I am new to the world of Elsie Silver, but I am so glad that I have found myself on the bandwagon. Better late than never!

A Photo Finish is a second chance romance between Cole, who is very grumpy, and Violet, equally stubborn but driven and has more than she shows. This story was so fun to read with a very unique storyline, I am personally a huge fan of flashbacks and find they're a great way to see deeper into the characters' lives.

There is so much more than meets the eye with this story and the twist broke my heart but it was so beautiful seeing these two blossom and grow together. Elsie Silver truly has a way with words and I do not joke when I say my mouth was just slack with shock during certain scenes. I will definitely be an Elsie Silver stan now and will be diving into her entire backlog.

Thank you so much to Elsie Silver and the Sourcebooks Bloom Books for the ARC!

2.75 rounded up

This book just wasn’t for me. I wasn’t really connecting with the characters, and rather found myself just reading as a chore. It felt much more like lust rather than love for me, and I couldn’t really connect with Violet; it felt like one second she wasn’t about Cole and the next she was? It also felt very repetitive, I found myself skimming a lottt because I wasn’t hearing anything new. The writing was still phenomenal, the characters just fell short for me. A cute western read, but nothing outstanding.

Thank you so much to Bloom Book for an ARC through NetGalley for an honest review!! So so grateful!

4.25 ⭐️

Violet Eaton is a saint and I’m so happy I finally got around to reading this! I really enjoyed this book because it was honestly so different than the Chestnut Springs series. The dynamics, the plot, the angst, had me sucked in from the very start! If you love a grumpy x sunshine trope, this one’s for you!

Thank you NetGalley and Elsie Silver for this eArc 💖

TW: parental death, PTSD, grief

I just can’t get enough of Elsie Silver, it seems every one of her books I pick up just gets better and better!

It was so lovely to get to read Violet’s book after reading all the Chestnut Springs books about her brothers. And the little cameo from the whole gang at the end was so sweet!

Violet is very much the sunshine here to Cole’s grumpy. She is full of life and wants to take it by the horns and show life who’s boss. She’s worked so hard to get where she is in her career but with one shady move she’s on the bench with an injury. The only place to stay is with Cole Harding the grumpy soldier she unknowingly chatted up on the internet a year ago. Things are quite awkward to start off!

I loved how Violet was so assertive in what she wanted. From the track to the bedroom she wasn’t shy about anything. I wish I had her confidence! Cole was definitely very grumpy but my heart bled for him (which I’m sure he would hate) for what he’s been through and is still going through. He was so hot with his dominating gruff ways but still had that quiet part of himself that just wanted to be cared for. Getting to see Billie and Vaughn again from the first book was a riot as well, they are just too funny. Billie and Cole’s brother sister relationship was adorable and I loved that for them!

Such a good cowboy/girl romance, Elsie is just fantastic! I can’t wait to see what she does with Mira’s book, she seems so wise and mysterious…very intriguing! Thank you so much to Bloom Books for providing me with an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to Bloom books and Netgalley for providing me with an arc.

2.5/5 Stars

I was really excited to dive into this one as I ended up loving the first book in this series so I had solid hopes for this one but the PTSD representation was really disappointing. I also felt very odd about how there wasn’t really any signs of the mmc being an amputee until the 200 page mark when it was revealed and this is dual pov so we were in his mind before then. Otherwise I really did love this book and I loved the kinda dual timeline aspect of it.

This book follows Violet Eaton and Cole Harding as their past of anonymous online chats comes into the real world as Cole comes to work at his family ranch where Violet is their star jockey. Cole had his shot with her and blew it so when she ghosted him, he closes himself off even more. But when Violet gets injured during a riding accident, the two are put under the same roof. Both are learning maybe not everything is what it seems…

Back to my issues with the PTSD rep. Most of my issues aren’t fully with the PTSD itself even tho that isn’t great either but instead is mainly with how the FMC acts when the MMC says he can’t handle watching her do what his dad died doing. She makes it seem like he fully knew he would struggle with it and that he could kinda just get over it within a 2 week deadline she gives him. That isn’t how PTSD works, yes you can work through specific triggers but it can take months to years and will never be perfect. So the idea that within the next day after that interaction he gets back on a horse after not doing really any work with his therapist is so incredibly unrealistic. PTSD can vary a lot person to person but with how extreme of a reaction he has when she gets injured it is harmful to show him just being able to be on a horse really fast and not have any issues that we see. I am not saying she has to stay with him while he deals with this but her just dismissing it as pretty much him not loving her and her being an ass and little miss independent when he is pretty much in a full blown panic attack that even others can see he isn’t okay because he just watched her fall off a horse which is directly what his trauma is. His trauma doesn’t justify everything but he didn’t deserve to be made to feel overbearing because he was trying to make sure she was okay not that he was trying to hold her back at that time. If she wasn’t ready to support him while he healed then she should have been upfront and not given him a deadline. I felt like Cole’s trauma was massively overlooked and not dealt with in a healthy way. You can’t just magically be better in 2 weeks and healing from trauma isn’t linear.

