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kaydanielsromance's review
5.0
Wow! Brilliantly written second chance romance!
Silas Jenkins, he's sassy, grumpy, and basically hates everyone. Actually hate requires some form of caring which Silas does not care about anything or anyone, except his mother. We find out early on that his mother is sick and dying and to the outside world money may look like it affords everything, but even money can't buy the one thing Silas really wants; his mother's life. The mask Silas wears outside of visiting his mother is indifference and the only other person to see underneath that mask is a girl that didn't grow up around all the wealth and influence, Skyler Jackson.
Skyler is the polar opposite of Silas, her mom works for one of the rich families, making them the help. Where Silas is the King of school, all she wants to do is fade into the background, but the two of them form a secret bond after she is basically blackmailed into doing his homework. Their friendship (if you call it that) doesn't end well, as secrets between emotional teens never do, but ten years pass and Skyler finds herself trapped in Silas' web once again and this time she may not be able to escape.
I was completely drawn into how this story was crafted. It moves back and forth between the present and the past, giving snapshots on how Skyler and Silas not only befriended one another, but how they reconnected ten years later. The timelines moved perfectly and kept the pages turning, while keeping their personalities in sync to who they were and who they grew up to be not only alone, but also together.
Silas is such a lost soul, swimming in a cavern of self doubt when it comes to feelings or intimacy which is why he's turned that emotion off. Simultaneously he's man of no doubt when it comes to something he wants. He pushes and correls until he gets the desired outcome. The rare exception to both of these things in his life has been Skyler and he's never known what to do about it, she is a rare light around him and this is what love truly does for someone, especially someone like Silas.
Skyler, a girl who prefers to hide, but she is also a girl filled with passion. She only shows the world her shadow, but around Silas she releases that fire. Silas wants her fire, he thirsts for it. Skyler has to make a decision if she wants to burn for him or walk away when he returns to her life. Together they are combustible and she isn't sure she's ready to burn more bridges.
I really loved how everything fell into place and how the entire story was constructed. Excellent plot and beautiful moments. I would read Ivy Wild again in a heartbeat!
Silas Jenkins, he's sassy, grumpy, and basically hates everyone. Actually hate requires some form of caring which Silas does not care about anything or anyone, except his mother. We find out early on that his mother is sick and dying and to the outside world money may look like it affords everything, but even money can't buy the one thing Silas really wants; his mother's life. The mask Silas wears outside of visiting his mother is indifference and the only other person to see underneath that mask is a girl that didn't grow up around all the wealth and influence, Skyler Jackson.
Skyler is the polar opposite of Silas, her mom works for one of the rich families, making them the help. Where Silas is the King of school, all she wants to do is fade into the background, but the two of them form a secret bond after she is basically blackmailed into doing his homework. Their friendship (if you call it that) doesn't end well, as secrets between emotional teens never do, but ten years pass and Skyler finds herself trapped in Silas' web once again and this time she may not be able to escape.
I was completely drawn into how this story was crafted. It moves back and forth between the present and the past, giving snapshots on how Skyler and Silas not only befriended one another, but how they reconnected ten years later. The timelines moved perfectly and kept the pages turning, while keeping their personalities in sync to who they were and who they grew up to be not only alone, but also together.
Silas is such a lost soul, swimming in a cavern of self doubt when it comes to feelings or intimacy which is why he's turned that emotion off. Simultaneously he's man of no doubt when it comes to something he wants. He pushes and correls until he gets the desired outcome. The rare exception to both of these things in his life has been Skyler and he's never known what to do about it, she is a rare light around him and this is what love truly does for someone, especially someone like Silas.
Skyler, a girl who prefers to hide, but she is also a girl filled with passion. She only shows the world her shadow, but around Silas she releases that fire. Silas wants her fire, he thirsts for it. Skyler has to make a decision if she wants to burn for him or walk away when he returns to her life. Together they are combustible and she isn't sure she's ready to burn more bridges.
I really loved how everything fell into place and how the entire story was constructed. Excellent plot and beautiful moments. I would read Ivy Wild again in a heartbeat!
ree128's review
5.0
Missed opportunity
Silas and Skylar meet again after a decade apart. Silas sees this as a second chance after he had messed thing's up between them in high school. We get an opportunity to see what had happened between them in the past and see how horrible he had been to Skylar.
