Elsie Silver

He can't decide if he hates me or wants me.Vaughn Harding is my new boss. Getting close to him would be career suicide for a female racehorse trainer, and plain old gossip fuel in this small town. I get a kick out of our verbal sparring, but I swore off his type years ago.And I've got plans.I'm the new trainer at Gold Rush Ranch and I've just been handed a problem horse that I promised to make a winner. I want to put down roots, and I'm not about to let a man distract me. No matter how electric it feels when we lock eyes, or how my body ignites when we touch.Vaughn's a vivid reminder of every guy I grew up around. Handsome, rich, entitled--a total media darling. But there's a sadness in him that I can't seem to turn my back on. A sensitive side hidden beneath brooding good looks.The last thing I need is a broken man to put back together, and the last thing he needs is more scandal.Teasing him for kicks is one thing, but handing over my heart?I should have known better.

A Small Town Enemies to Lovers Romance (Gold Rush Ranch, Book #1)

Off to the Races

Christina Farkona

“Vivi. Don’t stress about things you can’t control. […]”

oh i love easter eggs for future books and i’m so excited 😆 

Cole shows up too, and despite my best efforts to ignore him and just enjoy the moment, I don’t miss the way he gawks at Violet. The way he leans in towards her and whispers something. And the way her face drains of all color and excitement as she stares back at him-slack jawed. Violet doesn’t look like a woman who’s just been congratulated, she looks like a woman who’s seen a ghost. Now 

 is something I’m going to have to come back to later.

“How long you been staring at me, Boss Man?” she mutters.

“Since day one,” I whisper in her ear.

She’s a live wire, and I am the idiot happy to see what happens when I pick up the loose end. When those walls come down, and I know they will, she and I will light each other on fire.

I also know we only talk about our darkest thoughts when we’re good and ready.

I’ve missed him. Sometimes you’re born into a family, and other times you choose them. And when you choose them, you know in your bones that they’re right for you.

“You can only control what’s right in front of you, Vaughn.”

And that anger? It makes the people around me uncomfortable, and if I’ve learned anything in my twenty-eight years on this earth, it’s that most humans will do almost anything to salvage their own comfort. They’ll grasp at it with white knuckles, sweaty palms, and hold on to it with absolute frantic desperation. Destroy relationships with family members, endure shitty marriages, stab friends in the back—you name it. Comfort is King.

Slightly disappointed as this book isn’t as good as her others but it’s still a decent book definitely gets better the more you get through but the beginning is very slow. I did enjoy it towards the end though. You do also get Out Of The Gate in the same book so 2 books in 1… amazing

Amber 

A little cheesy but I still loved this book

YES! he buys her a horse valued at 20 million, do i need to say more ....

anna haskins 

📕 | This book follows Vaughn Harding grieving for the loss of his grandfather, trying to restore the legacy and name of his family ranch while dealing with a scandal in which his grandfather appeared to be involved. For that, he’s on the hunt for a horse trainer. Billie Black, who is the perfect candidate for the job, although inexperienced, is back from overseas and looking for a fresh start. Their first encounter is rather unfortunate. They find themselves in a tricky situation where Vaughn assigns her to train a tough horse within a time frame, believing that she won’t succeed and that he will not need to hire her permanently. Billie though, wild and passionate for her job is going to try and prove him wrong. 

👍🏼 | First and foremost, I liked that it was a “different” kind of small-town romance. It didn’t focus on the dreamy vibes that we often meet (which I don’t particularly appreciate because they’re absolutely unrealistic). The concept of ranch and horses is completely new to me and it’s been very interesting to read. 

✍🏼 | This one is Elsie Silver’s debut novel and if you didn’t know you wouldn’t be able to tell. Her language is effective, rich and vivid and I found it aligned with my taste. The main characters were well-crafted. They had depth and secrets almost throughout the whole book and you couldn't wait to uncover them. This kept me hooked and I honestly struggled to put the book down. 

 of steamy tension between them, a lot of bickering, chemistry and heartwarming moments. It also shows It also shows the very strong bond between animals and humans. Billie has a heart of gold and Vaughn although grumpy is undeniably charming, slightly damaged and in search of himself, they’re sort of opposites but their attraction is apparent from their very first interaction. Another great addition is the whole horse racing element that had me completely on my toes and I felt as if I was on a seat somewhere there waiting near the finish line. Also, I liked how the side characters complete this novel in an ideal way and with the perfect amount of teasers!

👎🏼 | If there is something that I didn’t like, I’d say that I found Billie’s character almost not believable. I can’t imagine someone talking to their employers like that, however sassy or strong-minded they might be, it’s rude and although she acknowledges it, she continues to be rude towards him. Also, sometimes the pacing was a bit off. A couple of times I felt as if I didn’t know where the time went.

💬 | “She’s a live wire, and I am the idiot happy to see what happens when I pick up the loose end.”

