Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for an advance E-Copy of Powerless by Elsie Silver in exchange of an honest review.

"Powerless by Elsie Silver takes readers on a captivating journey filled with passion, angst, and unexpected twists. Sloane, a talented ballerina, has long held a deep-seated love for Jasper, her childhood best friend turned professional hockey player. Their complicated dynamic and Jasper's repeated rejections have led Sloane to bury her feelings, until a shocking revelation on her wedding day forces her to reevaluate everything. Silver weaves a delicious tale of forbidden desire and intense emotions, keeping readers hooked from start to finish.

This second installment in the series proves to be a standout, even surpassing the first book. While the previous book may not have been to every reader's taste, Powerless delivers a more compelling storyline and explores new territory. The angst in this book is cranked up to a hundred, leaving readers breathless and engrossed in the ups and downs of Sloane and Jasper's relationship.

One unexpected element that sets this book apart is the introduction of Dom/sub themes. These spicy and intimate scenes, while not overly abundant, add a tantalizing layer to the story. The author's skillful execution of these moments contributes to the overall angsty and restless atmosphere of the novel. Be warned, there is a significant amount of edging and orgasm denial, which fans of this genre will appreciate.

Throughout the narrative, readers are treated to the vivid portrayal of Sloane and Jasper's deep connection, enhanced by their complicated history. Silver expertly explores the emotional rollercoaster of their relationship, making readers yearn for their happily ever after. While at times you may want to smack Jasper upside the head for his behavior, it only adds to the overall tension and keeps readers invested.

In conclusion, Powerless is a captivating addition to the series that will leave readers eagerly awaiting the next installment. Elsie Silver's ability to crank up the angst, incorporate unexpected kink, and deliver steamy scenes ensures a gripping and enjoyable reading experience. Prepare to be hooked!"

This was a fun read. I really enjoyed the additional background on the characters we met in previous books, and I’m personally always a fan of the “he falls first”, or maybe in this case the “they fall together, but he’s clearly smitten” trope. Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the chance to check this out!

4,5

I thing this one is my favorite in the series so far !
Jasper and Sloane keep sending each other in the friend zone even if they’re in love. Childhood friends to lover are sweet and loving.
I loved the small flashbacks from their childhood (just enough to know them without being boring !)
It was easy to love them from the beginning to the end :)

Elsie is the queen when it comes to small town romances! Powerless is probably one of my favorites by her and it features some of my favorite tropes. Jasper and Sloane were perfection and I loved that they were childhood friends. This is book three in the series and they are all great reads.

I wasn’t sure how I’d feel coming down from reading book 2, which is one of my top 3 books ever. Needless to say I was nervous after that.

Enter little ballerina Sloane (nicknamed Sunny) and broody hockey player Jasper (Jas). Friends for 18 years and an age gap of 6 years. Jasper was taken in by the Eaton family after traumatic events led to his family abandoning him as a teenager. Sloane, cousin to the Eatons, was a frequent visitor at the ranch. She spent years pining over her friend (not her cousin- that’s important 🤣). But she was a young and ay that age he was not. Nothing inappropriate EVER happens during this stage. I feel that importance to point out.

It isn’t until they are well into adulthood when these best friends reluctantly share their inner thoughts. It took some trauma for them to come clean with each other. Elsie has wrote some very realistically broken people and found a way to make them whole together in a beautiful story. In her true form there is quite a bit of *ahem* spice with a very engaging plot.

I loved how these two found their own personalities and how they worked through their own drama and trauma until this point in their lives. Both strong characters with tons of support from the Eaton crew. I’m not even mad at Elsie for making us wait so long for this story and for these characters to realize they belong together. She built them up to not rush into anything in life and she took care in developing their character how I imagine they would in real life.

Quite simply, beautiful

Thank you to Netgalley, publisher and author for the advanced copy of this ebook Re release.

Jasper is a hockey player and gets invited to his long time friend, Sloane’s engagement party and realizes maybe he has more feelings for Sloane than he realized. It just takes one dinner realizing that he’s a far better catch than the husband to be but feels like maybe he’s too late. As the wedding for Sloane approaches she finds something out that will change her future and there will be no going back and changing it.

