Cover Image: Wilder With You

Wilder With You

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Member Reviews

Serena Bell has written another book that makes you feel all the best feels. Her characters never seem like the cut and paste variety, but instead are imbued with warmth and richness. You really get to know and like both Clark and Jessa, and their path to a happily ever after is fun to travel with them. This is the kind of romance that makes you feel good. It’s low on angst and high on love, laughter and sweet, sexy moments. Serena Bell has been a must-read author for me for a while now, and she has just proven once again why I look forward to her books so eagerly. I enjoyed this book so much, and recommend it and the others in the “Wilder Adventures” series.

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Wilder With You is everything I love in a rom-com and then some! It is sweet, funny and VERY steamy. I’m so glad I saw this on NetGalley or I might never have discovered this amazing author.

Jessa is about to leave to go on a camping trip with the Wilder Adventure group when her friend calls and cancels on her. It’s too late to back out, so she decides to go alone. What she doesn’t know is that her ex-husband, and the woman he cheated on her with, will also be on this three day trip. Awesome! Clark Wilder, the trip leader and part owner of Wilder Adventures, notices Jessa looking uncomfortable talking to her ex so he steps in to help. Clark has admired Jessa from afar, but she was friends with his late wife, Emma, and therefore off limits. He lies and says that Jessa is with him just to wipe the smirk off of her ex’s face when he thinks she is there alone. Clark isn’t ready to start dating again, but maybe this lie can help him get his family off of his back about meeting someone new.

This heartfelt story will leave you with all the warm and fuzzies. Fake dating is a difficult trope to pull off and I thought it was done really well with just the right amount of angst and none of the “just talk to each other already!”, that can get so frustrating.

Clark is kind and vulnerable and I loved his POV. He closed himself off to the world after his wife’s passing and I loved watching Jessa bring him back to life. Jessa is hilarious and her POV was killing me in the beginning. She is a strong, independent business woman who was embarrassed by her ex’s actions enough that she was considering leaving town. Clark gives her back some of her confidence and shows her the love and affection she was missing in her marriage.

Bell somehow manages to keep this light and breezy while both characters are dealing with loss. The story is fast paced, the characters are both very likable and their chemistry is off the charts. I loved the whole Wilder extended family and I can’t wait to go back and read the first two books! Even though this is the third book in the Wilder series, it can easily be read as a standalone. If you like small town romance, fake dating and love after loss, then this is the book for you! Thank you so much to NetGalley and the author for the ARC to read and review.

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When Jessa's ex-husband shows up on an adventure tour and starts bothering her, tour leader Clark steps in. He pretends to be Jessa's boyfriend to get the guy to back off. Which wouldn't be a problem, except that Clark's brother and sister are also part of the tour team. Word gets back to his mom, who's thrilled that Clark is finally dating again after the tragic loss of his wife.

With Jessa planning Clark's brother's wedding, they can't just break up—things would get awkward with his family. But the longer the charade goes on, the more the two get attached—no matter how determined they are to never fall in love again.

This emotional romance with lovable characters can't help but get under your skin. The steamy scenes are incredibly hot, with a ton of tension and longing. Clark is a big cinnamon roll, and he and Jessa fit perfectly together.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

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Who doesn’t love the fake relationship trope! This is steamy, funny and sensitive as well as providing the romance of course.
It’s certainly lame in the reasoning for their continued relationship after the camping but you can see the lame justification these characters are making reflected within it so I can accept that.
I definitely enjoyed the writing style of serena bell with not just a romance and adding in some spice but also that the characters had depth and humour to them…seems to be hard to balance in romance when following such clichéd tropes as fake dating and only one bed etc but I am certainly going to be getting the previous two in this series to read and will always consider a new book by this fun author

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3.5 ⭐'s

“Fake dating, real kissing. Keep the lines sharp and you won’t get hurt.”

