Bea Reviews Wilde Side & Wilde Thing by Jannine Gallant

Series: Born to Be Wilde #2
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: October 25th, 2016
Challenges: 2016 Finishing the Series Reading Challenge | 2016 NetGalley & Edelweiss Reading Challenge
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | iTunes* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

The Wilde brothers are addicted to the rush of adventure. But one of them is about to discover that it’s sink or swim, when passion and politics collide…

Whitewater rafting guide Sawyer Wilde has taken his share of inexperienced adventure seekers through the rapids of Idaho’s Salmon River, so his next group should pose no problems—even if it includes a presidential hopeful and his sexy, outspoken aide. After all, it’s just a campaign photo-op for the congressman. Until a series of minor mishaps takes a sinister turn…

Devin Lockhart has one job on the rafting trip: to make her boss look both presidential and relatable. And no matter how distractingly attractive their guide is, she plans to do it well. But as danger stalks them through every bend in the river, Devin must put her life—and the congressman’s—in Sawyer’s capable hands. Because surviving the trip is only the beginning of a deadly ride.

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed the first book in this series, "Wilde One", so I happily requested this one. I didn't like it quite as much. Parts were infuriating, parts were predictable, and parts were pleasant. 

Only a little bit of the story actually occurs on or near the rapids, which was disappointing. From the blurb I expected more of the story to occur there. Also disappointing was the fact that I figured one of the big secrets early in the story, around 15% in my Kindle eGalley. Gallant did everything but announce with a flashing neon sign. The guilty party was also not hard to figure out though I was only partially right concerning motivation.

The set-up was contrived but mostly enjoyable. There was definite heat between Sawyer and Devin, lots of steam and passion. Devin, however, was on the rebound and fell quickly for Sawyer. Things happened quickly between them, unbelievably fast in fact. I couldn't help but think she should have given herself a little more time to recover from the relationship she just ended but then at first she was treating her relationship with Sawyer as a fling. She wanted to enjoy him and get him out of her system. Yeah, does that ever actually work? I was also less than impressed with the whole sexual safety matter. She's on the pill, which is fine for preventing pregnancy but does nothing for preventing STDs. Nor did they discuss STDs; it was just, "I'm on the pill so we're home free!"

Going back to how fast things moved between. At only 24% in, he's already wondering about their future and how he'll fit in. At 27% he's pressuring her to commit to their future:

"We've only known each five days." Her voice cracked a little. "AM I supposed to agree to a huge, life-altering change based on a relationship that hasn't even lasted a week? I don't notice you offering to uproot and move."

"No, but you mean a lot more to me than the vacation romances we talked about. I'm willing to fly to Washing to see you. I want a chance to see you. I want a chance to spend more time together to find out if a few sacrifices would be worth making."

Sadly, his claim of being willing to make sacrifices was just BS for most of the story. He keeps demanding that she make all of the sacrifices, ignores her feelings, and then he issues an ultimatum. Devin does the smart thing and dumps his ass. After a serious lack of groveling on his part, they get back together and actually manage a compromise. But not before Sawyer behaves like a total dickhead.  

A meh mystery and a teeth-grinding romance, "Wilde Side" was wildly disappointing.  

Series: Born to Be Wilde #3
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: February 28th, 2017
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | iTunes | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads (modified):

The Wilde brothers are addicted to the rush of adventure. But one of them is about to learn no matter how often you look for danger, you don’t want danger finding you.
 
For extreme skier Tripp Wilde, pushing the limits is what he lives for. Unfortunately, the inherent risk takes a toll on his body. After an injury sidelines him, he ends up in the care of his little sister’s best friend, physical therapist Hannah Ryder—who has grown up in all the right ways since they last met.

Hannah doesn’t mix business with pleasure, even though she harbored a maddening crush on the irresistible Tripp years before. So, while Tripp tries every slick maneuver he knows to bed her, Hannah uses her own moves to keep the hotshot skier cooled off while trying to control her own growing desire for him.

After the pair witness what they think may be a murder on the slopes, along with the men responsible, no one believes their story. But when a series of unlikely accidents suggests they are being targeted, the two will have to trust in each other like never before if they are going to survive.

My Thoughts:

After the disappointment of the last book, I was hesitant to pick up this one. Happily, it was much more enjoyable and our hero, Tripp Wilde, much less of a dickhead than his brother Sawyer. Tripp was cocky, and effortlessly charming, but at heart a good person. Hannah is a respected professional and though she's only 26, is already at the top of her field, in demand by elite clients. Tripp is also at the top of his field, though he's a few years older. She's best friends with his younger, and only, sister Eden. When she was a teen she had a mad crush on Tripp but he was oblivious. His obliviousness was partly due to her being his sister's friend but also due to the fact that she was shy, awkward, and obese. She's lost the weight and the shyness but hasn't completely lost the awkwardness. In her work, she's completely confident but in her personal life she's more hesitant and insecure. We found out later that there are other reasons for her insecurity. I had guessed at them, dismissed them as too obvious, and was disappointed that Gallant went there.

I had one other disappointment and that was that once again, I figured out the guilty party early on. There simply was no other point to that character's existence in the story so that pretty much screamed their guilt. Although, once again, I was off the mark on motivation. Hannah was slow to catch on to the repeated attempts on their lives while Tripp was quicker to catch on. They each made a few stupid moves but given that neither was used to being pursued or nearly murdered, I was okay with that. Also, they did only minor investigating which was believable in their situation. The police did most of the work and they weren't stupid as they're sometimes portrayed.

The romance was nicely done, moving at a believable pace. Hannah was hesitant to trust Tripp, worried that he was just a playboy and would hurt her. She wants safety, security, and stability, and Tripp is known for none of those qualities. Tripp has played around and rarely been serious with a woman but was always upfront about what they could expect. Slowly he starts to change but Hannah is so blinded by her preconceptions that she can't see it. She also has a hard time coping with his groupies and freaks out at how the women behave around him. Honestly, I thought she overreacted at times, and she barely gave him a chance to explain. Did he need to sign that groupie's breast? No, he could have refused, and should have. But, he was polite to the groupie and the others who came along. As a star, and one with many sponsors, he has to tread carefully with his fans or get a bad rep and lose sponsorships. Obviously, that doesn't mean signing any body part put in front of him but neither did Hannah listen when he tried to explain. She assumed the worst and found him guilty without a trial. On the flip side, Tripp had a hard time dealing with his jealousy when it came to Hannah's clients. He made some unreasonable demands of his own but he was quicker to own up to his flaws and make an effort to deal with them. Eventually, they sorted things out. They actually sat down and talked things out, which was good to see.

I really liked both Tripp and Hannah and was hoping they would work things out. They were fun and exciting people with good hearts. I was so very relieved that Tripp wasn't a douche like his brother Sawyer. Next up is Eden's book and I am looking forward to that one.