Sloane is on a journey of deciding what she wants for her life while Jasper at the same time is trying to figure out if its too late to capture Sloane’s heart. But when the family gets bad news, is it too hard for Jasper too handle? His hockey coach then forces him to take time off… Sloane and Jasper then trying to find a new normal as they escape the problems surrounding them.

I really enjoyed this book! I would definitely recommend a four out of five. There was chemistry and romance with a touch of heartbreak that just made the characters feel real. This book I felt primarily focused on Jasper and Sloane so the reader really got a feel for the couple. My favorite part (***spolier***) was the detailed part of the tattooed ballerina.

Netgalley provided this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun and heartwarming small town romance and featuring a brooding hockey player as the main male character and a reserved prima ballerina as the main female character. I loved the pairing and the depth of the friendship between Sloane and Jasper. Even though Sloane has been pining for him for years, Jasper has taken care of her by listening and supporting her. I thought this story was a wonderful take on friends to lover and the “will they won’t they” tension (and subsequent spice) was just perfect.

okay please the chestnut springs men can GET IT 😮‍💨 first I thought rhett would be a new book boyfriend, and then there was daddy cade (say less), and now sweet and caring jasper??? like are we kidding???

this was easily my favorite of the series so far - and it was mostly due to the fact that we got healthy dancer rep! I’m super sick and tired of seeing unhealthy ballerina stereotypes and incorrect representation of life as a professional dancer (as one myself) 🥰🥰

(except for the scenes where she was given the half season off to plan a wedding and could just get hired back for the next season like it was no biggie LOL)

but what I loved the best was how well sloane and jasper just knew each other!! from rubbing feet after performances on pointe, to sitting BEHIND the goal instead of being in a box far away, I was squealing the entire time!!

I just love watching two people overcome their own insecurities together and tear down everyone holding them back 🥹🥹

thank you to netgalley and bloom for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!! read this series!!!!

rating: an easy 5 stars!!!!
wine pairing: niagara on the lake cabernet franc

An amazing read! ✨✨✨✨✨/5
I love the story between Sloane and Jasper! I’m usually not a fan of friends to lovers, but Elsie Silvers delivered a beautiful story with the perfect amount of tension!

If you have liked the rest of the Chestnut Springs series then I highly suggest you check this story out

5 stars

I will start by saying I am a huge Elsie Silver fan. Her writing is amazing and draws you right into the world of Chestnut Springs. Different from the first two books in the series, Jasper and Sloane have a lot more history. And that was shown to us throughout the story.
There has always been something between the Eaton cousin and Jasper as an honorary Eaton. Sloane is a ballerina who, to be honest, is a little bit of a pushover. Hence how she ended up engaged to a man she doesn't love and doesn't even really like. Of course Jasper is there when she decides to run away from the wedding.
I thought I was going to be frustrated with Sloane. She has always had a thing for Jasper and I thought she was going to let him off easy. But she doesn't. She shows growth and a backbone. We learned a lot more about quiet, stoic Jasper Gervais. He is going through a lot, but finally decides to give in to his feelings for Sloane.

I adored Sloane and Jasper. I loved the forced proximity at the farm and the road trip to Gold Rush Ranch!
Harvey is yet again the comic relief and can do no wrong.

Tropes: age gap, runaway bride, friends-to-lovers, mutual pining, ballerina FMC, hockey player MMC, small town, found family

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom books for the early read of the re-release. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Elsie Silver is another new to me author this year and I have now found another amazing one-click author. The unrequited love trope is one of my favorites and I absolutely loved Jasper and Sloane’s love story! But with this we also get the heartache, something or someone is keeping the two apart. It was heartbreaking to see what that was in their story.