✔️fake-dating
✔️ small town romance
✔️grumpy/sunshine
✔️ one tent trope (kinda like the one-bed trope ok)

Jessa wasn’t supposed to be attending the weekend camping getaway with Wilder Adventures ALONE, but when her best friend cancels last minute, that is exactly where Jessa ends up. Even worse, her ex-husband and his new girlfriend end up on the same camping trip guaranteeing a horrible weekend. In swoops Clark, a widow, resident wilderness warrior, the man leading the group, and also her new fake boyfriend! The plan was to end their fake relationship once the trip was done — only word travels fast and Clark’s family is thrilled to meet his new girlfriend. On top of that, Jessa’s been hired to plan Clark’s brother’s wedding. These two won’t be getting rid of each other anytime soon. Maybe fake dating a little bit longer won’t be so bad?

This was such a fun, cute and fast-paced read! Although this is the third installment in the Wilder Adventure series — a series that follows the Wild brothers, it can definitely be read as a stand-alone (that’s how I read it). That being said, I found myself so intrigued by the rest of the couples/characters that I’m definitely going to be reading the others! (I’m getting major Easton/Hanna vibes and I want that book ASAP)

I loved Jessa and Clark’s banter. Clark has the big-grump-but-secretly-softy thing going on that we love. The camping trip really did it for me! I was ready to book my flight to Rush Creek and sign up for a trip of my own. I also was really happy with how Clark being a widow and newly finding love was handled. It felt super realistic to me. I hate when there’s jealousy of the dead partner coming from the new partner, but rest assured there is none of that in this book!

Overall if you’re looking for a sweet and steamy rom-com, definitely pick this up!

*I received an ARC from Author Collective 20, Jelsba Media Group through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review! Thank you!*

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This is my first full-length story by Serena Bell, after reading about Amanda and Heath in 'Tinsel and Tatas', but it certainly won't be my last! (Especially as I've just purchased the entire series so far, and pre-ordered book 4)

In hindsight, I probably should have read the first two books in this series before reading this one, but I would say it can be read as a standalone without much confusion. I just think I'd have got more out of the references to the other Wilder siblings and their significant others (there are a lot!), plus the obvious Easter eggs if I'd read books 1 and 2. But that's on me, and won't reflect my overall ratings.

This story follows Clark Wilder, widower, and Jessa, divorcee on a fake dating journey that had me laughing, swooning, and crying in equal parts. Clark is struggling with how to move on after his wife's death, insistent that he can never love again, and wrangling with the guilt and traitorous feelings that come with finding another woman attractive. Meanwhile, Jessa is navigating the pain of her broken marriage after her absolute douche canoe of an ex not only cheated on her but proceeded to write about it in his book.

When circumstances throw Clark, Jessa, and her ex together (plus the woman her ex cheated on her with), Clark steps up and pretends to be Jessa's boyfriend. And no one is more surprised than Clark himself!

What follows is an often hilarious, sometimes painfully poignant, and most definitely steamy and swoon-worthy story of second chances at love.

As someone who loves the great outdoors, the setting of the book really appealed to me. I really enjoyed the emotional tug of war that both characters had to navigate, with each one knowing there was this instant attraction, but being equally terrified, and, in Clark's case, the grief and blame he torments himself with. I also enjoyed the amount of diversity in the wider group of characters, and hope to read more about them (if these haven't already been written about - remember, I'm a Serena Bell newbie!

To sum up, this ticked all of my boxes. Forced proximity, fake dating, a seemingly grumpy-ass male protagonist who's really a big softy, and... there was only one tent!*

*there were actually two but they were fake dating, so shush! They HAD to share one.


Overall Rating: ❤❤❤❤❤
Heat Rating: 🔥🔥🔥
Emotional Rating: 🥰🥰😂😂😢😢😢


*Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to leave an honest review*

I have also posted my review on Amazon UK, but it is awaiting moderation (which unfortunately seems to be very slow at the moment)

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Wilder With You is the 3rd book in the Wilder Adventures series and this is Clark Wilder's story.

Clark Wilder is still mourning the loss of his wife even two years later. He loved Emma and feels guilty if he were to move on. One day Jessa Olsen catches his eye but she was friends with Emma so she has to be off limits.

