#chestnut review

[on-poetry]

I remember life. There was so much. I held it all. I held it all.

Michelle Hulan, “The Universe, as in One Last Song for the Lonely Hearts”, Chestnut Review

[kavikshiraj]

I develop this ritual: I get stoned and ride my bike for hours, listening to Toni Braxton’s Secrets on loop. It’s hard to eat, even when I’m high, and craving that album is the closest thing to an appetite I have. But after a few days, the album gets tainted by my grief. Every song I’ve ever listened to reminds me of the last time I listened to it, which is a time that has passed, which is a death. I try to put on new music but it all makes me dizzy. It’s like having to learn a hundred dance moves in a foreign language under gunpoint. New songs don’t understand me. Their hands don’t know the shape of my head. I run out of weed and decide it’s best I don’t buy more. I keep riding my bike. My knees ache, and in the mornings they are Frankenstein-stiff.

...

from “Grief Services” by Maxine Stoker, published in Chestnut Review

[jessread-s]

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

✩🧢☀️Review: 

The third book in the Chestnut Springs series nearly checked every box for me!

“Powerless” follows Sloane Winthrop, a prima ballerina whose life comes crashing down on her wedding day. Luckily, Jasper Gervais, her childhood best friend and star hockey player is there to swoop in and save her just as she has done for him. The two go on an impromptu road-trip to escape everything, but the more time they spend alone together, the more they begin to view each other as more than friends.  

This book has a completely different feel to it than the other books in the series and I really enjoyed it! The tension and pining that built up throughout the duration of the novel were wonderfully drawn out. The “will they or won’t they” movements further sucked me into the story as I eagerly awaited Sloane and Jasper to cross the line between friend and lover. 

When their romantic relationship began to finally take off, I felt as though the steamy moments were too numerous. As a reader, I wanted more regarding their actual friendship. There was a period when they weren’t a constant in each other’s lives and I was more so interested in them reacquainting themselves with each other emotionally before exploring each other physically.

Cross-posted to: Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

[angels-force]

"𝐈’𝐦 𝐚 𝐛𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐚 𝐝𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫. 𝐈’𝐦 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐢𝐜𝐞. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫."

Winter is an ice queen. She’s never been able to count on anyone. Even with her sister, Summer, who’s been trying to welcome her with open arms, she’s isolated. And one night she locks eyes with a rugged bull rider at a gas station, and her life gets a whole lot more interesting.

If you had told me after reading book one that Winter would be my favorite among the Elsie Silver heroines, I would have died laughing. However, it's true: she is.

Winter is an incredibly resilient heroine. Despite lacking a positive maternal role model, she embraces her newfound position as a mother with unwavering determination, exceeding all expectations. She's a true overcomer, and while it may take time for people to break through her defenses, once they do, they discover a person who is incredibly kind, fiercely loyal, and overflowing with love.

Now, let me introduce you to Theo. This man personifies perfection through his unwavering love, care, and devotion to both of his girls. Every gesture he makes is a swoon-worthy display of love. Stepping seamlessly into the role he was destined for, Theo's character shines brightly. The dynamic between Winter and Theo is magnetic, with their opposing qualities drawing them together in a way that's utterly captivating.

"𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬." 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬. "𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐝, 𝐈’𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞."

These two were absolutely everything. I couldn't get enough of them together. I loved their journey almost as much as I loved their banter. Theo is the calm to Winter's storm and I loved how they balance each other. I'm completely addicted to this series and I can't wait for Beau's book.

If you're hesitant due to the secret baby aspect, I strongly suggest giving this one a shot. Elsie's unique spin on the trope is truly worth the chance!

[aureliarose-fontaine]

[likopinina]

welcome to Detective Review part 2!

where i once again rate entertainment value of my fav fictional detectives

in this SPECIAL EDITION i will be focusing exclusively on detectives found on netflix streaming service. Let's go!

-

Sofia Karppi & Sakari Nurmi

from: Deadwind (2018) type: police detectives

feral woman and a guy with neat hair. they hate each other. she has a crumbling mother-daughter relationship. the investigation has connections to Germany. the guy gets irradiated. 7/10

-

Naia Thulin & Mark Hess

from: The Chestnut Man (2021) type: police detectives

feral woman and a guy with neat hair. they hate each other. she has a crumbling mother-daughter relationship. the investigation has connections to Germany. Wait, hold on! i hear you cry. Does the guy get irradiated? no, he doesn't. 8/10

-

Nadia Vulvokov & Alan Zaveri

from: Russian Doll (2019) type: loop prisoners

Does it count if they aren't real detectives? Who cares, they sure investigate and they sure entertain! That's all you really need, isn't it. 8/10

-

Bill Tench & Holden Ford

from: Mindhunter (2017) type: fbi agents

i'm gonna be honest with y'all, i watched this 4 years ago and the whole time i was looking at Cameron Britton. i don't remember much about these two. my bad. i liked them tho! at one point the younger one had a Realisation and fell to the floor. hope he's fine. 7/10

-

Briggs

from: Pop Squad (episode of Love Death and Robots, season 2) type: population control officer

sad man type. brooding. crème de la crème of the type. 8/10

-

Kaiman & Nikaido

from: Dorohedoro type: hospital part-timer and a cook

besties on a quest murdering together. great duo, with solid teamwork and convoluted investigation. 10/10

-

thanks for tuning in! in next episode we'll do more books!