As we weave through their journey, what is evident is how they are there for each other throughout the years. They have been childhood friends and they never lost connection, they supported the other full on. When difficult circumstances gives them a chance to be in close proximity, they are given the opportunity to finally reveal how they have felt for the other. When the barriers comes down, the chemistry is intense! I loved everything about their story and continue to look forward to more by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloombooks for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Elsie Silver and Source Books Bloom Books publisher, and NetGalley for this e-ARC of Powerless in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

I absolutely adore Elsie Silver, and the world of Chestnut Springs that she has created. This time around we follow hockey player: Jasper, and his childhood friend Sloane as they navigate their love story.

Read if you love:
-Friends to Lovers
-Small Town Romance
-Runaway Bride vibes
-Hockey Player MMC
-Ballerina FMC

Jasper and Sloane are the perfect example that sometimes life brings along someone special... someone who gets you at your very core... and literally no one else will ever compare.

"You're not my fucking friend. You're just mine."

I cannot wait to see what else Elsie Silver has in store for the Chestnut Springs crew!

Elsie Silver is an auto-buy author for a reason. Her Chesnut Springs series just keeps getting better and better. Jasper and Sloane have been friends since childhood, but for her, it's always been more than just friendship. She's loved him since she first laid eyes on him.

Their friendship is something real and precious and I love how even before he realizes how deep his feelings go, Jasper is always there, caring for and supporting Sloane through all the ups and downs. And she supports him right back. Oh, and did I mention he's a professional hockey player? I'm always and forever in my hockey romance era, and Powerless joins the ranks on hockey romances on my bookshelf.

Even though it isn't my favorite out of the series, I still really, really enjoyed it. I loved all the cameos from the other characters from the series, and how interconnected they all are. If I give all the others five stars, I'd give this one 4.5--which still rounds up to five. Lol.

Not only am I totally obsessed with these covers but I'm in love with the stories. Interconnected standalones are my favorites to read and Elsie delivers in spades with this series. I've seen people talk about them forever and finally gave into the hype. I'm so glad I did!

I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more by this author. Loved the writing style! Thank you for the ARC!

To say disappointed is an understatement. I've seen all the hype for these books on Booktok and how is was such a good childhood bestfriend story...all lies. The characters are lackluster and have little to no personality. Even after being "threatened" by her dad - he still continued to be around her all the time. Like it clearly wasn't even a threat. The characters were oblivious and the plot was overdone.

5.0/5 ⭐
3.5/5 🌶
5.0/5 🎧

I really can't believe I didn't jump on the Elsie bandwagon sooner. I am in love with her and Chestnut Springs. This mutual unrequited love, childhood best friends to lovers romance was so sweet and heartbreaking and hot. I freaking loved it to pieces. I laughed (Harvey unalives me more and more each book), I cried (broken boys break my heart) and I enjoyed every moment.

I love how strong Sloane was and how she stood up for herself. And the way she was there for Jasper so steadily warmed my soul.

Teddy and CJ were amazing narrators for this story, they did such a wonderful job bringing these characters to life.

First book of this series and I’m obsessed. I will be continuing on with it. The book is fast paced and endearing. Lots of spicy scenes and romantic connections. I enjoyed their love story.

So excited to get the arc to the new Bloom edition of Powerless for the US! Jasper and Sloan are so perfect together and it’s a beautiful friends to lovers story. You really are drawn right into Elsie’s books and it’s hard not to fall so in love with the characters she creates!

He cannot stand watching the woman he secretly loves marry another man. Yet Sloan chooses Jasper to help her escape her own wedding when her fiancée is caught cheating. Now trying to do what makes her heart happy for once, she goes on a road trip with Jasper, the love of her life, and wants him to stop refusing her love for him. Jasper wants her so badly but his past is keeping him from letting her in. But being together on a road trip breaks down those barriers and neither of them can help the feelings that explode.
This book has:
• friends to lovers
• MMC hockey player with dark past
• runaway bride
• ballet dancer MFC
• a road trip
• redemption | chance at true love

I just love this series so much! First of all, the new cover is so beautiful! I love Jasper and Sloane! I hate what her father tried to push her into with Sterling, but love that she was strong enough to walk away. Jasper and Sloane’s love for each other warms my heart! I absolutely love this series. I wish I could read it again for the first time!