Review: Wild Eyes by Elsie Silver

A rugged mountain town seemed like the perfect escape from a life in shambles. But on day one I ran full tilt into the world’s hottest single dad and now all my plans are ruined.

As a chart-topping country singer with a recent streak of bad press it’s hard to find any peace. But I find it in Rose Hill. With a little boy and a little girl who steal my heart just as thoroughly as their dad.

Weston Belmont.

The man is a shameless flirt. He oozes confidence and masculinity in a way that’s downright distracting. And in bed? He’s addictive.

Everything with him is wild and impulsive and I’m desperate to regain some control.

But no one has supported me like West does. And no one has ever made me feel as loved as he does either.

So, while my brain says settling down with a small-town horse trainer is impossible… my heart says I’m right where I belong.

Still, my life as a celebrity haunts me. It has the power to pull us apart.

I can see in his eyes that wants me to stay. And I want that too.

But I know better than anyone that we don’t always get what we want.

Review

This was one of my most anticipated reads this year. For most of the book, I had fun. When I think about my experience with this book—having finished it a few days ago, the favorite scenes that come to mind involve West. I enjoyed him as a main character, and I absolutely adored his kids—Ollie and Emmy. Kudos to Silver for giving readers this amazing guy who had a great and silly relationship with his kids.

Moreover, he had a great relationship with their mother. Bonus points. It gets extremely old reading stories where the mother is villainized or absent and the single dad is made to be the hero. That isn’t the case here. Sure, West and his ex-wife didn’t work out; however, they can efficiently co-parent and be in the same room together without screaming at each other. And not to applaud a fish for swimming, but it was refreshing that West didn’t blame his ex-wife for their marriage ending and did not hate her. West and his family elevated the book for me and stole the show.

I was a little weary of Skylar in the beginning. She isn’t my favorite Silver’s FMC, and honestly, I think I would rank her low. She felt out of touch with reality to me. Yes, she grew up privileged; however, I would assume that she should know how to make her bed. My feelings of her did improve. She was dealing with some personal struggles and attempting to rebuild her life after being controlled by her family. I did enjoy the soccer game scene with her and the gang. I thought that was fun, and I craved more. I also loved how the kids immediately were taken by her. And that West was a secret fan. That was adorable.

As the story approached the third half, my rating of the book significantly decreased. I would have preferred if Silver took a different approach this half. The drama didn’t add anything, instead caused me to be ignored. What was the purpose if there wasn’t going to be an emotional deep dive or revelation regarding one of them?

Final Thoughts

Wild Eyes was an underwhelming follow-up to Wild Love. Especially with the characterization of Skylar. With more time and consideration, I think there could have been a far more interesting story than what readers were presented.