Elsie Silver

I kissed my best friend’s little sister, and the world stood still.

That night we were two perfect strangers, the town’s grumpy recluse and a gorgeous girl in the back of a bar. Until we weren’t.

Because Nadia Dalca isn’t just some girl. She’s the girl I can’t have. Fourteen years younger than me and completely off-limits.

My plan is to stay away, but the universe keeps pushing us together. It’s like some sort of cosmic joke, to give me a taste of something so electric—so real—something that breathed life back into me.

Because I can look, but I can’t touch.

Her sinful curves, her light-hearted laughter, her wild side . . . I’m addicted to every last bit of her.

And when she turns those sultry eyes on me––the ones so full of longing and so free of judgement? I’ve always considered myself a strong man. But when she looks at me I’m weak.

To give in to our connection would be a betrayal. My life is beyond complicated, and she has the world at her fingertips. Her brother is the only family she has left, and sad as it sounds, he’s also my only friend.

But I kissed her again anyway.

And now I can’t stop.

A Small Town Brother's Best Friend Romance (Gold Rush Ranch, Book #4)

A False Start

Christina Farkona

“This isn’t enough, Nadia. To repay you for the way you’ve brought me back? It will never be enough. I’ll spend the rest of my goddamn life repaying the favor, and I’ll do it with a smile. This place is yours whenever you want it. With me. Without me. No strings attached. I want you to have it. I want to see you spread your wings and soar. To see all your dreams come true.” I pause, sucking in a deep, centering breath, and then I forge ahead like I planned. “But right now, I’m going to beg you to give me another shot. Before? That was a false start. This? This is a clean slate. I want all your right nows. All your tomorrows. I want it all with you.”

She sobs and shakes her head helplessly, but I don’t stop.

“I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life. But you’re not one of them. You’re the happiest accident I’ve ever known. The very best decision I’ve ever made. My reason.”

Alpine wildflower. Comes up right after the snow melts. Blooms within two to four weeks. Can use energy reserves to produce heat and melt through the last of snow. Strong as fuck. Reminds me of you.

A tear drops onto the page, and I panic, wiping it off frantically. Not wanting to mar the note. I don’t know what it means, but I know he’s called me Wildflower since the first day we met. And the nickname has become incredibly meaningful to me.

That night I sleep with the note clutched in my hand and pretend that Griffin is here with me.

Swear I can’t even see straight anymore. I’m about to hit that point in studying where you think 

If I don’t know it by now, I’m probably not going to know it at all

“I think in some cases, age is just a way to measure the number of years you spent without the person meant for you.”

“I’ll give you all my right nows, Nadia. Every fucking last one. I’ll give you anything you want. I’ve been powerless since the first time I laid eyes on you.”

“I push you away because I’m fourteen years older than you. I’ve lived a lot of life that you haven’t yet. There are days I feel so fucking washed up that I hardly think I’m worthy of your attention. I’ve got baggage inside my baggage. But I care less and less about that all the time. I’m trying so damn hard to be good, Nadia. I want to be good for you.”

“I don’t care what other people think of me. I’m long past that, and I’m not asking your brother’s permission to take the one thing that has breathed life back into me since everything fell to pieces. I’m trying to be mature. I’m trying to give you space to figure yourself out. God knows, I’ve got some shit I need to figure out. And it’s the hardest fucking thing I’ve ever done. But I care what you think of me. I want to be worthy of you. I’m afraid I’m not there yet. I 

Because me saying you’re wrong won’t make you believe it. I’ll save my breath.”

I chuckle and lie back beside her. “Sounds like a line from therapy.”

“We all do the best we can with what we’ve got. Trauma is a tricky bitch.”

This is part of what my therapist and I discussed. I can’t control other people’s actions. But I can control my own.

spending time with a person who you can’t be yourself around is a tragic waste of time.

📕 | This is the fourth and final book of the series where we meet Stefan Dalca’s little sister, Nadia, and his best friend and retired pro athlete, Griffin Sinclair. The two of them met 2 years ago in a bar bathroom where they shared a steamy kiss before he left her behind. Fast forward 2 years later, she’s working at Mira’s clinic and they keep running to each other until they realise who they are… They are forced together on multiple occasions and this results in forming a bond with each other…

👍🏼 | I loved this book, I found it extremely touching, romantic and emotional and I found myself crying many times. I liked how empowering and inspiring it was and of course, the brother’s best friend / second chance combo trope did it for me again. 

✍🏼 | The author ties this book beautifully with the previous one, 

, as it starts off 6 months ago with Nadia’s POV on a scene that we had previously seen from Mira’s POV. I like this way of storytelling when every story blends with the other and the timelines are intertwined. And although in this book we skip months and years at a time, the pacing is still as it should be without feeling as if something is missing or going too fast. The characters are well thought and we slowly and gradually learn more about them and their past in a way that keeps us interested and invested.

💖 | Their love and how they found their way back to each other is heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. I liked how we got to see Griffin open up to Nadia bit by bit and how they built their bond with each other through time. I also liked how we had a realistic approach to the brother in this situation, without fists and bearing a grudge. And although I don’t think that going through all the things they went through was absolutely necessary for their relationship to work, it was necessary for their personal journey. It’s been very inspiring to see their growth and development and Griffin’s love notes and grand gestures were the sweetest thing in the world.

👎🏼 | Unfortunately, I found Griffin’s change of heart —from grumpy to lovesick— very sudden and as for Nadia, although wild and strong and inspiring, I didn’t like her attitude on some occasions and oftentimes her actions didn’t make much sense to me, which I found annoying. 

💬 | ❝ I’ll give you all my right nows, Nadia. Every f*cking last one. I’ll give you anything you want. I’ve been powerless since the first time I laid eyes on you. ❞

🗣 | Recommended for those who enjoy age gap (10+ years), brother’s best friend and second chance romance.

