Overall, this is a cute read. Violet and Cole met in an online chat after she posted a risqué photo of herself. Through messaging, they became good friends until she wanted to take things further and he wasn’t ready. Now, Violet is a new jockey, racing horses, and Cole sees her again. Things are tense between them because of how their chatting left off. Also, Violet’s career goals and Cole’s PTSD create organic tension. I was rooting for them to get together.

I read this book as a part of the larger series and I just loved it! The tension was on point, and both of these characters had me rooting for their HEA. This was one of my favorites in the series and Elsie Silver is becoming a must read author for me.

After meeting in an online chat room years ago, Violet re-meets Cole when he outs himself as her old time pen pal at one of her races. She’s a jockey for his families ranch. They had a sexual, and also deep connection online, and now she’s thrust into his orbit again.

Told as Violet, the sunshine but hard as nails jockey, and Cole, the dark and damaged PTSD soldier, we recount their old conversations, and their rocky path into friendship. But how can old feelings and emotions translate from the internet into the real world when Cole holds himself back from everything good.

I found that although the characters have deep engraved histories and stories, they were also somewhat flat. I found their connection mostly flat and one dimensional, with glimpses into depth that didn’t fully play out. I found myself wanting more, and not getting it.

The steam was steamy for those who enjoy that.

Elsie Silver is phenomenal at writing the perfect man. I said it and I refuse to take it back.
A photo finish was everything I’ve ever needed with Cole and Violet. I read Chestnut Springs first so I was already ready for this!

I'm always a sucker when it comes to grumpy veteran military soldier and a sunshine girl.

We saw glimpses of Violet and Cole in the first book so I'm so intrigue on what happened to them, and this book advertised as a 'second chance' romance. Cole opened up a new company and is overseeing it so he opted to stay in Gold Rush Ranch and Violet got injured so she's staying with him.

I finished the first book, then I cannot stop thinking about our main characters so I opted to just read it asap and I did finished it in a day!

I love our main characters individually and together. It was very cute, wholesome and written well. I do think that it's a bit long for my liking because of the constant push-and-pull situation they were in, but I did appreciate the overall themes of the story.

We juggle the past and present timeline so we knew their history together and the way they are circling around each other in the present. Is it too soon to say this is my favorite in the series?

I read Chestnut Spring series first so it's a good thing that I finally read Violet's story!

A Photo Finish is book two in Elsie Silver's Gold Rush Ranch series, and happens to be the book that introduces Violet, the sister of the Eaton boys who are the MMCs in the Chestnut Ridge series, which I (and everyone else) am obsessed with. For a while with this book, I was pretty sure it was going to be right up there with Heartless as a favorite book in the Elsie Silver series, but ultimately, nothing can actually top Cade Eaton and Willa for me. That said, this book brought the angst, the tension, and the full cast of found family that makes Elsie's writing shine, in my opinion.

Essentially, Violet and Cole had an online relationship wherein Violet had posted one artistic nude and Cole responded and they struck up a virtual friendship. Fast forward, and something went down and now Cole and Violet are both living at Gold Rush Ranch and they are... not getting along well. Throw in some forced proximity, a horse, and a lot of tension and eventually, the two of them manage to find their way to one another.

Important things to know about this book: First, Cole is a veteran and has a prosthesis that he refuses to let anyone know about and has a lot of internalized self-consciousness about it. I would call it ableism, but it doesn't exactly feel like that? But anyway, he's working through that throughout the book. Second, Cole's also dealing with PTSD, not just from the war, but from watching his dad die during a horse race. Given what Violet's career is (a jockey), there's some tension.

I loved the way this book takes a very reticent hero (Cole) who is so wildly reluctant to open up, to talk about his feelings, and puts him in situation after situation to let the way he can't stop caring shine through. And Elsie's plotting really shines through here because I am a huge fan of "romance reasons" but there's not a single bit of that here. The plot all makes sense, it doesn't feel like there's an author in the background manipulating things. Now, Billie (Violet's BFF) may be pulling some strings in the background, but that's another story. ;) I also adore the relationships between all the characters, main and side. I love the tension between Violet and Cole and loved even more when they eventually give into it. I think this book would have benefited from me reading it in dead tree form because there was a lot that I wanted to highlight and for some reason my ARC copy wasn't letting me do that.

(Also, also, there's a line from Cade in here that made me want to fling myself into his arms for a hug and also re-read Heartless, but I've resisted thus far.)

I absolutely adore anything that Elsie Silver writes. I love this series so much and the way she brings her characters to life really makes me feel like I’m immersed in their world. Elsie’s descriptive voice of her story makes the reader become drawn to the characters and the story. I overall really enjoyed this book!

I liked this. It didn’t hook me like her books typically do. I thought it was good still. It did have a slower pace at some parts. Overall i enjoyed it

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!

All I could think of the whole time was Gollum from LotR - “my precious!”

I expected to love this book since I typically fall for men like Cole. But the dynamic was weird.

I said this after I read Off to the Races and I'll say it again, this series tops Chestnut Springs. It's SO good.

“𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐡, 𝐕𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐭. 𝐈’𝐦 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐲. 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭, 𝐈’𝐦 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨 𝐢𝐭. 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮? 𝐔𝐬? 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐰𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧. 𝐈𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧, 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬.”

I loved this book. I loved reading about the Eaton's baby sister Violet and how she single handedly reshaped her sheltered life and took charge of her sexuality and became a winning jockey.

Cole, Vaughn's older brother is dark and broody and grumpy and tender. He's not a cinnamon roll. He's got a lot of trauma. But he also goes to therapy and meeting Violet opens a door for him.

We know from seeing Cole and Violet in the first book that these two know each other, but not how. In this book we find out that Violet had posted a nude photo online and Cole had seen it and they had been chatting for a year when after she did more on screen, she ghosted him and that was that.

