A review by bribreez
Wild Eyes by Elsie Silver

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

4.75⭐️/ 3🌶️

*Check Trigger warnings before reading.

We’re back in the small town of, Rose Hill with some new faces and familiar ones as well. Small town life in Rose Hill was great and easygoing for all who lived there, and for Weston “West” Belmont, he was busy juggling fatherhood and his business all together. As a single dad, West was use to trying to wrangle his fun loving kids, but the one person he didn’t expect to join his busy day to day life was country music singer, Skylar Stone. Skylar was a well known and beloved Southern Belle sweetheart who millions adored from her country music, but after a bad breakup and the media hounding her, she decided to take a break from all the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles and decided to record her album in none other than Rose Hill. Elsie Silver once was again captured the essence and love living in the small town of her stories and with tropes like, single dad/ country music singer, friends to lovers, slow burn romance, and more, it was a done deal this book was going to be GREAT! 

Skylar seemed like she had it all from, fame, money, a glamorous lifestyle, but even with all of that, she wasn’t truly happy. From the beginning couple of chapters, it was clear that Skylar was trying to get away from all that she left behind in Los Angeles. With the fall out of her breakup being publicized in the media, and being written about in a horrible matter, it was no wonder Skylar wanted to go to Rose Hill. Seeing Skylar in Rose Hill was a change for her that helped her grow and get back to what she wanted. In addition, with Skylar meeting West, she got to meet someone who, for one, didn’t want her for ulterior motives, he just liked her for who she was, and it was one of the many things that attracted Skylar to him. Plus, seeing Skylar interact with Rosie, Ford, and especially West’s kids, Oliver and Emmy was so adorable and heartwarming. Skylar went to Rose Hill to focus on herself and her album, but she also found a groups of people who truly cherished and loved her the way she had always wanted. 

West was such a lovable character from being an incredible father, an amazing friend, and overall a genuinely kind person who took Skylar under his wing. West juggled a lot of responsibilities, but he didn’t let it deter him from having fun with his friends with their regular bowling nights or being is usual fun loving self that exuded a wonderful energy that was infectious. West was also a wonderful man who helped Skylar learn that she shouldn’t take herself too seriously and instead focus on the joys of life around her. West was able to bring light hearted joy into Skylar’s life from taking her out on the canoe, spending time doing night checks with the horses, or my favorite was when West emailed funny headlines to Skylar to make her laugh and in more of a positive light as opposed to how the media treated her negatively. 

I will say this again and again, but ELSIE SILVER KNOWS HOW TO WRITE A FANTASTIC SMALL TOWN ROMANCE! Inglewood addition, writing such lovable, amazing characters, this book was filled with heart felt moments, humor, romance, and a close knit family that made me go “aww” through out the book. Skylar and West grew over the course of the story in different ways, but seeing Skylar in particular take charge of her life and career was inspiring and powerful. After living her life according to the demands and abuse of her parents, Skylar finally had enough and set out to make her life how she wanted, and it all started when she arrived in Rose Hill as well as with West alongside her. Seeing how much of a devoted and loving father West was really admirable, and his kids, Ollie and Emmy truly were endearing and lovable too! The kids in this story really were amazing and the moments where Emmy and Ollie appeared really so darn sweet and made for some sentimental moments. The romance was great, I LOVED THE SLOW BURN ROMANCE! I honestly liked seeing the build up between West and Skylar because, it made for a more enjoyable moment once they both decided to finally transition into a relationship as opposed to “just friends”. I have nothing but words of love and kindness for this book and any book by Elsie Silver. I felt the small town vibes, the picturesque atmosphere of Rose Hill, loved seeing Ford and Rosie once again, as well as getting some crumbs for the next book! YAY! I’m intrigued to see how the next book will be! Nonetheless, this was a wonderful book to read, and I would recommend it if you love, single dad trope, she’s a county music singer, slow burn romance, friends to lovers, spicy small town romance, and a bit of found family.