This is the third book in the Chestnut Springs series and I really loved the main characters Sloane and Jasper! I love a friends to lovers plot and especially enjoyed how there were so many mentions of the previous love stories from book 1 & 2. This book started off a little slow but once it got started I was hooked! It gets super spicy too! I am super excited to read the 4th book in the series now! While these books could be read as standalones, I absolutely recommend reading Flawless and Heartless first! Thank you Netgalley and Bloom Books for the ARC! You can read this one now!

4.25 stars
Jas and Sloane forever and ever!!! This one had me in a chokehold and would no let go!!
I loved how tortured and honest Jas was and how real Sloane is. Did I get frustrated with them not just admitting they loved each other and have loved each other since they were children? Yes, absolutely, but it was such a cute friends to lovers book! This series can do no wrong in my eyes and the fact that cowboy romance met hockey romance in this one whooooooo yes!!! We get way more on Jasper's backstory and an insight on he and Beau's relatioinship as well, which was awesome and tugged at my heartstrings multiple times! I loved it!

This copy was kindly given to me by Netgalley and the publisher for review. All opinions are my own.

Elsie Silver has me in a chock hold I never want to escape from. And while this one takes us a step out of her cowboy romance, we still get to interact with previous characters and the ranch itself. I have always been more of a enemies to lovers but I am finding that friends to lovers might just be becoming the a tr0pe I am finding myself OBSESSED with.

And I am gonna say it, when will we get a Harvey POV book? I'd even settle for a novella :)

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Selling Pitch:
A really weak installment in the series. The characters are flat and billed as their careers, but then their jobs are barely present in the book. The romance didn’t work for me at all. Begging someone to love you is not my vibe. Possessive, objectifying domination is not my vibe. Loved the first two books, but this is going on my do not read list.

Pre-reading:
MORE COWBELL. Y'all I have been binging these books. They are everything I want. Easy to read, mindless romance, hot smut, genuinely funny. They're just feel good. And now you're telling me I get an angsty hockey player who also rides ponies? That's like my entire type. Bring. It. On.

Thick of it:
That's gotta be a dig at that dentist lol.

I like how all these romances are seasonal.

Lol, you just know he's buying her that ring. (Yup.)

A minty boy ugh

That's funny. I have a vein under my right eye that I'm also very insecure about.

Every book I read has bears. I just-

This is slow so far.

You know, time and place for horny. Homeboy is literally stress vomiting.

Wall punching really bothers me.

This better not be some foot fetish shit. (We are safe.)

They can't keep his height straight between books.

This one’s boring.

Take shots on husks and lip rolling again.

Is anyone else just thinking of that Heartland episode where Ty and Amy go to deliver hay to the wild horses?

Sam’s interest perks right up at we both know you wanna watch. (And then gets violently ejected because of the ensuing sex scenes.)

Oh my god, what was that line? That was so cringe.

You feel important because he jerked off to you. Girl, huh?

If the pattern tattoos are her dances, that is insane, but also very romantic. (Missed opportunity tbh.)

I am really not enjoying this book. Why is this the one I was sent to review? I would’ve been four-starring and raving about the other ones.

Book bad. Smut hot. Worried it’s gonna veer into Dom territory that I don’t like though. (Nailed it.)

She might not tell you to fuck off, but I will. I’m not crawling. Absolutely not.

This is not for me. This would piss me off. It’s already pissing me off.

I think it’s just very annoying because it’s like her whole existence is just for him, and I’m like girlypop, stand up.

G spot sin

That wet pop of fingers in mouths really does something for me, and I will not examine it further, thank you.

Disney adult shit

Didn’t know this was a Christmas book.

This girl is not a Capricorn.

We are never getting back together. Like ever.

I really don’t like this one.

I’d be pissed if my husband remarried my sister after I died.

And title drop

Post-reading:
Wow, I hated this one.

This is especially disappointing because I really enjoyed the first two books, so of course the dud is the one I have to submit a review for.

