The Front Runner: Gold Rush Ranch, Book 3

This book was great at staying in the small world of Gold Rush Ranch while still introducing new characters. Mira is a strong independent woman while Stefan is out to prove himself a better man. The world building is so vivid I can picture my self at the ranch. I like how I learn a little more about horse ranches as I read each book. Definitely a good slow burn that has lots of stolen glances and one liners. The back story for Stefan was so intense. It makes me so frustrated for him that everyone sees him as a bad guy. I can't wait for Nadia's book.

I love a good villain redemption story and the fact that Stefan started his redemption in the last book didn't drag it out as long. I loved how Mira overlooked Stefan's past behavior and saw the man underneath and ended up loving him. I am loving this series and cannot wait for Nadia to get her happily ever after!

I really enjoyed these two! I had no idea how misunderstood Stefan was and Ive loved Mira since the first book. I love how sure about Mira Stefan was and their chemistry is 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥!!! Another amazing book in this series.

Stefan has been the steady horse owner we’ve loved to hate from the start. But Mira gave him a shot and man did we learn the truth about this complex man.This story was intricate and well fleshed out. We had heartbreaking back story and a mystery to solve. The author gave us hope that these two could get past everyone preconceived ideas about him then threw us a curve ball before she put our love story back together. Our shy but confident Veterinarian grew under the guidance of our commanding but broken owner.I’m always surprised by how these stories progress and they are absolutely worth the read.

Absolutely loved this book! The fake dating, the guy falls first, the small town, the found family, it was all just amazing!Stefan is the bad guy, no one in the Gold Rush crew likes him. He is just a sweetheart underneath, someone who grew up in a not so great situation and learned to not let people in so he wouldn't be hurt. He puts up such a badass front, but he slowly starts letting Mira in and showing her the real sides of him.Mira, the on site vet for Gold Rush, is a strong, independent woman. She is permanently single, she doesn't have time for a man, she has he work and that keeps her around the clock busy. The more time she spends with Stefan, the more she is questioning herself about her love life.The tension between these two was fantastic. Loved the professor scene. (IYKYK)Can't wait to read Nadia and Griffin's story!!

Let me preface this review by saying, I didn’t like Stefan or Mira much in the first 2 books in this series so my expectations for this book were low. Boy was I wrong.Stefan was so misunderstood, it pains me that people thought he was a bad guy. His childhood was so heartbreaking, he was so lost and sad and broken. Mira seemed like such a cold person to me, her only redeeming quality seemed to be her love for animals. She was protecting her heart and her independence and Stefan saw beneath her cold shell.The way these two danced around each other and finally gave in to their feelings, each healing the hurt in the other, was a beautiful story.The other secret that came out in this book (no spoilers) was so perfect and amazing. I just loved it.As always, I highly recommend this book. These two were meant to be together and was an engrossing, steamy book! Elsie Silver is amazing.

I mostly spent this book annoyed at Mira for one thing or another--then found myself almost bawling my eyes out near the end. This is sweet like all these books and Stefan just melts my heart. Hope he changes his last name...

Stefan is the most amazing book boyfriend! I fell so fast and hard for him! I love Mira and Stefan together so much!!!

“I don’t want to tame her; I just want a front-row seat to watch her win the race.”I wasn’t sure I’d like Stefan going into this book. They way I pictured him just wasn’t attractive at all but boy, did that perception change quickly. I think he’s my favourite MC of the series so far. He’s so misunderstood and so sensitive under his cocky persona. The fire he has for those he loves in unmatched and all those cute scenes with Loki made me fall hard for him. His patience and acceptance of Mira was everything and those spice scenes? 🥵🥵 so good.“You’re not morally gray. You walk the line of being intensely supportive without being overbearing perfectly”Mira was what actually let this book down for me (I say that in the nicest way because I still really like this). She did frustrate me a lot in the first 2/3’s with her unwillingness to give Stefan a chance and blaming it on the fact that Billie doesn’t like him. All she was doing was denying herself happiness and hurting Stefan in the process so I didn't vibe with her as much.Overall the story was fantastic. I love the reveal towards the end, it made me so happy for the characters involved.

🐎 The Front Runner🐎ByUugghhh! To say this book hit me in all the feels is putting it mildly. And to say Stefan Dalca was unlikable in previous books is stating the obvious.I totally had him pegged as the bad guy, but because this book is written in dual perspective, you discover in Chapter 1, that not everything is as it seems.I LOVED the chemistry between Mira & Stefan. The dynamic of denying attraction in order to (perceivably) stay loyal to friends (& then finally giving in) 🥰This book is filled with many lough out loud moments, plenty of drama to wave a riding crop at & one particular scene against a wall at a charity event that will have you giddy.An amazing ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read.I can’t wait to see if there will be more drama & love at the Good Rush Ranch 💋~Nic xx

