but the romance was what I needed at this time. Both Rydre and Sammy made delightful characters who had hurt in their past and who had to heal and find love together.

I loved how they brought out the friends to lovers Trope seamlessly. The story had love happening in the words slowly and steadily.

Overall, a lovely romantic read on a slow evening.

[Aly · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

Even if he wasn't that much older than his siblings and his cousin, Ryder Daniels became responsible for them at 18, when their parents died. One of their neighbor, Sammy Marshall, became an addition to their brood when she ran away from an abusive home. Her needs for safety is one of the reason why Ryder never acted on his attraction to her and they were friends for all those years. But despite the fact that she have friends she can count on, her own jewel making business, Sammy doesn't feel quite satisfied with her life right now. And after yet an other unpleasant encounter with her mother, Sammy started to think that maybe the answer is to have a baby. Gobsmacked at his friend's revelation, Ryder is ready to help her in her search for a baby daddy. But realizing what it entail make him rethinks the plan and think that he should be the one to make her dream comes true. The problem with that? He wants the traditional plan with marriage and she doesn't want any commitment. So where do they go from there?

"It's not that I didn't know how to love you. It's that I didn't know how to accept you loving me."

I said it when I reviewed the previous book but I really like this setting of siblings living together (just one or two are not living in the main house) and even if it's the tenth book in the Gold Valley series, it's like a new series within a series since after a few books, there's new characters from a different family. While I liked this book, I also wish that certain things would have been different. For example, I agree with the hero who thought that her reason for wanting a baby seemed... I don't want to say selfish, but it seemed motivated by a desire to prove her mother wrong. And I also thought we'd see the baby being born at least and that we'd follow the characters during the pregnancy and maybe after. So while it's a great book, I've been let down by my own expectations and maybe I wasn't quite in the mood for all the inner thoughts this time. But am I waiting eagerly for this author's next book? Hell, yeah!

[Juliana Philippa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3-3.5 stars
This was my least favorite book of the series thus far; I haven’t read all of them yet, but I have read several and Maisey Yates has become a favorite CR author because of them. Several I have gotten as ARCs, but I liked them so much, that I went out and bought the paperback versions anyway. This was another ARC received through NetGalley, and I actually read it by mistake—I thought it was the one being released in June, not July.

Anyway, there were several problems I had with this book. The main ones being:
— I didn’t like the heroine very much
— the main characters were too much in their heads
— and the dialogue in their heads went on for way too long, was repetitive, and overly flowery

It took awhile for me to get a handle on both of these characters. I hadn’t read ones where they had featured in before, so this was my first introduction to them, and it feels like that much more of a cold open given that they have known each other and been inseparable best friends for 17 years (which you will read about, over and over and over again). I started the book feeling like I already had some catching up to do on understanding them, their relationship, and the dynamic.

They were both a bit elusive at first, but Yates ended up giving us quite well-defined and three-dimensional main characters. Unfortunately, I wasn’t too much of a Sammy fan. At first, it was because I didn’t really get her, but like I said, that eventually came and with it, quite a bit of well-presented complexity. So then we were all good. And then towards the end, I started to not like her again. She devolves into so much overthinking and dramatics and I just wanted to get her a therapist’s couch already.

One thing bothered me hugely from the beginning and that was her hole drive to have a child. It felt to me like that was a plot driver more than anything, and it wasn’t a good one. As Ryder says, her reasons for wanting a child DO seem selfish. It’s honestly like she’s talking about getting a dog, in terms of her seeming understanding of the weight of the responsibility and life change that a child requires. She wants it because she wants someone who is her own and who will love her ... ummm, yeah, not a good reason to have a kid. And it did a big disservice to her character; it was part of the reason I disliked her initially, though it seemed to fit with her flighty, devil-may-care, free hippie child character and attitude. Turns out, there is much more to that impulsive and embracing-awkward-situations person, which was quite well explained and made sense ... but then, the kid thing shouldn’t have been in there.

It’s what propels the advancement of her and Ryder’s relationship though, so again, it is THE initial plot driver and as the story is constructed, was an absolute necessity. I really wish that Yates had come up with something else though.

And now OMG do these two characters think waaaaaay too much. About their 17-year-long friendship, about what they’ve meant to each other, about the tragedies in their lives, about why they are the way they are, about how they feel about the other, about what they want and don’t want, and on and on. Now, let me be clear: I’m not ragging on reflective and self-aware characters—I much prefer them! But this was so over-the-top and repetitive, with soooooo much thinking and overthinking that often seemed to not lead anywhere, or that then just brought them to another quandary they had to think themselves out of.

Not only was this annoying and boring after awhile, but it made it so that there was actually quite little dialogue. In Yates’ other books, some of the back and forth between the main characters is one of my favorite things, and that was completely missing here. She built the heat well, as she does in all of her books, and you do sense the intensity of feeling between them, but the constant living-in-their-heads was too much. And not to be ironic, because I know I already said this, but sooooo repetitive!!!!

It pains me to say it, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this book. The series is great, from what I’ve read, so if you’re committed to reading every one, then by all means go ahead—it’s not like it was a chore. But will I read it again? Definitely not. Was it time wasted? ... Eh. Potentially. Especially when I realized that it wasn’t the ARC I had meant to read!!

