When I think of romance, I think of books just like this one, that gives all the feels and satisfies every romance junkies' heart. This is a perfect books to snuggle up with on any day. This one took by surprise!

The year 2021 is going down as “the year of colossal disappointments” - at least as far as my reading addiction goes. I know there’s still two months left in the year, but I’m gonna go ahead and call it. Maybe that way my expectations for the rest of the year will be managed and I won’t be as disappointed by the highly anticipated reads I’ve got coming up in my TBR pile…

Anyway, if you’ve followed me for very long you know how much I LOVE Zoe York’s books. She’s usually a go-to when I’m in a reading slump. And I’ve really enjoyed the first two books in this Kincaids of Pine Harbour series. So I was REALLY looking forward to this one! But Wild at Heart instead made me feel dead in the heart.

I think where this one started to fall apart for me is that I couldn’t understand exactly why the hero and heroine had such a combative relationship. We walk into the story with them already “hating” each other, with only a cursory telling of their animosity-filled past. And it’s caused by silly things - silly things I found it hard to believe two normal, rational people (which Catie and Will both appear to be otherwise) would let rile them up.

Then, according to the synopsis, our heroine feels like she is an outsider in their small town. Yet she has a successful business (two, actually), a handful of close girlfriends, and is involved in several community activities. There’s only one person who isn’t nice to her, and everyone in town knows this lady is a cranky busybody. I’m not saying that couldn’t cast a shadow, but again...would a normal, mature person let the occasional run-in with a rude person taint everything else in her life?

And this brings me to where this story completely fell apart. The hero’s grand gesture made zero sense to me. I don’t want to give away any potential spoilers, but if I don’t feel how out of place and unwelcome the heroine feels, the grand gesture falls flat. This book needed a strong finish and it wasn’t there.

So yeah, Wild at Heart was a trudge to get through. It took me over a week to read! Even though this story had Ms. York’s signature mature characters, dealing with realistic issues, and had decent relationship development, the pacing was slow and the storyline never lived up to the synopsis. Which makes me so incredibly sad. But I have hope for the rest of the series because Ms. York rarely lets me down!

* thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Wild at Heart is a romance between two people who think they are opposites and can't possibly make a good couple, but who are actually quite similar under the surface and are in fact perfect for each other.

Will comes from a big, boisterous family of 5 brothers who were born and raised in Pine Harbour, a small town on upper Lake Michigan. He is the principal of the local integrated K-12 school and believes strongly in giving back to the community. Catie is not originally from Pine Harbor but she and her mom, a single parent with no other family, moved there when Catie was in elementary school and stayed until she graduated HS. Catie found the small town atmosphere and gossip stifling, and left for the city as soon as she was able to, but now, a couple of years after her mom's death, she's come back to Pine Harbour to stay and hopefully establish roots in the place where she feels closest to her mom's spirit.

Catie is a doer, she never met a cause or organization she didn't like. In spite of resistance from some locals, in just a few years, she's woven her way into the fabric of the town. The one person she always seems to butt up against is Will, a fact she resents, even as she acknowledges that she has quite the crush on him. When Catie decides to join the local Search & Rescue team, she's forced into frequent proximity with Will who is a longstanding member, and slowly they figure out that what they took as antagonism toward each other is actually a pretty strong attraction. From there, it's a sweet, only slightly rocky, path to their HEA.

I liked that Catie was a bit prickly and had some pretty sharp edges, but Will wasn't put off by her attitude but rather attracted by her competence and willing to put in some work to get through her walls. It's nice to see the guy doing the emotional work for once, instead of the woman having to do the heavy lifting.

This is a fun, tug-of-war, book of emotions! Will Kincaid is the notorious town Bachelor that is involved in so many things that he doesn’t have time to deal with the feelings that he’s starting to develop for the town hairdresser. Unfortunately their paths keep crossing and he can’t seem to get her out of his mind.

If you haven’t had a chance to visit the Kincaids of Pine Harbor, then you are definitely missing out on some awesome stories about the brothers and their adventures in finding true 💕 love!

Thank you to the author and the producer for allowing me to read a copy of this book I have read many of Zoe Yorks books before and I very much enjoyed them and I was not disappointed this time as I very much do enjoy this book as well I thought it was very well thought out and relatable I love this it was enjoyable

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

While I enjoyed the book overall, I am not a big fan of the enemy to lover type book. Will, the principal, was loved by all and he at the start was kind of nasty to Catie, a "newcomer" since she was not born in the town.

You felt for Catie as she had problems from when her mom lived in town and some people perceived her as a "loose" woman because she was an unwed mother. Unfortunately, that stigma was not passed down to Catie.

As the story progresses, I enjoyed it more and saw how they got closer but finally glad when one of the guys gave Will some good advice that he started to put into practice. Loved the ending when Will made his grand gesture for Catie at the school.

