ellahoward_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Once again ES knows how to write a story! but I just felt there could have been more drama especially bailey’s family storyline and given beau’s SF background.
Content Warnings
Minor: War
hazelgirl21's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: War
Minor: Death of parent
thefantasybookaddict's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, War, Fire/Fire injury, and Bullying
ines_santos13's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Torture, Abandonment, Sexual content, and Alcoholism
carly713's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Abandonment and War
adub345's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: War, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Addiction and Alcoholism
belle13's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Amount of spice: 🔥🔥🔥
Explicitness: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Tropes/Themes:
❤ Fake Engagement
❤ Small Town Romance
❤ Fun Family Dynamics
❤ Age Gap
❤ No Third Act Break Up (In my opinion)
I stand by what I said all of these books need to be at LEAST 100 pages shorter. I really enjoyed this one but like every other Elsie Silver book I’ve read, it just didn’t quite hit the spot, potentially with the exception of Summer and Rhett who are still my faves. The family dynamics as usual, were great, it was a super easy read and the fake engagement trope always hooks me in. It does have a slightly different vibe to the previous books and was probably most similar to Powerless in my opinion.
I thought it started really well and I liked their dynamic and back and forth but as I read on Bailey began to feel a little juvenile and it made the age gap feel a little icky. It was also so clear that Elsie has clearly done very minimal research on PTSD before writing this because I don’t think I’ve ever seen a psychiatrist prescribe good sex as a treatment for PTSD. I did enjoy the spice more in this book than the previous books. It feels like Elsie got more and more tame with the spice in each book and I kind of liked that (I’m a vanilla gal).
I would recommend this if you love a small town, cutesy, heartwarming romance and a fake engagement trope.
Explicitness: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Tropes/Themes:
❤ Fake Engagement
❤ Small Town Romance
❤ Fun Family Dynamics
❤ Age Gap
❤ No Third Act Break Up (In my opinion)
I stand by what I said all of these books need to be at LEAST 100 pages shorter. I really enjoyed this one but like every other Elsie Silver book I’ve read, it just didn’t quite hit the spot, potentially with the exception of Summer and Rhett who are still my faves. The family dynamics as usual, were great, it was a super easy read and the fake engagement trope always hooks me in. It does have a slightly different vibe to the previous books and was probably most similar to Powerless in my opinion.
I thought it started really well and I liked their dynamic and back and forth but as I read on Bailey began to feel a little juvenile and it made the age gap feel a little icky. It was also so clear that Elsie has clearly done very minimal research on PTSD before writing this because I don’t think I’ve ever seen a psychiatrist prescribe good sex as a treatment for PTSD. I did enjoy the spice more in this book than the previous books. It feels like Elsie got more and more tame with the spice in each book and I kind of liked that (I’m a vanilla gal).
Spoiler
Also, the whole bar thing at the end was so unnecessary. There was absolutely no reason he had to be the one owning the bar and it was too obvious this was thrown in at the end for some conflictI would recommend this if you love a small town, cutesy, heartwarming romance and a fake engagement trope.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: War
readingduckling's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I liked this book and this series in general. I really love Elise Silves writing style an I think I will read other books of her in the futur.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Alcohol and Alcoholism
Minor: War
redempta's review
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
3.75 🌟
I did like the story but that's it.
It was a surface level story. I feel like we never truly get to know the characters. So I didn't get attached to them nor really care about them.
In general, I don't like 3rd act breakups and this one was a strong meh.
I did like the story but that's it.
It was a surface level story. I feel like we never truly get to know the characters. So I didn't get attached to them nor really care about them.
In general, I don't like 3rd act breakups and this one was a strong meh.
Content Warnings
Minor: War
sdupont's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Start to finish this series has been *chef’s kiss* Elsie Silver can do no wrong! I really enjoyed Beau and Bailey’s story. I just love when fake dating/engagement are never really that fake because at least one of the MCs has real feelings. Bailey and Beau are well matched- she calls him out and keeps him on his toes, and he provides her love and care that she never had had. They are a couple you will root for. Theirs is a bit of a slower build up than some of the other books but it suits them and their story. This book is great for someone looking for an emotional romance with some spice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Mental illness
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Bullying, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: War