Wild Hearts: Ice Queen Lesbian Romance (The Healing Hearts Series Book 3)

This was the perfect slow burn for me. Two ice queens is not something I get to read all that often and I absolutely loved it. I really liked Shannon and Tess as individual characters, but their chemistry together made it even better. They are both clearly competent and intelligent women, yet they still manage to get completely stuck in their own heads and in their own way. Watching that push and pull between them unfold was incredibly satisfying. The spice in this book is, as always with Ruby, fantastic. But what surprised me was that the character growth stood out even more than the spice. The women we say goodbye to at the end of the story are not the same women we meet at the beginning. Watching them slowly grow into themselves and into each other was one of my favourite parts of the book. The side characters are also excellently written. Some of them we’ve met in previous books and some are new, but they all fit perfectly into the story. Getting Yaya back was one of my favourite things because what an absolute legend. Colette in particular is a fantastic addition. I loved that Ruby wrote her as a wonderfully flawed character and didn’t even make her the main character. She goes on her own journey, finds Yaya (and, if you know, you know how life-changing that can be), grows enormously, faces her shortcomings, and actively tries to do better. Seeing that growth unfold is also what makes the complicated relationship between her and Tess feel so authentic. Their dynamic…

For a decade Shannon McAllister has been in charge of the search and rescue operation in the mountains of Colorado. Her record for lives saved and successful rescues speaks for itself. She has a team of volunteers that show up for her for every dispatch and they work very well together. But now the county commissioners are questioning whether the SAR can be run with only volunteers and want a budget review. Tess Calder is brought in from Portland for six months to do the audit and determine if Shannon's job is necessary or can it be performed by all volunteers. All Shannon does is concentrate on work. All Tess does is concentrate on the data she collects. Neither lets anyone get close to them. A rescue mission has Tess going with Shannon and her dog Kep. A wild fire rips through the mountains where they are and their survival depends on Shannon's knowledge and the equipment she has. The fire changes things between them. Tess has to write her report. Shannon's job and future hang in the balance of whatever information Tess puts in that report. Ruby Scott adds another gem to the Healing Hearts series. It's exciting, it's funny, it's slow burn and steamy! Don't worry if you haven't read the other books in the series (but you don't know what you're missing) because this can be read as a standalone. If you're not familiar with Ruby's books this is a great place to start!

This was a beautiful story about what happens when you finally stop running from yourself. When you realize that the walls you've built aren't protecting you from the hard things in life, they're keeping you from living any life at all. When you stop thinking in terms of safety and start going after what you really want.