Sandy M’s review of Wild Hungry Hearts (Wild Hearts, Book 1) by Beth Kery
Contemporary Erotic Romance published by Amazon Digital Services 4 Jun 19
I’m always happy to see a new release by Beth Kery. She has a knack for giving readers interesting characters and moving story lines. In this case, Jude and Esme are childhood friends who have hidden their feelings for each other for years. All it takes is one night together to complicate their lives. Or are they overthinking their newfound feelings?
I enjoyed getting to know both of these characters, as well as their families, who play a big part throughout the story. The families have lived next door to one another for a number of years, all the children becoming friends but losing touch as they went about their lives, seeing each other only during holidays. But when Jude and Esme run into one another in New York, they let every pent-up emotion out and revel in one hot and sensuous night. In the aftermath, it’s Esme whose doubts about them take over. She’s sure they’ve ruined their friendship, something she’s cherished. Jude has thoughts along the same line, but he’s more amenable to see where things can go between them.
They get that chance when they’re all called back home by Esme’s mother for a family conference. Her news blows the family’s collective mind. Family secrets are revealed and new relationships no one saw coming are nearly too much for everyone. And this is where the story loses focus for me. While we get a lot of Jude and Esme all over each other, to the point the romance gets a bit lost – I understand this is an erotic romance – some of the scenes outside the bedroom seem to be thrown in to make sure the “erotic” is represented. Also, while the family dynamics make okay reading, that’s pretty much the entirety of the story – following an angry brother to drag him home, soothing sisters’ feelings at hurtful news, etc. Yes, Jude and Esme work together for the most part during this time, but Esme keeps running at intervals and that left me a tad irritated. She negated all the good feelings I got when taking care of conflict with Jude head on.
The feelings that usually come when reading Beth Kery just aren’t there in this book, which surprised me, because the elements are there. It just doesn’t come together with Jude and Esme, no chemistry between them that I always get in Ms. Kery’s stories, despite the fact they can’t keep their hands off each other for a good part of the book. I’m certainly very glad Ms. Kery’s books work for me 99% of the time, so I can live with 1% not working once in a while.
Grade: C-
Summary:
Friends to Lovers . . .to Forever?
Esme Esterbrook had always carried a torch for her gorgeous, sexy best friend Jude Beckett, even though she kept that secret locked away from the rest of the world, most especially Jude. When they unexpectedly meet up in a hotel elevator as adults, some serious fireworks go off between them. Esme wakes up the next morning, horrified that she’s ruined an amazing friendship. She panics and runs from Jude. But now, a mysterious family meeting has called her back to their hometown . . . and she’s about to be reminded that there is no hiding from a determined Jude Beckett.
Jude had learned long ago to lock down his lust for Esme. He’d suffered the loss of both of his parents at a young age. Esme became not only his best friend during that turbulent time, but his mainstay . . . his link to the joys of childhood and a normal life. He couldn’t afford to make a mistake and lose Esme as a friend. But as he watched her dance for him in the hotel that night, he realized something had changed between them. He dared to touch her. It’s a choice that will burn him to the core . . . and change him forever. Amidst the shocking truths that are being revealed between their two families, and an old, deeply regretted mistake, Jude and Esme have to find a way to connect in a whole new way. To discover if friends-to-lovers is a fantasy, or a happily-ever-after reality, they’re going to have to risk everything . . . including their hearts.
Read an excerpt.
