Hello and welcome to my first review of the year! I’m glad it’s for a book I’ve really enjoyed, Flawless by Elsie Silver. Last summer, I saw the “Chestnut Springs” series popping up everywhere and I immediately was intrigued. I bought the first boook, but didn’t get to it until now. Fun fact, it was on my winter 2023 TBR.

About the book

Flawless by Elsie Silver
Series: Chestnut Springs #1
Published by Piatkus on 02/10/2023
Pages: 416
ISBN: 9780349437668
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, General fiction, Romance

“Elsie Silver’s writing is a true revelation!” ALI HAZELWOOD

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Grumpy cowboys and steamy romance . . . Welcome to Chestnut Springs: the big-hitting, small-town series from TikTok sensation Elsie Silver. Perfect for fans of Devney Perry, Lucy Score and B.K. Borison.

The rules were simple . . . Keep my hands off his daughter and stay out of trouble.
But now I’m stuck with her. There’s only one bed. And, well, rules are made to be broken.

I’m the golden boy of professional bull riding. Or at least I was until it all blew up in my face. Now, my agent says I have to clean up my image, so I’m stuck with his ball-busting daughter for the rest of the season as my “full-time supervision.”

But I don’t need a goddamn babysitter, especially one with skin-tight jeans, a sexy smirk, and a mouth she can’t stop running . . . A mouth I can’t stop thinking about.

She says this means nothing.

I say this means everything.

She says there are boundaries we shouldn’t cross. That my reputation can’t take any more hits-and neither can her damaged heart.

I say I’m going to steal it anyway.

My review

Expectations

Since this book – and entire series – is really popular, my expectations were quite high. I already expected to enjoy this book, because 2023 was the year I was really into romance. Furthermore, I heard nothing but great things about it and I knew I simply would love it. And yes, this all came true.

Characters

We follow Summer and Rhett. Rhett has been a bullrider for a good portion of his life and he keeps continuing even though his family is not that supportive of his carreer path. Because, let’s face it, it’s really dangerous. After Rhett did something stupid, he gets in a lot of trouble and that’s where Summer gets involved. Not as the reason for the trouble he’s in, but she has to keep him in line until the season is over. They both know the other is off-limits as Rhett is Summer’s dad’s client. But, as the two spend time together, there chemistry becomes obvious and there’s no use in denying it anymore. Both characters are interesting as they complement each other well. Summer seems soft but has a tough layer underneath, while Rhett seems tough, but is soft deep down. When together, they learn to embrace the undiscovered sides of their personality. Summer learns to stand up for herself and choose her own luck, while Rhett learns how to control himself. He is wondering if his carreer is still worth it and that’s one of the biggest developments in this book since he made it clear at first that this topic left no room for discussion. We get to know both characters well and they are a perfect fit for this story.

Writing

Silver’s writing is accessible and easy to follow. This is often te case with romance novels, but I wanted to continue reading only to know what would go down next. Before I knew it, I’ve read more than I anticipated. The dual POV narration, which is often used in romance books, works well here too. I enjoyed reading both POVs and therefore I got to know the characters really well.

Plot

The plot itself is quite predictable, but that doesn’t matter. The romance is waht matters most here, as well as character growth and family dynamics. Both Summer and Rhett have more to their characters, they have some serious background stories. We get to know them slowly. This makes readers curious, because you want to know what caused so much pain for both of them. The ending is very predictable, but the way to that ending is not.

Final thoughts

I’m glad I read Flawless by Elsie Silver, because I’ve really enjoyed it. I was intrigued from start to finish and the character development is great to witness. This is more important than the actual plot and it works really well. I feel like there is much more to discover in Chestnut Springs and therefore I can’t wait to pick up Heartless!