I already mentioned this, but I do have to tip my hat to Yates on the heat front—she really excels in that area and this book is no exception: the first really hot and heavy scene between them, in Sammy’s trailer ... WOWZERS!

RECOMMENDATIONS
These are the Maisey Yates books I would recommend instead:
— Smooth-Talking Cowboy (Gold Valley, #1) - 4.5 stars
— Cowboy to the Core (Gold Valley, #6) - 4.5 stars
— Seduce Me, Cowboy (Copper Ridge: Desire, #3) - 4 stars
— Unbroken Cowboy (Gold Valley, #5) - 4 stars
— The Bad Boy of Redemption Ranch (Gold Valley, #9) - 3.5-3.75 stars

*This review is of an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Some changes and/or edits may be made to the final published version.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. The theme is one of my favorites - friends to lovers. Ryder and Sammy have been friends for seventeen years. Ryder was her refuge from her abusive father, and Sammy brought light to the darkness of his life after his parents' deaths. Their friendship gets complicated when Sammy decides she wants to have a baby and asks Ryder to be the father.

Both Ryder and Sammy have some deep-seated issues working against a successful relationship. Ryder gave up all his plans for the future when his parents died so that he could care for his younger siblings, cousins, and friend. He instantly became a father to them all, plus having to run the ranch. The responsibility was overwhelming, but he stepped up and did it. However, as the years went on, Ryder decided that marriage and children weren't for him. He'd done his bit and wasn't interested in starting again. Looking even deeper, Ryder saw that opening himself up to love would open him up to the same devastating feelings of loss if/when something were to happen.

Sammy is all about maintaining control over her life. She says what she wants to say, not caring if it shocks those around her. In her interactions with men, she always holds part of herself back. She's proud of her independence but doesn't see that she has allowed her past to control her present. Sammy's latest confrontation with her mother makes her realize that she wants more from her life, and she thinks that having a baby will fill that hole.

The development of the relationship between Sammy and Ryder was volatile. It quickly becomes apparent that Ryder has been attracted to Sammy almost since the beginning. He's an honorable man and has kept his attraction buried rather than take advantage of her. His protectiveness and a bit of jealousy pop up when she starts talking about finding a father for her baby. Sammy doesn't take well to Ryder's comments and challenges him to do the job himself. She didn't expect the combustibility of the first time he kissed her and freaked out at the loss of control she experienced. Over the next few weeks, the physical connection between them grew, but both of them fought against admitting their feelings for each other. Their confrontation after Ryder finally confessed his feelings was heart-wrenching. Sammy was terrified that he mistook obligation for love and could only envision a repeat of her parents' marriage. I ached for her as she ran from those fears and rooted for her to face them and overcome them. I hurt for Ryder too, because he finally knew that he wanted it all, only to have Sammy turn down his love. He also had some self-examining to do and was a bit surprised at what he learned about himself. Once they each faced those issues, they were ready to embrace their feelings fully. The ending was good, but I would have liked to get through the baby's birth.

The problem that brought the book from 4 stars to 3 stars was the amount of page-space spent inside Ryder and Sammy's heads. I think their interactions would fill maybe three or four chapters. It felt as though most of the rest was spent inside their heads. And most of that was thinking the same things over and over and over. By the last third of the book, I found myself starting to skim whenever this happened. I may have missed some things because of it, but it was too repetitive to hold my interest.