Skylar arrived at Potomac her senior year and was used to being the odd person out, people always stared or were uncomfortable around her because she had lavender eyes and no pigmentation. Silas was the only person who saw her and told her not to talk small. She thought he was her friend, until he did something so awful to her.
Ten years later he finds her working as a waitress, can she trust her heart to him again? Is it worth risking it when he offers her a job as his personal assistant, can they keep it all business and not make it personal. Silas has plans for Skylar, first is to get her where he can see her everyday, then get her to trust him again. But can he do this?
I love this book, not only was it a bully romance, but it was about second chances. It was beautifully written. Silas had changed so much from when we first met him in The Estate, he's so much more humble than before. The glimpse we have of him now of when he was growing up helps to explain why he was the way he was too. Excellent back story.
Silas and Skylar meet again after a decade apart. Silas sees this as a second chance after he had messed thing's up between them in high school. We get an opportunity to see what had happened between them in the past and see how horrible he had been to Skylar.
Skylar arrived at Potomac her senior year and was used to being the odd person out, people always stared or were uncomfortable around her because she had lavender eyes and no pigmentation. Silas was the only person who saw her and told her not to talk small. She thought he was her friend, until he did something so awful to her.
Ten years later he finds her working as a waitress, can she trust her heart to him again? Is it worth risking it when he offers her a job as his personal assistant, can they keep it all business and not make it personal. Silas has plans for Skylar, first is to get her where he can see her everyday, then get her to trust him again. But can he do this?
I love this book, not only was it a bully romance, but it was about second chances. It was beautifully written. Silas had changed so much from when we first met him in The Estate, he's so much more humble than before. The glimpse we have of him now of when he was growing up helps to explain why he was the way he was too. Excellent back story.
caitmayell's review
3.0
Although I enjoyed the book and the chemistry and initial slow burn and flashbacks, I just felt that everything was rushed. Within a couple of pages the male character went from having no heart to being completely in love with her. The side story with the half brother also felt really rushed and underdeveloped.
la_vampiresa's review
4.0
This is my first story by Ivy Wild. I kind of went in blind and honestly wasn't sure what to expect. It really was a beautifully written Bully/second chance/opposites attract story. I was soooo rooting for h/H. Personally, I'm not a fan of back and forth time jumps, so I was a bit thrown off with that. Also, it was a bit slow paced. Overall, I really did end up enjoying this story and Silas & Skyler's HEA.
I received an ARC and voluntarily gave my honest opinion and review
I received an ARC and voluntarily gave my honest opinion and review
thebusybookmom's review
4.0
Wild used the story of Sioas and Skyler to weave the past and present together in an unparalleled way. Events happening in the present are directly related to the past between these two.
I was never confused switching back and forth between the two as can happen with stories, and each telling was significant to the present moments to gain clarity for the scene.
I loved every word of this story, and am now enamored with Wild's storytelling. This was a first reading of this new to me author. I can tell you her back list just moved up on my TBR.
I was never confused switching back and forth between the two as can happen with stories, and each telling was significant to the present moments to gain clarity for the scene.
I loved every word of this story, and am now enamored with Wild's storytelling. This was a first reading of this new to me author. I can tell you her back list just moved up on my TBR.
getcremebrulaid's review
4.0
I didn’t think it would be possible to like Silas after how awful he was in the first book, but this books proved that there was more to him than meets the surface. Granted, he’s still a real pain in the ass in this bully romance. But, we get a look inside him mind and learn some backstory that explains why he is the way he is. Some therapy would help, but Skyler brings out the best in him anyways.
This books takes place in two timelines - high school and post college. Both are labeled pretty clearly, as the story jumps back and forth. It’s mostly from Skyler and Silas’s perspective this time around, with one chapter from an additional point of view. In the present, Silas is going through an audit that he needs additional help with. He doesn’t trust many people but something calls him to his old fr(enemy) Skyler. He knows she’s one of the few people he can trust, so he offers her a job position as his assistant that comes with perks like a handsome paycheck and a free apartment. Skyler on the other hand has been trying to forget him since high school. All he ever did was cause problems back then, so the thought of working with him now is nauseating. But when it comes to the money, she can’t say no to his job offer. As the story progresses we find out more about what actually went down in high school and how they became enemies. While simultaneously working to save his reputation in the present.
