Wild Eyes takes place in the breathtaking Canadian Rockies and is the second in the Rose Hill series. It’s a small-town romance between a popular country music star looking for peace and a single dad who is a horse trainer and it’s my favorite book by chart topper Elsie Silver.

All Skylar, a country music star who’s had a recent run of bad luck with the press, wanted to do was take a cute video for her social media feed. The next thing she knows, she’s being rescued from an angry mama grizzly by a hottie horse whisperer named West. She’s come to town to work with Ford (from Wild Love) to record music in his new studio, Wild Rose Records, although first she has to write some songs. She’s in Rose Hill earlier than planned because she found out her manager/father paid her boyfriend, another up-and-coming country singer, to go out with her because he thought it would be good for her image. While this is not exactly a free Britney situation, Skylar’s father is really awful both as a dad and a manager. He tells her what to do in her personal life as well as her career. Skylar has been performing since she was quite young and her parents have been living off her career all her life. Now she’s twenty-six and it’s time for her to take control of her life and her career.

West is a horse trainer and lives in a home on a beautiful lake next door to Ford and Rosie (his sister). West has two kids, Emmy, who is six and Oliver (Olly) who is eight. West gets along well with his ex, who has remarried, and the kids spend a week with them and the next week with West. He has a good life working with the horses, tending to his small farm, and taking care of his kids.

Soon after he’s rescued Skylar, his sister brings her over and asks West if Skylar can stay in his bunkhouse while she works on songs. West is an easy-going, fun-loving guy, and is glad to let her stay. And though Skylar has lived lavishly her whole life and traveled all over, she thinks Rose Hill is the prettiest place she’s ever been.

Skylar settles in and begins working on a new album. She loves to sit by the lake which, it turns out, is also Olly’s favorite place to read. Olly has selective mutism but he is able to talk to his family and, as he gets to know her, Skylar. In the evenings she helps West check the horses. He also coaches Emmy’s soccer team and when his assistant can’t make it, he asks Skylar to help him out. (I love that Emmy’s team is called the Sparkly Turquoise Unicorns.)

Skylar and West banter and flirt as they spend more time together. West jokes around with her and they have nicknames for each other. They do small town things like boating, fishing and riding horses. I loved watching the two grow close. And when there’s a local fair with a bachelor auction (for a good cause) and Skylar wins West, things start to get spicy – on his truck, in the shower, in a sandy horse corral and in his home. West has been lonely the weeks the kids are at their mom’s and he loves having Skylar at his home. She is writing songs and their time together feels natural and easy. West worries what it will be like when Skylar is done recording her music if she will go back to L.A. Then something happens to cause a third act breakup, but happily, it doesn’t last long.

The thing that made this story special was how much fun West, the kids, and Skylar have in their small town. Skylar has a parrot she got from a rescue that swears like a sailor that adds humor. There’s also a sweet scene with Skittles. It’s special to see Skylar discover herself and find love with West. He’s the best!

The pacing is slow in some places but sped up at the end so it didn’t bother me. The book would have been perfect if we’d seen more of them all together as a family, but I’m hoping we’ll see them make an appearance in the next book, Wild Side, coming next March.

Wild Eyes has everything I look for in a romance. It’s a sweet, sexy small town story, with leads I loved, set in a gorgeous place. What more could you want?