Book Review: Hopeless by Elsie Silver

Title: Hopeless

Author: Elsie Silver

Series/Standalone: Chestnut Spring Series (Book #5)

Genre: Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance

Pages: 486

Publisher: Self-Published

Year Published: 2023

Format: Ebook (Kindle Unlimited)

First Line: "I thought pissing off my brother and storming away would make me feel something."

"Beau Eaton is the town prince, a handsome military hero with a tortured past.

I'm the outcast bartender, a shy girl from the wrong side of the tracks.

He's thirty-five and all man, and I'm twenty-two and all.... virgin.

He's also my fiance. Correction: my fake fiance.

We start out as a bet. He doesn't believe that anyone holds my last name against me. So he offers his to prove a point.

It's win-win. He gets a break from his concerned family's prying, and I get a chance to shed my family's reputation while I save up to ditch this small town.

He says all I have to do is wear his ring, follow his lead, and pretend I can't keep my hands off of him in public.

But it's what happens between us in private that blurs all those carefully drawn lines.

It's what transpires behind closed doors that doesn't feel like pretending at all.

This engagement was supposed to be for show. This agreement? It has an end date.

He once told me he'd never fall in love.

And yet here I am head over heels for my fake fiance."

My Rating: 4/5

This one wasn't my favourite in the series, but it was still a really great read. It was nice to see the characters all together one more time and it did feel bitter-sweet in a lot of ways. I loved this whole series and all the characters we were introduced to throughout the series. The smut was on point, and this series really has a lot going for it. The romance, the comedy, the characters, the tropes that are done so incredibly well, the plot lines and overall the feeling of family. I was teary-eyed as I finished this final book and I would highly recommend not just this book but the whole series to anyone who is even remotely interested. Elsie Silver builds a family that feels so real you wish you could sit at their table for the Eaton Family Dinner.

Thank you for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Reckless by Elsie Silver

Title: Reckless

Author: Elsie Silver

Series/Standalone: Chestnut Springs Series (Book #4)

Genre: Adult, Romance, Contemporary

Pages: 466

Publisher: Self Published

Year Published: 2023

Format: Ebook (Kindle Unlimited)

First Line:"'I can't fathom why you feel the need to go work at the dingy little hospital in the country.'"

"Theo Silva. Rowdy bull rider. Notorious ladies' man. Scorching hot trouble wrapped in a drool-worthy package.

And he's looking at me like I might be his next meal.

But I'm almost free of my toxic marriage and sworn off men entirely. So all I see when I look back is temptation served up with a heaping side of heartbreak.

The man is hard to trust-and even harder to resist.

Make that impossible. Because Theo is persistent. And no matter how hard I try to freeze him out, he melts my icy exteriors and pulls apart my defenses.

Over a drink in a small town bar, I blurt out my deepest, darkest secrets. Then I spend the singular hottest night of my life with him.

He worships my body. He makes me blush. I come alive beneath his hands.

Then I tell him to forget it ever happened. I want simple, and with him it all feels complicated.

It was supposed to be a one-time thing.

A secret.

But that little plus sign is going to make this secret impossible to keep."

My Rating: 5/5

This is my absolute favourite in the series so far. I always say that I love a grumpy-sunshine where the grump is the female lead. Because I am also the grump in my relationship. The trope that is in this book is written so well and really just added to the story overall (I mean how could it not). The way everything was written you couldn't help but root for this couple and the way they interact is incredible. Not to mention super sexy. I would highly recommend this series and I can't wait to read the final (?) book next month. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Powerless by Elsie Silver

Title: Powerless    

Author: Elsie Silver

Series/Standalone: Chestnut Springs Series (Book #3)

Genre: Adult Fiction, Romance, Smut

Pages: 396

Publisher: Self-Published

Year Published: 2023

Format: Kindle Unlimited

"Two childhood friends. Two broken hearts. One impromptu road trip to get away from everything. That's all this was supposed to be. Afterall, I've been living in the friend zone for years now.

But hockey heartthrob Jasper Gervais isn't looking at me like a friend anymore. And he isn't touching me like one either.