This book is a romance. I’ll suspend a lot of disbelief in order to have a silly goofy time and kick my little feet. This book is next level. The characters are sold on their careers. She’s a ballerina. He’s a hockey player. There’s very little of their day-to-day careers in this book, despite the crazy amount of training and lifestyle habits it would take to have those jobs. They essentially fall in love on a road trip in a story arc that feels identical to an infamous Heartland episode.

And I just don’t want to read about a girl crawling after a man. Like stand up! Her pining felt sad and desperate and delusional. His indifference wasn’t charmingly oblivious. It felt like disinterest. The author tells us that these characters have only ever been able to talk to and be honest with each other, but they never communicate well with each other during the entire book!

The smut didn’t work for me. I find that style of relationship inherently toxic and demeaning.

The only thing these characters have going for them besides their physical attraction to each other (which rears its head at the most inappropriate times, let the man barf in peace without checking out his ass. What was that?) are their tragic backstories. Backstories that exist for all of a sentence. They’re not fleshed out enough. Both of their parents are evil for the sake of being evil.

The book itself comes off extremely repetitive. Elsie Silver has some distinct writing quirks that I may be getting burnt out on. I forgave them in the early books because I enjoyed the banter within them so much, but they were really irking me in this installment. The constant lip rolling and husking is annoying.

She tried to anchor this romance to a background character so that she could set up for his book, but it just made this book feel like filler.

I disliked the couple so much that I would encourage skipping it, but I’ll definitely be continuing to plow through Elsie’s backlist.

Who should read this:
Girl falls first fans
No one?

Do I want to reread this:
Nope

Similar books:
* The Score by Elle Kennedy-college hockey romance, family drama
* Wildfire by Hannah Grace-college hockey romance, family drama
* Leather and Lark by Brynne Weaver-dark romance, family drama
* Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez-contemporary romance, family drama
* The Wake-Up Call by Beth O’Leary-contemporary romance, family drama
* People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry-contemporary romance, friends to lovers
* Sammy Espinoza’s Last Review by Tehlor Kay Mejia-contemporary romance, family drama
* How to Kiss Your Best Friend by Jenny Proctor-contemporary romance, friends to lovers
* Mr. Wrong Number by Lynn Painter-contemporary romance, brother’s best friend

I am loving this series so much. I am such a fan of friends to lovers. I also love found family and this has that in spades. I wanted to know Sloane's story as soon as she appeared in the series. Jasper was just the perfect fit. I love how they both grew throughout the story and found each other. Jasper is such a protector. Seeing him stand up for Sloane is everything. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series. Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

This is a good book. The two main characters are Sloane and Jasper. They have known each other all their lives. There has been an attraction forever. Sloane is a ballet star. Jasper is a hockey player. Jasper rescues Sloane on her wedding day, when she wants to run away. They start dating. They both have issues but together they work them out and fall in love.

The spice was spicing, the sex was sexing, and the chili peppers were at a 4/5.

Side note: Any man in real life that would tell me to "crawl" would be on all fours for me but in this book? When Jasper says it? Mmmmkay.

4 stars!

I LOVE Elsie Silver's Chestnut Springs series! Although "Powerless" is my least favorite entry this far, I still really enjoyed this book! I am not typically a huge fan of friends-to-lovers, Elsie Silver can do no wrong as far as I'm concerned. Whenever she writes a book, I simply cannot put it down, and "Powerless" is no different. The long-running story of Jasper and Sloane is unraveled in a slow but sexy manner featuring an age gap x grumpy/sunshine dynamic, only one bed, a hefty side of hockey, a road trip, a bride escaping her wedding, and cameos from Silver's other characters. As we see flashbacks of Sloan and Jasper's evolving friendship, it's obvious they have both loved each other from afar, they just didn't realize it or tell each other. Unfortunately, it all feels a little long in the tooth. We know exactly where their story is going to go as soon as Sloane leaves her wedding. This is usually my critique of friends-to-lovers... it's so predictable, and there's not a lot of tension to back it up. It's just a matter of how long is it going to take for them to divulge their true feelings for one another, and in this case, the answer is... a long time. Still, reading Silver's words always puts me in a good mood no matter how predictable the story might be. All of this comes (heh) along with Elsie Silver's signature spicy content that's sure to keep your pages turning fast and furiously. This is a great book, though as I mentioned, I did love the other entries in the series a lot more. I can't wait to see where the series goes from here!

