Taming the Heart
Elliott Rose
Crimson Ridge #3
He’s pierced & She’s found her new favorite toy
Cover and Synopsis
Taming the Heart Cover & Blurb
Being hired by a ranch for the summer sounds picture-perfect, right?
Except your new boss looks a whole lot like every fantasy and daydream you’ve ever had come to life—oh, and he’s already accidentally seen your favorite ‘toy’.
I’ve always been the hyper-independent free spirit. Sage Maloney, the wild child.
The eldest daughter, with my heart locked away safely out of sight. I had a summer of fun ahead of me.
Only, I didn’t count on a former pro bull rider to stride into my life. Beau Heartford. The much older cowboy with a mustache to go weak at the knees for.
He’s a whole package of temptation. Someone who lures me in with glimpses of what it might be like to let my guard down… to be taken care of.
My married boss.
Summer days rapidly turn scorching in this sleepy little town among the mountains. As the temperature continues to climb, we’re both stuck fighting a mutual attraction we can’t ignore.
Sparks fly, and we really should be putting more distance between the two of us.
In this scenario, more is at stake than just crossing a line between boss and employee.
There’s a wedding band on this cowboy’s finger.
Book Information
Taming the Heart
Published June 2026 by Kensington Publishing.
Taming the Heart was originally independently published in April 2025 by Elliott Rose.
Audiobook narrated by Gabriel Spires and Amy Hall.
Genre : Romance
Pages : 448 pages, Paperback
Taming the Heart Trigger Warnings
Surgery (side character, mentioned, broken bones), Panic attack, Animal abuse (past, mentioned), Infidelity, Divorce, Separation, Toxic marriage including emotional / legal abuse and manipulation, Bull riding injury (mentioned), Blackmail, Parental neglect (implied), Burn (kitchen incident), Failed marriage (parents, mentioned), Alcohol consumption, Alcoholism (side character, past, implied), Parental abandonment, Dementia (side character, mentioned), Microaggression (side character towards the FMC), Non consensual kiss (side character and MMC), Invasion of privacy, Pregnancy (side character, mentioned)
Taming the Heart Dedication
For the readers ready to ditch the horse and ride a ’ stache instead.
Taming the Heart Tropes
Married Boss
Age gap (16 years)
Hyper-independent FMC
Former pro bull rider MMC
Banter & Nicknames
Toys as teammates
She cuts his hair
He cooks for her
Mustaches Rides
Taming the Heart Kinks
(Semi) public play, Toys (mentioned and used throughout), Exhibitionism, Biting, Spanking, Light degradation, Hand necklace, Edging, Spitting
Review
Taming the Heart by Elliott Rose
Cock Ring
“Come here, you cock-sucking little slut.”
Minor Spoilers
Do I have a new favorite Crimson Ridge couple? Why yes, yes I do.
Taming the Heart by Elliott Rose is the third installment in the small town, taboo, cowboy romance series Crimson Ridge. Not only do we get the taboo fun of an age gap in this series but each book has an extra layer of taboo goodness. In the case of Taming the Heart, not only is there a sixteen year age gap but the mmc, Beau, is married. And that’s not all, Beau is our fmc, Sage’s, boss. Listen, I wasn’t sure how much I was going to like Taming the Heart. I personally am not a fan of the married character trope. But I trust Rose and I knew at the end of the day this wasn’t going to be a story about a man cheating on his wife.
Christ, it’ll officially haunt me forever that I called my new boss Cock Ring in the middle of the airport.
We first meet Sage in Chasing the Wild, she is Layla’s best friend. It is through those connections, she finds herself taking a job for the summer managing the PR and marketing for Beau’s ranch. Because yes, Sage is an independent woman with her own company and we love that for her. I loved Sage, within the first few chapters she secured her spot as my favorite fmc of Crimson Ridge. Quickly knocking Briar from Braving the Storm, down to second place. yes, that means Layla is unfortunately third. but listen, they are all stone cold foxes. and just because I vibe better with one over the other doesn’t mean any of them are less.
“So that’s why I have to . . . I have to just be your boss, baby.”
