‘I’d buy you every guitar in the city if I thought you’d let me’
tropes: hockey romance, forced proximity, boss x assistant, roommates, grumpy/su4.25/5
‘I’d buy you every guitar in the city if I thought you’d let me’
tropes: hockey romance, forced proximity, boss x assistant, roommates, grumpy/sunshine, boy obsessed, mutual pining, slow burn
cw: depression, anxiety, panic attacks and depression
after reading (and loving!) the first two books in stephanie archer’s queen cove series, I jumped to get my hands on this slow burn hockey romance!
jamie streicher, part time grumpy nhl goalie, full time cinnamon roll with a heart of gold. lemme tell you, he rescues the most adorable stray dog in the first chapter and I was pretty much gone for the man from that point onwards. jamie didn’t have the easiest childhood, and yet his devotion to his mother never wavered. he moved home to vancouver in order to be closer and take care of his mother. he could be so grumpy to those around him but with his songbird (can you hear me dying? swoon, swoon, swoon), he was so unbelievably sweet, protective, attentive, and supportive. my god was he so supportive of pippa and her aspirations. truly served boy obsessed and I was living for it. he was her biggest fan, constantly hyping her up and pouring encouragement in to her and you could just see pippa’s confidence rebuilding with every page and I- they were so, so good for each other. and ugh, the little things he did to show he cared like going to hazel’s yoga class!! sobbing, he was perfect.
pippa hartley’s story was so relatable, especially the anxiety that comes with not wanting to disappoint our parents. her journey to rediscovering who she is, overcoming prioritising her parent’s wishes and learning to put herself first and chase her own dreams, all whilst carving out her own space in the world of music after her previous horrible experience in the industry was just so satisfying to see. she has the best support system in jamie and her sister hazel, I love how they hammered (in a nice way ofc) that there wasn’t a limit to what pippa could achieve, and to aim high. and I adored the relationship she was able to build with jamie’s mum, easing the pressure off of jamie to do everything alone.
watching jamie and pippa go from secret crushed into high school to reluctant boss/employee to developing a friendship, building trust to slowly falling in love with each other was everything. the sweetest journey for the cutest couple, they had me full on giggling and kicking my feet whenever they were together. the bond they had created never felt one sided and they both brought out the absolute best in each other which was ugh, so heartwarming. and the spice… the mouth on jamie streicher, WHEW.
oh my goodness, this just hit the right spots, I absolutely devoured it! behind the net is for the girlies who want a medium-angst read and there’s no third-act breakup (praise be!). it balances more sensitive topics (please be mindful of content warnings) with the sweetest romance that will have your heart melting.
off to finish the rest of the queen’s cove whilst I eagerly wait for the next book in the vancouver storm series (on my knees for hazel and rory actually!!).
thank you stephanie and team for the arc <3...more
infinite stars. 10 out of 10. no notes. went double platinum and became an instant bestseller in this household (and #1 bestseller on amazon in EVERY ∞/5
infinite stars. 10 out of 10. no notes. went double platinum and became an instant bestseller in this household (and #1 bestseller on amazon in EVERY household, and that is exactly what reckless deserves!!)
I feel like every single time I pick up and finish an elsie silver book, I declare it my new favourite and I’m happy to confirm the streak has continued with reckless. I am so head over heels, ridiculously irrevocably in love, completely and utterly obsessed with the chestnut springs universe and the world elsie has crafted. the urge (as always after I finish a book in this series), to run away to a small-town and live out my yeehaw dreams is truly astronomical at this point. we are now four for four with the chesnut springs series and all I can say is elsie really is a legend, an icon and the moment <3
reckless follows winter hamilton who, after leaving her toxic marriage and escaping her awful mother, packs up her things and rushes to chestnut springs to be with her sister summer. on her way to wishing well ranch, she encounters theo silva (bull rider extraordinaire, rhett’s protege and owner of my heart I stg) at the gas station which leads to such a hilarious meet-cute and whew, you could feel the tension between those two and it’s crazy. turns out their both heading to summer’s for family dinner and then they both end up at a hotel bar later that evening, tequila enters the equation, lines are blurred, temptations are given into for one unforgettable night and then… lives are changed. immeasurably. you feel for winter and are (temporarily) annoyed with theo. time jump occurs and we see the outcome of that one night in full effect, and the story begins anew!th
winter, my misunderstood queen. I know winter wasn’t particularly a fan favourite after book one, but I always felt there was more to her than met the eye (and if anyone has read the anti-heroes in love series, she was giving off major elena lombardi vibes which ugh, I loved so much!). I just knew from the little snippets of her personality and character that we were drip fed in heartless and powerless, that if we ever got winter’s story it would be absolutely heartbreaking and that it was. winter’s redemption arc was so beautiful. I adored getting to know winter under her shell. our girl has been through so much suffering and hardship in her life, it was unsurprising to see she didn’t come out unscathed on the otherside. her insecurities and how she felt she didn’t deserve love hit home. she had so much love inside to give and it was honestly so special seeing her share that love not only with vivi and theo, but through her friendship with sloane and the relationship she was able to rebuild with summer (the poster! incredible) and being open to receiving all their love in return.
not to be dramatic but the fact theo dale silva is fictional should be classed as criminal and a form of terrorism because he is genuinely the blueprint. my favourite written elsie-hero by a country mile (stefan fear not, you will always be famous). he was the biggest sweetheart,the swooniest, sexiest, most patient fictional boyfriend and the staunchest defender of the family he had with winter and vivi. I loved that he was ten toes down for winter from the jump, providing her with that much need support system and reliability. he ignored what other’s murmured about her and made the effort to truly get to know her behind all the walls she had in place from her self-defence mechanisms. he knew winter’s worth and would continuously show her why she was so deserving of love. I loved the fact that theo took the time to work on himself too, reevaluated his life and made the steps necessary so that he could be the person winter needed when it was time.