After Jessa found her now ex-husband in bed with someone else she knew she needed to get on with her life so she convinced her best friend Imani to go on a Gilderness Adventure with the Wilder Adventure Company. At the last minute Imani has to cancel and Jessa is left by herself. This wouldn't be a problem, but Clark is one of the tour guides and Jessa is attracted to him. But then guess who else shows up.....yep....ex-husband Reuben and his new girlfriend, Corinna! When Reuben goes to introduce Corinna to Jessa, Clark overhears and quickly decides to jump in and help Jessa by pretending to be her boyfriend! This starts to whole pretend to be boyfriend/girlfriend charade. When the news of Clark's "girlfriend" quickly runs through his large family, Clark and Jessa are forced to continue on with the fake relationship. Of course the more time these two spend together, the hotter their chemistry becomes until they cross that line. Everything is going well until ghosts from the past come back to threaten them and things fall apart. It will take some deep down thinking from both Jessa and Clark to finally get their happy ending but they do in great, dramatic style!

I just loved this fake relationship love story! Clark was such a great, alpha male who was stuck in the past. It was fun watching him fall for his pretend girlfriend. Jessa was a sweet heroine who had a lot of baggage from her past but it was enjoyable watching these two get together for real. I also enjoyed the little sneak peak into Kane's story!

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Thank-you Netgalley and Author Collective 20, Jelsba Media Group for the chance to review this ARC.

5/5 Stars

THIS BOOK WAS PERFECTION!
It had all the swoon, all the spacy and I can’t even form words.
This is just that good!
Do yourself a favor and read this because it’s wonderful.

I can’t say enough nice things about this book.
Once again, I read a book in a series without reading the other and now, I’m stalking my delivery person because I need those books now!
What drew me in was the cover for this, I’m a sucker for illustrated covers so this was a no brainer.
I stared this Saturday morning, and I didn’t leave my bed until I was done. I couldn’t put it down.
Jessa was such wonderful character with real flaws that you don’t feel until someone in the book explains them to her and suddenly it’s like a light switch in your brain and you start to pick up little things throughout the story and its so great!
Clark, my GOD Clark was an instant TOP TIER Husbandoo. I mean WOW just WOW! I was smitten and I was sad. I had all the emotions. His relationship with his siblings is wonderful and his banter with Jessa was PERFECTION! His internal struggle was so well done, and it really tugged at my heart.
The Wilder siblings are amazing, and I love them. Specially Kane! I can’t wait for Kane’s story.
I just want to protect Kane with my life he’s just too precious!

This is my first book by Serena Bell and I just gotta say she just became one of my favorites!
I related so much with her writing style; the inner monologues seemed so real. I often found myself thinking “Yep, that’s exactly what I’d be thinking in this moment “So it made the reading experience all the more amazing!

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When I say I read this in one sitting I mean it. It's currently 3 hours past my bedtime and I'm just putting it down. Frig this was good and I've learnt that I have a few new favorite tropes. Fake dating and one tent!

The STEAM. Honestly this read a lot like Elle Kennedy's books and I am here for it! Love this for me haha. I also love that this is the third in the series so I can now go back and enjoy two more of these books!!

Fake dating, small town romance, one "bed", steam, dual POV, what more could you possibly want?!

Thank you a million times netgalley for this e-arc and to introducing me to Serena Bells writing!

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"No one can fake the way he was looking at you."

Wilder With You is the third book in the Wilder Adventures series and can be read as a standalone (which is what I do). The book follows widow Clarke Wilder and Jessa Olsen, a newly divorcee. With what starts as a small fake dating white lie to spite Jessa's cheating ex-husband turns into a lot more when Jessa and Clarke start developing feelings for each other.

This book is SO charming. The characters are all so loveable and if you haven't read their stories yet, this is definitely going to convince you to do so. The town they live in is so sweet. Jessa is a wedding planner and Clarke runs an adventure wilderness company with his siblings (who play a big role in both his life and the book). Serena does an amazing job capturing the essence of fake dating and the guilt of falling back in love after tragedy.

