Gold Rush Ranch Series: Elsie Silver
It will become very apparent that I love Elsie Silver and everything she publishes. Since I've read all of her books, I can confidently say that this series is my least favorite of hers, but that is expected since this is her first published series. Elsie silver books just seem to continuously get better. If you love a good male lead that is able to show some vulnerability, some spice, and a good plot line with a twist, you will LOVE Elsie Silver and her writing, but not as much as I do.
Off To The Races: G.R.R. Book I
I am fully aware that I just said that I love Elsie Silver and everything she does and then proceeded to give this book a 3/5 stars. Let me explain... I tried to give this book grace because this was the first book she released and it wasn't the first book of hers that I've read. Book by book, Elsie manages to bring better storylines, better leads, and better writing, so I fully blame my rating of this book on the fact that I read her most recent publishing directly before reading this book, so everything fell slightly flat for me in comparison to her most recent works.
All this being said, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book.
This book starts with the introduction of Billie and Vaughn. Enemies upon first interaction. BINGO!
Billie has been hired to train the horses on Vaughns recently inherited farm after the unexpected passing of his grandfather. Once they cross paths on the ranch, there is immediate tension between the two leads. Billie, wanting to stay and do the job she was hired for, and Vaughn, so desperately wanting her to leave, has challenged her to something that no one has been able to accomplish; Successfully training their rebel mare, Double Diablo. Billie, being the diva and absolute challenger she is, rises to the occasion and is able to get DD, her name for the troubled race horse, not only to cooperate and trust her, but to become one of the best race horses in the league.
Due to the close proximity, rising tension, and overall chemistry between the 2 leads, its not long before they abandon their hate and accept the fact that there may be more happening between them. There is a thin line between love and hate, right?
Everything is going well between Billie and Vaughn; steamy nights in the A-Frame, late night training, winning races that DD would have never even competed in. That is until DD is sick. Billie stops at nothing to care for her precious race horse who has become more of family in the past months. Vaughn sees the torture that rains on Billie and does everything he can to help during the sleepless night. When DD miraculously manages to recover and finds himself at his next race, Vaughn finds himself cornered by none other than Stephan Dalca, a nearby ranch owner with his own horses competing. Stephan isn't known for his sportsmanship, nor is he known for being good guy.
Vaughn is forced to choose between DD and preserving his beloved Grandfathers legacy in the racing world. What will he choose? Will Billie understand and stay by his side?
Overall this book was a great start to the Gold Rush Ranch series and the books to follow just continued to get better and better. I do wish that we saw a bit more chemistry between the 2 leads, as I felt that this book in comparison to the other books of hers that i've read seemed a little forced, but again, I made the mistake of reading them out of order and Elsie Silver has continued to grow into the most amazing author since this books release. Don't make the same mistake I did and read her books in order, as they are all interconnected stand alones, which if you're like me, you will LOVE.
Would you read Off To The Races? Let me know down below!
A Photo Finish: G.R.R Book II
Sigh. Where does one even begin.
This book was SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER than the first book in the series. I continuously found myself having a hard time of putting this book down because there was just SO MUCH CHEMISTRY!
This book starts with Violet and Cole. We know violet from the first book as the new jockey who rides DD, Cole is introduced as Vaughns brother.
Cole is brought to town on business and is scheduled to be on the ranch for the foreseeable future. Violet and Cole first meet each other in the winners circle after Violet rides DD to victory, but its quite apparent that this isn't their first time meeting. But from where?
Violet, growing up as the youngest in a family of very protective brothers, experiences a stage of rebellion and creates an account and posts a simple sexy photo under the alias PrettyinPurple. Insert Golddigger85, an older gentleman who wants no ties, but can't help getting attached to violet. As they communicate over the next year, things get steamy and personal, but never personal enough for Cole to feel comfortable letting down his walls. Violet gets frustrated with his lack of effort, as anyone would, and finally chooses to let go. But after hurting her leg in a race and being forced to be in the care of Cole, she gets to learn who he is and why his walls are so high. Will it be too late for Violet to let him in after all this time?