Enter Beau Hartford. This man was lost in the world believing he didn’t deserve happiness. We were all young and dumb once. Making decisions we thought were best at the time. But our view of the world was narrow and we were still growing into who we were meant to be. Beau Hartford married a woman and that woman was the worst. Hindsight, am I right? I don’t remember the last time I disliked a character quite like I disliked Beau’s wife, Mandy. By time Beau meets Sage his marriage to Mandy is all for show. He’s biding his time and counting the days until his contract with Mandy is finally over. But the woman he never should have married has her claws dug deep and Beau is terrified of becoming his father. At the end of the day, karma is a bitch and Mandy got what was coming to her.
“I’m offering to give you everything, trouble. For as long as you’ll have me.”
One of the things I liked the most about Taming the Heart, outside of Beau & Sage’s relationship, was how much the Hayes Brothers were included. If you are unaware, we are getting a spin off series about them. yay, more crimson ridge. So it was nice to see them featured a bit more in Taming the Heart. For me, it’s building hype for the new series and I honestly cannot wait. While there is still one unreleased book to come in the Crimson Ridge series, it will be complete this year and I for one am not ready to leave the ranch. Crimson Ridge feels like home.
It’s never going to be a question over here about whether or not I liked a book written by Rose. I love her writing and her characters. The question is, how much I liked it. The themes, tropes and characters change but the writing remains consistent. I know what I’m getting into and I know I’m going to like whatever it is. Elliott Rose is my comfort tv show. I was a die hard Braving the Storm fan. I love Briar and Storm’s story. But, I love Beau and Sage’s more. Not only is Sage now my favorite in universe fmc but Taming the Heart is my new favorite story of the series.
Huge thank you to Kensington for providing me with not only a digital arc for reviewing purposes but a physical copy of the deluxe limited edition released June 30, 2026. I first discovered Elliott Rose a little over a year ago and became a member of her street team. I was then fortunate enough to be grandfathered into the Kensington street team for Crimson Ridge when they bought the publishing rights to the series. As always babes, this means nothing as far as my review is concerned. The only thing that has changed on my end was when I read Taming the Heart, which obviously was for the re-release and not some random Tuesday.
Quotes
Taming the heart Quotes
I have to fight back a shiver, realizing I’ve been lost staring at the depth of blue in his irises. They remind me of a lake in the stillness of dawn. Peaceful. Reassuring. Calm.
My fingers tighten around the strap of the bag slung over my shoulder. His bag. God. My new boss’s duffel bag that I have indeed prettied up with pink rhinestones. My hot, married boss who has seen my vibrator.
The only thing that sticks resolutely in my mind is a nagging little seed of an idea. A goddamn dangerous one. It taunts me with the whisper of what it might be like to have someone to share this kind of moment with. Not someone. Her.
My lower back prickles with sweat and the tension of being so close to her yet having to remain so far away, lest I tumble straight into the fiery pits of a hell I can’t ever escape from.
How the hell did I end up stranded here in Futile Longing-ville, population one?
Heat glows high on my cheekbones as I immediately notice the equally prominent veins on the back of his firm hand, wrapped around the bottle in a way I’d really enjoy having done to me . . . only around my throat instead.
Is this lust of the worst kind? A mortal affliction I’ve succumbed to? Here lies Sage Maloney—daughter, sister, friend. Cut down in her prime by a perfect mustache, low-slung jeans concealing all manner of cowboy virility, and an Adonis belt coated in a dusting of dark hair.
In my marriage, I’ve felt starved, trapped in the darkest, grimmest cellar. With Sage? It feels like tasting something sweet and good and hopeful for the first time. Yet, I can’t dare to allow a single drop to pass my lips.
“The only things stopping me from fucking getting my hands on you, Sage, are this ring still stuck on my finger and my own damn morals that are hanging by a thread. Are you happy? Is that what you want to hear?”
“You’re my sunset sky, baby. Bright and mysterious and beautiful all at the same time.”
“I want to take care of you. And not only that, but I want to do little things for you, because that is my privilege to handle the simplest of actions if it will make your life easier. I want to help you, simple as that. While you’re immensely capable and don’t need anyone, you deserve to not always have to carry it around all the same.”
“This is the only good thing . . . You are the only good thing . . . So you’d better damn well wear my hat, shut up, and take my dick like my perfect little slut.”
Spice
Taming the Heart Spicy Chapters
7, 12, 18, 20, 21, 22, 24, 27, 29, 31, 34, 39 & Epilogue
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