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Heartless by Elsie Silver. Rating: 3.25 stars.

Read from August 22nd-23rd.

I’m going to keep this review short since I just finished the first book a couple of days ago. This is the second book in the Chestnut Springs series and follows Cade, the brother of our hero from the first book, and Willa, the best friend of the heroine from the first book. I liked them and their connections to all of the characters. I fully plan on reading the whole series, but after this one, I’m a little concerned. I liked the book but I had to skim read the sex scenes. Just way too much ick for me personally. There were also some exchanges between them outside the sex scenes that were pretty cringe. It’s weird though because I like the two main characters and I like them together. I like their relationship with each other. They’re so playful and fun. Another thing I had an issue with is that it started laying the foundations for the next two books which worked and didn’t. The foundations for the fourth book felt easy enough because it didn’t need to be forced since there’s a whole other book before that one. But the foundations being laid out for the third book felt so shoehorned in. I already had an interest in reading that book anyway so I didn’t need the extra help there.

Overall, this was a fun enough time if a bit cringey. I’m starting Powerless later in the week at some point to give myself a bit of a break in reading the series.

Flawless by Elsie Silver. Rating: 3.75 stars.

Read from August 20th to 21st.

Yet another opener to an Elsie Silver, yet another one read in less than 24 hours. I did the same thing with the Rose Hill series. Am I reading Elsie Silver out of order? Yes. Do I care? Not really. I wasn’t originally planning to read this one because I don’t love the rodeo or bull riders, but there’s a hockey romance a few books into this series so I decided to just read the first few books and go from there. I’m currently at the stage in my life where I’m missing my hockey romances. I had a challenge a few years back where I read one per month and I haven’t read a lot since. All of that to give way too much background for no reason.

What worked for me in this one was the characters. I loved almost all of them. I hope Rob steps on a lego every time he takes a step and that there’s always a rock in his shoe. But the rest of the characters were great. I have always loved the idea of a big family on a ranch who are all kind of nosy and joking with each other. Which is the Eaton family to a tee. I know we’re going to get some romances from the brothers later on in the series which I think is going to be fun. I wish Cade was a little less of a grump but that’s what his book is for I’m sure. I loved the hero in this one for a few reasons. He falls first, he falls fast, he falls hard. There’s just something about a hero who’s down bad that I obsess over. I also liked that he made a point of telling Summer that he’s protective, not possessive, because I feel like a lot of romances don’t distinguish between the two. Rhett is protective, not possessive, and I love that he cares so much about her even in the moments when she can’t see herself the way he sees her. I felt like the third act breakup made sense and didn’t make me want to bang my head on a wall like most of them do. I also enjoyed the resolution to the third act break up. He needed to do what he did, but she also needed to show up for him like she did. It felt like they were meeting each other where they were at and making the choice to pick the relationship.

I didn’t like most of the sex scenes. I just don’t like dirty talk in books I think it’s really awkward. The second hand cringe is just so bad for me. And there’s a LOT of dirty talk in this book. The author does a good job with those scenes outside of that, for the most part, which is more than I can say for a lot of romance authors. I just wish we were able to get more out of the side characters we’re going to see get books of their own later in the series. I feel like I know very little about Cade who is the hero of the next book. He mostly just seems like a grumpy man who is stressed about money and being a single parent. I’m hoping we get a chance to go deeper with the character in book two.

Overall, this was a fun and, obviously, quick read for me. I think Elsie Silver does a great job with series openers and I hope I enjoy reading the next one just as much.