A review by bribreez
Heartless: Special Edition, by Elsie Silver

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

5⭐️/ 4🌶️

Back with more of the Eaton’s, but this time with Mr. Grumpy single dad, Cade Eaton. Cade was such a grumpy man, kept to himself, but when it came to his family, they meant the world to him, even with all his tough love and rough exterior personality. Willa was all kinds of sass, spunky, carefree, and unlike any woman Cade had ever met. With an unexpected and slightly embarrassing first meeting which involved Willa’s extra pair of panties falling out of her purse which, Cade picks up for her, it was quite the experience so to speak. Little did Willa know that very man she stumbled upon would be her new boss as she was going to be the nanny for his five year old son. With the boss/nanny trope, single dad, more found family, age gap romance, grumpy man, and previous characters from the first book, I was ready for more in Chestnut Springs!

I really loved the friendship that Willa and Luke had! They were so precious and funny together. I’m not one to actively look for stories that involve single parents with their children, but on the occasion that I stumble upon one, I’m always curious to see how the kid is. Luke was absolutely lovable, sweet, intelligent, a chip off the old block like his dad, but very kind and a little bit mischievous like his uncles. Willa had a great way of not only making sure that Luke was entertained and well cared for as his nanny, but also made sure to talk things out with him from learning from his mistakes, and understanding the differences of what’s right and wrong. Cade had been use to playing both roles as a single parent, but with Willa she also provided additional support in a way that helped Cade. Luke and Willa got into some fun, and played around together which was really sweet so, definitely one of my fave parts of the book was seeing more of Luke and the close friendship he had with Willa.

Compared to his other brothers, Cade was LITERALLY the grumpiest one. Always the one to care for everyone else, maintain the ranch, trying to be there for Luke as much as possible, Cade juggled a lot of responsibilities so, it wasn’t hard to see that he didn’t get much free time to himself. Even though there were the occasional times that Cade went out with his brothers, he just didn’t like anyone enough to date especially considering the lack of trust he had in others after his ex-wife did him dirty. While Cade was going about his usual grumpy attitude, Willa ended up being the one person to call him out, and make sure he understood that the way he spoke to others, especially her wasn’t going to fly or else she was leaving. For the first time, Cade admired the fact that Willa didn’t back down against him, instead he was kind of impressed by that action. Cade was such a grumpy man that despite feeling some sort of attraction towards Willa, he didn’t want to pursue her for a number of reasons such as, the age gap between them, her being Luke’s nanny, and his lack of trust in others. Suffice to say, with Cade trying to keep a professional relationship with Willa was proving hard which only made him more grumpy, and…frustrated both mentally and physically. 

Willa was an actual firecracker! (Not literal lol). Willa had a carefree vibe to her personality and just like she said, she just went about her life wherever it took her. Compared to Summer, Willa was the kind of person who just went along with whatever came her way. I admired the way that Willa didn’t let Cade intimidate her with his grumpy personality or the way he would raise his voice at her. If there’s one thing to know about Willa Grant is that, she can hold her ground, and she won’t anyone or anything stand in her way. While Cade was the grumpy rancher, Willa was wild, free, fun, and open minded. I really enjoyed seeing Willa’s personality against Cade’s since they were so different from one another, but one of the few things they did have in common was the love they had for their families. Willa was loyal and caring, and that translated very well throughout the story from taking care of Luke. Even working for Cade, it didn’t diminish Willa’s fiery spirit and her lack of a filter when it came to whatever she blurted out haha which inevitably left Cade feeling either flustered or kind of turned on.

The tension was absolutely amazing! Despite Cade not wanting to cross any boundaries considering Willa was Luke’s nanny and the age gap between them, that man COULD NOT DENY HE WAS CONSTANTLY THINKING ABOUT HER ALL THE TIME! Plus the way Cade was so protective over Willa just spoke to the level of care he had for her, and he couldn’t help getting jealous at seeing other guys check Willa out. The more that Cade and Willa’s attraction towards each other grew, the sexual tension was brimming to the surface, close to the point of boiling! Safe to say, once Willa finally showed Cade just how much she wanted him, all bets were off… including Cade’s pants on the front porch! OMG! Willa was always so outspoken compared to Cade, but in the bedroom Cade’s dominant side alongside the dirty talk in full force! Cade and Willa got steamy and passionate which was SO HOT TO READ! But I also appreciated how each Cade and Willa found a sense of reassurance and confidence to be vocal in what they wanted with each other intimately. All I gotta say is that I’m forever going to be thinking about Willa saying “thank you” to Cade EACH TIME HE COMPLIMENTED HER AND OTHER SEXY STUFF WOO! Cade Eaton was a man on a mission, and that mission was ensuring Willa got to experience everything he had to offer her, and boy was she living it up!

This was another fantastic story by Elsie Silver! Willa was a fiery, strong, amazing woman who went toe to toe with Cade, and never backed down. Cade was such a devoted father, loving man, downright faithful and fantastic with Willa and Luke. I’m not looking to be anyone’s mom, but Luke was the kind of kid you’d wish was yours, and would also want to spend time playing Dinosaur Ranch too. This story had a lot of heart, hilarious moments, lots of family fun with the rest of the Eaton’s, the romance, the tension, everything about this book was great! Cade was the grumpiest man ever since the last book, but getting to see how his life had changed over time made me realize why he was the way that he was. Both Willa and Cade found each other in an unexpected way, but it was meant to be from the beginning. The ending and epilogue (as well as the bonus epilogue) gave me even more joy and happiness at seeing the way that Willa and Cade got their happy ending together. Not to mention even more wholesome cuteness from Lucas, and of course some joking around from the rest of the family. With each book so far in the Chestnut Springs series, I keep falling more in love with these cowboy, manly country men who are absolutely amazing, and loving the female characters that are strong, capable, sassy, intelligent, and can go up against whatever odds are stacked against them. If you love reading about a grumpy, single dad and a sassy, witty woman who becomes the nanny, an adorable kid who brings lots of smiles, and a close knit family, this is the book for you! Although, honestly you should read ALL OF ELSIE SILVER’S BOOKS! IT’S A MUST!