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Off to the Races

Off to the Races

Contemporary RomanceRomance
Pages
386
Published
2021
Language
English

Synopsis

Wilhelmina “Billie” Black has spent years fighting for respect as a horse trainer in a sport that keeps telling her she doesn’t belong. The head-trainer job at Gold Rush Ranch is the break she has been chasing, but it comes attached to Vaughn Harding, the grieving, sharp-tongued owner who inherited the operation along with a scandal hanging over his late grandfather’s name. The volatile racehorse Billie is hired to mold into a champion is every bit as difficult as her new boss, and their exchanges land somewhere between an argument and a dare. As the racing season heats up and the stakes climb, the friction between them keeps tipping into something neither one planned for. Set on a working racehorse ranch in the interior of British Columbia, this series opener pairs a self-made heroine with a guarded man who keeps the world at arm’s length, and lets their prickly, slow-building thaw play out under the pressure of the track.

Prose complexity
2/10

Vibe

FunnySpicyEmotionalAtmospheric
Grumpy SunshineEnemies to LoversWorkplace RomanceForced ProximityFound FamilySlow Burn

Genres

Contemporary Romance Romance Romantic Comedy

About the author

E
Elsie Silver

A #1 New York Times, Sunday Times, and Globe and Mail bestselling author, Elsie Silver writes sassy, steamy, small-town contemporary romance. Born and raised in Canada, she lives just outside Vancouver, British Columbia, with her husband, son, and dogs — and the rugged ranch towns of her home province shape the settings of nearly all her books. A lifelong romance reader, she came to writing at her mother's urging to reclaim an identity of her own, drawing on an earlier background in copywriting...

Characters

Billie BlackProtagonist

A tenacious horse trainer who takes the head-trainer post at Gold Rush Ranch to prove herself in a male-dominated sport.

Vaughn HardingProtagonist

The guarded, short-tempered owner of Gold Rush Ranch, grieving his grandfather and determined to clear the family name.

All characters in Off to the Races

Frequently asked questions

  • Who are the main characters in Off to the Races?

    The romance follows Billie Black, a scrappy horse trainer hired at Gold Rush Ranch, and Vaughn Harding, the grumpy owner mourning his grandfather. Their boss-and-employee friction powers the book's enemies-to-lovers, grumpy-sunshine arc.

  • Is Off to the Races Elsie Silver's debut novel?

    Yes. Off to the Races (2021) was Elsie Silver's first published book and the opener of the Gold Rush Ranch series. She originally released it as a self-published indie author before signing with a traditional publisher.

  • What romance tropes are in Off to the Races?

    It blends grumpy-sunshine, enemies-to-lovers, boss/employee, age gap, forced proximity, and found family, all set against small-town horse racing.

  • Where is Gold Rush Ranch set?

    On a working racehorse ranch in the fictional small town of Ruby Creek, in the interior of British Columbia, Canada — the same province where Elsie Silver lives.

  • Is Off to the Races spicy?

    Yes. Like most of Elsie Silver's books, it's an open-door contemporary romance with explicit scenes woven through its banter and slow burn.

  • Do I have to read the Gold Rush Ranch books in order?

    Each book centers on a different couple and works as a standalone, but reading in publication order (starting with Off to the Races) gives the clearest picture of the recurring Ruby Creek cast and the ranch's ongoing storylines.

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