Like so many others, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about Stefan Dalca getting his own HEA. But can we take a minute to talk about how incredible he is? Elsie Silver took a character we all muttered and grumbled about in the first two books and turned him into this sexy stud that we can’t get enough of. And if that’s not enough, she made us fall head over heels in love with Dr. Mira Thorne as Stefan fell in love with her too. I mean…I’m personally invested in everything Mira, but to see so much of her and to understand the woman behind all the horses being saved was an absolute treat.Where do I even begin with this review?! The Gold Rush Ranch series is so special to me and to see more characters from this world completely made my life. Mira and Stefan might just be my absolute favourites from this series––which is saying a lot since Violet and Cole are my one true loves––but their journey to falling in love is one that I can read over and over again, and never tire of.Mira is loved by everyone. Despite being younger and a woman, Mira is well respected and known all over Ruby Creek for the work she does with horses. She’s got a solid home base at Gold Rush Ranch and she’s best friends with Billie and Violet, plus she’s got Hank who adores her just as much. And Mira’s got supportive and loving parents (less supportive extended family members, but that’s not important) that gives her a rounded life. She’s not even missing a man to warm her bed, because she’s got a purple friend that does the job for her. I related to Mira so much, not just because she’s Indian, but because she’s so self-sufficient and sure of herself. She’s a tough woman, she knows her limits and she knows what she’s capable of. I loved the scenes where she’s working and treating horses, because you can feel the amount of love that pours through her when she’s in her element. She’s also hella sassy and feisty, her snappy comebacks are some of my favourites. Plus, Mira believes in giving everyone a second chance.Stefan. Ah, the man of the hour. I remember thinking he was so sleazy and creepy, but that’s because Billie flat out hates him and we saw him through her eyes. To see him through Mira’s eyes? *fans self* He is everything and then some. With Stefan, what you see is not always what you get and I really enjoyed watching Mira peel back the layers of the man. He’s been through so much and he’s never let those shortcomings and struggles define him. Stefan is so much more than just a rich man in a suit, he’s kind and caring and despite what Billie (and everyone else) thinks, he loves his horses and wants only the best for them. And then there’s Stefan’s feelings for Mira. Sweet lord, this man. There needs to be a word that is beyond swoony, because that’s what Stefan is. He’s a combination of swoony, sexy, dirty and charming––and it’s distracting as all get out. But the way he feels? Man, it broke me.Their relationship starts as a working one, then turns into three fake dates and eventually becomes the hottest and most beautiful thing on the planet. Elsie’s heroes have the best dirty talk and she also writes some really good steam, but what I loved so much about Mira and Stefan was their banter. It’s snappy, it’s funny and it’s incredibly sexy. There’s some serious pining in this book too. I know we all love watching the hero pine––and Stefan does that pretty much the whole way through––but there is just something so beautiful about the heroine pining too. And Mira’s feelings for Stefan are so confusing before she realises just what all of that means and she takes control of it. Some of my favourite scenes included Mira giving Stefan grief because he kept brushing their relationship off when she was getting so invested. I seriously didn’t think I would love these two as much as I did, but my god, they were so wonderful together. I also want to give Elsie lots of love for all the extra steam she included just for me (not really, but it’s an inside joke of sorts).Prepare for some tears too, because as you peel back Stefan’s layers and see the man beneath that broody, sexy facade, you’ll fall in love with him too. I also loved the scenes we got with Billie and Violet, because Mira’s friendship with them is so wonderful. I even loved how much of Hank we saw, because I loved him in Off to the Races and wanted more of him and I got it! I can’t wait to see what else we get from the Gold Rush Ranch world, because I’m not done with them yet!

I love a good redemption arc and that’s exactly what we got with Stefan Dalca!I truly believe that Elsie Silver can’t write a bad book. The way she brings characters to life and tells their stories is beautiful, and she certainly didn’t disappoint with Mira and Stefan.The flirty banter between these two was glorious to watch! It added to the build up of tension between the two of them so well, so that when the tension hit its peak the chemistry between them was full of passion and fire! It had me on the edge of my seat!Stevan’s back story had my heart in pieces. This man went through so much as a boy, and seeing him work through that trauma was beautiful. Just as beautiful as watching him fall in love with Mira, his determination to make her his had me swooning! And don’t even get me started about the mouth on this man! IM OBSESSED!I adored Mira, I feel she’s very much like Billie with her independence and her fierce nature, but she’s also willing to give people a chance. Which is exactly what she did with Stefan and I adored that! I also loved how she began to let him in and stood up for him!I loved the twists and turns that ran through the book and the little plot twist towards the end had me a bit teary eyed!I fell in love with Loki the horse! And I loved meeting Nadia, Stevan’s little sister. I can’t wait to read her story in the last book!

This was my favourite so far in the gold rush ranch series. I think both Stefan and Mira’s characters gripped me and made me keep wanting to read more. Mira was the perfect FMC - intelligent, strong, independent yet still vulnerable and she found her perfect match in Stefan. He wasn’t afraid of her feisty side and was more than happy to support her and not smother her. Loved this book ❤️