Review: Make Me Wilder

Make Me Wilder by Serena Bell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I've heard so much hype about these books (and been rejected for an ARC by the publisher) so when this came up as a free book on Kindle I grabbed it with both hands.

Lucy has a wonderful one-night stand with what turns out to be her boss' long-term boyfriend (they were on a break). What makes it worse is that her boss is more disappointed that Lucy has avoided social engagement with the rest of her co-workers so much that she didn't recognise her boss' boyfriend. Of course there's a reason that Lucy doesn't engage, her father embezzled from the friends, family and small town community and she and her mother were shunned as a result which has left Lucy shy of getting too close to others.

In an attempt to get away from New York and the embarrassment of her one-night stand, Lucy takes on a consulting gig in Rush Creek, helping a family hunting, shooting, fishing, adventure holiday business diversify and attract more of the women who are visiting the local hot springs and spa.

On her first night in Rush Creek Lucy manages to meet a cute hottie who helps her rescue some ducklings who have got caught in a storm drain, they are getting on really well, until she tells him her purpose - of course he's Gabe Wilder, part-owner and full-time manager of Wilder Adventures, his mother (the majority owner) has engaged Lucy to rescue the business.

The Wilder brothers may be a group of sexy mountain men (although you can clearly see some of the future romances already brewing) but Lucy only has eyes for grumpy Gabe. Similarly, Gabe may resent his mother engaging Lucy but he sure as heck doesn't want her going off camping with any of his brothers without him.

I enjoyed this but how I wish there was more plot and less smexy times. Yeah, I know, I'm old and the screamer says its a steamy small-town romantic comedy, but there are only so many shower scenes/heavy petting scenes I can read before I start to yawn. The biggest issue is that the plot suffers as a result. Lucy goes on adventure trips with each of the brothers to get to know the business, then suggests a generic way of getting more women/couples interested by emphasising the teamwork/sharing aspects. It's all insta-love, insta-solution etc.



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