To his fans, he's the handsome, talented athlete on TV. But to me he's still the lost boy with sad eyes and a heart of gold.

The man I've loved in secret for years.

So when my life falls apart on my wedding day, it only makes sense that he's the one to swoop in and save me. And when his world comes crashing down around him, I'm there to return the favor.

But the more time we spend alone, the more Jasper doesn't feel like a friend at all. He feels like everything I've ever wanted and thought I could never have.

Our feelings aren't straight forward though. They twist and turn around the pain of his past and the reality of my present.

Jasper Gervais acts like he wants me. 

But after years of turning me away, he's going to need to prove it."

My Rating: 3.25/5

This is such a precise rating, and I know it's odd but I just didn't love this as much as I anticipated. There were scenes that I enjoyed, there were the characters that I enjoyed revisiting, but there were portions that I just didn't love. I think that the third act was set to a very fast pace and I wanted to slow it down a little. I think that for now I'm gonna take a break from contemporary romance and then jump back in when I'm ready. But don't worry this series will be completed once the final book comes out. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Heartless by Elsie Silver

Title: Heartless

Author: Elsie Silver

Series/Standalone: Chestnut Spring Series (Book #2)

Genre: Adult, Romance, Smut, Contemporary

Pages: 476

Publisher: Self-Published

Year Published: 2022

Format: Ebook (Kindle Unlimited)

First Line:  "Lucy Reid's eyes flutter my way."

"Working as a nanny for the world's grumpiest single dad should have been simple. Except I can't keep my eyes off him. And he can't keep his hands off of me.

Cade Eaton is thirteen years older than i am and barely looks my way. Until I get him into the hot tub one night for a game of truth or dare. Then all bets are off- and so are our clothes.

He's gruff, a little rough around the edges. But broad-shoulder ranchers with calloused hands and filthy mouths are this city girl's kryptonite. So who am I to resist?

But it's in our quiet moments together that he softens. It's when he takes care of me that I realize his hardened exterior is just a facade. It's when I watch him go all sweet with his little boy that I really fall for him. 

Someone convinced him once that his best wasn't good enough. But I've never felt more cherished than I do in his arms.

My contract may say this arrangement is only for two months.

But my heart says this is forever."

My Rating: 5/5

I loved this second book. There were a few kinks that weren't necessarily for me but overall this book proved that certain tropes aren't ones I hate, they just need to be done well. I loved the smut, it was fun. The lusting after each other was great. The atmosphere was excellently written and the characters were fantastic. I also love the way the author introduces the next characters in the series so organically. It was excellent. I would highly recommend it!

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Flawless by Elsie Silver

Title: Flawless

Author: Elsie Silver

Series/Standalone: Chestnut Springs Series (Book #1)

Genre: Adult, Romance, Contemporary

Pages: 424

Publisher: Kindle 

Year Published: 2022

Format: Ebook (Kindle Unlimited)

First Line: "You got one angry motherfucker here, Eaton."

"The rules were simple. Keep my hands off his daughter and stay out of trouble.

But now I'm stuck with her. There's only one bed. And well, rules are made to be broken.

I'm the face of professional bull riding- the golden boy. Or at least I was, until it all blew up in my face. Now my agent says I have to clean up my image, so I'm stuck with his ballbusting daughter for the rest of the season as my 'full-time supervisor.'

But I don't need a goddamn babysitter, especially one with skin-tight jeans, a sexy smirk, and a mouth she can't stop running not 

A mouth I can't stop thinking about.

Because Summer isn't just another conquest. She sees the man behind the mask, and she doesn't run- she pulls me closer, even when she shouldn't.

She says this means nothing.

I say this means everything.

She says there are boundaries we shouldn't cross. That my reputation can't take any more hits- and neither can her damaged heart.

I say I'm going to steal it anyway."

My Rating: 4/5

This book was such a fun ride..... the author did an excellent job of making the characters unique but not too over the top. The way the perspectives of the characters alternated so well together made my reading experience so much more enjoyable. Between the plot and the smut, it was a great read and I can't wait to read more from the author and this series.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny