Gahhhh. This book. Cole. Violet. They are everything!

This story definitely took a twist I did not see from the get go. And I loved it!

Cole. Omg Cole. Tortured beautiful grumpy veteran soldier. I just wanted to wrap him in a giant hug and love him. He stole my heart.

Violet was everything I hoped she’d be and more and exactly what Cole needed. Her sunshine to his dark cloud. Opposites attract. They were wonderful together and the chemistry did not lack at all. Absolutely loved them.

This book makes you laugh, breaks your heart, and warms your soul. It was just perfection.

I loved the Chestnut Springs series from Elsie Silver and was excited to dive into her earlier series. A Photo Finish was great - super emotional while also being hopeful, and the characters have great chemistry.

Violet Eaton has struck out on her own to prove herself as a racehorse jockey. At one of her first big races, she meets Cole Harding, the brother of the owner of the ranch where she works. Cole out himself as the online pen pal that Violet had for over a year and then ghosted after a video chat gone wrong. When Violet breaks a leg in a race, she’s has no other choice but to stay at Cole’s farmhouse (the only one story building around apparently!) to recover.

Cole’s got a tough background and I loved how we see his growth in the book. I also loved his therapist, Trixie! The story contains text threads from the online relationship between Cole and Violet which also gave a nice dual timeline element to their relationship. We get both POVs which is my favorite. I loved how we get to see Violet and Cole show that we don’t have to be better or perfect to be worthy of love and acceptance.

Content flags: parental death off page in past; Cole has PTSD and a physical injury from his time in the military

I voluntarily read a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

“I should tell her she’s so much more. The thing that got me out of bed most mornings. My bright spot. My sunshine.”

Cole and Violet met online after she posted an anonymous nude. What was just supposed to be a proposition turned into friendship between the two. After a year of ghosting him Violet comes flying back into Cole’s life.

The slow burn of this story really enhanced Violet and Cole’s chemistry. They got to know eachother without actually knowing eachother so you know that their feelings are genuine. You can also see that from the beginning they’re fighting the pull to be together.

I loved learning more about Violet Eaton and her story to becoming a jockey. I enjoyed Cole’s journey to becoming more comfortable and confident with himself and how he is able to compliment Violent.

Low key loved Pip squeak too 🐴

I absolutely adore Elsie Silver books & this didn’t disappoint! Loved this read & obsessed with the MCs. The audio version was *chefs kiss*

Thank you for this arc!

Thank you to Elise Silver, Bloom Books, and NetGalley, for giving me an eARC of A Photo Finish in exchange for my honest review.

Let me tell you people: you have never seen a second-chance romance quite like this one. Since her first win riding DD during Off to the Races, Violet has gone on to experience even more success. Going into her second season, Violet is anxious to prove herself and is worried that last season was a fluke. She is also working overtime to avoid Cole, whom she had a connection with in the past. Though it should be noted that the two never meet face to face. After an unexpected incident forces Violet and Cole into close proximity, sparks start to fly.

What I loved about Violet and Cole is that their relationship was healing for both of them. They both went on a journey throughout the book, one of healing and self discovery. At times it did feel like their journey took away from the readers feeling the connection between the two as it has been established outside of the book. But I appreciate how Silver allowed that to happen because if their connection had been allowed to be put on the page more than it was it would have taken away from the journey the two went on. To all those readers who love character development: this book is for you.

Help I’ve fallen and I can’t get up

The side characters/plots are just present enough to nod to some of our past favorites without it being overwhelming. I love that Violet has fully made her own way but is still clearly close to her family. And the addition of the way Billie and Vaughn have settled into this comfortable, occasionally goofy love is so perfect. It also shows Violet that it is okay to be uncompromising sometimes - because Billie is able to do that and still be happy and loved.

Violet is so open and earnest and willing to grow and learn and take (often risky) chances. She’s determined and a tiny little spitfire; and it’s exactly what grumpy old tender heart Cole needs. He has been burned enough by vulnerability to be hesitant about it, and Violet is just steady enough to draw it out of him.

Ugh FINE I’ll go read the rest twist my arm

I loved everything about this book. The characters were so uniquely complex while still having a fun story!

Cute, grump vs sunsine, dual POV, small town, meet cute, the tension!!! A love a good broody MMC. Check trigger warnings.

I am so happy that I was able to reread this book again!! And I am absolutely obsessed with these new covers !! Being able to read this series was such a fun time for me !! I really loved the chesnut springs series and I was so happy to hear about this series !! It was so cool to see some of the connections to chesnut springs in these books, but to also hear about how she wrote these first was so cool and fun! Made these books much more enjoyable !! I love being able to see how an author combines the worlds of two series !!! Really had a great time reading about this story !! Loved all of the characters and their dynamic !

A Photo Finish by Elsie Silver is the story of Violet and Cole. They originally meet as pen pals and then go from enemies to lovers in this second book in her Gold Rush series.

