Hopeless (Chestnut Springs, 5)

I LOVED this book! I’m so sad this series is over because it completely pulled me in. The humor, the emotional depth, and the relationships made it an unforgettable read. Elsie Silver knows how to write characters that feel real, and this one had me laughing, swooning, and tearing up.What I Liked:• 💕 Strong female friendships that felt authentic• 🔥 The plot twist with him owning the bar—totally unexpected!• 😂 The humor and witty banter had me laughing out loud• ❤️ The emotional depth and family connectionsWhat Didn’t Work:(Not much! I was obsessed with this one!)Final Thoughts:This book reinforced the theme that family is everything. The strong female characters stood out, and I loved how they supported each other while also taming these tough men. Summer was especially sweet to Bailey, making her feel welcomed, and Willa was an absolute force!Who Would I Recommend To?• 📖 Romance lovers who adore small-town settings• 💞 Fans of strong female friendships• 🎢 Readers who enjoy emotional and heartfelt stories with twists

I'm sad to see this series come to a close, but this was a fitting conclusion! It wrapped everything up in a nice little bow, and the love story at the heart of it was both sexy and sentimental. Like everyone else, I've been waiting for Beau's story for a long time, and this was (mostly) what I wanted for him. It was easy to see the sparks between Beau and Bailey, and the chemistry continued to crackle the whole way through. It's what I would consider a hot slow burn, with a ton of sexual tension before they truly crossed the line. Probably too much focus on the sexual side of things, honestly. I couldn't quite bring myself to rate it 5 stars because I felt like it only scratched the surface of Beau's backstory while being oversaturated with sexually-charged moments. I wasn't as emotionally connected to them as a couple as I would've liked, but the story is excellent otherwise. Silver is such a great writer, so this was still head and shoulders above a lot of the books out there, and I'm eagerly awaiting the start of a brand new series.The story follows Beau (35), a former solider whose last experience overseas has left him with emotional and physical scars. Grappling with PTSD and feeling a little lost, Beau is spending more time at the local bar than he ever has before. That's where he connects with Bailey (22), the bartender. Though Beau has been familiar with Bailey for years, it's the first time he's ever spent any real time with her. Everyone in town knows that Bailey's family is trouble, and they treat her like she is too - even though she's never done anything to deserve it. Hoping to change the town's opinion of Bailey and make his family worry about him less, Beau suggests an unusual arrangement. Bailey will become his fake fiancée, and it should bring them both a little peace. But spending time with the woman Bailey has become is an unexpected breath of fresh air. As the two navigate their ever-changing relationship, they form a new future for themselves.I LOVED the first two books in this series, and this story reminded me why. Both Beau and Bailey have gone through a lot, so watching them slowly heal together was pretty great. I loved that Beau gave Bailey strength when she needed it, but she does the same for him as well. She lifts him out of a dark place, and I really loved where their relationship ended up. They also had some fantastic chemistry, which jumped off the page right away. I liked the way Bailey was so brash and confident in some aspects but insecure in others. I was okay with the age gap for the most part, I just wish it hadn't been such a constant topic of conversation, like Bailey's inexperience. A stronger focus on Beau's story would've been appreciated, especially since we've been waiting for so long. It feels like I still know barely anything about his history, just the man he is with Bailey. I loved that they were in such a bubble for so much of the book, but maybe a few less conversations about sex and a few more about life were needed, lol. Beyond that, I really enjoyed this overall. There were just enough appearances by the other characters to make it a well-rounded conclusion to the series, and now I cannot wait for the next one.Audio note: It was excellent! Jason Clarke is one of my personal favorites, so I have nothing but good things to say about his performance. His voice also fit Beau's mood and personality so well, and he brings the heat in the spicy scenes - which were plentiful. Definitely not a book to listen to at the office. Though it's technically a slow burn, it sure didn't feel that way. This is my first experience with Angelina Rocca, and I liked her voice for the most part. Maybe not my absolute favorite, but pretty good for sure. The runtime (about 11 hours) was too much for me to get through in a single day, but not overwhelming. The whole series is outstanding on audio, and this was no exception. Absolutely recommended in the format.

