I’d be lying if I tried to say it wasn’t the audio clip of Wild Eyes by Elsie Silver that recently went viral on BookTok that had me picking up this entire series. Sure I was in the mood for a small town romance or two, well three, actually, but color me intrigued upon our first intro to Weston. And I was never disappointed. I absolutely loved this book, and could not put it down.
Wild Eyes by Elsie Silver
Wild Eyes by Elsie Silver is the second book in the Rose Hill series. It’s a contemporary small town romance with a touch of pop star thrown in. It was published on September 3rd, 2024 and is 407 pages long. You can find this book on Amazon, Kindle Unlimited, and the author’s website here.
Premise
West is simply going about his day, driving home, when he spots a tourist on the side of the road, getting a selfie with a freaking grizzly bear. Coming to a stop he tries to warn the tourist about the dangers of her actions, until she spins around to him and sees that it’s Skylar freaking Stone. Pop star. And his favorite singer. Keeping his cool he pretends he’s not her biggest fan as he rescues her from this dangerous situation.
After Skylar meets with Rosie and Ford, she realizes that the houses they’re building for the studio aren’t ready, but Rosie offers up her brother’s bunkhouse for her. Skylar was unaware that the man who saved her from the bear is the same man who owns the property she’ll be living on with his two adorable kids while she tries to come to terms with the sham of her life and the betrayal of her family.
Triggers
Triggers found in Wild Eyes by Elsie Silver include:
- Childhood psychological abuse
- Childhood trauma
- Substance abuse/death by OD referenced on page
- Sexually explicit content
My Thoughts
I was looking forward to West’s book since we met him in Wild Love. He caught my attention fast and there was no letting go. So naturally as soon as I finished Wild Love I immediately picked up Wild Eyes and it was a book I could not put down.
This book had me hooked from the beginning. I was completely prepared for a spoiled pop star upon meeting Skylar, but she wasn’t spoiled in her attitude at all. Sure she had some rough moments, but ultimately she was just a sweet woman who was tired of being a damned doormat.
“It was all going great until you showed up acting like fucking Crocodile Dundee crossed with…with…” She waves a hand over me as she struggles to find the right insult. “With Superman or something.” I lift a hand and scrub it over my chin. “It’s the strong jawline, isn’t it?” “No, it’s the obnoxious hero complex.” – Wild Eyes by Elsie Silver
Meanwhile West, the unflappable, sarcastic, witty jokester, matched Skylar’s so perfectly but in a “lift her up” type of way that was beautiful. He believed in her in ways that she had never previously witnessed, all while teaching her how to stand up for herself.
“No, fancy face. Those”—he points at my face, finger flicking from side to side—“are wild eyes. The eyes of a woman who just chose fight over flight. Don’t smother that. Keep ‘em and you’ll come out on top. Trust me.” – Wild Eyes by Elsie Silver
A slow burn that was sooo worth the wait. West was a gentleman, mostly. And Skylar didn’t want to rush into something while she was also trying to find herself. Once the spice did hit it was everything we could have hoped for, especially with the build up of tension between the characters.
“What I really want to tell you is that I’m a fan of you in my shirt,” I breathe out against her damp lips. Restraint shot, I nip at her jawline. “I’m a fan of you in my house.” My lips travel to her neck.“I’m a fan of you in my lap.” My hands glide under the fabric, and I squeeze the sides of her bare ass as I bite down on the crook of her neck. “And once we have this place to ourselves,” I murmur against her skin, “I’m gonna be a big fan of you in my bed.” – Wild Eyes by Elsie Silver
I absolutely love a story where a woman is just sick of everything and ready to write it all off and just be herself. Even if she doesn’t know what that means. Because honestly, same girl. Skylar’s growth through the whole story was absolutely heart breaking and beautiful.
And then we have West, the forever bachelor who finally figures out that he is worth fighting for, but he also has to fight for himself. Just… gah! I freaking loved these two so much.
“You’ve been dreaming about kissing me back. And I’m thinking that if I kissed you again, right here…you wouldn’t pull away.” – Wild Eyes by Elsie Silver
Moving on to side characters, Tabby and Rhys are next up in the series but do I smell an enemies to lovers? Yes I do. Emmy is a little ball of energetic sunshine and Ollie is such a sweetheart, those two make the story so much better. And we did get to see Ford, Rosie, and Cora so that also made me happy.
And my favorite side character goes to Cherry. And I’ll leave it at that.
This book had all of those good emotional healing vibes. Like if you want to cry a bit, have your heart just a little bit broken, and stitched back together, this is the book for that.
Who Would Like Wild Eyes by Elsie Silver?
Tropes found in Wild Eyes by Elsie Silver include:
- Small Town
- Single Dad
- Slow Burn
- Strangers to Friends to Lovers
If you liked Heartless by Elsie Silver, Runaway Groomsman by Meghan Quinn, or The Mixtape by Brittainy C Cherry you will love this book.
Make sure you check out all of my Rose Hill posts:
Have you read Wild Eyes by Elsie Silver, or have you added it to your TBR? Let me know in the comments below. I love interacting with other readers over books we loved.