I absolutely LOVED Jessa and Clarke's story and look forward to eventually reading the rest of this series!

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This was my first Serena Bell book and I really enjoyed it! I'm a sucker for a fake relationship and this one had a lot of really fun moments. I loved the entire Wilder family and was thrilled to know two of the brothers had stories ready to be read. Clark and Jessa were a lot of fun together. It didn't blow me away, but I enjoyed it and will look for more from Bell in the future.

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Wilder With You by Serena Bell is the third book in this series. I haven’t read the other books that come before this but I really enjoyed this one! This book follows Jessa and Clark, who begin fake dating on a glamping excursion after Jessa’s ex-husband shows up with his girlfriend (who he cheated on Jessa with). Even though Clark is still grieving the loss of his wife, he decides to continue the charade in order to get his family off his back. As they spend more time together, fake dating leads to real kissing (and super spicy scenes) and real feelings, but both Jessa and Clark have pasts that could keep them apart. One of the reasons I love romance novels is because they discuss serious topics, like loss and grief. This book did that beautifully. There were several times while I was reading that I legit sobbed because of Clark’s feelings about moving on from his late wife and even facing his mother-in-law. Jessa’s character also struggles with coping with difficult situations (which is totally relatable!) and runs away from her problems instead of facing them head on. This book was such an easy read and I enjoyed how it was written from Jessa and Clark’s perspectives. I will definitely be checking out the other books in this series soon! Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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I haven't read the other books in the series but enjoyed this book. Great characters, and plenty of fun and sweetness. Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the third book in the series, and I would recommend that you read them in order as they are a lot of fun, and the story is ongoing. However, if you start here (and go back afterwards), you will still get a really lovely romance with plenty of detail to give you the background to catch you up.

I have read a host of fake romance stories, but none have started out like this one, and it is incredibly refreshing, funny, and based on nascent love which neither had been prepared to act on for the sake of propriety.

Clark's wife, Emma, died suddenly, and as her friend, Jessa never thought she could then act on her attraction to him. Cue a number of uncomfortable meetings – but when faced with her ex-husband showing off his girlfriend, Clark cannot help but intervene. What follows is both incredibly sweet and romantic, but also moving, and caring, and also at times very funny.

The Wilder clan all feature large, and there are more revelations for us to enjoy and look forward to more details in the future. Be ready for some good laughs, some real healing from sadness, and a lot of hope for a better future.

I am already looking forward to Kane's story that's for sure!


Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
I highly recommend getting comfy and enjoying this book on an afternoon where you want to get lost in a good book.

Clark and Jessa at first seem to be complete opposites. Clark is part of the Wilders – his family owns Wilder Adventures – and the whole family are wilderness buffs. Jessa is trying new things so as to not appear boring, staid, and a stick in the mud.

Starting with a "fake dating" relationship to becoming reluctant friends to truly enjoying each other's company, you can see how their relationship progresses. These two have issues and boundaries that they each must work out and take their time to do so.

This is a stand-alone book but I highly recommend reading the first two because you get to know the Wilders and the backstories of the people in Clark and Jessa's story.


Veronica – ☆☆☆☆
WILDER WITH YOU is the third installment in the Wilder Adventures series gives us Clark’s story. Clark’s wife passed away several years ago and he is feeling pressure from his family to start dating. A spur of the moment decision sees him pretending to be the boyfriend of Jessa, a woman who was in his wife’s book club.

I’m not the biggest fan of fake relationships as a trope but it worked really well here. Jessa and Clarke are insanely attracted to each other and seeing them fall in love while “pretending” to be a couple was sexy and a lot of fun. Dating again is a big deal for Clark and in a mostly light-hearted book, Clark’s grief added an extra depth of feeling.

Clark’s family are a feature in the story, and they quickly adopt Jessa into their clan. One of things I love about this book, and this series, is getting to hang out with the Wilder bunch. They are fun, a little crazy, and full of love. And we get little hint of things that are to come in the future books for the rest of the Wilder brothers.

I’d highly recommend WILDER WITH YOU for romcom lovers. It can be read as a standalone but the whole series is so good it is worth your time to read them all.

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I recieved the arc through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and I was so excited to give this story a chance.

This is my first encounter with the author but I surely hope to get to her other books within this year.

- fake dating
- fast read
- small town romance

Sometimes it can be tricky to see emotionally matured characters in new adult romance books but maybe that's what's so special about this story. Jessa is bold yet has the emotional inteligence to know we all deserve a second chance in every aspect even within her own hesitation and fear to give love another shot. That maybe if we try we can end up finding happiness between the tears and the trauma life might have put in front of us in the past.

While Clark being in love with every piece of Jessa even at the very begining when nobody was truly conscious of their feelings was adorable. Fighting the guilt to accept he can have another chance in love without it meaning he is betraying his late wife, the chemestry he has with Jessa is the perfect balance between adorable yet sexy.

I just wish we could have had a lot more of those tiny moment between each other with actual dialogue and not so much of the description of certains event and maybe look a lot deeper about Jessa's past but overall it's a fast paced, cute, funny and steamy story one can read in one sitting.

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This book was funny and adorable with just the right amount of spice.
It has my favourite trope: Fake dating and it was well done too! The chemistry between Clark and Jessa is undeniable. Clark made me feel all giddy inside and with tons of butterflies. The book was really well written and the story kept me on my toes throughout the whole book. I kept wanting to read more.

I gave it 4.5 stars. I know it's a standalone, but it's part of a series. I wish I had known before because there were so many names and characters that it was a bit confusing, also, there wasn't enough groveling at the end of the book.

Overall, it was a great story and I would read it again!

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This book is the third in the Wilder Adventures romance series, however, it can 100% be read as a stand alone.

In the first two books you don’t really learn much about Clarke; all we really know going into this book is that he’s a widower that’s not really dealing with his grief very well despite the fact his wife passed on a few years ago now.

Jessa is a completely new character; she’s a wedding planner who knew Clarke’s late wife and has recently split with her (now ex) husband. She has decided to take herself and her best friend on a ‘Gilderness’ Trip (a lighter wilderness survival trip where you learn the very basics of surviving in the wilderness and still get smores at the end of it all – think normal people camping where you still learn some pretty important survival techniques). At the very last minute, Jessa’s bestie has to cancel, which leaves her to face this trip on her own. Not so bad, right? There’ll be other people she can socialise with and maybe it’ll be quite nice to spend some time with just herself and nature. Wrong. Very wrong. Jessa’s ex-husband and the woman that he cheated on her with are also on the trip.

For some unknown reason, the very grumpy Clarke decides he can’t stand seeing Jessa being picked on by her ex and his new partner and decides to fake-date her to get the guy off her back.

And, like all good fake dating stories, it kinda spirals a little out of control.

This was probably my favourite of these Wilder Brother stories; and that’s really saying something because I loved the first two – a lot.

Clarke is presented as a Grumpy McGrumpFace throughout the first two books and it so lovely to get his inner monologue and reasoning behind his less-than-happy exterior. You can kind of infer from the other books that Clarke would be a massive softie, but its lovely getting to see that come to light in this book.

I remember remarking through the first to books how the representation was getting better and better; the first book is mainly and all white, straight cast with a few very minor characters thrown in that aren’t. The second book follows and Latinx love interest and there’s definitely more representation within it.
This book, however, was markedly more represented; Jessa is half Korean and there is so much talk of her Korean heritage and culture (which was clearly researched well and had me craving so many yummy foods I’d honestly never heard of before this book), she has a non-binary sibling that goes by they/them pronouns, and (spoiler - it is something that happens quite a bit of the way through the book, but doesn’t have any bearing on the story at all) Clarke’s mum – the mother of all the Wilder siblings – comes out as being in a relationship with her close female friend; among quite a few other little tidbits I didn’t manage to note down.