[Nate Brightman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I usually start out my review of any Maisey Yates book with this forewarning. Ms. Yates for lack of a better term is wordy as odd as that description sounds for someone who writes words for a living. Because all authors are by definition wordy. But Ms. Yates spends a lot of time writing dialogue, often heavily laden with metaphors, that expresses what her characters are thinking and at other times saying. Her characters do probably more thinking to themselves and to other characters than they do performing actual physical activities. Personally, I like her writing style. I like being in her characters heads, hearing their deepest thoughts, listening as they sift through their emotions. I enjoy the long poignant conversations her characters share. In testament to that fact, I’ve probably read every book she’s published and never hesitate to purchase her latest release. That said I realize her writing style isn’t for everyone. So if you don’t enjoy books full of deep, emotional internal monologues and dialogue Ms. Yates may not be the right author for you. This book is extremely emotionally intense as the two main characters eviscerate themselves and each other with their words as they deal with their emotions, their perceptions of each other and themselves in their ever changing relationship.
Her Gold Valley series which is now tenl books in, follows her Copper Ridge series. Both are set in Oregon in ranching and wine country. Within each series are several subseries focused on different families that live within the locale. In this subseries of Gold Valley Yates is focusing on the Daniels family, a group of twenty and thirty something adults, siblings and cousins and close friends, who lost their parents in a tragic plane crash seventeen years ago and had to band together to raise themselves led by Ryder Daniels the eldest and the male lead of this book. This is the second book in this subseries. The first was The Bad Boy of Redemption Ranch that tells the story of Pansy Daniels the second youngest Daniels sibling and West Chandler, half-brother of the Dalton siblings another subseries.
Ryder was 18 when his parents, his aunt and uncle and their close friend Logan’s mother died in a plane crash on their way to an Alaskan vacation leaving Ryder as the head of household trying to raise three younger sisters, Iris, Pansy and Rose and cousins and Logan. He forsake a football scholarship and his dreams of traveling to see the world to raise his siblings and cousins and run Hope Springs the family ranch. He’s now 35, his siblings and cousins are all grown up and he wants nothing to do with raising anymore children. Ryder is serious and conservative by nature.
Sammy Marshall was Ryder’s next door neighbor. Her father was physically and verbally abusive to her and her mother never did a thing to stand between her and her father. Sammy longed for the type of close knit family she witnessed from afar on Hope Springs Ranch. At 17 Sammy pulled her camper onto the Hope Springs Ranch and there she’s stayed ever since. She and Ryder formed a close friendship. He felt protective of her as he did of his blood family but was always aware that Sammy wasn’t his blood family. Still she became part of his family of the heart. Ryder fell in love with Sammy almost the moment he laid eyes on her but shoved his feelings down deep so that he could continue to act as her friend and protector. Because of the abusive relationship she witnessed in her own home Sammy never wants to get married. Despite her outward show of lacking inhibitions Sammy carries the baggage of having two parents who didn’t love and support her.
Sammy now 33 still lives in her camper sometimes taking it on the road selling the jewelry she makes at flea markets and craft shows. Sammy’s personality is the exact opposite of Ryder’s. Where he is serious, she is whimsical. Where he is a planner she is impulsive. Sammy has been feeling restless and unfulfilled for the past several months. An argument with her mother and seeing Ryder’s youngest sister Pansy get engaged (The Bad Boy of Redemption Ranch) brings her feelings to a head. She sees her mother still stuck in the same place, the same mind set years after her father has died. She sees Pansy moving on, making a life for herself, starting her own family. She worries she is becoming too much like her mother, stuck and not moving forward with her life and wants to be more like Pansy. She convinces herself that the answer to her problem is to move away from the shelter of Ryder and Hope Springs Ranch and have a baby, someone who is truly her family. Someone she can form the mother/child bond with she never had or will have with her own mother.
If that’s not complicated enough, in a convoluted plot that could only happen in a contemporary romance novel, Sammy, even though she wants the baby daddy to have little to nothing to do with her or the baby once she’s pregnant, wants to get pregnant the old fashion way. Not by invitro in a lab or doctor’s office. Because she wants to know more about her baby’s father than she’d learn from some form at a fertility clinic. And Ryder because he can’t stand the thought of Sammy not being around, offers to help her find a prospective baby daddy if she agrees to remain at Hope Springs even though the idea of Sammy with another man or her pregnant with another man’s baby make him ill. I’m not sure whether this is an opposites attract or a friends to lovers trope. Most likely it can be considered a combination of both. But there you have it, the basic plot of this book. The male lead Ryder doesn’t want to raise another family. The female lead Sammy doesn’t ever want to get married. They have been in love with each other for years but never admitted that fact even to themselves. Somehow Ms. Yates must find a way to allow these two to bond, realize their love, and lay down their deep seated resistance to both getting married and raising children. Simple right! IMHO what earned this book a rare 5 star rating from me beyond Ms. Yate’s usual excellent writing was the plot twist. As I waited for the proverbial other shoe to drop, the issue that the couple would need to overcome to get their H.E.A. I thought I knew what it would be. In fact I was bemoaning the fact to myself because she’d been to the well a couple of other times in this series. But I was completely fooled. In reality the issue was the exact opposite from what I imagined it would be

[Pj Ausdenmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two of the things I most enjoy about Maisey Yates' books are her character development and dialogue. The two typically combine to create a deep connection with her characters and it isn't long before I become fully engaged with them and their journey. In The Hero of Hope Springs, the potential for that type of connection is strong. Ryder and Sammy have both been impacted by traumatic events which altered the course of their lives at young, impressionable ages. Because of those traumas, their ages, and their stages of emotional well-being at the time they met, roles were assumed by each of them and decisions made that defined them individually, as well as their friendship, and have carried with them into adulthood. When Sammy makes a decision that shifts that dynamic, it throws their well-established roles into disarray, causing each of them to reassess their lives and face flaws within themselves as well as the emotional barriers they've erected, creating wonderful opportunities for both growth as well as the emotional dialogue between characters that I enjoy so much in a Maisey Yates story.

The growth is there for both of the main characters in this book though it's a long and often painful process (be prepared for a whole lot of angst and emotion). Sammy, in particular, has a difficult time dealing with the physical and emotional trauma of her childhood and the impact it had, and still has, on her life. It takes pretty much the entire book for her to reach a point where she can confront her demons and finally begin the process of healing.

The book is well-written, and the main characters fully formed, but I still struggled to establish the connection with them that I've come to expect in a Yates book. I think one of the key reasons for that may be the lack of direct dialogue between Ryder and Sammy. Not that they don't have any, they do, but each spends an inordinate amount of time alone with their own (frequently repetitive) thoughts or in conversation with others. I understand the need for that, but I needed to see more conversation between the two of them, see them more actively working together to grow as a couple, in order to have that deep investment in their relationship that I so enjoy in Yates' other books.

That's not to say this isn't a good book. While it's not among my Gold Valley favorites, it's a solid read with layered characters, deep wells of emotion, and intriguing secondary characters that have me looking forward to more Gold Valley stories.

