Book: Wanted: a small-town western romance by Paisley Hope
Reviewed by Anonymous
Rating: 4/5
This was such a sweet and beautiful love story! I really enjoyed it and loved getting to know Beau and Hallie, as well as the whole family. Their connection was so strong from the start and I loved watching how deeply they cared for one another, even when they though they weren't allowed to. I really appreciated how much depth there was to the characters and their everyday lives. Even though this is a romance, their individual struggles were explored in full, which made them feel so much more real and relatable. Because we all go through shit, and life doesn't stop just because you fall in love. So its super refreshing and nice to see a story that acknowledges this and actually matches reality.
Their connection brought sweetness, struggle and SO much heat! The spice in this book was unmatched. It was so hot and sexy, I literally had to stop reading at one point becuase it was that intense. It was so good and totally matched the characters!
And the girls?! Sadie and Piper were the absolute sweetest. I loved how important they were, not just to the story itself, but to Beau and Hallie's relationship as well. They added so much heart, and I loved watching Hallie build such a strong connection with them and Beau witnessing this. They made such a wonderful little family and it was super sweet reading all this emotional and heartfelt moments between them all.
Lastly, one of the things that stood out to me most was the dementia representation. I thought it was handled beautifully, without glorifying or romanticising the reality of loving someone living with it. The way the story explored the grief that begins long before someone is physically gone was heartbreaking, yet so raw and real. Seeing Beau navigate that grief in his own way while Hallie supported him was so beautiful.
There were some parts where I feel the connection between Beau and Hallie could have been focused on more, particularly in the beginning. More opportunities for getting to know one another could have been created, but it didn't bother me overly.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one, particularly because it didn't gloss over the hard realities and struggles that most people experience 🫶🏻