Savage Truth (Hidden Valley Elite Book 2) by Isla Vaughn – Review by Shea Gilkerson 5/25/23

Savage Truth: A High School Bully Romance by Isla Vaughn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 stars

Savage Truth is book 2 in a set including a prequel and book 1. I’m not sure how easy to follow book 2 would be without reading the other two prior. It picks up directly where book 1 ends.

Riley is a high school student who has spent her entire life on the run with her mother, from her incredibly dangerous father. This means a lifetime of sticking to the plan, changing appearance to blend in, using fake names and running cons.

Riley and Cole already loved to hate one another, but living together has really put it over the top. Book 2 brought no less passion, but less in the form of hatred between them. Everything is a game of cat and mouse and along the way, they discover some things and make some real connections. I’m making an effort not to post any spoilers but it doesn’t leave much specifically to say.

Book 2 was good and I was pleased with the ending. In comparison to the prequel and book 1, which felt more that I was totally engrossed and couldn’t put it down, this felt rushed. So many things happened that answer a lot of questions, and it was well fleshed out in terms of sharing the entirety of what the author envisioned, but with a ton of conclusions fitting into a very small section of the book – as though everything had to fit into (x) number of pages. Until I hit the part that felt rushed it was completely enjoyable to read. Descriptions are easy to follow, backgrounds of favorite areas are clear, looks and emotions and experiences are still a fun read, I just feel the author didn’t do her talent justice to rush some pretty conclusive sections. Definitely worth the read, starting with the prequel. Looking forward to reading Damon’s story next!

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