*ARC received via NetGalley for fair and unbiased review

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feelings. Nothing but feelings. Maisey Yates writes 10 words when two would do. Good story beneath the abundance of words. Good characters.

[Elodie’s Reading Corner · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Hero of Hope Springs
A Gold Valley Novel Series #10
Maisey Yates
https://www.facebook.com/MaiseyYates....
Release date 07/21/2020
Publisher HLQ Books

Blurb :

Will Gold Valley’s most honorable cowboy finally claim the woman he’s always wanted?

For as long as brooding cowboy Ryder Daniels has known Sammy Marshall, she has been his sunshine. Her free spirit and bright smile saved him after the devastating loss of his parents and gave him the strength to care for his orphaned family. Only Ryder knows how vulnerable Sammy is, so he’s kept his attraction for his best friend under wraps for years. But what Sammy’s asking for now might be a step too far…

Something has been missing from Sammy’s life, and she thinks she knows what it is. Deciding she wants a baby is easy; realizing she wants her best friend to be the father is…complicated. Especially when a new heat between them sparks to life! When Sammy discovers she’s pregnant, Ryder makes it clear he wants it all. But having suffered the fallout of her parents’ disastrous relationship, Sammy is wary of letting Ryder too close. This cowboy will have to prove he’s proposing out of more than just honor…

My review :

Will her new venture be more than a lark to fill the empty hole inside her.

I discovered the Daniels siblings and relatives in The Bad Boy Redemption Ranch and they are all an intriguing bunch, each with a past and many scars hidden from view but lingering in their many doings.
Ryder is the down to earth boy changed man when he became the adult reference for his younger siblings and cousins. He had to set aside his own dreams and hopes to keep them all banded together. He succeeded in it, now, all grown up and having set their own path.
Sammy entered his life as a wisp, she brought back smile and light in his dim life, she became the sunshine he desperately needed to move forward. An anchor.
And while he would have loved to be more than her best friend, he never let anything out about his feelings, watching her from afar flitting from one man to another, a free spirit, like she wanted everyone to believe her to be.
Sammy is the wandering soul, or so she thought.
The young girl in her believed by getting close to the boys around her, she would grasp the affection she was lacking at home, but at the same time she holds back, unable to let go, afraid to put her fate in one another hands. Why sex moved to become a weapon, her mean to make men weaker even if for a short time. Thus she thought she had things all mapped out by only choosing safe guys.
Her whole life she has been misguided, mistaking sex for a band aid, a way to get closer to people for a bit of warmth when she in fact kept them at arm’s length. While the only man for her is the one she is the closest but also refuses to see as someone else than her friend.

They lied to themselves for 17 years, she voluntarily blind around him when he buried his lust. So when on a lark she decides she wants a baby, a very irresponsible decision from her side, she stirs up a hornet’s net, when masks fall down.

I loved Ryder, he is not perfect and he makes mistakes, but even if at time he refuses to acknowledge his true feelings, he is not a coward like Sammy, who has ran away her whole life. Playing the free soul, giving advices when she can’t even face her own issues, nor follow what she would counsel.
Sure, she should have had some counseling to help her but even when she had found herself a new family who took her in as she was, she was always the one bolting away.
4 stars.

I was granted an advance copy by the publisher HLQ Books, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

https://www.facebook.com/429830134272...

[Gracie {_a_court_of_books_} · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, I would like to thank Netgalley for allowing me to have an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Y’all know me, so you know my views are mine and not swayed by a free copy. I ain’t afraid to say I don’t like a book.😂

This book was totally not what I was expecting! I remember reading the blurb a while back, before I was approved an ARC copy, and thought hey! A cute cowboy read. Yes, please! First off, this really isn’t a cowboy book. Yes, Ryder is a rancher, but I don’t think the word “cowboy” is even mentioned anywhere in this book.

This book was basically about Sammy, one of our main characters, making a bunch of rash and impulsive decisions. Which included wanting a baby.🤦🏻‍♀️ I wanted to scream at Sammy that you should not want a baby just to prove to someone something.. that’s not good.😬 Please be a responsible adult. Like y’all.. this character is in her 30s making impulsive decisions like she’s a teenager. She has no means to support this child. She lives in a camper and sells homemade jewelry. No hate on campers, one of my good friends lives in one and it’s honestly the cutest things ever!😍

Besides the whole impulsive baby wanting, this book lacks depth to me. Disclaimer, this is #10 in a contemporary series, which typically means you can read them out of order, so I may not have all the backstories. I wanted to know more about Ryder and Sammy’s past. We only got glimpses in this book and I craved more.

I really liked Ryder’s sisters and cousins. I’m not sure if they have their own book in the series, but I would love to read them if the do!❤️

I didn’t hate this book, despite what my review may sound like. It was good, but it just didn’t wow me enough to rate it four stars.

Overall, 3 stars.

🌟🌟🌟

[Kari Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a teenager Ryder’s life was forever changed when his parents passed away and keeping his family together was the only thing that mattered, and he has no regrets as it brought Sammy into his life. He has made the family ranch a success, his siblings are now adults and although he is attracted to Sammy that was a line he wasn’t prepared to cross.

As a child Sammy has witness the destructive side of love and wants no part of it. She and Ryder have been by each other’s sides through all the ups and downs so when she decides she wants a baby who better than her best friend Ryder to give her one.

