Cruel Hate (Hidden Valley Elite Book 5) by Isla Vaughn – Review by Christie Mitchum

Cruel Hate by Isla Vaughn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After reading Cruel Start, I couldn’t wait to read this one! This book is quite different. In the prior book, it happens somewhat at breakneck speed. This one is more of a slow burn between the two of them. The only spicy things that happen are the arguments and disagreements they have. However, that makes sense as the two of them are dealing with an unplanned pregnancy as well as their own individual issues. Phoenix is not sure what is going on with his twin, Shane. He just knows that there is a distance between them that neither has experienced before. Is it Shane’s ex or something else? Not to mention that he is failing his classes and is in danger of losing his scholarship and his dream of playing football. In addition, his grandfather is acting strange as well. Aspen is dealing with her parents’ disapproval of her pregnancy and their pending divorce. In my opinion, there is more angst and back and forth between this couple than in any of the other books. Again, that would be realistic with this couple. They are facing some really harsh realities, and that makes this book really different than the previous books in addition to this book taking place in college and not high school.

Because the book is different doesn’t make it any less enjoyable than the previous ones. I actually liked that it focused more on them as individuals rather than as a couple. I got more insight into this couple as individuals rather than as a couple. I also discovered more about their parents and how that impacted their present and their future.

I highly recommend reading the prequel before this book as it gives you a good background of Phoenix and Aspen and how they find themselves in their current situation. The icing on the cake was the ending…OMG, what a freaking cliffhanger. Talk about a nailbiter….can’t wait to see what happens next for this couple!!!

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