This was such a fun story! I absolutely loved Lily and Leo and their relationship. I enjoy a good second chance romance, but throw in some adventure and treasure hunting, and it makes it all the better!

The setting of the dessert in Utah was perfect for this story. Lily’s job of taking people on fake treasure hunts was great, and I loved the puzzles and code breaking involved.

Besides Lily and Leo, there were some other great characters, mainly Nicole and Walter. The fact that two women were bringing these men out into the desert was a great way to focus on strong female characters.

Lily and Leo’s relationship was complicated. With not seeing each other in 10 years and randomly meeting up again, it led to some amazing sexual tension. There is some steam in the book, but it’s mild. I really enjoyed the treasure hunt aspect of the story so I was okay that the romance wasn’t the main focus.

Read this book if you like:
* Second chance romance
* Adventure
* Treasure hunts
* Strong female character
* Horses
* Mild steam

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was initially into this book just by the premise, but there were some frankly bonkers narrative choices that happened that gave me a pretty big case of tonal whiplash, which is what ultimately prompted me to knock off a star from my rating. It's one thing for this to be an adventure romp, with engaging character dynamics and a compelling central romance, but the first major twist with on-page (secondary) character death happening about 20-25% of the way into the book really threw me off while reading. From that point on, it felt like a markedly different book from the first few chapters that built up a much lighter establishing plot. Overall I was a big fan of the way in which Lily and Leo's second-chance romance played out on the page, and it was a quick and pleasurable read, but the initial heel-turn in the story really took me out for a second before I was able to jump back in and engage with the book again.

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

In short: Lily Wilder leads tourists on fake treasure hunts through the red rock canyons of southern Utah. Imagine her surprise when the current group includes Leo, the man who stole her heart and then ghosted her 10 years ago. This book follows their journey way of reconnecting set against a trip gone horribly wrong no thanks to Leo’s friends.

What I liked:
🧭Everything! 😂
🐴2nd chance at love & how naturally they picked right back up.
🥾The treasure hunt adventure

My thoughts: I loved this book so much! I actually DNF’d their last book and only kinda liked the one before that. Due to that I was tentative about reading this one but was pleasantly surprised how much I loved this book! It was perfect! Fast paced, filled with adventures, mystery and a little romance. Everything I love

Another extremely enjoyable book from these authors. The romance between the main characters was believable and rewarding--you care for them and you want them to make it work. Here the authors added a mystery, which is a change for them. I thought it worked. The bad guys are kind of obvious from the beginning, but it still added a nice framework for the romance. There were some parts that made me suspend my disbelief a bit, but that did not detract from my overall enjoyment.

I'm a sucker for Christina Lauren books and this one is no exception. I love that the second-chance romance is wrapped up in a mystery/adventure, and it even made me, a true city slicker, want to visit a dude ranch. That's the power of Christina Lauren, my friends. Put this one on your summer reading list and thank me later!

Thanks to Gallery Books for a copy to review.

Read this if...you like escape rooms, “The Goonies” film, and/or tales of Wild West outlaws.

Lily Wilder grew up with a famous treasure-hunting father. Today she runs an outdoor excursion business where she guides tourists through the Utah desert on their own treasure hunt. She’s caught off guard when one of her groups includes Leo, the one who got away ten years earlier. Leo is just as surprised to see Lily and is eager to pick up where the two left off, but Lily is hesitant of getting her heart broken again. If the awkward forced proximity isn’t bad enough, some dangerous men are on the group’s trail. They believe the rumors about Lily’s dad hiding treasure that was never found and they’re willing to lie, steal, kidnap, and even kill to get their hands on it.

I’m a new Christina Lauren fan. I’ve only read two of their books, but I enjoyed them both. When I saw this one took place in my state, I just knew I had to get my hands on it. I’ve seen a lot of mixed reviews with readers saying it’s not what they’re used to from the author duo. I’m not sure if I’d feel similarly if I had read more of their work before diving into this one, but the truth is that I loved it! It was sweet and a whole lot of fun! The treasure hunting subplot was exciting and suspenseful. Getting to see Lily and Leo in life-threatening situations added depth to their story.

The only complaint I have is that their relationship felt too easy. They loved each other ten years ago and all it took was a few missed calls for them to just give up on the love of their lives? Then they reconnect and it’s like they were never apart. It was missing the tension that really pulls me into a couple’s story. Thankfully, the drama with the treasure hunt kept me entertained enough that I can still say I loved the book overall!

A huge thank you to Netgalley, the authors, and Gallery Books for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Every time I read a book by Christina Lauren I think it's my new favorite...then out comes a new book and I feel the same way all over again! Something Wilder was just plain ole fun and adventure all the way through! The hunt for lost treasure and the steamy romance between old lovers Leo and Lily makes this a book you'll want to race through to the ending. One of my favorites of 2022 for sure!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Published 17 May 2022.

THIS BOOK WAS SO MUCH FUN TO READ!!!
Treasure hunters! Code breakers! And of course, romance 😍.

