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Gold Rush Ranch #1.5
Salir a ganar
Dermot Harding es diez años mayor que yo, un amigo de la familia y un empleado del rancho de mi padre.
Y estoy enamorada de él desde que tengo memoria.
Cuando tenía dieciocho años, lo besé y me rechazó porque decía que yo era demasiado joven.
El ejército lo apartó de mi lado durante tres largos años, pero ahora que ha regresado al Gold Rush Ranch me mira de un modo diferente y sus manos se demoran sobre mí más de lo debido. Además, se ha ofrecido a ayudarme a entrenar al caballo de carreras que siempre he deseado tener.
Creía que lo había superado, pero la química que hay entre los dos es demasiado fuerte, y los motivos que nos hemos dado para mantenernos alejados desaparecen rápidamente junto con toda nuestra ropa.
Él piensa que es demasiado mayor, que no es bueno para alguien como yo y que lo nuestro nunca podrá funcionar, pero su cuerpo me cuenta una historia bien distinta.
Ya me he tragado el orgullo por él una vez. ¿Seré lo bastante insensata como para hacerlo de nuevo?
Y estoy enamorada de él desde que tengo memoria.
Cuando tenía dieciocho años, lo besé y me rechazó porque decía que yo era demasiado joven.
El ejército lo apartó de mi lado durante tres largos años, pero ahora que ha regresado al Gold Rush Ranch me mira de un modo diferente y sus manos se demoran sobre mí más de lo debido. Además, se ha ofrecido a ayudarme a entrenar al caballo de carreras que siempre he deseado tener.
Creía que lo había superado, pero la química que hay entre los dos es demasiado fuerte, y los motivos que nos hemos dado para mantenernos alejados desaparecen rápidamente junto con toda nuestra ropa.
Él piensa que es demasiado mayor, que no es bueno para alguien como yo y que lo nuestro nunca podrá funcionar, pero su cuerpo me cuenta una historia bien distinta.
Ya me he tragado el orgullo por él una vez. ¿Seré lo bastante insensata como para hacerlo de nuevo?
111 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 23, 2021
1039 people are currently reading
53621 people want to read
About the author
Elsie Silver
32 books70.7k followersElsie Silver is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of sassy, steamy, small town romance. She’s a born and raised Canadian girl who loves a good book boyfriend and the strong heroines who bring them to their knees. Her books promise banter, tension, and a slow burn that comes to a screeching halt.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,396 reviews
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March 22, 2022
Out of the Gate is book #1.5 in the Gold Rush Ranch series by Elsie Silver. I’ve already read the first two books in this series and fell in love with the Harding Family and this ranch. So I finally went back to this one to get the infamous grandfather, Dermot Harding’s story. And see how their horse racing business first got started.
Ada Wilson grew up on Gold Rush Ranch, a horse and cattle ranch, and loved her life there. She is now twenty one years old and has one year left of college. She has other plans for her parents’ ranch though. Ada wants to race horses and has bought herself her first horse. Now if only she could get the horse to allow her to ride her!
Dermot Harding is thirty one years old and owns a ranch a couple of hours away. Dermot has just returned from three years of war and is still having problems adjusting. Ada’s father has asked him to come to Gold Rush Ranch for a few weeks to help him to break some horses. Dermot has always thought of Ada’s dad as a father figure himself. But guilt has been eating away at him because three years ago, Ada tried to kiss him and ever since that night, she is all Dermot has been able to think of.
Ada has always been a bit in love with Dermot Harding. She used to follow him around when she was ten years old. But she’s no little girl anymore. She has never gotten over the embarrassment of trying to kiss him before he left for war three years ago. He clearly didn’t want her. But now he’s here and is more gorgeous than ever.
“This. This is what I’ve spent years dreaming about. But no dream could do the real thing justice.”
Being in close proximity to each other is more than these two can take and they can’t help but give in. But Dermot is convinced he can never be enough for Ada. That he is too old for her. That she deserves so much more.
