REVIEW: Flawless by Elsie Silver

In Flawless by Elsie Silver, Rhett Eaton knows that with two world championships under his belt–and on his way to a third–at thirty-two-years old his days as a pro bull rider are numbered. And when he makes a boneheaded mistake, running his mouth at the wrong time as well as punching a smarmy paparazzi in the face, it could very well be the end of his career. Thankfully Rhett has a great agent. One who unfortunately also thrives on messing with him. So he’s not really surprised when the solution to his scandal is for Kip’s daughter Summer to tag along on tour and attempt to keep him in line. But it creates another huge problem: Rhett falls head over feet for Summer from day one. And knowing he’s never felt this way about a woman before, he’s not going to let anyone stand in the way of making her his own.

“I thought I got off on hearing fans scream my name from the stands.” I kiss her temple. “But hearing you moan it? …It is so much more satisfying.”

Growing up around athletes while working at her father’s elite talent agency, Summer Hamilton is used to dealing with tough to handle men. Her father being one of them. But nothing prepared her for the force that is Rhett Eaton. With his devilish grin and the constant mischief in his eyes, he promises of all kinds of wicked(ly good) things. Too bad Summer’s dad warned her and Rhett from acting on their insane chemistry. Otherwise, it could be the wildest few months of her life while on tour with him. But even though she does everything she can to ignore the heat between them, Summer’s half in love with Rhett before she realizes. And given her unlucky past relationships, she can see the impending explosion just waiting to happen.

‘Rhett Eaton will ruin me if I give him the opportunity, and I don’t even know what to do with that. I think I might want him to ruin me.’

A deliciously entertaining cowboy romance with a touch of the forbidden, Flawless set the bar high for the rest of Elsie Silver’s Chestnut Springs series.

‘We stand here kissing. With cameras rolling. In the middle of a huge crowd. No doubt raising some eyebrows… Choosing each other. Finding each other. Showing up for each other. And everything about the moment is flawless.’

CW: View Spoiler »Cheating. « Hide Spoiler

Flawless was a good time from start to finish. While there were certainly moments of a more serious note, the overall feel was sexy and fun. And who doesn’t love a charming, dirty talkin’ cowboy, right? In this case, our hero Rhett was a world champion pro bull rider from Chestnut Springs, Alberta, Canada who got himself in some hot water after an open mic caught him unaware and the subsequent punch he landed to a reporter’s face. Rhett, at thirty-two, was already aging out of the industry. So the scandal didn’t help his career. That was when our heroine Summer entered the picture and knocked him for six.

I loved the forbidden aspect of Rhett and Summer’s romance. It made for some wonderful tension between them, trying to take her father–Rhett’s agent’s–words to heart, to keep things professional. Easier said than done with their smoldering attraction. Being forced together with Summer acting as Rhett’s “babysitter” while on tour for a couple of months meant they couldn’t get away from those sparks between them. But what I enjoyed even more is the true friendship they forged. There were things in both of their pasts that they were still trying to sort out and it really felt like Rhett and Summer not only could sense that in each other, but they were also there to give support and a strong shoulder to lean on.

From the often laugh out loud texts that basically served as chapter titles to the way Silver painted a genuine picture of complicated family dynamics, the secondary cast served to enhance everything about Summer and Rhett’s story. As much as I adored their flirty banter, it was the scenes around the Eaton kitchen table and the moments between Summer and her dad Kip that stole my heart and made me want more time with these powerful characters.

QOTD: Have you ever been to a bull riding competition or a rodeo?

Book Info:

Publication: Published: August 29th, 2023 (First published June 24, 2022) | Bloom Books | Chestnut Springs #1

The rules were keep his hands off his agent’s daughter and stay out of trouble. But now he’s stuck with her. There’s only one bed. And well, rules are made to be broken. Rhett Eaton is the face of professional bull riding. The golden boy. Or at least he was until it all blew up in his face after a public brawl. Now his agent says he has to clean up his image, and sticks Rhett with his ball-busting daughter for the rest of the season as “full-time supervision.” But Rhett doesn’t need a goddamn babysitter―especially one with skin-tight jeans, a sexy smirk, and a mouth she can’t stop running. A mouth he can’t stop thinking about. And he quickly learns that Summer Hamilton isn’t just another conquest. She sees the man behind the mask, and she doesn’t run―she pulls him closer, even when she shouldn’t. She says this means nothing. Rhett says this means everything. She says there are boundaries they shouldn’t cross. That Rhett’s reputation can’t take any more hits…and neither can her damaged heart. Rhett says he’s going to steal it anyway.