Sandy M’s review of Some Like It Wild (Wild Ones, Book 3) by M. Leighton
Contemporary Erotic Romance published by Berkley 4 Mar 13
So far I’ve really enjoyed all of M. Leighton’s books that I’ve read over the past year. I especially enjoyed Trick, the hero of the first book in this series, The Wild Ones. So I was all set to dive right into whatever this new book had store in for me, but early on I had some hesitation about it all. Was I already comparing it to TWO and finding it lacking? Already comparing Jake to Trick and finding him lacking? Maybe. But pushing my doubt to the back of my mind and allowing the story to take me where it will is what makes the difference between a good author and a great author.
Laney is having a big relationship problem. Caught her fiance cheating – with her best friend. So she’s come home to spend time with her parents while she completes the job of surveying the Theopolis family holdings since the death of the patriarch. With her dream of getting married and having a family down the drain, Laney is more than willing to follow Jake Theopolis over to the wild side, especially when her preacher father begins to stick his nose into every nook and cranny of her life.
Living for the adrenaline rush whenever he can get it, firefighter Jake is making sure his greedy relatives don’t get hold of his father’s peach orchard, despite the fact that neither he nor his sister will stick around once everything is settled. Jake has learned he can’t love and he’s definitely not lovable by anyone outside his family. Running into sexy, good-two-shoes Laney Holt makes him want to break down that good-girl reputation something fierce. So without a backward glance or an apology for it, he goes for the big prize.
What they both get is what they never expected. The more Laney lets herself fall into Jake and the more adventure she experiences with him, the more confused she gets about what she now wants in life. Nothing is the same now that she’s on the outs with her parents over their treatment of Jake and she’s been with him constantly. Jake, on the other hand, knows what they have is only temporary and he makes sure Laney knows that too. But is it really? He can’t get her out of his head, can’t get enough of her no matter what. I love the way Laney looks at life through Jake and isn’t afraid to try whatever it is he throws her way. And though he’s a bad boy through and through, Jake is also a gentleman, even if he won’t admit it. He’s the better man in those scenes with Laney’s father.
There’s one of those other kind of bad boys, one who schemes and manipulates to get his way no matter who he hurts. I really wanted to kill that jerk. Other secondary characters at least take the chance to become better people when they realize how wrong they are. I’m glad we get to catch up with Trick and Cami. Being my favorite bad boy and after really getting to know Jake, it was possible Trick might end up toppled from his pedestal, but not quite.
So what is it that caused my hesitation early on? The beginning is just a bit too slow for me. The little bit of history between Jake and Laney that we’re given right off the bat I don’t feel is needed, and that’s what slowed me down. Also, it takes time to warm up to both characters because of that slowness, but once their layers begin to peel away, I couldn’t stop reading. Ms. Leighton is so very good at pulling the reader into her characters’ lives, whether it’s upfront and in your face or a nice, steady climb up that small molehill-mountain that makes all the difference in how they’re viewed by the end. Nicely done!
Grade: B
Summary:
How far will a good girl go for the bad boy she loves?
Laney Holt is a preacher’s daughter. A good girl. Her only goal was to get married, have babies, and live happily ever after, just like her parents. Only that didn’t happen. The two people closest to her betrayed her, and Laney’s dreams came crashing down. Now she’s left with an empty space she doesn’t know how to fill. Until she meets Jake Theopolis, a daredevil with a death wish who has heartbreaker written all over him.
Jake has no interest in thinking beyond the here and now. All he wants out of life is the next rush, the next “feel-good” thing to keep his mind off the pain of his past. His latest rush? Showing Laney there’s more to life than being a good girl—and that going bad can be so much fun. Her only concern now is how she can ever hope to satisfy the wild side of a boy like Jake. She’s looking forward to trying. And so is Jake.
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