This was a short, sexy, sweet book and I loved finally getting Dermot’s story. Technically, you can read this first, before any of the books. That way you would have that bit of history before you meet the grandchildren in this series. I absolutely loved the first two books and am now starting book three, The Front Runner.
“I’m yours, Dermot. I’ve always been yours.”
For more about this book and so many others, come and visit me at Carol's Crazy Bookish World.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Carol...
Ada Wilson grew up on Gold Rush Ranch, a horse and cattle ranch, and loved her life there. She is now twenty one years old and has one year left of college. She has other plans for her parents’ ranch though. Ada wants to race horses and has bought herself her first horse. Now if only she could get the horse to allow her to ride her!
Dermot Harding is thirty one years old and owns a ranch a couple of hours away. Dermot has just returned from three years of war and is still having problems adjusting. Ada’s father has asked him to come to Gold Rush Ranch for a few weeks to help him to break some horses. Dermot has always thought of Ada’s dad as a father figure himself. But guilt has been eating away at him because three years ago, Ada tried to kiss him and ever since that night, she is all Dermot has been able to think of.
Ada has always been a bit in love with Dermot Harding. She used to follow him around when she was ten years old. But she’s no little girl anymore. She has never gotten over the embarrassment of trying to kiss him before he left for war three years ago. He clearly didn’t want her. But now he’s here and is more gorgeous than ever.
“This. This is what I’ve spent years dreaming about. But no dream could do the real thing justice.”
Being in close proximity to each other is more than these two can take and they can’t help but give in. But Dermot is convinced he can never be enough for Ada. That he is too old for her. That she deserves so much more.
This was a short, sexy, sweet book and I loved finally getting Dermot’s story. Technically, you can read this first, before any of the books. That way you would have that bit of history before you meet the grandchildren in this series. I absolutely loved the first two books and am now starting book three, The Front Runner.
“I’m yours, Dermot. I’ve always been yours.”
For more about this book and so many others, come and visit me at Carol's Crazy Bookish World.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Carol...
February 3, 2025
pre-review
rigging the races makes so much more sense now ugh cannot wait to write this review!!
rigging the races makes so much more sense now ugh cannot wait to write this review!!
June 6, 2023
4 stars.
The story retraced the Hardings grandparents epic love story. The novella in itself wasn’t orchestrated with a heartbreaking or sad tone but the memory of their tragic deaths (mentioned in the previous book in the series) imprinted a melancholic atmosphere around every happy moment the protagonists had. However, it didn’t tarnish the beautiful connection between Ada and Dermot.
Ada is a twenty one year old cowgirl who had always been in love with the much older and mature ranch helper, Dermot Harding. Her crush was pretty obvious to whoever payed a little attention to their dynamic and how she followed him everywhere around Gold Rush Ranch but Dermot never viewed her as a woman until she kissed him —as a goodbye— the night before he was gone to war. Sadly, he rejected her and didn’t kiss her back. At thirty year old, Dermot freshly returned from his three years deployment to find a different version of the little girl he left behind. A girl who didn’t wait for him to experience the adult life and a girl to whom he didn’t write any letters.
Ada was without surprise a strong, stubborn female lead and Dermot was painted as a tormented hero; torn between morals and heart decisions. It was a heartwarming read balanced with explosive smut scenes. I cried and cried and cried at the ending.
avoided reading it for a year bc i knew i would end up crying my eyes out whenever i remember how both died.. alone😭 anyway rtc<3
❛ Dear Ada,
P.S. I should have kissed you back. ❜
The story retraced the Hardings grandparents epic love story. The novella in itself wasn’t orchestrated with a heartbreaking or sad tone but the memory of their tragic deaths (mentioned in the previous book in the series) imprinted a melancholic atmosphere around every happy moment the protagonists had. However, it didn’t tarnish the beautiful connection between Ada and Dermot.
"I’m yours, Dermot. I’ve always been yours."
