A small-town enemies to lovers romance and the debut novel from the bestselling author of Flawless and Wild Love.

Keeping things professional with my employees has never been an issue… until Billie waltzes onto my property.

She’s talented, feisty and so damn tempting. We clash from the moment we meet, and I can't stop thinking about all the ways I could take her down a peg. I can't stop thinking about her, period.

And in a small town, on an even smaller farm, it’s hard to keep my distance. Billie is the whole package: whip-smart with a body I fantasize about, and quite possibly the only woman who can save this business – and me. She drives me crazy, but the more time we spend together, the more I crave her: her lips, her trust, her heart… I want it all.

But at what cost? Because suddenly I don’t just want to win races, I want to win the girl.

Review: 

Off to the Races is my first book by Elsie Silver and also Elsie Silver's first book. Silver's debut novel is a western, small town, workplace romance. While Billie and Vaughn have great chemistry, Billie's best chemistry is with DD (Double Diablo) the racehorse she's hired to train. I have to say I had a little bit of trouble connecting with this book at the beginning. It picked up and I was able to get into it, but it took me a long time to actually connect. If you're a horse person, might be that wouldn't happen to you, but I struggled a little bit. 

I think my problem was that I have certain expectations for my western romance and this one challenged those expectations. The ranch in this book raises race horses and the book's sport is derby, for example. But once I was able to connect with the characters, I was able to get into the book. 

The plot is well paced and revolves around Billie training Double Diablo and building a relationship with this horse while trying to avoid Vaughn. There are a lot of references to derby and I found myself actually interested in that aspect of the book, particularly when a race is actually happening. Billie's attempts to avoid Vaughn obviously fail and the two them go from dislike to lovers after a slow burn. The heat in this book is probably a 2 out of 5, so there's spicy scenes, but they're pretty mild as spice goes. 

I do have to admit, the book made me cry. There're some scenes with Billie and DD, late in the book, that made me break out in sobs. I got it together, but I definitely cried. Since I don't often cry over books, Silver got me with this one. 

Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone who really enjoys western romances, loves horses, and enjoys a slow burn romance with a 3rd act break up (no one likes a 3rd act break up, do they?).

Rating: 

❤❤❤ - Just Okay. 

A best friend’s brother stand-alone from small-town romance author Brooke Montgomery about a girl who falls pregnant by the wrong man and the cowboy who takes her in…

I've crushed on my best friend's brother for years.

He's a six-foot-three, dark-haired cowboy who works on his family's ranch and sends butterflies to my stomach anytime he looks at me. But he's never made a move, so I need to get over it.

Except, when he reads a text message about me liking a mysterious guy, he snaps and demands answers. Little does he know, it's my code name for him.

When he finally confesses he likes me too, I find out I'm pregnant. With my ex-boyfriend's baby.

After spending three weeks together in secret, my world turns upside down when that little white stick reveals a positive sign from the one-night stand I had before him.

Now everything's a mess and my life's spiraling out of control.

I can't expect him to date me anymore, so I insist we return to being friends. The last thing he needs is a girl who's carrying another man's baby and about to be a first-time mom.

But when my apartment gets broken into, and there's a suspected criminal on the loose, he insists I move in with him to keep me safe.

Staying platonic proves to be harder with each passing day as he goes with me to my appointments, takes me baby shopping, and stocks the kitchen with all my weird cravings. He's so involved that everyone assumes he's the father. And I don’t correct them.

But the truth always comes out in a Southern small town.

Review:

Whew, I wasn't sure about this one when the book started. Brooke Montgomery's Stay with Me is a romantic suspense about Magnolia and Tripp, the mess they make of their life, and how it comes back together to give them their HEA. If you've read the first book in this series, then you know when this book starts that the book involves an accidental pregnancy, you even have a small inkling about how it happens. This book is about that accidental pregnancy and how it pans out. Since pregnancy tropes are my least favorite tropes, I wasn't sure how this book was going to play for me. Turns out, thanks to Tripp, it played pretty nicely. 

The characters, Tripp and Magnolia are in love and have been for a long time. Neither of them knows that, however, so it takes them a hell of a long time to get together but the book picks up shortly before they finally figure it out. I have to say, Tripp completely makes this book. Yes, Magnolia is the object of his affection, but the way he treats her is everything and I absolutely mean everything. EVERYTHING. Trip is 100% the cowboy every girl wants. The way he handles his girlfriend's accidental pregnancy with another man is completely swoon-worthy. I absolutely fell in love with him from the start. 

The book has a suspense element with Magnolia's ex-boyfriend, but I won't give that away. Let's just say it doesn't end well for Travis (Magnolia's ex). Otherwise, the whole plot revolves around the pregnancy and how Tripp and Magnolia handle it. Something about this book I particularly liked was the well-handled anxiety rep. As a person with severe anxiety, I completely feel for Tripp. Also, this book's plot is perfectly paced. 

Overall, I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoys western romances and anyone who enjoys a particularly strong MMC. Have I mentioned that Tripp is absolutely everything?

Rating: 

❤❤❤❤ - Delightful... because of Tripp!