Gosh this book was phenomenal. I loved the time jumping and going back between the past and the present. When first reading this book, I felt so bad for violet. She's so young, vulnerable, and naive. Cole was so emotionally unavailable for her and she couldn't help but keep trying. I feel like at some point in life, we all find ourselves in the situation where we say "maybe if I was better at this, maybe if I was prettier, maybe if I was funnier, maybe if I tried harder they would love me" and at some point, you find yourself so far gone in someone else that you have to take a step back and learn how to find yourself outside of that person you built your life around. It's a cannon event in ones life that no one can interfere with no matter how much they want to, you just have to reach a point where you are tired of being a second option. I couldn't help but admire Violet for putting herself first no matter how much she wanted Cole. And I think it is due to her putting herself first and cutting Cole out of her life that he was able to really truly realize what it is that he wanted. The vulnerability that we saw in Cole was groundbreaking. Cole Harding was so broken and hurt and Violet, so carefully, helped put him back together. Everyone deserves the love that Cole had to offer Violet, that is vulnerable, hard, and passionate. He was able to put everything aside to be able to love Violet, and we all love him for it.
You could say that this book might be my favorite in the series. I'm a sucker for vulnerable, fragile men who set aside their distress in order to be with the women they love. And what I love even more is strong independent women who acknowledge and know their worth outside of a man. 5/5 stars for this book, without a doubt.
The Front Runner: G.R.R book III
This blog is becoming a love letter to Elsie silver. This wasn't my favorite book of hers but it still was beautifully written.
This book is all about Mira and Stephan. We know Mira as the veterinarian for DD and Stephan as the ranch owner that no one seems to like.
Stephan Dalca has been head over heels for Dr. Mira Thorne for quite some time now and keeps begging to take her out. Mira gives her loyalty to her friends at Gold Rush Ranch but for some reason can't stop thinking that maybe Stephan is different then what people say about him. After a rough night dealing with the passing of one of Stephans newborn horses, she sees that Stephan isn't at all how others paint him.
Back over at Gold Rush Ranch, DD's first mare is born and is now without a mother. Seeing as Stephan now has a grieving horse and both ranches are suffering yet another potential loss due to their situations, Mira proposes a solution. The only way Stephan agrees is if she lets him take her on a series of dates to which she reluctantly agrees. This is only to save the horses, right?
What starts out as a chore for Mira quickly turns into a cover up for her own situation going on at home. With her family constantly questioning when she will finally settle down, she jumps at the opportunity to use Stephan to silence her families constant nagging, but things quickly become personal.
Mira quickly realizing that Stephan isn't the villain he's painted as, and Stephan falling for Mira even more, they can't continue faking what they already know is real. But with everything coming to light about Stephans past and Mira's potential leads on the truth, Stephan doesn't know what or who to believe.
I did enjoy this book but I wished that there was a bit more vulnerability shown by Stephan. I had a hard time not seeing him as the villain he was painted as in the first 2 books. I was also hoping to hear more about his childhood with more flash backs so we could really understand how he got to be the way that he is.
The chemistry between the 2 leads is undeniable, I will say.
This also is probably a hot take, but I felt like the conflict in this book was just kind of stupid? *SPOILER ALERT*
If my partner had a lead on the identity of my biological father, I don't feel as though I would be as upset as Stephan was that I would question my relationship. If my partner was unsure of who their father was and was so desperately yearning to know who they are, I would not mention any of my suspicions unless I was absolutely positive that they were really related. Stephan has experienced so much disappointment and heartache in his life, and the last thing I would ever want to do is give him false hope and get attached to the wrong person just because I had a hunch. I think if I was Mira, I would've probably gotten slightly annoyed, as insensitive that sounds. I would never want my partner to not trust me or question my motives, but I feel as though I would've done the same if I was in Mira's position.
All's this to say, I can understand why the conflict wasn't that complex because it is very apparent that Stephan and Mira belong together without a doubt. None of this is to say that I didn't greedily consume this book. I love that Stephan is so misunderstood but so sensitive and loving. His love for Mira is so big and he deserves to feel the same love reciprocated after all the hardships he endured in his childhood.
Overall, I give this book 4/5 stars, I do think some things could be improved, but the character development and chemistry between Stephan and Mira was so beautifully written.