Thank you to NetGalley, Elsie Silver, and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

Powerless by Elsie Silver is the third book in the Chestnut Springs series. It follows Jasper and Sloane on their way to help family after salone walks away from her fiancé the day of her wedding. However the road trip may not go as smoothly as they had both hoped as they keep their secrets even closer while stuck in tight quarters for awhile.

My likes: I really liked the main characters in the chestnut springs series. Sloane is finally finding her courage to stand up to her parents. I liked seeing her growth and strength change through the book. And when it came to Jasper I found his character to be just the right amount of cocky but also caring for Sloane. The story was overall pretty good I definitely will check out the rest of them after reading this one.

The only major flaw I found with powerless is the plot to spice was a little too far on the spice side. It feels like once the spice scenes started the plot was lost. It felt like that's all that was happening in the book now. Then it started getting back to the story but I didn't find it drew me in as much as it did before. I'm more in to my spice sprinkled throughout.

Ah it feels SOO nice to be back in the world of chestnut springs! I’m so excited to have finally read Jasper’s book. We get so many snippets of him in the past books, but he was still such a mystery. Overall I really enjoyed this book! I love that it’s a sport romance on both sides she’s a ballerina & he plays hockey. It’s also childhood friends to lovers! One thing I always love about childhood friends to lovers is that it has so much heart because the characters have cared about each other for a really long time but in this book sometimes I felt like we were just waiting for them to get together because it’s so clear from the beginning how much they already care about each other. I liked how the plot wasn't so heavy even though it dealt with the loss and trauma of losing a loved one. Also it was amazing to see how Elsie described Jasper's trauma and grief and how he dealt with it rather than just making the whole story about his traumatized past.

This series is just so good! I’m sad I only have one left (yes I read them out of order, oops). Anyways, I was so excited for this one after getting little glimpses of Jasper in the previous two books. Oooo mama, I was not prepared for him! He is damaged and vulnerable but sexy and surprisingly bossy, which I was really here for. I obviously knew he was a hockey player and I’m all for a hockey romance, but surprisingly I loved that hockey was a small part of this one. My favorite thing about series like these is that we get so much insight into new couples while still getting little bits from previous (and future) characters. The found family/friendship group in this one was such a highlight for me. It took a little bit for Sloane to grow on me but by the end I really loved her a lot and really enjoyed her character growth. As always though, Harvey is my absolute fav. If you’re looking for a feel good romance series of romance where each book feels very different, this is the one I recommend!

“When it comes to you, I’m powerless”

The rest of the series:
Flawless ★★★★.5
Heartless ★★★★★
Powerless ★★★★★
Reckless TBR
Hopeless ★★★★.5

Tropes/themes:
-small town
-childhood friends to lovers
-hockey player
-found family
-steamy

I love Elsie Silvers bookable and this series has me in a strong hold. I loved this it was the perfect addition to the series!! I had been waiting what seemed like forever to get my hands on this one! Love love love!! 5 star read!!!
I just reviewed Powerless by Elsie Silver. #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

Elsie Silvers delivers an entertaining, swoon worthy romance with Powerless. Her books are hard to pur down because the characters and the plots are so engaging. Well written, well developed characters that are relatable. Checks the boxes for chemistry and steam

It's like she and I are tethered together, but she's the strong one. The pillar. And when troubled waters wash me downstream, all I have to do is follow the rope that ties me back to her.
It always leads me back to her."

