Book review: IN A HEARTBEAT, by Laura Pavlov

Rosewood River #5

Axel & Wren

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Laura Pavlov delivers another swoony, heartfelt, small‑town romance that hits every emotional beat—from betrayal and heartbreak to healing, humor, and the kind of devotion that feels like destiny.

Wren and Axel have been best friends forever—the kind of childhood bond built on inside jokes, shared dreams, and a horse named Wrax whose name literally unites theirs. He calls her Horse Girl. She calls him Cowboy. And for years, that was enough.

Until it wasn’t.

A devastating fallout tore them apart, leaving Wren blocking his number and Axel wondering what he did wrong. In the two years they spent apart, life didn’t slow down for either of them. Wren became a World Champion in eventing, only to spiral into a slump and suffer a brutal accident. Axel built a booming business designing high‑end horse trailers. Both were succeeding, but both were missing the one person who had always understood them best.

And then comes the betrayal that shatters Wren: her father and coach secretly sell Wrax—her partner, her heart, her family—because they think he’s “too old” for their Olympic ambitions. The cruelty of it is staggering.

Desperate to get Wrax back, Wren takes a temp job… only to discover she’ll be working for Axel. He doesn’t want to hire her—too much hurt, too many unanswered questions—but the moment he learns what happened, he steps in the way he always has: in a heartbeat.

What follows is a beautifully layered journey of reconnection. Axel tracks down Wrax, buys him back, and brings him home in one of the most emotional reunion scenes I’ve ever read. Even the horse cries. And honestly? Same.

As Wren and Axel rebuild their friendship, the truth finally surfaces: Collin—Wren’s brother and resident chaos generator—lied about Axel the night everything fell apart. His deception cost them two years of love they didn’t know they were already living. Wren’s fury is righteous, and her refusal to let her father or brother control her career anymore is a moment of pure empowerment.

From there, the romance blooms effortlessly. Their devotion is absolute. Their trust is hard‑won. Their matching “in a heartbeat” tattoos? Perfection. They are soulmates who were separated by lies but reunited by choice.

The competitions in North Carolina and New York bring adrenaline, triumph, and the sweetest moments of support—Axel flying overnight just to be there for her cross‑country run is peak book‑boyfriend behavior. Wren proves Wrax is still a champion, proves she’s stronger than her past, and ultimately realizes she’s ready to retire on her own terms.

Her new dream? A riding academy for kids, mornings waking up beside Axel, and long rides with Wrax and Honey just for the joy of it.

Meanwhile, the family subplots deliver drama, growth, and surprising tenderness. Collin starts therapy. Wren’s mother rebuilds her life. Her father tries—awkwardly—to make amends. It’s messy, but it’s real.

And because this Rosewood River, we also get:

• The Taylor Tea stirring up small‑town chaos

• A full‑on B&E mission involving vodka, stockings, and rose bushes

• The Chadwick men’s group chat (always iconic)

• The ladies’ “book club,” which is 10% books and 90% wine and oversharing

It’s romance, humor, family, friendship, and small‑town charm all braided together into a story that feels warm, funny, emotional, and deeply satisfying.

A perfect blend of heart and hilarity—Laura Pavlov at her best.

Purchase links

FREE with #kindleunlimited 

https://geni.us/inaheartbeat

Paperback: https://amzn.to/4iGiano

Hardcover: Coming soon!

Audible: https://geni.us/IAHAUDIO

Narrated by: Alex Knox and Samantha Brentmoor

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/477mR5w

About the author

Laura Pavlov writes sweet and sexy contemporary romance that will make you both laugh and cry. She is happily married to her college sweetheart, mom to two awesome almost-grown kids, and dog-whisperer to one temperamental yorkie and one wild bernedoodle. Laura resides in Las Vegas where she is living her own happily ever after. Be sure to sign up for updates on new releases. Laura loves to hear from readers!

 

Connect with Laura

Website: https://www.laurapavlov.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6569734.Laura_Pavlov

Amazon: http://amzn.to/3c1xKZX

Facebook: http://bit.ly/3eSvEdp

Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/2OKU6T5

Instagram: https://bit.ly/2TKf5Zs

X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurapavlov2

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@laurapavlovauthor

Bookbub: http://bit.ly/3ii8Vdp

Book review: LONG TIME COMING, by S.L. Scott

Another brother’s best friend romance, to add to the gazillion I’ve read this year.  But in this case, this one has been so incredibly romantic that I actually loved it, in spite of not being a trope I like. I loved the small town vibe, the cowboy/cowgirl element to the story, all the subtle plot lines that add so much to the main plot of second chance, brother’s best friend love story.

Christine had dreams of a career, but those stopped when her mother died and she took over the running of her parents’ farm.  There’s some resentment over the fact that her two older brothers skipped town and left her with the sole responsibility of the farm, and taking care of their aging, ailing father.  

Tagger Grange had also left town, studied Finance with Christine’s brother Baylor, and both were making lots of money as financial advisors in New York.  Tagger had a sudden urge to come visit his hometown, see his parents, and bring his son to visit the place where he grew up.  Same as Christine and Baylor, he had a happy, magical childhood, and he’s only now revisiting and enjoying the memories.  He introduces his son Beck to all his old haunts, the cowboy life, riding horses, all the joys of his boyhood.  And this makes him reassess the quality of life his son has in New York versus the quality of life he could give his son here in Peachtree Pass, Texas.

Christine had a crush on Tagger when they were in school, and it comes blazing back as they share days working in her ranch. She falls in love with Beck, falls back in love with Tagger, but there’s an issue of distance and how to make it work.  Also, there are issues with Beck’s mom, who is a snotty, uppity New Yorker and turns her nose up at dusty Texas and frumpy cowgirls.  Charming, she is not!

I loved how the issues are handled, with lots of respect and consideration.  Loved how Tagger fell back in love with his roots and with Christine, loved how his priority is his son’s happiness.  I even loved that he was respectful to his mother’s son, even though she was to toxic.

It was a lovely read, romantic, a slow reminiscent story of a forgotten and loved childhood and new discoveries. Utterly charming!

Purchase links

https://geni.us/LTCAm

About the author

Kylie is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today best-selling, Audie Award winning author. 

She has sold over 2,000,000 books and was voted Australian Romance Writer of the year four times by the Australian Romance Reader’s Association. Her books have been translated into sixteen different languages. She is based in Queensland, Australia; living and working on land traditionally owned by the Jagera people.

Contact her at info@kyliescott.com

Connect with Kylie Scott:

https://kyliescott.com/