REVIEW: WILD CHILD by M. LEIGHTON

Series: The Wild Ones #1.5
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: 10/22/13
Format: eARC
Source: Received from author for review
Rating: 5 stars

Jenna Theopolis has always known what she wanted. Getting out of her small hometown of Greenfield was number one on her list of priorities. Until she met Rusty Catron.
Rusty’s fun-loving personality was the perfect match for Jenna’s inner wild child. But what started off as a summer fling quickly turns into something more. At least it does for Jenna.

Rusty has lived with the ghost of his father’s abandonment since he was a child, but now he’s beginning to feel the crippling effects of his scars. He wants to trust in Jenna, but deep down he doesn’t believe someone so wild and free can ever be tamed.

But tragedy strikes, pushing Jenna out of Greenfield and leaving Rusty with a choice to make—face his inner demons or lose the love of his life. Forever.

Trick Henley was my first fictional cowboy crush. But.... I also fell hard for his best friend Rusty Catron. Whereas Trick and Cami were the star-crossed, Romeo and Juliet-esque couple that had me on the edge of my seat, Rusty and Jenna, Cami's best friend, were the wild cards, the couple who had my giggling and hoping I would eventually get their story.

Wild Child is their story. And while I was initially bummed that they were getting a novella and not a full-length novel, I will say that Leighton did her characters justice. Wild Child is a story that I felt had two completely different, but both very thorough, sides. The first half read like an Epic Bout of Foreplay; a seduction, full of sexy, fun moments and intense chemistry between Rusty and Jenna. That first half of Wild Child? It gave me a seriously wicked case of hot flashes.

The second half, though, was more emotional. That half of Wild Child delved into the issues that hold Rusty back, keep him from moving toward a future with Jenna. It's about betrayal and insecurity, fear and hesitation. By the same turn, Jenna must wade through her uncertain future with Rusty. Whether she can -or should - hang her star around a man who will never give her what she needs, full-throttle love and devotion.

Wild Child was a big story in a short space. We get moments of sweetness, especially revolving around Trick and Cami. There are moments full of naughty, naughty fun, courtesy of Rusty and Jenna. There are moments of tension and heartbreak, and an event that changed everything. Wild Child also provides an excellent set-up for the next book in the series, Some Like It Wild. Wild Child is a story that not only fits within The Wild Ones series, it enhances it. A great novella.


Favorite Quotes:

  He steeling himself against wanting me, which makes me want to tease him that much more. I want to break him. I want him to give in because he just can't stand it. I want him to forsake all else for me, for the want of me, for the love of me. That's all I've ever wanted from Rusty -- his devotion. The same kind of devotion I have for him.   ~eARC, 14%


  "I haven't texted Rusty one naughty thing since you told me what we were doing with this no sex thing."
  "Really? I'm impressed."
  "You should be, you cock-blocking gutter snipe!"
  "Cock-blocking gutter snipe?" she asks.
  I giggle. "I don't know where in the blue blazes that came from. See what a lack of sex does to me?"   ~eARC, 16%


 

The Wild Ones Series

     

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About the author

M. Leighton is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Wild Ones and The Bad Boys romance trilogies. She is a native of Ohio, relocated to the warmer climates of the South, where she lets her mind wander to romantic settings with sexy Southern guys much like the one she married and the ones you'll find in her latest books. When her thoughts aren't roaming in that direction, she'll be riding horses, swimming in ponds and experiencing life on a ranch, all without leaving the cozy comfort of her office.


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