I enjoyed the background history on the area and especially loved their HEA.

I received an arc from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.
Will and Carie appear to be oil and water but are they truly more alike than what they think? Will they give themselves a chance to really connect and get over themselves?
As Catie gets involved in more activities with Will their attraction heats up but a nosy not so pleasant neighbor has some things to say about it.
In the end will they work out all that stands in their way?

I really loved being back in Pine Harbour and really enjoyed the story in this one. Romantic and sexy. Just what I needed to escape with for a few hours

This is part of the Kincaids at Pine Harbour Series - who knew? Not me when I requested it, but it didn't make any difference as the references to previous characters and books appeared to be covered with sufficient detail for me to be able to piece things together.

Pine Harbour is a small place - 600 people according to the book so there's not alot of room for people who don't like each other to be able to steer clear of one another. This is particularly true when you are the school principal and heavily involved in the Search and Rescue Team (Will Kincaid) and the resident hair dresser and real estate agency (Catie Berton) who have had a hate-hate relationship in the past. Their preferred method of communicating is snarky, attitude laden emails. Catie wants to join the Search and Rescue, and the school needs a business mentor, and one of Will's students needs a part-time job, so there are plenty of opportunities these two find to butt heads. When the hatred gives way to simmering tension (or when they both recognise this was what they were both feeling from the beginning) they realise they work well together and could have a future (well that's if Catie is prepared to have a relationship out in the open).

This is an enemies to lovers, small-town romance where we see Will doing all the work, all the time. Catie is a prickly customer - she's a strong, independent woman but she does not really give Will an inch. Upon knowing her backstory it's not unreasonable however she was a tricky one to warm to, and it impacted the chemistry for me a little, as I felt Will was more invested and more willing to be open about it.

I'd like to read more about Pine Harbour and it's residents and the Kincaid family.

Thank you to Netgalley for the eARC of this book to read.

I tried getting this one. For me, it was slow. So very slow…
I did eventually get into it, but overall, it was just an okay read to me.

So, Zoe York is a must to me. I’ve bought and reviewed many of her books and I´ll keep doing it.
Everyone in Pine Harbour loves Will Kincaid—except, apparently, Catie. When she joins the small town’s Search and Rescue team, Will finds himself spending every Thursday night swapping glares with the hairdresser while they get in each other’s way.
Catie Berton has a long list of reasons why Will is an arrogant jerk. But the more time she spends with him, the more she’s forced to admit sometimes they make a good team. That doesn’t change the fact that Will has always been her right crush, wrong guy.
When the SRT goes on a road trip to a competition, she surprises herself by agreeing to ride shotgun in his truck. The long drive could be a chance to repair a shredded friendship, if Catie can get past her complicated feelings for the too-attractive-for-his-own-good school principal. Because Catie knows all too well how cold a small town can be to an outsider who wants too much happiness from one of their own.
This book has many great moments. Will is an amazing character. I love people that follow the rules; every society needs them (us?) but Catie was just too much for me. I didn’t like her. I absolutely understand her motives to act the way she does, but they just don´t work for me. I enjoyed the scenes together. The sparks are right there and the attraction too.
In my case, I find the book too slow. This is definitely a slow burn romance, but in parts of the book it seems to drag the bad tension between them too much. They keep fighting for no reason other than being too proud and stubborn.
There are a few sex scenes that were GREAT and strong dialogs. There are many interesting side character, many of them from previous books, and it was great visiting them.
Not my favorite from Zoe, but definitely well written.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to leave an honest review. I have read the first two books in this series and thoroughly enjoyed them all. I think this one might be my favorite of the series so far though. Zoe York has a great writing style and her stories flow perfectly.

This book follows Will Kincaid, the principle of the town school, and Catie Berton, pretty much jack of all trades gal (hair dresser, real estate agent, town improver). Catie and Will have had a contentious relationship from the beginning. Will is a bit uptight and unbending in Catie's eyes and Catie is flighty and wants to change everything in Will's eyes. So they always exchange little barbs to get under each other's skin. Things change when Catie becomes a volunteer for the Search and Rescue team for the town of which Will is a supervisor. Slowly the two get to know each other a little better and both try to curb their impulses to "poke the bear" if you will. Once they start doing that, they realize there is an underlying attraction which they act upon for one night at the annual SAR competition. Will wants to continue the relationship but Catie has been hurt by the town gossips before and isn't ready for that. So Will has to slowly break down her defenses.

I really enjoyed this book. A very cute, romantic read. Would definitely recommend.

Will Kincaid is a model citizen. Head teacher at the local school, former volunteer firefighter, current Search and Rescue (SAR) volunteer, he's the guy that everyone likes, except one, Catie Berton. He can't believe he offered to be in the Batchelor Auction Catie was organising and she turned him down, because he didn't fit the demographic, and he's been nursing the hurt ever since.