I also felt weird that we don’t learn about Cole’s amputated leg for 200 pages and we do have chapters in his POV. While there is one thing that stands out as a sign after you learn about it but truly it still felt random. The one sign was he always wore long pants or sweatpants even when it was hot. But his own brother didn’t even know about it and I don’t think he tells him in the book. I understand why he felt ashamed of it after everything but that also felt brushed over as he talks about what his ex-fiance’s reaction was and then he doesn’t really work through it all that much. Disability representation shouldn’t feel like it is coming out of nowhere truthfully and to have made it over halfway and I didn’t see any sign of it, is odd.

I love Cole and I did like this relationship for most of the book tbh but at the end I don’t know that Violet deserves the happy ending. It isn’t that I don’t like Violet as I do but how she handles Cole’s reaction to her falling off the horse and him coming clean about how he doesn’t think he can do this is horrible. He is trying to be honest and she comes off like it is just that he doesn’t love her or himself enough. His honesty is met with pretty much get over your trauma and her is a two week deadline for it.

I am going to continue with Elsie Silver’s books as I have loved all of them up until now but this one was disappointing to say the least. I am someone with PTSD and for a while it was pretty mild and even then what this book does isn’t realistic especially for how traumatizing what happened to him was.

4 stars ⭐️ If you loved Chestnut Springs, and haven’t started this series yet, what are you doing?

A Photo Finish is a second chance with a twist (which made the flashbacks super enjoyable). Cole is grumpy to the max and super guarded, but you can’t help but fall for him still. Violet is perfectly stubborn, driven and has that “more than meets the eye” thing going on.

I loved so much about this book. The unique storyline. The way Violet helped Cole on his healing journey. The tension filled slow burn.

If you are looking for a book with small town vibes, a tortured hero and ‘butterflies in the stomach’ moments, I’d highly recommend checking this series out!

This was even better than book one!

Elsie Silver really knows how to punch a reader right in the face with their own feelings. She writes beautiful, deep, realistic female characters and men who need to get their ish together. Cole’s secret really got me. I didn’t put two and two together until the hiking scene when it’s revealed and I just sat with my mouth hanging open. I was enthralled.

I love how these books aren’t just “set” on a ranch or at the arena, but that horse raising and ranching is a true part of the story. I am living for this series and I can’t wait to read the next one. Give me all the lust-filled, romantic rodeo pages. I’m ready.

I absolutely love Elsie's books. Her characters are realistic and adorable, the tension and build up is always fantastic, and they leave me kicking my feet in the air giggling. A Photo Finish was no different. Cole & Violet are perfection. The banter was amazing. Violet was a fiery badass FMC. Cole a little traumatic and grumpy. I highly recommend A Photo Finish, and all the Elsie Silver books! Chestnut Springs is a must!

I thought this plot was so interesting for a romance and wasn't completely predictable like many other romance novels. Their relationship felt a little...... interesting at times, but overall it was really delicious

Synopsis: I’ve seen every square inch of Violet Eaton’s delectable body and she has no idea who I am.

Until now.

What happened between us online, in our chats, was meant to stay anonymous and in the past.

Until it didn’t.

It’s a small world, but Ruby Creek is even smaller. When I move to the tiny town, the grumpy facade I’ve created slips when we’re forced to live under the same roof.

Every flush of her cheeks, every time her eyes flare with heat, every time she begs me not to stop, the ice I’ve encased myself in melts. She has me wanting things I can’t want. Things I’ve been dreaming about since I first laid eyes on her two years ago—things I don’t deserve.

But my invisible wounds have the power to ruin us both. As a former soldier, I should have the discipline to walk away, but the more I open up to Violet, the more I want to keep her.

I came back from the war a different man, but my scars are older and deeper than anyone knows—and I planned to keep it that way. I planned to keep my secrets hidden.

Until her.

Review: Holy cow. I loved this book. I loved the tension between the main characters. I loved the storyline and how both characters learned that they have to love themselves and who they are before they expect someone else to love them. The little twist in their made my jaw literally drop. Literally. My husband was concerned lol but I loved this book. This is the fifth Elsie Silver book I've read it's probably tied for my second favorite.

Another great book from Elsie Silver!

We've got the broody veteran who dislikes everyone and the ray of sunshine Violet, who will make him like her no matter what.