Oh my god she's done it again! I cannot tell you the happiness that I felt while reading these books. The series was so beautiful, so heartfelt, so touching, so much love...i could just go on and on about this series. I don't understand how anyone could not love this series and not eat it up entirely. Just the character building throughout each book and throughout this family...is just something so well done, so beautifully done. I will sing the praises of this book series, for the rest of my days lol. How do we petition for this book series to be a freaking TV series seriously!!!!!!! Like it needs to be done as soon as possible!!!!

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.Book Evaluation:Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️World Building:🌎🌎🌎🌎Cover:📔📔📔📔📔Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻Heroine:🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥Relationship Building: 💒💒💒💒Heart & Feels:💞💞💞💞Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂Page Turner Level:📖📖📖📖Ending:🧧🧧🧧Overall View: ✨✨✨✨First ImpressionsHopeless is a book that I had such high hopes for and I really had some high expectations on this one especially coming off of Reckless which was only released a couple of months ago. I wish that I could say that I loved this book unfortunately it didn't quite meet up with my expectations. It was a bit disappointing. It did feel very rushed and not enough flow with the story and the tropes. And was really hard to stay invested. However, it had its moments that kept me reading it. And for those that want Beau's book, then I highly recommend it.First LineI thought pissing my brother off and storming away would make me feel something.The Main ProtagonistsThe Hero: Beau EatonA tortured military Vet, injuries both inside and outside, and a bit of a surly grump caught up in the terrors of his pastThe Heroine: Bailey JensonHigh spirited outcast of the town. Despirate for a fresh start.SummaryBeau Eaton is the town hero, he is much revered by the whole town and everyone wants to befriend him. The problem is...Beau couldn't care less. He is suffering wounds from serving in the military and is haunted by those demons that no one seems to understand including his own family. Then we have Bailey, who is a Jensen. Her family is consider the outcasts of the town, and unfortunately her family has earned their bad name and Bailey is a innocent bystander from it and the town does blame her and won't give her a solid chance to prove that she is different from them. Beau and Bailey have a very quick connection and Beau proposes that they have a fake engagement so that his name can bring her what she needs...that clean slate and it will help get his family off of his back. But both Beau and Bailey have a fierce attraction to each other and a connection that they both want to explore ....will they be able to make a true engagement work or will it fail...What I LovedDespite my issues with the story itself, there are many factors in the story that I really did enjoy. The first is that I had a blast with the connection at times that we see from Beau and Bailey. Especially in the first half of the story, I was really behind these two being together. They have such a easy way of being together and seeing the way in which they get along was almost infectious. Their in the middle of the night meet ups in the river were so delicious and the chemistry between them was done just right. Their dialogue with each other was easy going and they stand up to each other and know when to back down and when not to. The family bantering was just delightful and enjoyed how welcoming they were of Bailey. Beau is so tortured and his journey was beautiful and the way in which we see how protective he is of Bailey, melted my heart completely.What I Struggled WithThe pacing in this book is really off and most especially in the second half it just didn't quite deliver. It got to the point where I just wanted to get to the end, I just became bored with the couple and there seemed to be such a rush for the ending. It really felt like the author was writing to just finish this off and not really dig into the issues and explore it as she has done in the previou books. And some of the snark comments from the heroine was a bit off putting and didn't quite mesh right. Not sure why authors seem to want a snarky heroine in every book these days, but Bailey's dialogue could have been handled much more delicately to bring out her character to be more likeable.Overall ViewHopeless had a easy romance that is fun to get behind....some fantastic tropes and has a small town setting that will endear the reader to this world...Book Details (also in my shelves)Sub Genre: Contemporary RomanceCharacter Types: Military, Abused, TorturedThemes: Small Town, Family Saga, Lots of Laughs, PTSDTropes: Fake Relationship, Grumpy Sunshine, May to December, Opposites AttractBook PerspectiveDUO PovRelationship Conflict vs Plot ConflictRelationship ConflictSong This Book InspiresHold My Girl by George EzraRecommendation For Reading OrderYou can read as standalones