Ada is a twenty one year old cowgirl who had always been in love with the much older and mature ranch helper, Dermot Harding. Her crush was pretty obvious to whoever payed a little attention to their dynamic and how she followed him everywhere around Gold Rush Ranch but Dermot never viewed her as a woman until she kissed him —as a goodbye— the night before he was gone to war. Sadly, he rejected her and didn’t kiss her back. At thirty year old, Dermot freshly returned from his three years deployment to find a different version of the little girl he left behind. A girl who didn’t wait for him to experience the adult life and a girl to whom he didn’t write any letters.
"This—us—it’s everything"
Ada was without surprise a strong, stubborn female lead and Dermot was painted as a tormented hero; torn between morals and heart decisions. It was a heartwarming read balanced with explosive smut scenes. I cried and cried and cried at the ending.
~•~•~•~•~
avoided reading it for a year bc i knew i would end up crying my eyes out whenever i remember how both died.. alone😭 anyway rtc<3
February 24, 2022
This is a Fast Pace Romance Novella, and this is the first book/Novella in the Gold Rush Ranch series. This book takes place on a Small Ranch in Canada. I love the writing in this book, and this Novella sets the first full book up to be so great. You get a taste of the Ranch setting and the character. I really enjoyed the characters we got to meet. The romance was very fast moving, but that was because this is a short Novella. I do think there was so much put into a only 96 page book. If you like small town romance with older man/younger woman then you should check this book out. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher or author (Elsie Silver) via Booksirens, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.
December 22, 2021
This is a debut? Is that right? It's hard to believe... It was amazing for a short novella, so emotional... Starring ranch owner's daughter and a ranch hand who comes by to break young horses every summer. I'm not usually a fan of 'I'm not good enough for you' plot, but I really liked the execution here - I could feel their longing, their pain, their frustration through the pages. It was well written and I'm definitely going to read the rest of the series.
August 29, 2024
Yours,
Dermot
P.S. I should have kissed you back.
This was so freaking cute 🥹💘
“I can’t remember a time in my life when I haven’t loved you. It’s always been you.”
Dermot
P.S. I should have kissed you back.
This was so freaking cute 🥹💘
“I can’t remember a time in my life when I haven’t loved you. It’s always been you.”
October 17, 2023
I love everything Elsie Silver writes, and I’m usually fine with a 10 year age gap, but him working on her family’s farm in his 20s and knowing her since she was 10 really creeped me out 😂
March 16, 2025
3.75✨
A fun and short read perfect for when you want to read something but you don’t know what to choose (this is me trying very hard to convince you to give Elsie’s books a chance 🦦). I’m telling you Elsie Silver has a way of making you fall in love with her characters and their stories. 🥺 I just love her writing style.
This is book #1.5 in the Gold Rush Ranch series (a series I’ve read last year and also one of my favorite romance series). The funny thing is that I only found out about this book now (idk how is that possible but yeah 🤣). Anyway, I was so happy to return to the ranch (one of the many things that made me start this series was the setting actually; I do love horses so when I first heard about this series and saw it featured horses I was SOLD ! I just had to put every single book on my kindle and start the series asap).
I did find the characters in this one likeable, tho Dermot really irritated me at some point (I understood his struggles and where he came from but I still expected him to man up and deal with the potential consequences of his actions). I admired Ada for her self confidence and strong personality. She is a great fmc and I can just wish I’d be more like her. This one did feel more focused on the love story than the plot or character development, but then again, it was a short novel so that was to be expected. Also, can we talk about the fact that this had like one hundred pages and it still managed to make me emotional ? I swear I don’t know how she does it, but Elsie Silver is one of the very few romance authors that always seems to succeed in doing that. 🥹💜
A fun and short read perfect for when you want to read something but you don’t know what to choose (this is me trying very hard to convince you to give Elsie’s books a chance 🦦). I’m telling you Elsie Silver has a way of making you fall in love with her characters and their stories. 🥺 I just love her writing style.
This is book #1.5 in the Gold Rush Ranch series (a series I’ve read last year and also one of my favorite romance series). The funny thing is that I only found out about this book now (idk how is that possible but yeah 🤣). Anyway, I was so happy to return to the ranch (one of the many things that made me start this series was the setting actually; I do love horses so when I first heard about this series and saw it featured horses I was SOLD ! I just had to put every single book on my kindle and start the series asap).
I did find the characters in this one likeable, tho Dermot really irritated me at some point (I understood his struggles and where he came from but I still expected him to man up and deal with the potential consequences of his actions). I admired Ada for her self confidence and strong personality. She is a great fmc and I can just wish I’d be more like her. This one did feel more focused on the love story than the plot or character development, but then again, it was a short novel so that was to be expected. Also, can we talk about the fact that this had like one hundred pages and it still managed to make me emotional ? I swear I don’t know how she does it, but Elsie Silver is one of the very few romance authors that always seems to succeed in doing that. 🥹💜
February 9, 2025
this was just a cute lil novella.
i always love elsie’s characters and this was no exception - ada and dermot are very sweet together. while their history is a long time coming, because it’s a novella we don’t get as much as i would’ve liked. i think they could’ve been given a fuller and more fleshed out story but overall i’m just happy we were given their story at all. i think it was a great little set up before diving into the gold rush ranch series. i would definitely recommend it!
i always love elsie’s characters and this was no exception - ada and dermot are very sweet together. while their history is a long time coming, because it’s a novella we don’t get as much as i would’ve liked. i think they could’ve been given a fuller and more fleshed out story but overall i’m just happy we were given their story at all. i think it was a great little set up before diving into the gold rush ranch series. i would definitely recommend it!
June 16, 2023
Short and sweet origin story novella for the Gold Rush Ranch crew, and I loved it! Dermot and Ada’s story of how they got together and even thought it is a novella, it packed a huge punch. Lovely!
November 8, 2025
ten year age gap but they met when she was a literal child…
January 8, 2025
4 ⭐️ I honestly think this is the first time I’ve enjoyed the novella more than the novel
August 2, 2025
3.5💫
I don't know how I was living before reading cowboy romances🤠🫀
this was so fun and easy to read!! I loved this more than the first book of the series, the characters here didn't piss me off🤩 this 100 page novella made me feel more than the full length novel 'off to the races' 🤧I loved Ada's confidence so much.
And I get that Dermot was struggling and was afraid of Ada's family's reaction about their relationship and all, but please can he stop mentioning that he's OLDER than Ada 😵💫 I get that you are 31, sir please stop now😭
↯“I just want to see you succeed, to see all your dreams realized. And I’ll do anything in my power to make that happen for you. I’ll love you even if you don’t love me back.”
I don't know how I was living before reading cowboy romances🤠🫀
this was so fun and easy to read!! I loved this more than the first book of the series, the characters here didn't piss me off🤩 this 100 page novella made me feel more than the full length novel 'off to the races' 🤧I loved Ada's confidence so much.
And I get that Dermot was struggling and was afraid of Ada's family's reaction about their relationship and all, but please can he stop mentioning that he's OLDER than Ada 😵💫 I get that you are 31, sir please stop now😭
↯“I just want to see you succeed, to see all your dreams realized. And I’ll do anything in my power to make that happen for you. I’ll love you even if you don’t love me back.”
April 14, 2022
4.25 stars
How about that? A 4(+) star read finally for ‘22 & a novella no less.
Out Of The Gate might be short, but boy, does OOTG pack the punch of a full length novel. This is my first Elsie Silver read (& certainly not my last) & I’m impressed how complete a picture is painted with this romance as short as OOTG is. ES gets so much content in so few pages yet doesn’t feel crammed in at all & flows just right.
The last paragraph of my GR friend, Sarah’s terrific review sums up perfectly the dynamics of what drew me into Out Of The Gate novella.
“Let me tell you, the forced proximity between these two delivers an unbelievable amount of scorching tension. I’m certain I’ll never look at hay bales the same way again. With an age gap and family connection serving as the main conflict, the push and pull between Ada and Dermot was so addicting.”
She’s so right…🔥
How about that? A 4(+) star read finally for ‘22 & a novella no less.