I absolutely adore Lily Wilder. She's a good woman trying to live in the shadow of her larger-than-life dad. Leo Grady is serious, stoic and stable. He's the one you can count on in a crisis, the one you want in your corner. After so many years apart, he's still that man, and he wants a second chance with Lily.

I loved Lily's best friend, Nicole, who can throw a punch with the best of them. Lily and Nicole provide some of the best laugh out loud moments in the book. And then there's sweet, gentle Walt...sigh. Trust Christina Lauren to give you amazing side characters who enhance the story.

when I tell you this book is such an unexpected surprise,

i always have been a fan of CL filthy romances / romcoms stories and something wilder I knew would be completely different from I read usually from them. and unexpectedly I liked it. really liked it. it’s was entertaining and FUN. so much fun I would say. it’s such a unique story in a romance. the characters were amazing, I love them, they are really funny together and their friendship works so well

This is a good story if you are searching for an adventurous read that will make you escape reality and have a fun time

4.75⭐️

What starts off as a guys weekend trip to enjoy life in the backcountry adventure through the Wild Wild West turns into a real treasure hunt lead by hand drawn maps from Lily’s father’s journal.

The plot is so unlike any romance books I have every read before, the treasure hunt is refreshingly unique and I ate it up. Christina Lauren wrote such an amazing book filled with adventure, romance, drama, humor, unexpected turns and twists that I was truly shocked about. The romantic relationship between Leo and Lilly, it was definitely stimulating to have mains actually communicate and clear up the misunderstanding right off the bat and didn’t leave me lingering.

This book is so easy to devour and I’d recommend it to anyone who loves romance and adventure. There’s a little something for everything in this book.

Do you enjoy camping in tents? I did it once when I was in college and found that I really liked my bed more. Minus the sleeping situation, I did enjoy all the activities that camping offers.

🏜𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫🏜

If you are looking for an ADVENTURE this summer, this book should be on your radar!!

𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: western romantic comedy
𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞: treasure hunt & second chances🥰
𝐏𝐮𝐛. 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 5/17/22
𝐌𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 3.94

𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬:

Growing up the daughter of notorious treasure hunter and absentee father Duke Wilder left Lily without much patience for the profession…or much money in the bank. But Lily now uses Duke’s coveted hand-drawn maps to guide tourists on fake treasure hunts through the red rock canyons of Utah. Now she’s forced to deal with the sight of the man she once loved walking back into her life with a motley crew of friends ready to hit the trails. Leo Grady wants nothing more than to reconnect with his first and only love. Unfortunately, Lily Wilder is all business, drawing a clear line in the sand: it’s never going to happen.

But when the trip goes horribly and hilariously wrong, the group wonders if maybe the legend of the hidden treasure wasn’t a gimmick after all.

𝐌𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:

If you like mystery, adventure, the Wild West, treasure hunts, and want some romance too, this book would be a perfect summer read! It was an odd combination of tropes and I was not expecting it AT ALL (so heads up there) but it was a fun book to read solely for the purpose of escapism!!!

𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐭?! 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤?!
9m

Wow! What a fun adventurous read! I went in to this book not knowing much about it. I really liked the adventure and mystery in it. I also enjoyed the little bIt if romance.

This review was originally posted on <a href="https://booksofmyheart.net/2022/05/24/%f0%9f%8e%a7-something-wilder-by-christina-lauren/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
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<i>Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i>

4.5 hearts

I always enjoy the books by this author.  They bring the feelings and the fun.  I appreciated the author's notes prefacing this story.  Who doesn't love horses and treasure hunting?

<strong>Something Wilder</strong> is a second chance romance.  A couple that met when young and then suffered tragedy and hardship to help their families.  Lily's mother left her treasure-hunting father. She was happy working the family ranch with her uncle until he died. Then it was just her and her father. Leo's father took off and never really was part of the family.   Both of them had to step up in their families.

Lily is just getting by doing treks and treasure hunting by horseback in the gorgeous Utah wilderness.  She is taking out a group of friends and to her shock it includes Leo who she hasn't seen in 10 years. We get each of their points of view in alternating sections.  Lily is smart and capable.   Leo is the smart one in his group. Both of them are kind and loyal friends. Things in the group take a dangerous turn when some members want to go hunt real treasure they believe Lily's father found.

It's thrilling and suspenseful when they finally go treasure hunting.  It's fun to watch them try to figure out the maps and clues.  It's heartwarming to see Leo and Lily bridge the years and have each other's back.   The search may be a wild goose chase but it gives them time together.

I really enjoy this duo and I was once again happy with this newest book. I liked the additional mystery to the romance.

I thought both main characters were fun and likable. I really enjoyed getting to know Lilly’s character and her friend Nic.

I love second chance romances and I thought this writing duo did a great job bringing our MC back together in an unlikely of ways.

Took me a while to get through this one because of the third person POV but WOW. i didnt think i would love an adventure romance but i was wrong. you have the love plus suspense & great twists and turns... sign me up. I will say you do have to suspend your disbelief in this story numerous times which I could not get behind. overall, if you want a second chance romance involving treasure hunts in the canyons, this book might be for you!