Both Sammy and Ryder have adjustments to make when the parameters of their relationship changed. Sammy wanted a child but not necessarily a husband while Ryder thought his child raising days were in the past now that his siblings are grown. Neither counted on the love and chemistry between them that had been laying dormant to ignite and for them to realize that what they really need in their lives is each other.

[Donna Repsher · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Hero of Hope Springs is the tenth novel in Maisey Yates' Gold Valley series, a series I've been following and thoroughly enjoying since it's inception, and again, Maisey Yates has given us two sympathetic and angst-filled characters, and their story and complicated relationship kept me awake until I finished reading it at 5:00 a.m.. Since I did have a few issues with this novel, which I'll get to, it nevertheless was an addictive read, and it gets a 4-star rating from this reader.

In this novel the focus is on Ryder Daniels, who lost his parents at age 18, gave up his plans to attend college and pursue his dream of a football career, and instead, as the eldest, took the reins and responsibility of raising his younger siblings as head of the Daniels family. If you've been following this series, you'll also know about Sammy Marshall, an abused and ignored young girl who Ryder found hiding in his barn 17 years earlier, and who eventually moved out of her abusive home and onto the ranch, and has been living in her trailer as an almost member of the Daniels family ever since. Ryder has made peace with what he gave up when he became head of the Daniels family, enjoys knowing that he raised his siblings well, and is proud of the way his hard work and dedication have resulted in a thriving ranch and a well-adjusted, cohesive family. Losing his loving parents was devastating, and aside from going out of town periodically for brief hook-ups with virtual strangers, Ryder has decided that love and marriage aren't for him because he's already raised a family, and he learned the hard way at such a young age that losing those you love is simply too painful--but then there's Sammy and a old-fashioned romance trope I wasn't expecting.

Sammy has always seemed like a free and independent spirit, and Ryder has been her closest and dearest friend and savior since she was in her teens. Now, at 33, she makes a living with her handmade jewelry, and has had a number of not terribly satisfying relationships. She feels an undefinable need for something more in her life, something to fulfill her need for a loving family that is hers alone, and she eventually identifies that desire as her need to have a baby. She's not enthused about in vitro fertilization, nor is she seeing anyone in particular that she'd want to father her child, but once Ryder sees her after an evening of flirting and dancing at the local watering hole, she finally tells him her plan and eventually gets him to agree to father her child the old-fashioned way, and that's where the real trouble begins.

While I very much liked both of the main characters in this well-written novel, the notion of any modern, free-spirited woman believing that giving birth to a child will fulfill her in some way isn't a notion I happen to share, and, for a free-spirit like Sammy, I found it rather incongruous. I also found Ryder's insistence on marriage prior to agreeing with Sammy's plan very old-fashioned as well, but at least it was the responsible thing to suggest, and Ryder is all about taking responsibility. In this era where being an unwed baby-mama has come to be an accepted norm, is Sammy's request all that unusual? Or is something else really what is driving her?

Sammy has been Ryder's ray of sunshine and his unspoken fantasy for the past 17 years, but will fathering her child bring these two closer together or tear them apart? Will these two characters ever come to grips with their unstated needs and motivations? Since I don't do spoilers, you'll have to read this engaging and emotional novel for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Whether you agree with Sammy's plan or not, there are some surprising turns ahead and it's another darn good read that I'm happy to recommend.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

[Viper Spaulding · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm blown away by this deeply emotional friends-to-lovers romance!

Sammy and Ryder have been best friends for so long, so much a part of the same pseudo-family formed from tragedy, that they really can't see the forest for the trees. Until Sammy gets the idea that she's ready to have a baby, and now Ryder has to confront his long-buried feelings for her.

This easy-going romance delves deep into these characters' hearts and souls, shaking the very foundation of their friendship, laying bare all their hidden biases and emotional crutches. The powerful chemistry between them has been there all along, but their seemingly incompatible approaches to life kept either of them from considering more.

Ryder is drowning in a sea of responsibility, while Sammy has to confront her own past, including her father's lies, and ask herself some tough questions. The story focuses on the emotional fallout from their foray into a physical relationship, and as such was exquisitely fascinating and breathtakingly intimate. In the end, their HEA is summed up perfectly:

“I guess we were just what each other needed,” she said softly. “I needed to hide in your shadow, and you needed some light.”

It took a while to get into this story, but once I did, I was completely absorbed and couldn't put it down. I can't remember the last time I was so captivated by such a character- and emotion-driven story. There's not much outside activity going on, but there doesn't need to be. The struggles that both Sammy and Ryder are going through are more than enough to make this story an absolute gut-wrenching but ultimately romantic journey of the heart.