Out Of The Gate might be short, but boy, does OOTG pack the punch of a full length novel. This is my first Elsie Silver read (& certainly not my last) & I’m impressed how complete a picture is painted with this romance as short as OOTG is. ES gets so much content in so few pages yet doesn’t feel crammed in at all & flows just right.
The last paragraph of my GR friend, Sarah’s terrific review sums up perfectly the dynamics of what drew me into Out Of The Gate novella.
“Let me tell you, the forced proximity between these two delivers an unbelievable amount of scorching tension. I’m certain I’ll never look at hay bales the same way again. With an age gap and family connection serving as the main conflict, the push and pull between Ada and Dermot was so addicting.”
She’s so right…🔥
June 10, 2024
i love them your honor 🫶🫶
November 5, 2025
•Dual POV
•Age gap
•Second chance romance
•Friends to lovers
•Forced proximity
•Small town
•Horse ranch
•Novella
3.5/5 ⭐️
2.5/5 🌶️
•Age gap
•Second chance romance
•Friends to lovers
•Forced proximity
•Small town
•Horse ranch
•Novella
3.5/5 ⭐️
2.5/5 🌶️
March 15, 2025
Out of the Gate is a prequel novella part of the Gold Rush Ranch series, it’s an age gap (10 years), forbidden, cowboy/western set romance!
I read this novella last after the series and it actually made me want to go and reread the series. 😅 The characters we follow in this one are the grandparents of the series’ characters! Ada is the ranch owner’s daughter, Dermot is the ranch hand who comes to break young horses every summer. He was her childhood crush, she kissed him once when she turned 18 but he turned her down. Now it’s 3 years later and she’s home from university while he’s back from his time in the army.
This was a quick novella but felt like a full book at the same time. You get the characters and see how they struggle with their feelings (she just wants him to want her as much as she does him, he feels such a connection to her parents and doesn’t want to offend them or upset the town if he starts seeing Ada after knowing her for years).
I read this novella last after the series and it actually made me want to go and reread the series. 😅 The characters we follow in this one are the grandparents of the series’ characters! Ada is the ranch owner’s daughter, Dermot is the ranch hand who comes to break young horses every summer. He was her childhood crush, she kissed him once when she turned 18 but he turned her down. Now it’s 3 years later and she’s home from university while he’s back from his time in the army.
This was a quick novella but felt like a full book at the same time. You get the characters and see how they struggle with their feelings (she just wants him to want her as much as she does him, he feels such a connection to her parents and doesn’t want to offend them or upset the town if he starts seeing Ada after knowing her for years).
September 12, 2024
1.5 stars⋆˙⟡, it’s just not the beautiful love story i thought it would be. since it’s a novella, i expected all the intense emotions to be magnified, but it didn’t feel like that. the relationship between the two felt a bit off for me. overall, it was really unsatisfying˙◠˙
January 11, 2025
Liked the backstory a lot! Need this for daddy eaton too please 🫶
August 2, 2025
Why was this WAYYYY better than literally all of book 1? And why is the rating lower? Yall are TRIPPPINNNGGG. Give me a full book of Ada & Dermont and I’ll eat it up!!!! Their chemistry was amazing and the story was so fucking cute. I wish it was longer 😭
January 12, 2025
It was a good novella, prequel to the series giving a taste of the grandfather that is mentioned and the one who owned the ranch. But I'm a little bit sad as I was thinking what the future held for them and it was bittersweet. I should've read it first
October 11, 2021
Ada had a huge crush on Dermot growing up, he lived on a neighbouring property but spent a lot of time on her family ranch helping out with the horses.
When Dermot was 18 years old he left to join the army and Ada decided to let him know how she felt before he left her behind. She initiated a scorching kiss between them and was left devastated when he rejected her.
Three years later, Dermot has returned to his family property that has now been left to him and to help out with the horses on Ada's family ranch. Ada isn't happy about it but knows she will just have to deal with having him around her again.
Dermot has never forgot that kiss and now that they have a few years of life experience behind them he is done denying himself the things he wants - that being Ada :)
A nice novella introduction to the Gold Rush Ranch series.