Violet is the "strong one " in this book and she helps Cole through some tough times and emotional issues in this horse racing story.

The characters are well developed, mostly likeable and have incredibly chemistry and I rooted for them and couldn't wait for them to get through the enemy phase so we could end up in the lover part of the book.

The age gap was a bit much for me (it's not one of my favorite tropes), but I was able to get over that when their personalities meshed so well.

This was a great book and I haven't read the first in the series, but I am going to go back and then re-read this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️
I loved Violet and Cole’s story. From strangers, to pen pals, to enemies, to lovers. It’s a whole ride. I love the touches on mental health, PTSD, and death of a family member. The way that Violet really found herself, and knows what she wants, and doesn’t take any shit from Cole. The way that Cole shows his love through love languages when he can’t talk about his feelings. And I’m sorry, but can Pipsqueak have her own book, please?! How can a horse be so sweet?!!!

I don't know much of anything about horses or ranch living, but I really enjoyed this story!! I loved Violet and Cole together for so many reasons. Violet is so strong and confident. Cole is a bit of a mess, but such a sweetheart who wants to do right by Violet. I really loved reading about his military background. Although it wasn't the main focus, it made him who he is and was handled well. I'm ready to download and read all of Elsie Silver's books now!

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

Who knew a romance book about horse racing would be so delightful?? Certainly not me, yet it truly was.

Horse racing isn't my thing. I don't know anything about it, I don't watch it on t.v. or anything. Although I do love the movie "Secretariat" a lot.

All that said, this book was really great. I loved the two main characters so much. Violet is one of the strongest female leads I think I've ever read, and man, did I love everything about her. She's who I want to be when I grow up!! And Cole, yeah, he's a mess, but the loveliest mess. The way they come together and eventually figure it all out is amazing!

I'd definitely recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I just love a good damaged hero and second chance romance. I really didn’t see the big reveal coming. All of the topics in this book were handled very well. I’m excited to read more of this series.

Thank you NetGalley and Bloom Books for the arc of this book.

I adore all of Elsie's book, this series included. The small town vibes and the way her series connect to one another is perfect to me. I read this so fast and the new cover is stunning. I can appreciate age gap in romance novels when its handled well and I think Elsie does a really good job here. I love Cole and his grumpy little attitude which is balanced by sunshiny Violet. Something I love in a lot of her books is the attention to friendships and the female friendships in this book add such a nice little element to the story!

this is the exact book i’m looking for when i say i want a cowboy romance 🤠

this had just the right amount of tension and emotional back story between our main couple that didn’t feel forced or drawn out. i truly believed they’d be a great couple and i enjoyed reading how they got their happy ending together.

Queen Elsie can do no wrong! I absolutely love Violet and Cole and their story. Their love story is so unique from others I’ve read. I love them SO MUCH! The new cover is gorgeous. I read this one a long time ago and it was lovely to revisit them.

Thank you to Bloom Books for the ARC of this book. This is the second book in the Gold Rush Ranch Series and I loved it so much! Nobody does cowboy romance quite like Elsie Silver. This was a fun read and had a great second chance romance storyline that felt original. Cade and Violet are an unlikely pair with a significant age gap, who connected through the internet years prior. Now that Cade is back in town, their connection is undeniable in person. I truly enjoyed both characters and their love story. I always know I will love any book by Elsie Silver and this was no exception. Loved it and highly recommend!

A Photo Finish is book two of the Gold Rush Ranch series and follows Cole (Vaughn’s brother from book 1) and Violet (Cade and Rhett’s sister from the Canyon Ranch books). I really liked their dynamic from the start and the glimpses we got of their relationship in the past when they met on an online forum. It was special seeing them truly start to fall for each other even when Cole was the ultimate grump!

What to expect:
-Grumpy vs sunshine
-Enemies to lovers
-Broken hero
-Second chance romance
-Forced proximity
-Horse racing
-Age gap
-Spicy scenes
-Small town

My first Elsie Silver book. I finally understand why readers are obsessed with her books, because this one was so good!

Violet and Cole have an online history, but no relationship-not even friendship-thanks to a real-life meet hideous. Cole is hiding his hurt and pain from the world, meanwhile Violet is eager to make a name for herself. When an injury means they need coexist as temporary roommates, can they recapture what they once had?

Read if you like:
-Second Chance Romance
-Forced Proximity
-Hurt/Comfort
-Grumpy Heroes

I ate this story up and left no crumbs. The second chance storyline was so cute. I loved the way Violet completely wormed her way under his skin and into his heart, first through their message exchanges and later in real life. A Cole is the wounded hero of my dreams. His character arc was so good and so satisfying. This book delivered so many delicious hurt/comfort moments.

I'm definitely going to be reading more from Elsie Silver after this.