🗣 | If you love enemies-to-lovers, small towns but not in the typical way, this book is for you. I haven’t read anything similar so I haven’t anything to compare it, but I’m sure that no one would be disappointed with this.

✨ | Overall, an enjoyable book with a good plot, lots of steam, solid characters and cute moments! I am more than excited to read 

 which is the second book in the series and we’ve been delivered a 

Spice level: 🌶️🌶️.5

📕 | This book follows Vaughn Harding grieving for the loss of his grandfather, trying to restore the legacy and name of his family ranch while dealing with a scandal in which his grandfather appeared to be involved. For that, he’s on the hunt for a horse trainer. Billie Black, who is the perfect candidate for the job, although inexperienced, is back from overseas and looking for a fresh start. Their first encounter is rather unfortunate. They find themselves in a tricky situation where Vaughn assigns her to train a tough horse within a time frame, believing that she won’t succeed and that he will not need to hire her permanently. Billie though, wild and passionate for her job is going to try and prove him wrong. 

👍🏼 | First and foremost, I liked that it was a “different” kind of small-town romance. It didn’t focus on the dreamy vibes that we often meet (which I don’t particularly appreciate because they’re absolutely unrealistic). The concept of ranch and horses is completely new to me and it’s been very interesting to read. 

✍🏼 | This one is Elsie Silver’s debut novel and if you didn’t know you wouldn’t be able to tell. Her language is effective, rich and vivid and I found it aligned with my taste. The main characters were well-crafted. They had depth and secrets almost throughout the whole book and you couldn't wait to uncover them. This kept me hooked and I honestly struggled to put the book down. 

💖 | There is a lot of steamy tension between them, a lot of bickering, chemistry and heartwarming moments. It also shows It also shows the very strong bond between animals and humans. Billie has a heart of gold and Vaughn although grumpy is undeniably charming, slightly damaged and in search of himself, they’re sort of opposites but their attraction is apparent from their very first interaction. Another great addition is the whole horse racing element that had me completely on my toes and I felt as if I was on a seat somewhere there waiting near the finish line. Also, I liked how the side characters complete this novel in an ideal way and with the perfect amount of teasers!

👎🏼 | If there is something that I didn’t like, I’d say that I found Billie’s character almost not believable. I can’t imagine someone talking to their employers like that, however sassy or strong-minded they might be, it’s rude and although she acknowledges it, she continues to be rude towards him. Also, sometimes the pacing was a bit off. A couple of times I felt as if I didn’t know where the time went.

💬 | “She’s a live wire, and I am the idiot happy to see what happens when I pick up the loose end.”

🗣 | If you love enemies-to-lovers, small towns but not in the typical way, this book is for you. I haven’t read anything similar so I haven’t anything to compare it, but I’m sure that no one would be disappointed with this.

✨ | Overall, an enjoyable book with a good plot, lots of steam, solid characters and cute moments! I am more than excited to read A Photo Finish which is the second book in the series and we’ve been delivered a huge easter egg about it.

Tell me you googled horses and don’t actually know horses without telling me… entertaining though!

Kerry McHugh West

Love her other series better, but still enjoyed it!! Easy read, a bit of spice, tugged on the heartstrings. Can’t complain! 

Jessica Van Wart

Andrea Rodriguez

I just knew I was going to like reading more from this author after reading Flawless. This was her debut novel and I absolutely loved it.

Small town? Check.
Grumpy love interest? Check.
Badass fmc? Check.

I wasn't sure I was going to like the whole premise of them working with race horses, but when that meant also dealing with a grumpy horse and having to work with him to come out of his cage (literally and metaphorically) - I was sold. I did not expect to fall in love with DD as much as I did lmao. I loved watching him go from a scared, untrusting wild animal to this beautiful champion of a racehorse. I cried a few times with some of his scenes and I gotta say, crying over a horse? That is new for me hahaha.

Aside from that though, the romance was fantastic. I really thought the characters had a lot of depth and thought their individual stories were interesting. I loved the way they came together and made such a great team. They went from enemies to friends to lovers and it was done so well. 

I especially appreciated Vaughn's POV chapters because they really shed a light as to why he was the way he was and made some of his actions make more sense. But even in Billie's chapters, we eventually got to see Vaughn be more comfortable with her and show this vulnerable side of him that you just know was incredibly rare for him to do. I loved that he wasn't afraid to lower his defenses and be completely unguarded with her.

Also, pls I love how Billie just assumed Vaughn was this huge square but then he completely took me by surprise with his dirty talk. Very much appreciated that lmao. 

The author is so good at doing these subtle intimate touches between the main characters. A little elbow squeeze here, a brushing of knuckles there - they kill me. And also just small gestures too. Like Vaughn bringing her coffee just the way she likes it or their Saturday dinners. I'm obsessed with these little moments that she adds.

This is only my second Elsie Silver book, but I already can't wait to read more from her. This one was especially impressive considering it was her debut novel.

Off to the Races A Small Town Enemies to Lovers Romance (Gold Rush Ranch, Book #1)

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