The plot was fast-paced and engaging, the spice was spicy, and there were several giddy, happy moments. I always love it when a book can encompass my favorite things.

Definitely recommend this cute book!

Thank you to Elsie, NetGalley, and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am so grateful I was chosen to read this ARC. I really enjoyed reading Violet’s story. I have was the Reckless series and didn’t realize that this series existed…prior to that one. The internet connection between Cole and Violet was a great way to introduce the two. I loved the flashbacks and the way it all meshed into present day. Great read!

5⭐️ 2🌶️
- MF
- Second Chance
- Grumpy/Sunshine
- Forced Proximity
- Small Town
- Pen Pals

Elsie does it again! I love her books so much. They are the perfect feel good escape.

I loved Violet and Cole. They were the definition of grumpy sunshine and I’m so glad that she was able to break through his hard shell. She never gave up on him while not taking and crap from him and I loved her for it!

I also loved that Cole has a therapist. He clearly still had issues he was working through, but he wasn’t afraid to ask for help, even if he didn’t always take her advice, he was taking the right steps.

The time jumps to their past were so well done. Elsie kept giving up bread crumbs without leaving me frustrated.

Their HEA and was hard fought and well deserved! I can’t wait to start the next book in this series.

Thank you Elsie Silver & Netgalley for the e-arc. All opinions are my own, and are being left voluntarily.

A Photo Finish is perfect for those who enjoy:
-Age Gap
-Forced Proximity
-Grumpy/Sunshine
-Small Town
-Military Vet

I don't know how I haven't read this series prior to this one, but WOW. I love love loved this one, and read it all in one setting!!

Cole and Violet met on an online chat, where Violet shared her identity, but Cole didn't.

Cole has some major PTSD, and is very self conscious of himself. I loved how Violet slowly brought him out of his shell and loved him unconditionally. He was a major broody, quiet, I'll do anything for her man, and I was just eating it up.

Can't wait to read the rest of this series!

Elsie Silver is doing interconnected series RIGHT. I usually can not stand books with a million different connections to other series, but she does just enough for the AHA moment of realization without going overboard. A classic grumpy sunshine with a dabble of second chance romance. This might be one of my favorites of hers, honestly.

Spicy contemporary mf grumpy sunshine romance. This is my first read by this author and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to read it. The spice was nice, the characters engaging, and the pacing was good. I plan on reading the first in the series next.

#2 in the series, but #1 in my heart!

“A Photo Finish” follows Violet Eaton, a jockey at Gold Rush Ranch, after an injury forces her to move in with Cole Harding, one of her grumpy coworkers. Little does she know, Cole is the same man she had a secret online relationship with a few years back…and he still can’t get her out of his head.

I love the pacing of this one, the heartwarming friendships, and Violet and Cole’s grumpy x sunshine dynamic. The spark between them is slow to ignite, but once it does the wait is definitely worth it because what happens in the horse stall is everything!

My favorite part of this book was watching Violet and Cole fall in love with each other twice—in person and online. Silver begins each chapter with flashbacks that consist of their online chats. She then transitions to Violet and Cole’s interactions in the present. Silver reveals the details surrounding their shared past little by little so as to conceal the full scope of their relationship until the very end—when both of their worlds collide.

I love that the romance wasn’t the only focal point in the story. As a former soldier, Cole struggles with PTSD. Not only that, but his father’s death has a lasting impact on him. Throughout the book, he actively seeks out help from a therapist and I appreciated the care with which Silver depicts his mental health struggles. Further, I love how patient Violet is with him. She is always there to lend an ear and doesn’t treat him differently because of what he is going through.

Having read the Chestnut Springs series first, I really enjoyed getting to learn more about the baby sister of all the Eaton brothers and how she found the man of her dreams!

If anyone can write a broody, man, it's Elsie Silver my gosh. This was my favorite of her books that I've read so far.

We've got the broody veteran that pretty much dislikes everyone and the literal ray of sunshine Violet, who is going to make him like her pretty much one way or another.

The plot was fast-paced and engaging, the spice was most definitely spicing, and there were several giggle and kick your feet moments. I always love it when a book can encompass my favorite things without feeling like they were thrown in to just say they were in there.

Elsie Silver is a GENIUS!! This book was so good. It had me hooked from the first page. Violet is such an amazing character . Cole is grumpy but so swoony!!! The loving supportive family was a great addition to an already beautifully written novel. The love story believeable, the world building and plot complete and consistant, I loved every second of this book.

Wow!! I just loved this book. I really wasn’t expecting to like it because I had read an other book from an other series by Elsie but I had not liked it so I was surprised to love this one. I will be reading more of this series for sure.

I highly recommend.