[southernfriedsims-blog]

I built a daycare in Chestnut Ridge and I cannot begin to express how much I love it.

Did you know? Mutton Bustin' is a traditional rodeo activity where the little kids try to ride sheep and I thought the name would be cute. LOL

I am not a builder by any means, but I am proud of this one because I did it all from scratch. Please enjoy my marketing flyers for my imaginary pixel life.

[thebookvenus]

“Flawless”, by Elsie Silver

NOT SUITABLE FOR UNDERAGE READERS 

• Rate: 4.5/5.0 • Description:

“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 face of professional bull riding—the golden boy. 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.

Because Summer isn’t just another conquest. She sees the man behind the mask, and she doesn’t run—she pulls me closer, even when she shouldn’t.

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.”

• Review:

Flawless is the first book in the Chestnut Springs series, followed by the already published Heartless and the upcoming Powerless, to be published in February, 2023.

Our journey begins when the two main characters, Rhett Eaton and Summer Hamilton, are forced to work and live together to clean up his image after a scandal that lost him some sponsors in the middle of the bull riding championship season.

Although it’s not quite an enemies-to-lovers per sé, we do get that kind of sexual tension between two people who don’t quite like each other and who definitely shouldn’t but surely are feeling a mutual and strong attraction, that become harder and harder to deny as they spend more time together.

The way Elsie Silver told Rhett and Summer’s story is so natural and captivating, it’ll leave you thinking about nothing else but what happens next, whenever your nose is not stuck into this book. The flame between the couple burns slowly in the most positive sense of the word, and we can actually feel the romance and desire building up in their relationship.

But our main couple are not the only ones to make us laugh, swoon and sigh. Cade, Beau and Harvey Eaton, Jasper Gervais, Kip Hamilton and Willa Grant, all have such different personalities and unique dynamics with each of the MCs that it’s almost impossible not to want to read more and more about them as well. Good thing Flawless is not their first and only appearance *wink wink*.

To all of those who love an easy reading featuring an adorable, hot and well-written romance, Flawless is surely going to make your heart race and your body heat increase in the most delicious of ways.

[steviehamlington]

💜BOOK REVIEW💜

Reckless by Elsie Silver

Finished November 2023

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Winter is sick of the Evil Step Sister role which she has been painted into. Leaving her predator husband, and moving the Chestnut Springs to rebuild her relationship with her sister, the last thing she expected was to meet a man like Theo Silva.

After a whirlwind night of sexual tension fuelled snide remarks, followed by a steamy session in a hotel room, Theo leaves to go on the bull riding circuit and Winter is alone with a positive pregnancy test.

Jumping 18 months, Theo comes back to Chestnut Springs to find he has a daughter he never knew about, and Winter is annoyed that her dead beat baby daddy has the nerve to move in next door.

Review: These characters are just so beautifully written. Winter is the broken down woman who uses snide remarks to hide her vulnerabilities and Theo is a loveable rough and ready guy who we all want to walk into our lives and crack our hearts open.

Elsie Silver has wrote yet another happily ever after that I can truly believe in. The characters are relatable and their problems are dealt with, with such care.

I read this book in one sitting. I wanted to know how it ended as soon as it started, I had to see it through.

When you have such an amazing series such as this one, it’s difficult not to give them all 5 stars, so my 5 star is reserved for my favourite one, Heartless, but honestly such a great book!

~

~

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#booktokuk #booktok #bookstagramuk #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #bookblogger #bookblog #bookrecommendation #bookreviewuk #bookreview #4starbook #elsiesilverbook#4starbookreview #reckless #elsiesilver

[filmseries]

The Best Man: The Final Chapters. [12-29-12-30] I started this Thursday night and finished it on Friday. It’s such a great series. It touches on so many topics and the performances and overall production, writing, music, fashion, location are all breathtaking. I enjoyed this so damn much. What a way to end the year off. I will definitely be re-watching this. It’s funny, it dramatic. It’s for grown folk. I love it.

The love that I have for Sanaa Lathan is unhealthy LOL. 

[mandoreviews]

📽️ The Call (2013)

I really liked this movie, but the whole premise is flawed. What kidnapper wouldn’t check for cell phones before putting someone in the trunk? The movie started off great, and it seemed that it was going to be a real thriller. But there were so many plot holes and frustrating moments. Then at the end, Halle Berry’s character (a 911 operator) decides to go investigate a crime scene by herself. That was also frustrating. Why do movie characters always make the worst decisions when there’s danger? If you can ignore the plot holes and the stupid decisions, then this is a pretty good movie. Otherwise, it’s somewhat of a let-down.

