Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - Heartless

4 Black Panty Stars ⭐️
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️.5/5

If this book was a balloon, I blew it up too fast and it exploded in my face - it was on a flawless (haha) trajectory of being perfect. It made me giddy and happy and feel all the gushy things you want to feel... but then it went POP and I was left with nothing but the tattered remains of metaphorical rubber and a feeling of sadness cause I lost my balloon...

I didn't have the best relationship with Elsie Silver going into this. I despised Fawless. It is one of those books left the taste of sour MILK in my mouth. It just felt odd and stilted and missing something. I just didn't like it. So... I went into this very apprehensive knowing I had been burnt before and I didn't want to be burnt again. However, based on everything that I'd seen, specifically around the way people gushed about how amazing this book was, with statements of "this is probably one of the best books in the Chestnut Springs series". I decided to give it a go as I always give an author a second chance because disliking one book could be a fluke.

Anyway, I pulled up (or dropped) my big girl panties and dived in. This follows Willa and Cade. Willa, who is the best friend of Summer (The FMC of Flawless) is looking for something to keep her days occupied and pass the time since her current job as a bartender is on hold due to renovations. She doesn't need financial help, just something to keep her mind and days busy. Summer's soon-to-be brother-in-law (Cade) is in desperate need of a nanny. He cannot find anybody that meets the suitable qualifications, a.k.a. would be interested in looking after Luke and not getting into his pants. So Summer hooks Cade and Willa up - PROFESSIONALLY. Things however start a little awkward because before Cade knows who Willa is, she drops her panties in front of him at a coffee shop and lets him keep them. Anyway, Willa gets the job and moves into Cade's house where the two of them have to fight feelings for each other even though Cade REALLY REALLY wants to bang the nanny.

Willa is a darling, a true free spirit who is unashamedly straightforward, which I liked about her personality. She almost had no filter, and she wasn't afraid to voice her opinion. If something didn't sit right with her she would do something about it and call out the injustice. She wouldn't try to flatter the feeling or dull the message because it needed to be said. Maybe it was all her years as a bartender and needing to be straightforward with handsy, drunk men. She is also extremely bubbly and spontaneous and the type of person you just want to be friends with no matter what.

Cade is a DELICIOUS stern brunch daddy. He is the grumpiest of grumpy, but he has a reason for being so. The mother of his son is a real piece of work. He's had to raise Luke himself and as a result, has guarded himself from being hurt again and forgotten how to be selfish for himself and have fun. He works so hard to be able to provide a good life for Luke, he takes no nonsense and takes a while to open up and be comfortable with new people.

I REALLY liked how their relationship strengthened and blossomed into more romantic based on Cade seeing how perfect, comfortable and good Willa was with Luke. It was the best "Papa-Bear" feeling to witness the reason that he managed to learn to trust Willa and open himself up to eventually experiencing feelings for her, was due to that bond that Willa and Luke had formed.

Luke was an adorable little treasure. I don't have kids myself, so I'm not typically very much into books with children, but I can say his presence added quite a few moments of laughter. He is hilarious and funny and cute and just such a sweet little ball of energy. Sometimes, I didn't think that his language and the way his intelligence came across read as a six-year-old. He seemed a little bit older, BUT I have no experience being around a six-year-old, so I don't know if that is the way that they act or behave or speak. And maybe kids are just more clever than I give them credit for.

The smut in this was ALSO surprising because that is one of the main things I HATED in Flawless as there was no chemistry and connection between Summer and Rhett. BUT BOY did WILLA and CADE have chemistry... The other thing that was a major dichotomy is the dirty talk in Flawless was AWFUL! It lives in my mind as the example of how NOT TO DO DIRTY TALK...so colour me damn surprised when this was the example of how YOU SHOULD DO DIRTY TALK. I was blushing and squealing and kicking my feet at the words that came out of Daddy Cade's mouth because they were fucking hot. 🥵️🥵️🥵️

Now why did I feel all deflated if everything seemed to be going so well... WELL ELSIE SILVER HAD TO GO AND THROW IN MY WORST TROPE (which is actually a combo of two tropes and how they are pulled off), into the end. When this happened the book nosedived off a cliff - and no matter how much I understand why it happened, and logically tell my brain to accept the way it did and reason away the purpose of it being there - I KNOW I DO NOT LIKE THAT COMBO TROPE and no amount of trying to rationalise with my brain could make her change her mind... BASICALLY this being sucky in the end is entirely a me problem and not the book.

I do not mind surprise/accidental pregnancy or a third-act breakup. I have loved books that have had both. I just prefer that the pregnancy happens at the start of the book and that it doesn't feel like the reason the couple recover after the third act is because of a baby. It might be because I don't have children that have made me skewed towards wanting to see a relationship recover from the third act for any other reason than "we need to be responsible parents now because we have a child on the way." But for me, this feels like a copout and weak direction and I just do not like it.

There was also something else I found weird... It didn't impact my rating

but why does Willa never speak to her family? She mentions them a few times and I know she's not in the same city - but PHONES EXISIT. If she is AS close as she says and as close as the book implies - why is there never a scene with her talking to her family or mentioning "Oh I spoke to my mom today"? It was just weird, given how close the Eaton's were that her family were non-existent except for a few mentions of what they do and how her mom being a sex therapist means Willa is pretty open.

The Tropes:
▶ Small Town Romance
▶ Cowboy Romance
▶ Single Dad X Nanny Romance
▶ Grumpy X Sunshine
▶ Age Gap (Willa 25, Cade 38)
▶ Cute Kid
▶ Jealous MMC

Micro Tropes:
▷ Good Girl
▷ Rolled Sleeves/Forearm Mentions
▷ Chin Lift
▷ Mine
▷ Looks after her when she is sick
▷ DIRTY TALK
▷ Steamy steamy hot tub scenes

Overall the fact that this disappointed me is a ME problem... Generally, it wasn't that bad and I was eating it up! I do think overall Elsie Silver has redeemed herself from her AWFUL Flawless and so I will give the rest of these a try, eventually... I am not hearing Winter's book is actually the best one - so who knows.

Content Warnings

theangelssing's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book altered my brain chemistry in a good way. It will forever hold a special place in my heart. I’m happy I read it, I’m happy I read it now.
Willa and Cade’s story taught me so much.

Content Warnings

beebowbabe's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Content Warnings

n_malin_p's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Its the first book i read from Elsie Silver and I think i found a new favourite author.
The way the relationship to the kid was handled was amazing, I find in stories like this the child feels often like an afterthought, not here.

Content Warnings

More...