A Photo Finish by Elsie Silver | Book Review

Book reviews

23 Mar

Off to the Races by Elsie Silver
A Small Town Second Chance Romance

Series: Gold Rush Ranch, Book #2
First release date: August 13, 2021
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Format: eBook
Pages: 420
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My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 (4.5/5)
Spice level: 🌶🌶🌶 (3/5)

📕 | This book follows Cole Harding, Vaughn’s big brother, and Violet Eaton, Billie’s best friend and the new jockey for Billie’s horse DD, whom we met in the first book, Off to the Races. Cole lives in the city running their other family business, but due to a new business venture around the area, he’s forced to come and stay at Gold Rush Ranch for an uncertain period. He is a super grumpy veteran, set on his way, who suffers from severe cases of PTSD and avoids people at all costs. Violet, on the other hand, who is the sweetest creature on earth, is freshly moved away from her overprotective family, and she’s determined to become a new version of herself and achieve her independence. Which is how they came to know each other in the first place…

👍🏼 | This was my absolute favourite in the series. I’m aware that second chance is one of my favourite tropes but this just spoke to my heart. When I tell you that I literally felt my heart squeezing, and multiple times, I mean it, and I think that I haven’t felt it for any other book I’ve read. It was just so sweet and romantic and I loved it.

✍🏼 | It’s so well written, I couldn’t put it down. It alternates between past and present and this way of storytelling is very captivating. Every chapter starts with their past conversations and it blends in beautifully with the present. Also, part of their past is happening in parallel with the first book, which is something that I like in a series. Their characters are also written and developed in a great way and every detail around their world seems studied. Like Cole’s secret which was well kept until the very last chapters.

💖 | Where do I start? Their chats were the perfect way to get to know them and see their dynamic. With their forced proximity, their tension and chemistry were over the top. Violet was so inspiring trying to be a better version of herself. Cole’s internal dialogue and his path of healing were so long and heartbreaking. He is also so charming and sexy and sweet and romantic that my heart squeezes for this also. I cried so much for him. His deep secrets and pain and how he was constantly sabotaging himself, believing so little of himself made me cry, but it wasn’t frustrating. Violet was literally what he needed in his life and she stood by him so strong. We had again the horse racing element and all this beautiful world and characters around it. And again, we’re having our suspicions and teasers for the next couple, which I can’t wait to talk about!

👎🏼 | I don’t know if there’s anything I didn’t like. Maybe the fact that a few scenes I’d like to be explored more, like when Violet found out about the messages. I wanted to see more there. And more texts especially during the past year where Cole knew who she was but was still living in the city.

❝ She’s fucking beautiful. The kind of beauty that makes you stop and stare. The kind of beauty you want to study. ❞

🗣 | If you love second-chance romance, a wounded hero, and a slow burn with some angst, then this book is for you. Another similar book that comes to mind is Happy Place by Emily Henry, although completely different setting, I had similar feelings about the MMC’s inner struggle.

✨ | Overall, a great book with an amazing plot, lots of steam and spice, very sexy and romantic, beautiful characters and heartwarming moments! I am more than happy I got to read it and I will definitely reread it soon! Off to the next, The Front Runner now.

tropes + micro tropes :

wounded hero
second chance romance
grumpy/sunshine
small town vibes
slow burn
angst
interconnected standalone

I hope you liked this review. If you did, consider sharing it with people who might be interested. Also, if you have anything more to add, please write it in the comments section below so everyone can see it. Until next time!

Love,
Christina xx