Four Years of Yearning, a Sweet Small Town Romance, and a Hero Who Took His Damn Time

Goodreads | Hit the Ground

Release date: January 27, 2026

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Narrators: Emma Wilder and Sean Masters

Synopsis:

Caleb Kelly has been my secret weakness since the day I moved to Sugar Brush, Wyoming.

I spend my days among the stacks as the town’s librarian and my nights serving drinks at Joy’s Elbow Room. It’s safe, predictable, and a little boring. The only thing that makes my pulse kick is when Caleb Kelly walks through the door and takes a seat at one of my tables.

Four years of stolen glances, watching him laugh with his family, listening to him talk about his son, and pretending he doesn’t unravel me just by saying my name. Alice.

Then one reckless night, I steal a kiss. And for one perfect, heart-stopping second, he kisses me back.

But the thing is, Caleb doesn’t date. He has his son, his ranch, and no room for anything—or anyone—else.

So I finally stop waiting, stop hoping, stop hiding. It’s way past time to begin living my life on my own terms.

Just as I start to move forward, trouble knocks me back. And when I need someone the most, Caleb is the one by my side again and again, standing between me and the worst of it. His steady, fierce presence is impossible to ignore.

I should know better than to keep falling for a man who told me he can’t give me more. I should walk away before I get hurt again.

It’s just that every time he shows up, every time he really sees me, every time he stays, my heart refuses to listen.

But letting him in might be the one thing I can’t come back from.

Review:

I absolutely loved Alice. She was such a sweetheart, and I completely understood why I found myself getting a little protective of her. 😂 This woman has been carrying around four years of yearning for Caleb, watching him from the sidelines and quietly hoping he might finally see her. FOUR YEARS. The patience! The commitment! Meanwhile, Caleb is over here taking approximately a thousand years to figure out what is happening right in front of him.

And honestly, it took me a little while to warm up to Caleb. I was firmly in Alice’s corner and wasn’t entirely convinced he deserved her for a good portion of the book. But he eventually won me over. Watching him slowly recognize what Alice meant to him and begin letting himself want something beyond his carefully controlled life was really satisfying. And his relationship with his son, Jesse, was one of my favorite parts of the story. Alice and Jesse together were absolutely adorable, and there was something really special about their connection.

There is also plenty of yearning here, and when Caleb finally starts to get it together, the payoff is so good. Their romance has that sweet, tender quality I’ve been enjoying throughout this series, with some spice mixed in and another dash of suspense to keep things moving. Again, I wouldn’t necessarily classify this as romantic suspense, but the danger and tension add another layer to the story without taking over the romance.

I listened to the audiobook with Emma Wilder and Sean Masters once again, and by this point they feel completely at home in the Sugar Brush world. Rather than feeling like two narrators simply reading the story, they really capture the emotional rhythm of these characters—the quiet longing, the frustration, the tenderness, and those moments when everything finally breaks through. Emma was especially wonderful with Alice’s sweetness and vulnerability, while Sean did a great job bringing Caleb’s more reserved, steady personality to life. They make this series incredibly easy to sink into.

I’m becoming a real fan of Julia Wolf’s writing and storytelling. She has such a good handle on balancing emotional depth, small town charm, romance, and just enough outside tension to keep things interesting. Three books in, I’m completely invested in Sugar Brush and the Kelly Ranch crew, and, naturally, I’m already excited to see what’s waiting for me in the next book.

Perfect for Readers Who Love

• Long term unrequited crushes
• Four years of delicious yearning
• Sweet, lovable heroines
• Single dads and family focused heroes
• Adorable parent/child relationships
• Small town Wyoming romance
• Slow burn emotional payoff
• A dash of suspense and danger
• Spicy romance with plenty of tenderness

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks Must Love Audio for the gifted copy.

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