When Sloane Winthrop is ready to make an escape at her wedding, Jasper Gervais is there to help her. He's always been there, just like she's always been there for him. Sloane is done living her life on everyone else's terms and trying to make everyone happy at her expense.

She's back at Wishing Well Ranch, spending all her time with Jasper. Who so happens to be her childhood best friend, her long time unrequited love, and the man that's suddenly looking at her like he's never looked at her before. When everything around them is crashing down, the line between friendship and more is getting blurry.

____________

Elsie Silver stole my heart in December when I picked up Flawless and I swear it felt like an eternity between then and release date for Jasper's book. My heart is so full with this book.

Childhood friends to lovers will always be elite. The flashbacks to the vulnerable moments when they were younger? The first time they saw each other? The long history and deep understand of who each other really is?! Elsie DELIVEREDDDD. I love the sweet moments we got of them on the roof together at kids where we see the tender, sweet sides of young Jasper.

There's so much pain and heartache in this book, from every single angle...their pasts, their present, their families. I love that no matter the distance, which they do discuss, they're still each other's rocks and biggest supporters. Part of what makes this friends to lovers story so believable is that they're feelings that we saw were always there, and seeing Jasper come out of his shell and see Sloane as more is soooo f* satisfying. These two were truly made for each other.

I love how complex these characters are individually as well. Jasper's past and trauma explains so much of why he's so closed off and guarded and my heart HURT finding out what his history is. Sloane was a perfect balance for him. Seeing her learn how to stand up for herself was everything. I wanted to fight her ex and her dad. But Jasper's final blow to them?! I was screamingggg!!

This book has all the best tropes of course. Childhood best friends to lovers, one bed, tortured grumpy mc, sports romance but the best with this book, and honestly all of them in this series, is the Eaton family. I looooove Rhett, Summer, Cade, Willa, Luke, Harvey, Beau, Winter and literally all of them there. I love the dynamic between all the characters and my heart is with all of them at Wishing Well Ranch. I might actually explode waiting for the next book.

- 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Receiving an advanced copy was a delightful surprise. I believe both existing fans and newcomers will find it equally enjoyable.

I absolutely adore this series, but im not sure who i felt about this book. It was good, but not the best.

Ah it feels so nice to be back in the world of chestnut springs! I’m so excited to have finally read Jasper’s book. We get so many snippets of him in the past books, but he was still such a mystery. Overall I really enjoyed this book! I love that it’s a sport romance on both sides (she’s a ballerina & he plays hockey).

It’s also childhood friends to lovers! One thing I always love about childhood friends to lovers is that it has so much heart because the characters have cared about each other for a really long time. BUT in this book sometimes I felt like we were just waiting for them to get together because it’s so clear from the beginning how much they already care about each other.

There’s SO many elements I love about this book: the road trip, the depth of their feelings for each other, unraveling jaspers childhood, and sloane standing up to her family. Overall my least fav in the series thus far but still loved it sm!!!

After really enjoying the first books in this series, I was disappointed by Powerless. The friends-to-lovers setup was a little hard to believe. There was no significant conflict keeping them apart other than their own failure to have an honest conversation about their feelings. Both Sloane and Jasper have no personality and I didn't care about them as a couple. They are really immature and a lot of the more serious moments in the book came across as cringe.

I was also really weirded out by the "not really cousins" dyanmic between them. It felt like the author kept bringing it up to give the book slight forbidden romance vibes. But it just made me uncomfortable; especially because they were basically raised as cousins and he thinks of the Eaton boys as his brothers.

This is my third book by this author and I'm really noticing her fixation on age-gaps and lips in these books. It didnt bother me in the first books but the writing and characters are starting to feel repetitive.

Without the tension of the romance, the book felt like it went on forever. The plot was really predictable and dull. Honestly, the best part of the book is the small moments we get of the other couples in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! I love the Chestnut Springs series and this is the spiciest one yet! A hockey romance (unexpected in this cowboy romance series), this was my favorite of the series so far! I can’t wait to read the rest of the series and then whatever Elsie Silver has for us next!