I highly recommend it for the sheer passion alone. These are two people whose love was a long time coming, and well worth the wait. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

[Harlequin Books]

Categories
Contemporary Romance, Western Romance
Miniseries
A Gold Valley Novel

[Books and Spoons · Rating 5 out of 5]

An emotional and touching love story of two friends in a crossroads of life, struggling with their past tragedies, with the losses they have faced and with the passion they feel for each other.
It is easy to adore and admire Ryder Daniels, the head of a family, who put everything else aside as a young man, to take care of the family when needed. He is loyal, kind, considerate, stubborn, strong, and generous, he would do anything to protect his family. His best friend of 17 years, the light of his life, the sun on his sky, Sammy Marshall, thought him how to smile again, and now she is showing him how to feel again...
While Ryder was so easy to love and admire, Sammy took some effort to understand. The place of trauma Sammy comes from, where she grew up in, the physical, mental, and emotional abuse she had faced, it is unimaginable and thus hard to grasp. As the story unfolds and the damage to Sammy's soul is unveiled, it is heartwrenching to feel an ouch of the immeasurable pain she has had to carry with her most of her life.
This story went directly to my feels. At first, it was all fun and banter and cute and ardent. And then it got real and raw, there were heartache and agony, and the angst was high even when everything seemed so lovely and tender and sweet cause there were still major pieces of the puzzle missing.
This beautiful story of love and life, friendship, and family, finding your true north and daring to take the journey towards it was an intense, fervent, spirited tale that took me for a wild ride and pulled all the feels to the surface. A book hangover? Oh yes, in the best possible way. I think part of Sammy and Ryder will live in my heart from now on...
~ Five Spoons!

[Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've only read a few of the Gold Valley novels, so I wasn't familiar with the connection between Sammy and the Daniels family. Fortunately, Maisey Yates has managed to give us all these terrific characters in a connected series while still making the books work as standalones. Speaking of terrific characters, this book gives us Ryder and Sammy for a friends to lovers romance. Of course, the story has more angst than you can shake a stick at, but given everything Ryder and Sammy have been through in their lives, their story was pretty much guaranteed to be emotional. Sammy's idea that a baby will make her whole may not be popular in today's world of strong, independent women, but it's not uncommon, and for this couple, it's kind of the perfect vehicle for moving the relationship forward. I'll stop there so I don't give the whole story away, but suffice it to say that The Hero of Hope Springs is an engaging story with all the feels and characters you just can't help but root for.

[Alfie Thompson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Whole lot of wasted words and rambling.

[Rajiv · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Blog]::[Youtube]::[Twitter]::[Instagram]::[Pinterest]::[Bloglovin]

I have not read the previous books in the series, but I had no trouble following “The Hero of Hope Springs”. I didn’t even notice the time fly as I was reading this story.

The author writes her characters so well! I was completely invested in Sammy and Ryder. Ryder is the perfect male character portrayed for this cowboy romance. Good looks and a good heart.He knows what he wants and he goes after it. He always wants to protect those around him, which make you like him from the first page. In fact, he is the stable character in the story who you can clearly predict how he would react in an upcoming situation.

However, Sammy was more interesting as she is the volatile one in the relationship. She goes through so many emotions over the story, and you really don’t know how she is going to react. Both of them share an amazing chemistry. But Sammy does things that you don’t expect, that suddenly twist the story. Ryder and Sammy sizzle in the pages with their romance. The author sure knows how to steam the pages without making it sound trashy. The romance was classy, hot and written very well.

A few scenes felt repetitious though. The characters reflect on their tragic past frequently, which felt repetitious. Also, I felt the author rushed the story in certain scenes. I am not giving spoilers, but there are a lot of things that happen in the second half, which felt rushed. I would have enjoyed the story had the author added further details on some scenes.

But on the whole, this was such a nice romance book to read, and I might pick up the first few to see how it started.

[Lauriane (L.M. Durand) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Hero of Hope Springs was a nice read. There is a lot of like about the book. The characters went through some hard times in their lives, and seventeen years later, they're trying to move forward and mend their soul. This is a friend-to-lover romance where the characters learn a lot about themselves. This story is a journey of healing and love, of family and hardship.

This book lost a star for me because some part of me could not connect with Sammy. I understood Ryder and his journey made sense. I really liked him actually. I guess Sammy felt immature at times and threw herself in schemes that I never quite understood. It was hard for me to understand what she was going through when I wasn't sure what she wanted or what her goal was.

I did connect with her when she talked about her family, that part was raw and relatable. I guess the disconnect was with the romance and what she wanted. I felt as lost as she was with what she wanted. Apart from that, I enjoyed each characters' development and how they seem to complement each other. Overall, it was a nice read.

[TLynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Hero of Hope Springs is the tenth book in the Gold Valley series but can be read as a stand-alone. I have only read a couple of this author's books and I have really enjoyed them. I think that reading the books in the correct order might improve the books because you would know the previous history of the side characters, but either way, they are great books. The author has such talent for writing stories that make the reader feel as though they are part of the story. The characters are so realistic and seem to come alive. The storyline was interesting and believable. Sammy Marshall had always looked at the family that lived at Hope Springs and wanting to be part of it. Her home life was nothing likes theirs. Her father was abusive, and her mother never stood up to him or kept Sammy safe. After receiving the worst beating, she moved a camper onto Hope Springs farm and becomes an honorary member of the family. As some of the family has got married and settled down, Sammy knows she is missing something. She decides she wants to have a baby before she gets any older. Ryder Daniels was the oldest child when his parents, uncles, and aunts died. At the young age of 17, he became the guardian of his younger siblings and cousins. He welcomed Sammy into the “family” when he discovers her after her father’s abuse. They become best friends and when Sammy announces her wish to have a baby, Ryder starts to question his feelings for Sammy. Sammy doesn’t want a relationship with a man but thinks Ryder would be the perfect dad for her baby. Their feelings for each other start to change but will Sammy have the courage to have a loving relationship?
I received an ARC and am willingly leaving a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Asa Maria Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're a fan of Masey Yates's cowboys, then this latest installment of the Gold Valley series is not going to disappoint. The hero and heroine are wonderfully flawed and broken, but together they become whole. Of course, it takes them a while to realize that and through the ups and downs of their relationship, Ms. Yates does what she does so very well. She connects you with the characters on such a deep level that you laugh, you cry, but most of all you want the book to never end. When it does, you are happy but exhausted, and so very ready for the next book in the series. The supporting cast of characters is amazing and I hope they all get their own books and their own HEAs.

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I suspect there might be some judgey reviews and readers on this one but it's a good read and an HEA for two people who deserve it. Ryder and Sammy both have darkness in their backgrounds but she found peace and they became friends, good friends, when she moved onto his ranch 17 years ago. They aren't kids- they're realistic adults. Now Sammy very much wants a baby and it only makes sense to her that Ryder, the man she adores and respects, should be the dad. He's not of the same opinion but then...Neither one of them makes it easy on the other but that tension is what makes this fun (even though you know what's going to happen). I've only read one of the books in this series so I was less familiar than others might be with the characters- and I enjoyed meeting them in a virtual standalone. Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC was originally provided by Edelweiss and the publisher.
I ended up listening to a digital audiobook from my local library.
I really, really didn't like the third act freak out for the FMC and the entire "I can't have nice things and nice things aren't real and no one makes their own choices because I had an awful father" foundation that it was built upon. And with the strike and HQN falling under the HC umbrella … that’s all I’m going to say about that for now.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

MAJOR Plot spoilers ahead. Read at your own risk.

4.75 stars

I don’t know why I ever doubt Maisey that I wouldn’t like this book, but I did doubt it a little bit, or more accurately I wasn’t anticipating this one as much as I was Pansy and West’s book. I think big reason for that was that I didn’t know or had seen a lot of Sammy and Ryder aside from the previous book while with West he had been introduced quite a few books back so it built up my anticipation factor for him and his book. So I was unsure going into this one even though it was a friends to lovers, which is my favorite trope, but again I should know better with Maisey books because though it may not have been perfect, I did really like and enjoy it. In fact I read to the early morning hours because I just couldn’t put down. I was that invested in the romance of Sammy and Ryder and them falling in love. It was good and so worth the read.

As I stated above I was a little unsure going into this book, that feeling did carry through, at first, in the beginning portion because I was little put off of Sammy’s reasoning for wanting to have a baby. Honestly it was a little off putting and made me question whether I was going to like Sammy going forward. I get what her motivations were for wanting to have a child, but it was totally wrong and made me cringe a little bit so I thought I would be in trouble with this story.

Until Ryder called her out on her stuff then the story just took off after that because not only did Ryder call her out on her issues, but she called him out on his. Fireworks blew as they pushed each other and pushed other each hard after seventeen years of history and friendship that they dealt with but ignored. A lot of it bubble beneath the surface especially for Ryder, who was in love with Sammy for years and years and years. He subtlety pined for her, but ignored it because he knew she needed a protector not his desire for her. So not only were they dealing with current issues, but all this built up tension that been building between them all those years and really highlighting the friends to lovers trope perfectly. I adored all that tension coming to the surface and just exploding onto the page. It was so good. So deep. So heavy. Just there was a lot going on, and I loved it.

Once their relationship changed to that lover sphere, the story got really, really interesting. Not only did it show the heat, the passion, and connection that the two of them had, but it showed how they worked as a couple. Then even sated in the book that they were already a married couple without all the physical stuff, and I totally agree with that. It was clear that they loved and cared about each other even if they didn’t want to admit that it was a romantic type of love, or more accurately they were to scared to admit it for fear they would screw up that relationship. Ryder and Sammy’s relationship was the most important relationship that they both had. They needed each other. They wanted each other. They were each other’s person, and I think they both subconsciously realized that. Heck from the beginning of the book, Ryder called Sammy his sunshine, and Sammy said that he belonged to her so it was really no surprise that they were soul mates and belonged together. They were already together just they were afraid to admit it and stuck to focusing on just the physical side of their relationship.

The physical side of their relationship had no problems whatsoever. As soon as they kissed, they lit the pages on fire that couldn’t be put out, but it was so much more than that because they had that seventeen year friendship already built in. So, there were some intense emotions going on for both of them. For Sammy it was like waking up for the first time because she experienced this closeness as well as physical pleasure for the first time. It blew her mind, and she knew she couldn’t get that with anyone else but Ryder. As for Ryder, his deep desire that he had been suppressing for seventeen years had finally unleashed, and he finally got the fantasy he always wanted with Sammy. And just like for Sammy it was magical and emotional for him as well. He finally could basked in Sammy’s sunshine by being completely intimate with her in every way possible. All the love scenes were so good. They were sexy, sensual, tender and very intense. It as satisfying for me as the reader as it was for the two of them. So good. I do wish that the wedding night scene and the reunion love scene was shown, instead of just summarized, but that was just because I wanted more love scenes between the two of them. I think those scenes would have been really intimate, emotional and tender, and I would have liked to see them and their connection play out more.

