Book Review: The Wild Ones by M. Leighton

Title: The Wild Ones
Author: M. Leighton
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Sensuality Rating: Mild borderline Sensual
Source: bought
Published: August 1, 2012 (self published)

Passion as hot as midnight in the South and love as wild as the horses they tame.

Camille “Cami” Hines is the darling daughter of the South’s champion thoroughbred breeder, Jack Hines. She has a pedigree that rivals some of her father’s best horses. Other than feeling a little suffocated at times, Cami thought she was pretty happy with her boyfriend, her life and her future.

But that was before she met Patrick Henley.

“Trick” blurs the lines between what Cami wants and what is expected of her. He’s considered the “help,” which is forbidden fruit as far as her father is concerned, not to mention that Trick would be fired if he ever laid a hand on her. And Trick needs his job. Desperately. His family depends on him.

The heart wants what the heart wants, though, and Trick and Cami are drawn to each other despite the obstacles. At least the ones they know of.

When Trick stumbles upon a note from his father, it triggers a series of revelations that could ruin what he and Cami have worked so hard to overcome. It turns out there’s more to Trick’s presence at the ranch than either of them knew, secrets that could tear them apart.

 

Why I Read this Book: I was looking through friend updates on Goodreads (which I rarely do and should do more often) when I came across Ashley’s (from The Bookish Brunette) update: “Stop what you’re doing and read this immediately!!!!!”. This and the 5-star rating accompanying it caught my attention. I looked at the book cover – HELLO! – but didn’t recognize the book title or the author. So I check out the book’s page and read the synopsis to find out that I really wanted to read this book. So I bought The Wild Ones right on the spot. (See, book bloggers do sell books my friends.)

What I Liked: When I first started reading The Wild Ones, I got the impression that it was a cowboy romance. I don’t normally read cowboy romance so I was going out on a limb here reading this book. The Wild Ones could be labeled as a cowboy romance but it wasn’t dripping in cowboy slang and southern drawls. I mention this because I had tried reading a cowboy romance once and I had a hard time getting past the dialogue. I didn’t have that problem with The Wild Ones.

The Wild Ones starts with Cami meeting Trick. The intensity and passion between them is sizzling. There’s an instant connection between these two characters and it’s that connection, that spark, that just sucked me right in.

Cami is daddy’s little girl but she didn’t let him rule or run her life. She’s an adult and leads her own life. She’ll listen to what her father has to say but she makes her own decisions. And she doesn’t whine to get her point across. (I hate whiners.) She doesn’t have to because she knows how to speak her mind, in a respectful way, and she stands her ground. She stands up for what she believes in and for what she wants. This is the kind of character I like, that I can relate to.

I loved Trick from the start. He knows what he wants and he goes after it with gusto. And I love that he who he is and he makes no apologies for it. Another thing I liked about Trick was his demeanor. When Trick and Cami get caught in a somewhat compromising position in Cami’s father’s office, Trick never flinches. He has this way of maintaining a sense of calm, even in the most highly charged of situations. And even though Trick doesn’t see eye-to-eye with Cami’s father, he never has ill feelings towards the man.

I also liked Jenna. She was a hoot! You can tell that she’s a true friend and that she cares about Cami.

What I Didn’t Like: There were several typographical errors that slipped by the editing process. I had to do a double-take when I stumbled upon them.

I loathe Chris Brown so the reference to him in this novel, albeit a small one, irked me.

Memorable Moment:

“Patrick, but my friends call me Trick.”

“Trick? As in trick or treat? That kind of trick?”

“Yep. That kind of trick. Cami, can I ask a favor? Pick ‘treat.’ Please, for the love of God, pick ‘treat’.”

You know you want to know if she picked treat!!

Overall Impression: One of the things that makes a romance a good story for me is when the couple gets torn apart by a major confliction. (What can I say, I like conflict.) Then it’s up to them to make it work and it’s up to the author to make it believable. And that’s exactly what happens with The Wild Ones. This book was one of the best books I’ve read this year. It may sound like just a love triangle on the surface but inside there’s so much more going on.

Brianna’s Rating: