Elsie never fails in maing me love a small-town romance!!

Cole was everything and Violet? I did not expect to fall in love with them as much as I did. I lvoed Off to the races but this one is hands down my favorite so far!

The way they met, the reason why Cole is so grumpy, everything was perfection and so well written.

I will be forever a fan of this series and I love every single moment so far!

I have became a fan of Elsie Silver when I read her flawless series. I also read most of the books in this series. This book was steamy and romantic. The ending was better than I expected. I look forward to reading more books by Elsie Silver. I'm grateful that netgalley and the publishers let me read this in exchange for an honest review.

I will always eat up an Elsie Silver book!!!!

I enjoyed my time reading this, but the main conflict and tropes surrounding the MCs weren't my favorite. I will say that I was thoroughly surprised at the plot twist that happened while Violet and Cole were hiking. It made a lot of sense for the plot line and the main conflict between the two, which really gave insight into Cole's character.

I was super invested in hearing about Violet's backstory ever since I read The Chestnut Springs Series. I really loved getting to know her outside of her familial expectations and the found family that she's found at Gold Rush Ranch. I immediately related to her story and I loved that she was able to persevere through her trauma to accomplish her dreams.

I will say that Cole did annoy me from time to time with his extremely mixed messages and hot and cold demeanor; however, it made a little bit of sense knowing his backstory.

The pining and the angst was so incredible and really made for a fun reading experience. I personally cannot wait to continue this series because I truly love every single thing that Elsie writes.

Thank you Bloom Books, Elsie Silver, and Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love Elsie’s books! I read most of the Chestnut Springs series last year, so I was excited to see this (as a re-release) available on NetGalley.

Violet and Cole were very swoon-worthy together, and you couldn’t help but want to fix Cole. Pippy the horse made a great side character as well. And the scenes with Violet and Cole get very steamy.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

I LOVED this story so much. Having already read all her brother’s love stories in the Chestnut Springs series, I was really excited to see Violet Eaton’s love story play out and I ate it up! Violet is such a badass who won’t let anyone get in the way of showing the world she is a champion jockey. I absolutely loved Violet’s character and how she is so perceptive of the needs of others. Her relationship with Cole was everything and I loved how she was supportive of him without bending to his will. Cole is a sweet broken baby and I love that he is therapy because BOY DOES HE NEED IT. I truly adored how much growth he made throughout the story and how he learned how to overcome his ~issues~ to show Violet he could be there to support her dreams. The romance and spice in this book was *chef’s kiss* and the glimpses of other characters we loved from book 1 was perfection. I am so excited for the rest of this series!

this series has me in a chokehold. i love everything about it, the plot, the writing, everything. definitely a 10/10

4.5 rounded up

Violet Eaton is sick of being coddled by the men in her life - namely, her father and three older brothers. She decides to leave home and start a new life for herself on her own terms. Part of that new life involves shedding her inhibitions and posting a nude photo of herself on a forum website. When an intriguing stranger responds, they form a tentative friendship with lots of innuendos and ground rules set by him, namely that he'll never show his face. When things get deep and Violet bares everything, only for the mystery man to remain cold, she ghosts him and tries to move on. That is, until she finds out that he is actually her boss' boss at Gold Rush Ranch, Cole Harding, and they're forced into proximity.

I loved this book so much. I was so happy to get Violet's story after reading the Chestnut Springs series and being so intrigued by the far-away Eaton sister! Violet is so capable and trying so hard to make it in a world that says she's not strong enough to do it on her own. She's had her heart broken by the man she fell for over a screen, but she doesn't let that break her spirit. Meanwhile, Cole has battled so much, literally and figuratively, from his father dying in a horse race to his time overseas, and he is hanging on by a thread. When he finds a woman online that makes him want to open up, even if it's only a little bit, he's devastated to lose her, but when she appears in his real life, he is even more terrified. I love how much Violet and Cole supported each other, how protective Cole was, how Violet was the one person who Cole could open up to and feel safe with, it was everything! There was so much pain and trauma in Cole's life but Violet was able to show him that closing yourself off to happiness doesn't make anything better. Ugh, this was just such a great story!

5 stars! Incredible! I love this whole series so much, really anything Elsie Silver writes!! Cole was a perfect MMC I’m obsessed!

Elsie Silver does no wrong!! Loving the Gold Rush Ranch Series so much. I love Cole and Violet's story and love the depth this book had especially with Cole's mental health journey!

What to expect:
✨ Forced Proximity
✨ Small town romance
✨ Western/ Racehorse farm
✨ Dual POV
✨ Grumpy x Sunshine
✨ Mental health rep

🐎Small Town
🐎Forced Proximity
🐎Second Chance
🐎Grumpy/Sunshine
🐎Age Gap

A Photo Finish is book two of the Gold Rush Ranch series of interconnected standalones. After reading Flawless and Heartless I couldn’t wait to read the little sister, Violet’s story. It has some of my favorite tropes such as grumpy/sunshine, age gap, small town, and forced proximity.

Cole is Vaughn’s brother from Off To The Races and he has temporarily moved out to the family horse ranch to help with one of their businesses. While there he runs into Violet who he recognizes as someone from his past…and he’s not too happy with her. I loved his grumpiness and the angst it causes. He is closed off and doesn’t care for people…especially in his space that he likes to be spic and span! And along comes Violet to tear down all his walls. Violet is such a sweetheart but isn’t one to let others push her around. She finally has her own life away from her family and she isn’t about to let anyone get in the way of her dreams.

I love Cole and Violet together. They help each other heal and Violet is there to help Cole with his insecurities of feeling like he doesn’t deserve happiness. This is a slow burn but the build up to the spice makes it even better when it finally happens…and boy was it HOT! I can’t recommend this book or author enough! I can’t wait to keep reading more of her stories!

Elsie Silver’s A Photo Finish is such an addicting romance novel! The story revolves around Violet Eaton and a mysterious former soldier whose online encounters were supposed to remain anonymous and fleeting. However, fate brings them face to face in the small town of Ruby Creek, where they must confront their past and the undeniable chemistry between them. The author writes a sizzling romance with deep emotional resonance. Cole’s struggle with invisible wounds from his past, juxtaposed with Violet’s vibrant and captivating presence, creates a dynamic that is both intense and tender. His grumpy yet vulnerable facade slowly melts away as he and Violet share a roof, revealing the layers of his character and the scars he hides.

This book is amongst my top Elsie books I just loved it. 5 easy stars. I love a broody dark with demons mmc, and being on the ranch seeing the eatons, I love it so much. I have zero complaints and only wish I could read again for first time again….

For all the fans of Chestnut springs please read this series! This is such an underrated favorite of mine. It has Violet Cade aka the sister of all the boys at Wishing Well Ranch. This book also deals with heavier topics like PTSD and therapy. Like all of Elsie’s books this is the perfect small town romance book. You fall in love with not only the main characters but the secondary characters as well. This is a group of found family who are all there for each other.

“We all make choices. That’s what he told me once, and he wasn’t wrong. It’s why I moved on. It’s why I disappeared without a word. It’s why this awkwardness between us now is on him, not me. My head knows exactly what choices to make where Cole Harding is concerned. But my heart? It’s not so sure.” — A Photo Finish by Elsie Silver

Just over here loving everything that Elsie Silver writes! Gah, she is a mastermind with words and I can’t get enough!

I read Elsie’s Chestnut Springs series before starting her Ruby Creek series so I knew about Violet going into this story, but that definitely did not prepare me for who she is as a character nor did it give any inkling to how she met Cole or who he is.

I adored Violet. She’s sweet and quiet at first but also very spunky and has a wild side she’s afraid to unleash. Cole was such a great grumpy hero. He’s a war vet with PTSD and Elsie handles this with such care and openness and it was done so well. He and Violet are a perfect example of the grumpy/sunshine and second-chance tropes.

If you haven’t read Elsie before, you’re seriously missing out! If you have read her then you know you need this book/series in your life asap!