There were quite a few surprising things that happened. Partially because I thought I knew where this story was going to go, but then it didn’t go there, and it felt like a little bit of a curveball to me, but that was what made it interesting and engaging story. First of all, I was surprised when they got married. I thought they wouldn’t do until the very end or as part of the epilogue, but that wasn’t the case. They didn’t get married too early or anything, but it was sooner than I thought it was going to be so it was interesting to see them married for a little bit before the conflict near the end happened. I also was surprised by the fact that Ryder was the one to claim his love for Sammy first. I don’t know why I was so surprised because Ryder had been love with her for the past seventeen years, but I thought he would have fought it more, and it would be more like pulling teeth for him to admit and embrace it. In fact it was Sammy, who was reluctant in admitting her feeling, and it was a real struggle to get her to the point where she could admit her feelings for Ryder and accept that they could be together and live happily ever after. She had more of journey to get there than he did, which was really a nice role rehearsal.

Speaking of Ryder, I was so swooning over him especially when he declared his love for Sammy. He made my heart soar, and he made my heart break especially when Sammy rejected him. I knew yearned for her for seventeen years, but it was more subtle than in the current time, and when yearned and longed for her in the present time while he putting his heart on line while trying to be what she needed. Ah, so good. I loved him so much. He wasn’t that typical alpha male playboy cowboy that I have come to love and adore from Maisey Yates books. He was more of a beta male/nice guy type that I sometimes don’t care for, but I didn’t care because I loved him adored him anyway. He was just so swoon worthy for so many different reasons that I couldn’t help but it fall in love with him. I could gush and gush about him so much more than I am now. He will stick in my heart and head for awhile especially for what he went through with Sammy at the end.

As for the ending, I did think it dragged a little bit, but that could have been because it was the early morning hours while reading it. I just wanted Sammy to get her crap together sooner and stop hurting Ryder. It took so long for her to accept that Ryder wanted to be with her, and he didn’t feel trapped by her and all the stuff she convinced herself to believe in order to keep them apart. I know she was going through a lot of issues of her own, and she was scared, but I wished that was hurried along a bit more. It just seemed to take forever to get there.

But I did appreciated that they both healed what hurts had been ailing them for the past seventeen years due to their different issues. Love helped them heal. Love gave them support to get through those issues. They had a beautiful relationship that grew and blossomed as they went about healing and connecting with one another. It was beautiful to see this need that they had for each other that no one else could satisfy or help them have a healthy and successful life, and they could only do that with each other.

As with all her cowboy books, I love how Maisey Yates does family dynamics, and this one was no exception. I have completely fallen in love with the Daniels family. I’m totally sold on them after this one in a way wasn’t quite in the previous book. I loved the sister dynamic in here. I loved seeing interactions between Logan and Ryder as well as West and Ryder. I loved all the support system. I loved all the teases I got for upcoming books in the future. I loved the whole family aspect and just learning about the other characters and seeing their personalities shine as well as the relationship between all of them. I thought the wedding dress scene was really sweet. It was just all good. It was just a big part of the heart and soul of the story as was the romance between Sammy and Ryder.

Overall even though it took me a little bit to warm up the story, as well as Sammy, I freaking adored this story. I couldn’t put down at one point because I had to know what happened n the story that I was totally invested in. There were so many good things in this story. The romance was really good. I loved that it was friends to lovers. I loved how entertaining it was to see Sammy and Ryder really push other until they had to confront things about themselves. I loved the fireworks that went off between them. They had some very heated scenes together. It was a lot spicer than I thought it was going to be, which made it all the more amazing. I love the intensity. I loved the family. I loved Ryder. I loved Ryder was the first one to admit his feelings. The feels that I got from me really punched me in the gut several times. The yearning and longing from Ryder near that end was heartbreaking yet warmed my heart because it showed the depth of his feelings for her. I could gush forever about this one. I will be definitely rereading this one over and over again because it was that amazing. I can’t relive it all over again.

Highly recommend for Maisey Yates fans, friends to lovers fans, intense love story fans, and just fans that want both an entertaining and fun ride yet are ready have their heart break yet put together in a satisfying manner by books end.

[Marti · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Hero of Hope Springs by Maisey Yates is the tenth book in the Gold Valley series. The series has moved onto the Hope Springs ranch and the main character is Ryder Daniels - who is a tall, handsome and HOT cowboy who raised his siblings, cousins and friend when his parents and other relatives died suddenly in a plane crash. He has always had his needs and wants tamped down hard. Sammy came to live at Hope Springs to be safe. She was a ray of sunshine for Ryder and a support for him.

It has been seventeen years since Sammy came to live on the ranch. The ranch has been successful and Sammy is an artisan making jewelry. She is feeling like something is missing from her life and decides she wants a baby and she wants to get pregnant the “old fashion way”. And that is when the book gets interesting! Ryder is not going to let that happen and he starts talking hoping to talk her out of everything…and ends up talking her into Ryder “helping” her. LOL

I loved this story. Maisey Yates newest book, The Hero of Hope Springs is a great read!

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I’ve liked several stories by this author, but I simply could not get into this story. No, I cannot pinpoint why - I just couldn’t.
DNF!!!