When Dermot was 18 years old he left to join the army and Ada decided to let him know how she felt before he left her behind. She initiated a scorching kiss between them and was left devastated when he rejected her.
Three years later, Dermot has returned to his family property that has now been left to him and to help out with the horses on Ada's family ranch. Ada isn't happy about it but knows she will just have to deal with having him around her again.
Dermot has never forgot that kiss and now that they have a few years of life experience behind them he is done denying himself the things he wants - that being Ada :)
A nice novella introduction to the Gold Rush Ranch series.
July 27, 2022
‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾☆ 3.5 stars ☆☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙
this was really good for a novella!!! Loved learning Ada and Dermot’s story, it was surprisingly deep and emotional and sweet for such a short story💘💘
• tropes •
✨age gap (10 years)
✨friends-to-lovers
✨small town romance
this was really good for a novella!!! Loved learning Ada and Dermot’s story, it was surprisingly deep and emotional and sweet for such a short story💘💘
• tropes •
✨age gap (10 years)
✨friends-to-lovers
✨small town romance
╭─━━━━━━━━━━━━─╮
• Gold Rush Ranch Series •
Off to the Races #1 — 3.25 stars
Out of the Gate #1.5 — 3.5 stars
A Photo Finish #2 — 4.5 stars
The Front Runner #3 — 4.25 stars
A False Start #4 — 4 stars
╰─━━━━━━━━━━━━─╯
January 11, 2025
Rating: 3.0⭐️
If y’all excuse me, i’m going to think about the PS: I should have kissed you back quote now.
If y’all excuse me, i’m going to think about the PS: I should have kissed you back quote now.
November 10, 2025
"i want you, I want us"
perfeito
fofos, quero chorar
perfeito
fofos, quero chorar
April 17, 2025
« 𝑷.𝑺. 𝒊 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖. »
4,5- ✨
cette nouvelle sur les grands parents de Vaughn & Cole était tellement adorable et réconfortante 🥹
c'était rapide mais tellement efficace,
l'univers de cette saga, le ranch, les chevaux, les courses hippiques... je m'y projette si facilement, j'adore la plume d'Elsie Silver purée
Ada est une FMC forte comme je les aime et Dermot est un MMC torturé mais si touchant,
ils sont absolument parfaits ensemble, j'en aurai bien pris 100 pages de plus,
les tropes : age gap / double pov / ex militaire / amour impossible en quelques sortes
— “i can’t remember a time in my life when i haven’t loved you. it’s always been you.”
4,5- ✨
cette nouvelle sur les grands parents de Vaughn & Cole était tellement adorable et réconfortante 🥹
c'était rapide mais tellement efficace,
l'univers de cette saga, le ranch, les chevaux, les courses hippiques... je m'y projette si facilement, j'adore la plume d'Elsie Silver purée
Ada est une FMC forte comme je les aime et Dermot est un MMC torturé mais si touchant,
ils sont absolument parfaits ensemble, j'en aurai bien pris 100 pages de plus,
les tropes : age gap / double pov / ex militaire / amour impossible en quelques sortes
— “i can’t remember a time in my life when i haven’t loved you. it’s always been you.”
April 8, 2025
4⭐️
This was such a cute story🥹 I wanted moreeee
This was such a cute story🥹 I wanted moreeee
July 9, 2023
Out Of The Gate es una novela breve y simple, honestamente, me entretuvo pero no me enamoro.
Tal vez de haber sido un poco mas larga yo hubiese conectado mas en profundidad con la pareja protagonista y tambien con su historia de amor, no obstante, fue amena de leer.
En fin, un romance sin complicaciones y que se lee en un momento.
2.5 Estrellas!
January 4, 2024
unfortunately this fell flat for me. poor ada was wayyyyy too in love with dermot and it kind of gave me the ick. girl please stand up. also all the info we got about dermot in off to the races just made me dislike him from the jump sawry
July 26, 2025
nothing special, but still cute & the sex scenes weren't too cringey!
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