Violet Eaton left her family to make something of herself. She ended up at Gold Rush Ranch helping where she could, she never expected to become a jockey and race horses in the process. Enter Cole, Vaughn's older brother. He's cold and stand-offish. But when he encounters Violet after she wins a race, everything changes. Secrets, previous encounters and an injury thrust these two into the same orbit once more. Will they put aside their differences for a second chance or will they crash and burn?

After making it through Chestnut Springs and the first Gold Rush Ranch book, I FINALLY got to read about Violet Eaton! I have been dying to read her story ever since she popped up in the Chestnut Springs series. The promise of Violet's story within the Gold Rush Ranch series was the main reason I had started this series.

I absolutely adored this book! The tension between Violet and Cole was so drawn taught that I couldn't wait for it to snap and when it finally did...I was in pieces.

When Elsie writes her characters she breathes life into them These characters were very well rounded. I specifically enjoyed the evolution of Cole's character and it's safe to say he probably ended up being one of my favorite characters throughout this entire series. (I could go on and on about Cole but for the sake of spoilers I digress.)

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and it has ended up being my overall favorite of the series. If you're looking for something to pick up after Chestnut Springs, I highly recommended Gold Rush Ranch...you will not be disappointed.

This is one of my favorite Elsie Silver Books EVER.

Cole and Violet? SWOON.

There is just something about a hard, grumpy man and a woman he softens up for.

The banter was everything. Their relationship was amazing. I loved how it trickled in bits of their past connection throughout the story.

I loved the ending more than anything. I would read Elsie Silver’s shopping list.

"You don't look at me like I'm tragic. You look at me like we're inevitable."

I am so glad Elsie Silver is republishing the Gold Rush Ranch series because, in this version we get a bonus chapter where Cole and Violet are AT WISHING WELL RANCH!! (Honeyyyyyy I'm homeeeeeee).

UGH MY HEART!! I knew I was going to love Violet Eaton, but I didn't know it was going to be this much. Her and Cole are sooooo <3333 When I met Cole in "Off to the Races", I was shocked he was going to be the mmc in this book, but I was so so wrong about him. In the very first chapter you learn him & Violet already know each other and when I learned how... my jaw was on the floor. This was equal parts swoony, funny, and overall entertaining.

As someone who's favorite book from the Chestnut Springs series was Heartless, this was everything to me. Cole is very similar to Cade (minus the child) and Violet says as much during her pov twice.

Tropes:
💛forced proximity
🩶small town
💛grumpy x sunshine
🩶age gap
💛he falls first
🩶dual pov

A Photo Finish is my first book by Elsie Silver and I enjoyed it. I adored Cole and Violets storyline especially in reference to the mental health aspect.

I always love a good online/ pen pal romance and thought this author did a nice job with that. Cole meets Violet online. Violet does not know anything about Cole, and the only thing Cole knows is what Violet looks like. When they do meet in person, Cole reacts poorly and .

Fast forward to a few years later no and their friendship has rekindled when Violet has an accident and needs to recover and enter the forced proximity situation.

As time passes their relationship has grown, and the feelings they have for each other. They really fought for each other.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy for review

Rounded up from 4.5
Sweet and sassy Violet has gone from groomer to jockey. But when she is injured, she is forced to cohabit with grumpy Cole, who she met on a special website a year ago...
This second chance, forced proximity, grumpy sunshine romance is book 2 in the Gold Rush Ranch series, and I loved it! I liked book 1 better, this one gave me a bit less of the feels, but this was still very good! The tension was great, and so was the spice.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

HOLY SHIT. this being violet’s origin is crazy i didn’t know she had a book 😭😭😭 (i wanted one the entire chestnut springs series, shame on me for never looking into elsie’s backlist) anyhoo, what the fuck 😃

seeing them happily married in chestnut springs is BEYOND insane when you find out how they met…and fell in love…i’m just completely flabbergasted!!!! i loved violet, but cole was just there. when grumpy toes the line between uncommunicative bastard, i can’t really get behind it and he was actually a lot more frustrating than he was swoon worthy most times, and violet’s a better woman than i.

her writing has improved TREMENDOUSLY in the romance aspect. she’s nailed butterfly inducing stories to a t, but i’m still excited nonetheless for the rest of gold rush ranch