Sex/nudity: 2/10 (sexual innuendoes, kissing, a girl is just a bra and jeans)

Language: 5/10 (4 f words, multiple instances of other strong language)

Violence: 8/10 (too much to list, very creepy once we see what the kidnapper is doing)

Overall rating: 5/10

[fourteenbooks]

Review: Flawless by Elsie Silver

So this was my first time reading a cowboy romance, and I didn't really know what to expect. Let's just say, I was pleasantly surprised. I've watched Heartland a million times, so I was fairly familiar with the bull riding world and the setting of Alberta, Canada. It was still interesting getting to know Rhett and his world on a personal level, especially from the perspective of someone who doesn't want to give up his dreams despite the advice of other people.

I really enjoyed the main female character, Summer; I could relate to her perpetual people-pleasing, especially when it began to impede her personal relationships, her career, and her future. She had a lot of specific anxieties which I think aren't that prevalent in books, even though a lot of women feel this consuming need to please everyone in their lives.

Anyway, I liked the development of their relationship, and I really loved how their banter never stopped even after they got together. I also loved Rhett's family, so I'm excited to continue reading the series.

Rating: 4.5/5

[bookishbethanyerin]

• Review: Flawless + Heartless •

So, I did the thing where I started watching Yellowstone and then was all, “must read the cowboy romances everyone has been talking about.” And I am not upset about this one bit!

The books in Elsie Silver’s Chestnut Ridge series are set on a ranch in Canada owned by the Eaton family.

In “Flawless,” we follow Rhett, the youngest son, who is a professional bull rider with a PR problem, and Summer, the daughter of Rhett’s agent who is sent to essentially babysit him for the rest of rodeo season and explicitly told by her dad/boss not to sleep with him.���� This book is a ton of swoony fun, the chemistry between Rhett and Summer is at hottest-day-of-the-year levels, and it also offers up an emotional twist that completely blindsided me.

And then we have “Heartless.” I’m normally *not* one to go for the single dad romance book, but y’all. This one.🔥 Cade is the oldest (and grumpiest) Eaton brother, a single dad, a full-time cowboy, and a man who needs some assistance. He ends up being basically forced into hiring Summer’s best friend Willa as a live-in nanny for the summer and holy smokes, these two – it’s a five-alarm situation.🥵

“Heartless” was on track to be a five-star read for me, but a trope I deeply dislike is introduced late in the book – and though it made sense for these characters, I still wish the situation had unfolded differently. But even with that blip for me, I still really enjoyed it!

So! If you’re looking for fun, steamy reads with great banter and some emotional depth, boot-scoot your way over to these Elsie Silver books.🤠

(Psst: the third one comes out soon, and it’s focused on the not-officially-but-sort-of adopted Eaton son, who is a pro hockey player😌)

Flawless: 3.75 🌟 | 2.75🌶️

Heartless: 4.25🌟 | 3🌶️

[jessread-s]

✩🐴🎶Review:

Another perfect cowboy romance from Elsie Silver!

Picking up where “Flawless” left off, “Heartless” follows Cade Eaton, the world’ grumpier single dad in search of a nanny, and Willa Grant, the fiery woman who takes the job. The arrangement is only meant to last two months, but turns into a lifetime when they both let down their walls and let their love for each other blossom.

Like the first novel in the Chestnut Springs series, this book alternates between the two love interests’ perspectives. Cade and Willa’s personalities are the definition of grumpy x sunshine. Seriously…Cade is as grumpy as they come, resulting in Willa’s opposite personality driving him to the edge of insanity. At the same time, she is the only one to see him for who he is instead of the heartless man others think his circumstances forced him to become. Just like Cade is the only one to help Willa realize her worth.

Their chemistry is not only truly off the charts, but is also well-developed by Silver. I could not get enough of the romantic tension and the small moments they shared like dancing at The Railspur. 

Cade’s love for his son Luke in this book is so heartwarming. I appreciate how Silver makes Luke a central character rather than leaving him in the periphery. He plays a large role in helping Willa finding her calling in life as a mother and come to the realization that she fits in with their little family. 

This might just be my favorite book of Silver’s, but only time will tell. I look forward to reading the rest of the books in the series and seeing my other favorite characters find their true love. 

Cross-posted to: Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

[meltotheany]

june reading wrap up | 2023

oh hello, friends! i hope you’re all doing well! and i hope you all had a happy and safe pride, too! look at me, actually being quick on a wrap up! this is totally because i am trying to be extra caught up for mid year content – which i can’t wait to share with you soon! but first, let me tell you about the seven books i read in july! and reading seven books during bts anniversary month? the…

[aureliarose-fontaine]