“you needed time to re-build, and I need timed to grow into someone who deserves you. I was biding my time, being patient.”
also his relationship with his family, especially with his mum was the cutest ever. the fact that they would watch grey’s anatomy together and theo would make all these grey’s references was so adorable. all that to say, theo could trample me with a bull and I’d probably say thank you and ask if he wanted to do it again.
I’m an accidental pregnancy/secret baby trope stan first and foremost (queue the groans, I know) and paired with elsie’s writing, I was practically in heaven. reckless truly reminded me why I love this trope, especially as it was handled so well. winter's journey of motherhood, considering everything she had been through in the past was so heartwarming to see. the love and support she received from everyone, her own little village, when raising vivi was just so lovely. and theo. the minute he found out about vivi? I need that scene engrained on my brain. and then, just like with winter, he was all in from the get-go, jumped head first into fatherhood with his caring and attentive nature and loved vivi so hard. I simply adored the little family (including peter!) they had become. I’m so sorry cade, it’s time to step aside. you’ve been dethroned because there is a new daddy in town, who is daddiest of them all and that is THEO.
I’m also very much a sucker for a reverse grumpy sunshine trope, which reckless has in spades! theo was serving major golden retriever energy throughout and winter was the ice-queen in need of a lil defrosting. I am on my knees for theowinter. I could sing about their banter, chemistry and the spice forever (the way theo had me blushing I-, I just want theo to call me a little sl- nevermind) but what I loved most about their relationship was their communication. it was giving growth and maturity, which was so representative of where winter and theo were at as individuals, as well as a couple. I loved their willingness to be vulnerable with each other, it only led to strengthen their relationship. there’s a third-act conflict as opposed to break up (thank you for your service elsie), and I just felt so proud of both of winter and theo and the way they resolved the issue.
as always, I loved being reunited with the entire chestnut springs/eaton clan. it always feels like returning home whenever they gather. their family dynamic is truly everything and it’s just so incredible to see how they all love and show up for each other. special shout out once again for harvey eaton who always delivers the much needed levity with his humour and charm (the ‘reveal’ scene will always have me cackling).
after powerless, I begged for theo, winter and beau to get the happy endings they all deserved and reckless delivered on two out of the three. next up the last instalment in the chestnut springs series, hopeless, and as much as I cannot wait for beau’s (AND WHO I THOUGHT IT WAS YES!) story, I’m so incredibly sad this wonderful series will be coming to an end so soon. I’m going to be a mess after hopeless, I just know it (please don't end, please don't end, please don't end).
I laughed. I swooned. I cried (multiple times). I giggled and kicked my feet, smiled like a fool throughout. and then I did it all again when I got my hands on the audiobook.
I found perfection and comfort wrapped in 404 pages. sweet, sexy and beyond heartwarming. reckless was magic. theowinter will be on the brain 24/7.
“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.”
thank you so much elsie for the arc <3 ~
post-reckless, updated ‘I hope you can fight because you need to count your f*cking days’ list: ~ sterling woodcock ~ marina ~ robert valentine ~ another person who I will not mention but just know they get what they deserve
tropes: he falls first, reverse grumpy sunshine, reformed playboy, accidental pregnancy, he falls first, one night stand, forced proximity, small-town romance...more
tropes: small town, forced proximity, not-exactly enemies to lovers, grumpy sunshine, sports romance, reformed player, sports agent x bull rid☆☆☆☆☆+/5
tropes: small town, forced proximity, not-exactly enemies to lovers, grumpy sunshine, sports romance, reformed player, sports agent x bull rider
flawless. the book that kicked off my 7 day binge (see also: inhaling) of the 2 chestnut spring & 4.5 gold rush ranch series back to back like a woman obsessed. take me back to those 7 days in october so I can re-enter my yeehaw cowboy era and thrive. I’m so beyond happy I took a chance this one because it truly served everything I wanted - wholesome, sweet, swoon & streamy (chapters 21 and 22 are ingrained in the brain, i'm so serious). an utter delight from beginning to end.
“you wear the hat, you ride the cowboy” see now, I’m not usually one for rules but when it comes to this particular rule & in the case of rhett eaton *raises hand* I volunteer as tribute. now how do I go about stealing his hat, asking for a friend (myself)
flawless follows rhett eaton (bull rider, milk hater) who after running into trouble with his sponsors gets stuck with a babysitter of sorts in the form of his agent’s daughter, one summer hamilton, in order to save his career. where rhett goes, summer goes, and can I just say the forced proximity was delicious. the chemistry and tension between rhett and summer is out of this world. you sense it even in (or dare I say, especially in) the moments rhett was trying his hardest to ignore her. I absolutely loved watching their relationship progress from one of tolerance into one of love and fulfilment. they were opposites for sure, but together rhett and summer just made so much sense, their banter was everything and their relationship was just so refreshing to read.
truly loved everything about this; the plot, the setting (think I mentioned on my bookstagram when I finished reading both series but let me tell ya again lads, the urge to pack up all my things, flee london and relocate to a small town has honestly never been stronger), the relationships (romantic and platonic) and the family dynamics! the secondary characters in this one managed to elevate flawless even higher (except summer’s stepmother, she’s a cow). I have so much love for rhett’s entire family (including jasper of course), queen willa and kip hamilton. oh, if I could live within the worlds of chestnut springs believe me I would!
”if these were your last few moments on earth, would you go happy?”...more
Jessica | JSxReads
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