Until Cole unveiled himself when he saw her again at a horse race.

When Violet gets hurt racing and the only house with no stairs is the one Cole is staying in, the forced proximity is just perfection. They have to live together, face things together, and talk about what happened together.

There is also a "fuck it" moment which I love and the spice is so good. It's definitely still a slow burn but I loved the pay off.

𝐇𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦. 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐬. “𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐟𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞.”

It was an emotional journey, and there are revelations I'll keep to myself but I absolutely loved it.

Except the epilogue, but you knew this was coming.... <spoiler> This author just can't help but to add pregnancy where it does not belong. And it had to be accidental? When Violet already told us she was on birth control? WHY? It doesn't make sense and it made the epilogue feel cheap. I hated it.</spoiler>

Thanks to NetGalley for the E-ARC! I did pair this with the audio since this book is already out and it's fabulous! Highly recommend.

4.25

I really enjoyed this book, it made me feel a wide range of emotions, which is always something that I appreciate about well-written and thought-out books. It was so immersive, I felt like I was there with them. This book made me laugh, giggle, smile, blush, made me feel frustrated and even caught me by surprise a few times.

I loved so many of the characters. Billie is so witty and such a good friend to both Violet and Cole. She reminded me of some of my friends, it was so wholesome and funny to read. The trio seemed like such good friends, it was sweet and refreshing to read.

I also really appreciated the way that Elsie wrote about mental health, I feel like she represented it really well and showed the mental anguish that comes with PTSD. She was so good at writing about deep and sensitive topics. I loved that Cole was in therapy and had such a good relationship with her. So refreshing to see a man willingly in therapy lol

The only reason it was not a 5-star book for me is because I get so FRUSTRATED with miscommunication tropes, drives me up the wall. However, Elsie did make it as enjoyable as it could of been for me. I just wanted to hit my head against the wall a few times hahahaha.

A big thank you to NetGalley, Elsie Silver, and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. #Netgalley

Comparing the Gold Rush Ranch series to Chesnut Springs is doing yourself dirty – let me start there. I really enjoyed getting to see more of Violet, but also I think I would've enjoyed reading all of these in order BEFORE Chesnut Springs just so I wasn't comparing them.

Can Elsie Silver write a bad book? I don't think it's possible. A Photo Finish brings together so many amazing things- great characters with depth and heart, a setting with it's own cast of fun characters and a happy ending.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Another 5 star book from Elsie Silver!!

Violet and Cole actually met years ago online, but their relationship ended abruptly. Violet is a jockey on the ranch that Cole’s family owns. An injury forces Violet to move in with Cole and that’s where it all starts! The tension, the angst, the sunshine to his grumpy!

This book was one of my favs! It was a well written second chance romance filled with emotion. I absolutely adored Violet and you can’t help but empathize with Cole as to why he is the way he is. I loved this book and didn’t want it to end! I can’t wait to read the next one in the series!

📘: A Photo Finish by Elsie Silver
🗓️: July 23, 2024

Thank you to NetGalley, Elsie Silver, and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for this ARC!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*Reviewed on NetGalley, Amazon, and Goodreads.

Photo Finish by Elsie Silver is a fantastic small-town romance and the second book in the Gold Rush Ranch Series. Featuring Violet Eaton’s sunny disposition and Cole Harding’s journey through trauma, this novel beautifully blends heartwarming romance with real-life issues. Violet’s light contrasts with Cole’s darkness, creating an engaging grumpy/sunshine dynamic.

The chemistry between them is off the charts, and the story is both emotionally rich and realistically grounded. A must-read for fans of age-gap romances and small-town settings. It’s a solid 5-star read!

Thank you to Netgalley, Sourcebooks Bloombooks, and Elsie Silver for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Confession this is my first (well, second. See below.) Elise Silver read. I know, I know. But now- I'm all in!!

I started this book then stopped within the first two chapters-- I could feel like I was missing context from the predecessor story, Off To The Races. I read Off To the Races (LOVED IT) and then hopped back into The Photo Finish. I'm glad I did!

The Photo Finish is an: age gap, hidden online identity, horse racing, STRONG FMC, veteran MMC, small town, dual POV, forced proximity, oops! he's my boss, spicy tale. I loved the vulnerability of both MCs and the journey they were on. I'm so ready to read Mira's story next!


Special note: Our FMC is the baby sister of the 3 MMCs from the Chestnut Springs Series!

He's seen every last inch of her, and she has no idea who he is…until now.

What happened between Cole Harding and Violet Eaton in their anonymous online chats was meant to stay buried in the past…until it didn't. It's a small world, but Ruby Creek is even smaller, and when Cole reluctantly moves to town for a business venture, he finds Violet working as a jockey on the family ranch, just as tempting as he remembers.

Cole had his chance with her, and he blew it. She ghosted him, and he closed himself off further than ever. But when a riding accident puts Violet out of commission, the two are forced under the same roof, and Cole finds his broody façade slipping. With every flush of her cheeks and every flare of heat in her eyes, the ice he's encased himself in melts. Violet makes him want things he shouldn't. Things he's been dreaming about since he first laid eyes on her years ago—things he doesn't deserve.

As a former soldier, Cole should have the discipline to walk away. He has scars older and deeper than anyone knows. His plan was to keep his secrets hidden and his heart locked away…

Until her.

I really enjoyed this read by Elsie Silver. I just love fantastic second chance/ secret identity romances with grumps (but soft on the inside) MMCs and a sassy, kick ass female lead. Plus who doesn’t love stories with country and horses?! And lastly, I very much happy to see the story of a character that has been mentioned in another series by her.

spicy yet sweet!! a quick fun read by one of my favorite authors. good plot and likeable characters. would highly recommend this one!