Brutal Nights (Hidden Valley Elite Book 4) by Isla Vaughn – Review by Christie Mitchum

Brutal Nights by Isla Vaughn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Brutal Nights is my favorite book out of the Hidden Valley Elite Series so far!!!

The story opens right where it left off in the first book with a MAJOR cliffhanger. Now, Damon and Skylar will have to face the consequences of their decisions that not only affect others but affect themselves. Both of them will need to explore their very COMPLICATED feelings for each other.

As expected, there are horrible things done and said to Skylar in the aftermath, and her relationship with her best friend, Gia, is in tatters. I kept hoping that Gia would have a hard look at herself and accept her part in everything that happened. No spoilers here, you will have to find that out yourself. With all the complexities that happened, you would think this would make Damon and Skylar stay away from one another, but it only draws them closer. The two come up with another arrangement because the first one worked out so well, but this one has the potential to really allow them to get to know one another and become a real couple.

There was some angst between them and some back and forth, but all in all, they didn’t push each other away. They actually became friends, of course with benefits, but there were some really tender moments between them when they each let their walls down and trusted the other.

I enjoyed seeing the softer side of Damon and discovered that a lot of the things he did were to protect himself from becoming what he perceived his father to be and that impacted his feelings for Skylar.

“The noose tightened around my throat. If I told her how much I cared about her and thought about her constantly, she would gain too much power. And unequal power in a relationship was a very bad thing–it struck a chord that pointed at what my dad held over my mom.” ~DAMON

I was happy to see that Vaughn delved deeper into his complicated relationship with his father and stepmom. There was some real progress made there. I’m glad that Vaughn included that in the book because it played a huge role in Damon’s character.

Skylar was just a great all-around character. I loved her in the first book, but Vaughn showed a more vulnerable part of her, and she just illustrated how loyal she was, especially in regard to Gia. As with Damon, I saw why she felt like she did towards athletes, but she learned you can’t always lump one group of people together. You have to see them as individuals, not what you label them as.

“Damon was becoming a human being rather than just what he represented–an athlete. The thought alone should have made me run away, but it didn’t.” ~SKYLAR

I have loved every book in this series, but this one is my favorite and a 5-star read!!! Vaughn blended together so many components that make a book so good…angst, spice, a little bit of humor in a dark romance, and real emotion. Can’t wait for the next book in the series.

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