I often find with romance novels, once the story has done it’s thing and the love interests have had their reunion, the book ends so quickly that you never get to have any kind of insight as to what their HEA is actually like. I really liked with this how we got some time after their getting back together, as well as a little epilogue of events that had been hinted at in the main story. It’s also lovely to pick up hints of the next book(s). Knowing which brother the next book in the series is about and having a small synopsis - being able to pick up small easter eggs about how those events started in this book was great.

The only negative I have about this book, is that it seems as though each of these Wilder Adventure novels follows the same base story; there is some reason the Wilder Brother can’t/shouldn’t/won’t fall in love > enter, female that is leaving town/not staying for long > there is some kind of forced proximity > they do the do > she has to go > they realise they’re actually in love > he chases after her. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and let’s face it, it’s the basis for a LOT of romance novels. But I just so happened to read the three existing books back-to-back and they did feel quite samey. And that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy them, I did. It would just be interesting to have some variety (and for this exact same reason I SO hope that Hannah gets her moment to shine in one of these novels as I can’t wait to read about a not-so-feminine heroine!)

Overall, this book was great. It really showed the progression Clarke’s grief and (although I haven’t had to face this kind of grief before) it seemed as though it was a really realistic representation. Clarke and Jessa were extremely likeable protagonists, and it was really lovely to see characters from past books pop up in this one.

I am very much looking forward to following the Wilder family through their next stories!

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Thank you Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was so easy to get into! Upon reading the first chapter I was already drawn to Jessa and her personality. I absolutely admire her, she is smart, brave, and absolutely hilarious. I always appreciate characters who have been through so much in life but still manage to spread happiness and kindness towards other people. And that is exactly how I see Jessa.

Our male lead, Clark, is just as lovable as Jessa. He is a very family-oriented man, it’s adorable how much he loves his mom (I’m just such a sucker for this) and his siblings. As for being a boyfriend, he was the best. He was so attentive and thoughtful towards Jessa!

The romance in this book was so so good. If you love fake dating + forced proximity then you will love this book. From the moment Jessa and Clark talked to each other, I just knew I was going to love them and their relationship because I could just feel their good chemistry. Both Jessa and Clark had troubled past and I love how their friendship helped them open up and move on from it and they finally learned how to stop blaming themselves.

The side characters were amazing as well, they were very entertaining and hilarious. I always love overbearing siblings who force their angsty broody brother to find love! All of them were rooting for Clark and Jessa, and I love how supportive they all were.

If you’re looking for a light romcom read, I highly recommend this one! The trope was done well, the banters were amazing, the family dynamic and friendships were heartwarming.

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If you’re looking for a quick, easy, steamy, fun read then you need to get your hands on Wilder With You as soon as it’s released!

I didn’t know before reading this that it is actually part of a series, but I didn’t feel while reading it that there was anything I was missing so I think it works great as a stand-alone book, and after reading this one, I’m definitely interested in checking out the other two books that came before it.

There’s nothing very deep about this book (I was reading A Little Life at the same time so it was a nice distraction), though it does touch on losing a partner and cheating in relationships, so it’s got some aspects that make it more than a lighthearted romcom.

For those of you who crave the chick lit, this book has plenty of fake dating, in addition to some one bed (or one tent 🏕) action if you’re into that. It doesn’t hurt that the main male character is rugged and has that lumberjack vibe going for him.

Overall a very enjoyable book with entrepreneurial women, adventures, laughs, cute chipmunk page breaks, and one very attractive and outdoorsy family.

Thank you @netgalley and Jelsba Media Group for the gifted copy!

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Serena Bell is a guilty favorite for me, one of the few romance authors I still read. In this continuation of the series about the Wilders, it's Clark's turn. He's a protective hero, coming to our female lead Jessa's rescue when he sees her in a bind. It's just nice to read a good guy hero who deserves to have another loving partner. Their fake relationship makes Clark's family happy but their very real (and hot) sex, and their heart to heart talks, lead to more. This has been my favourite of the series, though I'll be interested in seeing if Kane or Easton's stories will surpass it. Fun , breezy read.

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