✨ | Overall, a sweet, inspiring and empowering book. It’s very moving and romantic and at the same time super hot and spicy! I’m sad this series has come to an end but, I’m delighted that we’re gifted with a sneak peek of the next series, 

, from Violet’s POV. It connects it beautifully with this one —because it’ll be about Violet’s brothers— and it means that this universe isn’t completely over yet. ✨

 brother’s best friend, age gap, grumpy/sunshine, steamy small-town vibes, all the feels, angst, retired pro athlete

Spice level: 🌶🌶🌶 (3/5)

📕 | This is the fourth and final book of the series where we meet Stefan Dalca’s little sister, Nadia, and his best friend and retired pro athlete, Griffin Sinclair. The two of them met 2 years ago in a bar bathroom where they shared a steamy kiss before he left her behind. Fast forward 2 years later, she’s working at Mira’s clinic and they keep running to each other until they realise who they are… They are forced together on multiple occasions and this results in forming a bond with each other…

👍🏼 | I loved this book, I found it extremely touching, romantic and emotional and I found myself crying many times. I liked how empowering and inspiring it was and of course, the brother’s best friend / second chance combo trope did it for me again. 

✍🏼 | The author ties this book beautifully with the previous one, The Front Runner, as it starts off 6 months ago with Nadia’s POV on a scene that we had previously seen from Mira’s POV. I like this way of storytelling when every story blends with the other and the timelines are intertwined. And although in this book we skip months and years at a time, the pacing is still as it should be without feeling as if something is missing or going too fast. The characters are well thought and we slowly and gradually learn more about them and their past in a way that keeps us interested and invested.

💖 | Their love and how they found their way back to each other is heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. I liked how we got to see Griffin open up to Nadia bit by bit and how they built their bond with each other through time. I also liked how we had a realistic approach to the brother in this situation, without fists and bearing a grudge. And although I don’t think that going through all the things they went through was absolutely necessary for their relationship to work, it was necessary for their personal journey. It’s been very inspiring to see their growth and development and Griffin’s love notes and grand gestures were the sweetest thing in the world.

👎🏼 | Unfortunately, I found Griffin’s change of heart —from grumpy to lovesick— very sudden and as for Nadia, although wild and strong and inspiring, I didn’t like her attitude on some occasions and oftentimes her actions didn’t make much sense to me, which I found annoying. 

💬 | ❝ I’ll give you all my right nows, Nadia. Every f*cking last one. I’ll give you anything you want. I’ve been powerless since the first time I laid eyes on you. ❞

🗣 | Recommended for those who enjoy age gap (10+ years), brother’s best friend and second chance romance.

✨ | Overall, a sweet, inspiring and empowering book. It’s very moving and romantic and at the same time super hot and spicy! I’m sad this series has come to an end but, I’m delighted that we’re gifted with a sneak peek of the next series, Chestnut Springs, from Violet’s POV. It connects it beautifully with this one —because it’ll be about Violet’s brothers— and it means that this universe isn’t completely over yet. ✨

🗂️ | tropes + micro tropes : brother’s best friend, age gap, grumpy/sunshine, steamy small-town vibes, all the feels, angst, retired pro athlete

Rics

** spoiler alert **
           What a fantastic way to end this series! This book has everything I want in a small town romance! 

Age gap ✔️— Griffin was 35 while Nadia was 21. They met when she was 19, but things started to develop between them only 3 years later.

Brother's little sister ✔️— There is something exciting when things are a bit forbidden no? However, in this book, it wasn’t executed in a cringe manner since the characters have this “it’s none of your business” attitude. 

Emotional past & Redemption arc ✔️— oh i love to read characters and their road to recovery and healing! we know from the front runner the shit nadia's been through, but here we discover griffin's past, too! Here, one can see how they navigated their past in order to become better versions of themselves. 

There's quite a lot of baggage that's need to be unpacked, but Elsie wrote it in such a manner that the reader won't feel cringe or annoyed. I’m not the biggest fan of third act break ups, but here one can understand how it was crucial for the main characters to separate in order to find themselves. Once they have untangled all their excess baggage, that's one when they fully love each other with no strings attached. Such a beautiful moment !!! I laughed and cried while reading this one.

"mine" (taylor's version) by taylor swift

NADIAGRIFFIN MY BABIES i love this family so much <3 i'm sad it's over

"mine" (taylor's version) by taylor swift

NADIAGRIFFIN MY BABIES i love this family so much <3 i'm sad it's over

My least favorite of the series. I think I was just ready to move on so it felt like it was dragging. 

Olivia Sekelsky

For a short little book I thought I was very good! I fell in love with Nadia and Griffin. The tropes were executed well.

Cheyenne Willis

Andrea Rodriguez

I'm so sad to have finished this series and also sad that I've read everything this author has written. The wait till October for Heartless: A Small Town Single Dad Romance from her Chestnut Springs series is going to be a long one lmao.

This was such a great way to end the series. Nadia and Griffin were two broken people with a lot of baggage to work through. I loved not only reading about them falling in love and allowing themselves to accept something good in their lives, but also loved the way that they healed each other. Both together and apart. As much as it hurt, it was such a mature way to do it and was the right thing for both of them.

One of my favorite things about this series has been the rehabilitation of animals all throughout, mainly horses. I especially appreciated it in this one because it coincided so well with Nadia and Griffin's own journey back to health. 

Lastly, the spice in this one may have been the best. That's all!

Ok, I'm off to a small town in Canada to buy a horse and live on a farm lol.

A False Start A Small Town Brother's Best Friend Romance (Gold Rush Ranch, Book #4)

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