Many thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was so different from their other books and I really liked it. It felt refreshing.

Lilly runs a tour company along the Outlaw Trail in Canyonlands in Moab, Utah. When Leo and his friends show up as one of the groups for the tour, both he and Lilly are shocked since they haven’t seen each other for over 10 years. The last time they saw each other, Leo had been living with Lilly at her family’s ranch when he got a phone call his mother was in an accident. He left to go take care of her and then Lilly never heard from him again.

This book is so much more action packed than any of the other Christina Lauren novels. It felt more like an adventure novel with a side of romance than a true romance novel. Which, I definitely didn’t mind, but just was a bit different than their previous ones I’ve read.

Admittedly, this was not my favorite couple of theirs. I didn’t feel the spark as much as I usually do. I don’t know if this is because the adventure was so front and center that I was more interested in the mystery and adventure part of the story that I didn’t connect to the romance, or if it just wasn’t fleshed out enough. Don’t get me wrong, I liked Lilly and Leo, I just didn’t find myself believing they had this palpable chemistry that couldn’t keep them apart.

What I did really like about this book was that there were twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. So much happened in this book and I enjoyed every crazy moment.

It’s a Christina Lauren book. What else do I need to say? I loved the adventure and their story telling is always so fun and easy to read. I got sucked in and loved that it took place somewhere I have visited. While it’s not one of my favorites of theirs, keep in mind it’s up against some stiff competition. I hold Christina Lauren books to a high standard to in order to get 5 stars everything needs to click perfectly. I enjoyed every moment I read this book, but felt that if the romance wasn’t there, I would’ve enjoyed this story just as much and not found anything lacking.

Omg! She has done it again but this time she added Flare!
Lily is the daughter of an esteemed father Duke Wilder. Duke was known around the world in different circles as a treasure hunter. When he died, he left Lily in the cold because of all his treasures, he left her without anything. Lily had been making it by giving wild tours with her friend. Leo used to date Lily, but they had an abrupt ending to their fling. So when Leo is on an adventure with his buddies and they end up on one of Lily's Wild West-type tours it is absolutely crazy!
This is a slow-burn love, and they are getting a new chance at the love they missed out on!
I literally read this in one sitting because it's that good!! I loved the slow burn, plus the mystery and the puzzles added to the storyline! This is something that I thoroughly enjoyed! If you are looking for a great book with a slow burn love interest, mystery, and puzzles, do not search any further! This should be your next read! Thank you Netgalley and Gallery Books for the extraordinary opportunity to read and review this one!

Not my favorite CL books, which is a shame because I look forward to them. I felt like they focused more on the treasure hunt and the side characters more than the romance. I also felt that there was some chemistry between the two characters but not as much as I'm used to with a CL book.

Living life waiting on the next ‘treasure’, Lily Wilder finds herself struggling to find her way back to the ranch that used to belong in her family. As the daughter of Duke Wilder, a famous treasure hunter, Lily knows all too well the highs and lows of a new adventure. Determined to make the most of her skill set, Lily and her best friend find themselves waiting on the next adventure in the deserts of Utah.

Lily and Nicole lead tourists through the wild on fake treasure hunts. Each designed to lead these adventurers on a memorable trip through the toughest terrain. What neither could have predicted was the impact from their latest group of visitors. Leo Grady, the fella that broke Lily’s heart years ago is now a member of an adventure tour that can only be a recipe for disaster.

Determined to make the most of their circumstances, Lily and Leo head out on the trail for their next adventure. Neither could have predicted what would be waiting in the wind. A quest begins to unfold that fills the travelers’ days and night with hints from a lost treasure. Danger is lurking around each trail and the duo must find a way to keep Duke’s legacy alive while keeping the members of their group safe from harm. It’s an unforgettable trip into the past that will leave each member of the group changed forever.

Wow!! I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up Something Wilder but felt snagged with the phrase ‘treasure hunters’. As I dove into this book headfirst, I found myself immersed on a journey of adventure, romance and intrigue. Lily and Leo certainly hold a place in the heart of all Christina Lauren fans, but the supporting characters in the book also stole the show. Each and every nuance of chasing the rumored treasure of Butch Cassidy kept me glued to my reader!

The suspense that revolves around this tale of treasure hunting had me imagining the days of the Wild West. Something Wilder is definitely more than your average romance. It is a unique tale that left me rooting for these characters to experience what can only be described as the journey of a lifetime. Strap on your boots and jump into the saddle. Experience the thrill of a modern day treasure hunt that is completely unforgettable.

Amazing!! The descriptions of the canyons, the horses (I could almost smell the scene) it just all fit into such a wonderful story. Leo, Bradley, Walter and Terry, just four guys taking a vacation in the wilds of Utah. But when it goes from playing at finding treasure to actually looking at clues for buried treasure, well, hold on to your hat. Very fast, fun, scary, I didn't see that coming, sweet to an ending that just had a deep satisfied sigh.