Catie is the local hairdresser and estate agent (because Pine Harbour really is that small), she has a love-hate relationship with both Will and Pine Harbour. She thinks he's a stick-in-the-mud who shoots down all her ideas, he's universally adored while she and her mother were the subjects of town gossip. It doesn't help that she also has a massive crush on him!

Catie is keen to try new things and face her fears. so volunteering for SAR sounds like a great idea, if only it didn't mean she has to run the gauntlet of Will's disapproval every week.

Catie and Will might think they are complete opposites but deep down they are more alike than they imagine.

This book is exactly what you would expect of a small-town enemies to lovers romance between the headteacher of the local school and the sole hairdresser. Cute, cosy. wholesome and (whispers) a bit boring. Honestly I read this and then had to reread the last two chapters in order to write a review because I couldn't remember whether I had actually finished the book! As they say, it's not the book, it's me because this is exactly what I was expecting/dreading so shame on me for requesting a book that I was already conflicted over.

Recommended for those who like wholesome small-town enemies to lovers romances.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This is the first book in this series for me, but I loved it so much that I HAVE to go back and read the first ones now! I felt this story was fresh and new and really enjoyed the development of the relationship between Will and Catie. It has been a long time since I’ve read a book where both the H and h were NICE people and it was such a nice change. Thanks NetGalley for an advanced copy for an honest review.

I loved the snarky banter between Will and Catie - the chemistry between them just sizzles of the page. My only reservation was that Catie isn’t the most relatable of heroines, sometimes she comes across as quite harsh when Will is trying to compromise. The setting is great with all the usual cosy charm of a small town set romance. I really enjoyed the peek into the world of search and rescue and the strong theme of community that resonates throughout the book.

He's the ultimate insider, she's the new girl, twice over.

Will is oil and Catie is water.
Will, the high school principal is a stick in the mud, everybody's good guy, except he treats Catie horribly and unprofessionally because he's piqued at her choices. He's old school, nothing ever changes.

Catie, had a crush on Will twice, but as the relative newcomer, she's pushing for change Will doesn't want.
I really enjoyed the ever optimistic Catie. She is out to change the things that makes Pine Harbor unwelcoming to outsiders. She wants to reimagine a town that welcomes both the people who live there and the new to towners.
Catie has great energy and its infectious. She calls Will on his BS and is snarky and smart.

Will, was much harder to warm up to, because he truly wasn't kind to Catie for a good start of the book.
for a grown man, he doesn't handle his attraction well, esp as he had to work for her approval and attention.
Like a school boy pulling hair.

Still, I found the story engaging and I wanted to see them work out their bickering.

4.25 / 5 stars
Tropes:
- Small town
- Hero falls first
- Emotional
- Enemies-to-lovers (kind of)
I really liked this book. I loved the dynamic of Will and Cait and OMG the spice it was HOOOT. I also loved how the author include awesome community activities and SAR. Both characters were awesome, but let's just talk about Will (I freaking love him), he was so sweet to Cait and he liked her from the first time!!
Can't wait to read about the rest of the Kincaid brothers!!

Thank you NetGalley and Victoria Editing NetGalley Co-op for giving me an ARC in exchange of a honest review.

This book really hit all the right notes for me. The reader is given a chance to catch up with quite a few of the characters from her other series set in Pine Harbor. Both Catie and Will are deeply involved in their community but in different ways. This book really showed the development of two adults who are finally acknowledging their interest in each other. The only "con" I have is that it needs a good final editing...quite a few instances of wrong grammar being used, wrong words inserted and words out of order. It wasn't a lot but enough to distract the reader. I would highly recommend this one.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 stars! Wild at Heart was a great slowburn between Catie and Will. I enjoyed how their antagonistic relationship slowly switched to friendship, and then to something more. Will was a grumpy sweetheart, and I loved watching him switch gears once he set his mind to wooing Catie. The care he took with her and the way he made a point to show how understanding he was of her relationship reservations was endearing.
Catie was a fun and savvy businesswoman. While her initial need to be involved and well liked in Pine Harbour was bittersweet, I really enjoyed how she just took any challenge head on. I also enjoyed how mature both Will and Catie were. Once they realized they had been basing their animosity on misunderstandings, they owned up to their behavior, and moved on. It felt very refreshing.

I was intrigued by the synopsis for Seth's book, so I'll be on the lookout for that in the future!

A lovely sweet read with small town charm right down to the nasty gossiping neighbour. Two great character destined to be together. Bumpy journey as Catie learns to overcome her angst at the town she really loves, becomes a valued SAR member all whilst dealing with the loss of her mum, and the crush she has on Will.