There were surprisingly a lot of heartfelt moments. Both Silas and Skyler have an interesting family dynamic. Watching their interactions with their parents was heartbreaking at times. Watching them as teenagers was so frustrating because it’s so clear that they care about each other, but they get caught up in the chaos that is high school. It’s hard to be genuine, when everyone’s encouraging you to act a certain way to fit in. Then bouncing to the present and seeing that they never resolved their issues. By the end I was rooting so hard for them to just open their eyes and see what’s been right in front of them their whole life.
I will say that the ending was an unexpected plot twist. I wasn’t prepared for anything that happened until the craziness was already taking place. The villain of the story was a wild card for me. Looking back, I could see all the signs. But in the moment I was blissfully unaware of who was going to ruin Silas’s life.
Even though Silas was a hateful character I still felt for him by the end. The amount of character development he goes through was impressive. It showed that even the worst of characters can be redeemed. Plus it made it that much more satisfying when Si and Sky get their happily ever after. I thought the book was very entertaining and fast paced. The tension between the characters is intense. It took me less than a day to finish it. All in all, a great read. I normally don’t care for second chance romances, but this one held my attention.
This books takes place in two timelines - high school and post college. Both are labeled pretty clearly, as the story jumps back and forth. It’s mostly from Skyler and Silas’s perspective this time around, with one chapter from an additional point of view. In the present, Silas is going through an audit that he needs additional help with. He doesn’t trust many people but something calls him to his old fr(enemy) Skyler. He knows she’s one of the few people he can trust, so he offers her a job position as his assistant that comes with perks like a handsome paycheck and a free apartment. Skyler on the other hand has been trying to forget him since high school. All he ever did was cause problems back then, so the thought of working with him now is nauseating. But when it comes to the money, she can’t say no to his job offer. As the story progresses we find out more about what actually went down in high school and how they became enemies. While simultaneously working to save his reputation in the present.
There were surprisingly a lot of heartfelt moments. Both Silas and Skyler have an interesting family dynamic. Watching their interactions with their parents was heartbreaking at times. Watching them as teenagers was so frustrating because it’s so clear that they care about each other, but they get caught up in the chaos that is high school. It’s hard to be genuine, when everyone’s encouraging you to act a certain way to fit in. Then bouncing to the present and seeing that they never resolved their issues. By the end I was rooting so hard for them to just open their eyes and see what’s been right in front of them their whole life.
I will say that the ending was an unexpected plot twist. I wasn’t prepared for anything that happened until the craziness was already taking place. The villain of the story was a wild card for me. Looking back, I could see all the signs. But in the moment I was blissfully unaware of who was going to ruin Silas’s life.
Even though Silas was a hateful character I still felt for him by the end. The amount of character development he goes through was impressive. It showed that even the worst of characters can be redeemed. Plus it made it that much more satisfying when Si and Sky get their happily ever after. I thought the book was very entertaining and fast paced. The tension between the characters is intense. It took me less than a day to finish it. All in all, a great read. I normally don’t care for second chance romances, but this one held my attention.
kfriend's review
4.0
Ivy Wild is such a fresh new voice in the romance world, and I'm so glad I discovered her stories. Fraught with emotional tension, brimming with complex character development, and complicated but firey chemistry. Brightly Burning Bridges is an intense but redemptive bully second chance love story that completely captures you.
There's an emotional tenacity to the way Ivy tells her stories, and Silas and Skyler bring such intensity to the page. These two have emotional back and forth, especially as this story is told in the past and present where both history and present are full of angst and tumultuous feelings. At first, I wasn't sure I could get behind Silas- though I could feel his thrall. Silas definitely takes a while to redeem himself, but I loved how Skyler is such a strong and resolved heroine amidst his alpha ways. Both characters get a chance to grow and evolve as the story unfolds- and while I'm not normally a fan of narrative structures that alternate between past and present, but here it not only added to the turmoil and angst but also really situated a steady but compelling character arc for both. They've been broken and have kept so much under the surface, and when they reunite again there carefully packaged emotional baggage spills over. There's a chaos to their chemistry, a raw fragility, but also a a tender strength and pulsing intimacy that underscores their fractures. The facades fade, the walls crumble, and Ivy exposes both character's beauty within their broken- and their profound need for one another. And Silas does come through- beautifully, symbolically and emotionally, in ways I never anticipated but felt deep in my heart.
As a new author, Ivy already has such incredible talent. Her stories are carefully constructed, the evocative prose flows and engages, and she has such a keen ability to create tragically flawed and complicated characters whose emotive journeys are told with such care and thoughtfulness. Her stories are intense, unexpected, and engaging- but the true power lies in the emotional resonance of her characters. This is some of the most clear and compelling character voice I've read- Ivy absorbs us and them completely. How intensely she dissects and opens up her characters' hearts and minds and the power of their self-growth- the healing, the forgiveness, the self-actualization and awareness, the redemption, the acceptance- all catalyze by a deep but complicated connection with another broken soul. I'm excited to read more from her and for more emotional journeys to come.
There's an emotional tenacity to the way Ivy tells her stories, and Silas and Skyler bring such intensity to the page. These two have emotional back and forth, especially as this story is told in the past and present where both history and present are full of angst and tumultuous feelings. At first, I wasn't sure I could get behind Silas- though I could feel his thrall. Silas definitely takes a while to redeem himself, but I loved how Skyler is such a strong and resolved heroine amidst his alpha ways. Both characters get a chance to grow and evolve as the story unfolds- and while I'm not normally a fan of narrative structures that alternate between past and present, but here it not only added to the turmoil and angst but also really situated a steady but compelling character arc for both. They've been broken and have kept so much under the surface, and when they reunite again there carefully packaged emotional baggage spills over. There's a chaos to their chemistry, a raw fragility, but also a a tender strength and pulsing intimacy that underscores their fractures. The facades fade, the walls crumble, and Ivy exposes both character's beauty within their broken- and their profound need for one another. And Silas does come through- beautifully, symbolically and emotionally, in ways I never anticipated but felt deep in my heart.
As a new author, Ivy already has such incredible talent. Her stories are carefully constructed, the evocative prose flows and engages, and she has such a keen ability to create tragically flawed and complicated characters whose emotive journeys are told with such care and thoughtfulness. Her stories are intense, unexpected, and engaging- but the true power lies in the emotional resonance of her characters. This is some of the most clear and compelling character voice I've read- Ivy absorbs us and them completely. How intensely she dissects and opens up her characters' hearts and minds and the power of their self-growth- the healing, the forgiveness, the self-actualization and awareness, the redemption, the acceptance- all catalyze by a deep but complicated connection with another broken soul. I'm excited to read more from her and for more emotional journeys to come.
bookaddictreviews's review
5.0
I LOVE Silas. I LOVE Skylar. The two of them together is a burning inferno and I couldn’t get enough of it!
Silas, well he is kind of a jerk. He hides behind a mask and doesn’t let anyone see the real man. However, from the moment Skylar entered into his life the mask started to fall. Skylar has a huge heart. She just wants to fit in and feels like the outcast, but Silas doesn’t make her feel like that.
I loved the journey these two characters went both individually and together. Things weren’t also easy, they both pushed each other. There were heartbreaking moments and moments of pure love.
These are two people who’d you never expect to be together, yet they are truly perfect for each other. There is so much chemistry between them, even when they were hating each other.
Silas and Skylar’s journey was an emotional one, it was a slow burn, but in the end it was completely worth the wait.
If you’re looking for a second chance bully romance this is one to read!
Silas, well he is kind of a jerk. He hides behind a mask and doesn’t let anyone see the real man. However, from the moment Skylar entered into his life the mask started to fall. Skylar has a huge heart. She just wants to fit in and feels like the outcast, but Silas doesn’t make her feel like that.
I loved the journey these two characters went both individually and together. Things weren’t also easy, they both pushed each other. There were heartbreaking moments and moments of pure love.
These are two people who’d you never expect to be together, yet they are truly perfect for each other. There is so much chemistry between them, even when they were hating each other.
Silas and Skylar’s journey was an emotional one, it was a slow burn, but in the end it was completely worth the wait.
If you’re looking for a second chance bully romance this is one to read!
fsmeurinne's review
5.0
Well, this was a wild ride, a brilliant story that kept me reading all night long. Bully romance combined with a second chance that will have your heart and mind 100% invested and within a turmoil. Such an intense story, that will get to you hard and hot. Skyer and Silas's story is so refreshing and one you need to read now. Ivy Wild has written a story that got me hard and will fully recommend reading. I'm so looking forward to her next book, because I know it will be amazing. Redemption has never felt so right and yet one I would love to experience all over again, perhaps an audiobook in the future? Amazing 5 stars!
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