Melanie Drake is a rule follower ever since she was a little girl, her family and her were in an accident that caused a scar on her face. Her father told her the reason her family was in a bad accident was because someone didn't follow the rules. She works hard and lands a job at the Office of Special Investigations. During her career there she uncovered and dealt with many evil people. Having enough she decides she wants to make a change in her life. She gets a job as a guidance counselor for young children. She is happy and buys a house and has two wonderful dogs for company. She believes her job for the special investigations is done. Then a call comes from her former supervisor, Rich Patterson. He needs her back for a highly specialized assignment. An international group of billionaires is known to meet regularly for decadent dinners, and they always hire high-class escorts for the occasion. They want her to infiltrate those meetings which could yield information vital to national security. She’s willing to pose as an escort but knows this job could put her life at risk. I loved Melanie she had so many layers and it was so fun reading her story on how she started and the jobs she takes she’s a really unique character! I hope we get more of her!!

Melanie Drake has had an exciting career in Covert Operations but has moved on to a second career as a school guidance counsellor post-retirement. But criminals don't retire and soon Melanie is back in the thick of things playing to her strengths as she works to bring down a group of ruthless billionaires. 
The story has a slow build up through Melanie's childhood trauma and the cultivation of the traits that hold her in such good stead in her job with the FBI.  Having successfully navigated her way up the ladder and putting away the requisite bad guys she has since retired and started working as guidance counselor.  Now she puts her keen observation skills to work and her contacts to helping children navigate difficult home situations. 
Then the FBI comes calling again and she transforms herself into a high-class escort working her way into the rich and wealthy world of billionaires who have their hands in all kinds of illegal pies. Her FBI liaison is someone she's worked closely with during her time with the agency. As danger surrounds her the friendship begins to deepen to something more. 
The author does not explicitly draw out the romance, but it simmers in the background as a little more than friendship.  I enjoyed the edge of danger and suspense as the story moves along at a slighter slower pace than I might have liked. 
I truly enjoy these suspense titles from Ms. Michaels and always put them in my auto buy list though this particular title was provided free of charge for review purposes through Net Galley.

I will not be giving feedback on this title because I was unable to get it t to load / appear on any of my kindle devices r despite biker attempts and despite help about loading from Netgalley

This is the story of Meldrake, OSI agent/elementary school guidance counselor ! What an exciting book. It starts out when Melanie is in grade school and explains the little quirks about her that made her a great agent. After 18 years she retires to work as a guidance counselor and gets pulled back in by her boss who she has stayed in touch with. The second phase of her OSI career has a lot more glitter and glam and a lot more Gilmore!( could there be some romance here?) Cosmo & Kramer are awesome and show the softer side of Melanie. I throughly enjoyed this book!! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting story. It moved very slow in the beginning. I don't know if Ms. Michaels is going to do a series with this character or not.

Melanie Drake has nothing on superman........at least the changing character part: school counselor by day and high class escort at night. She once was a government profiler, now retired, that changed careers because of all the stress and trauma of that intense job. A counselor is the antithesis of her old self but when the government asks her to step into a role she acquiesces.
     The government needs an inside edge into the high life of a group of millionaires that were threatening national security. She filled that role perfectly...almost too perfectly to the reader.
    The excitement finally happens but leaves the reader wanting more of those dangerous rendezvous earlier in the story.

LOVED Melanie Drake - she's pretty much a bad ass.
And we so sorely need more of them in the world!! The Wild Side had me hooked from the get go - something that I've come to expect fro Fern Michaels books. While I'm a big fan of her books - I'm a HUGE fan of this one! If a book can make me gasp (out loud at the nail salon surrounded by strangers as I was reading) I absolutely have to add that to my def recommend list. Melanie seemed to excell at EVERYTHING that she did (and since none of us have that kind of talent - I'm glad that its a woman that does - even if its a fictional character lol). Another fab novel by Fern Michaels!!! Thanks to Netgalley, Fern Michaels and Zebra Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.



https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6392744707
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A riveting story that keeps you captivated from start to finish. From her life as a child living on the outskirts of Washington DC, to college and the Federal Service, MelDrake has an interesting and busy life. When she trades it all in for a job in the education field as an elementary school guidance counselor she thinks it will be smooth sailing. Little dies she know she'll be called back in to service with her old boss Patterson and former colleague Gilmour. There's a bit if mystery, suspense and some romance to make this a 5 star read!

Although I received a free ARC ebook from Net Galley and the publisher, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Fern Michael, "The Wild Side" is a very entertaining novel about a young lady whose high-achieving goals make her perfect for the world of espionage. The heroine of the story wants to make a difference. After a career in the spy world that ends with a dangerous encounter, she returns to school. Her goal is to help those at risk for a violent future when they are young. Her second career is as an elementary guidance counselor. Eventually the world of espionage and guidance collide for an entertaining read. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The heroine is one smart young woman and her handlers are real and human themselves. The author successfully combines the worlds of early education and espionage in this latest of her book. Thanks to #NetGalley#TheWildSide for the opportunity to read and review this fascinating book. See this review on https://www.facebook.com/thereadingandwritingsentinel.

Great Fern Michales book. I love the way she writes. Anything you pick up from this author is great.

The Wild Side is the newest book by Fern Michaels. The novel is billed as a thriller, mystery and suspenseful. While there was one section that was truly suspenseful and thrilling, I felt the ending was rather sudden and could have been more suspenseful or thrilling. Having said that, I found the novel interesting and I liked the characters. I did feel the suspense meter at the end could have been ratcheted up.

Melanie was uncertain about her path and really wanted to work toward changing the world. She became a profiler for OSI and helped put away many criminals, but she knew she would need something different and determined what her next path would be. As a planner, she determined her path and followed it by starting a new career. Only to have her old boss ask for her to help them out - for just a few things. This is when I expected the suspense to ramp up, but felt it failed to be provided.

I felt The Wild SIde could have been more suspenseful and thrilling, but I enjoyed it for a nice mystery. The characters were interesting. The Wild Side by Fern Michaels was an okay read.

Melanie Drake becomes a school guidance counselor after her previous career with the Office of Special Investigations. She loved the risks involved in the covert operations. Now she cherishes the peaceful life she leads. She has purchased a house and adopted two retired service dogs. Then her former supervisor calls and wants her back for a highly specialized assignment. Her loyalty is indisputable. She agrees to it knowing that one slip and she could be eliminated.



Thanks to Ferm Michael’s and Kensington books!

Melanie Drake was always book smart but she needed and wanted life experience to make her life feel complete. Or so she thought. Melanie Drake left her career as an international government agent to become an elementary school guidance counselor, and lead a normal quiet life. But, it wasn’t long before her skills as an agent were put to use again. Melanie kept a small circle of family and friends and it was two former colleagues Patterson and Gilmour who would force Melanie out of her comfort zone. Melanie Drake’s life is filled with twists and surprises that keep you reading and wondering what is coming next. Fern Michaels delivers again with characters that you can’t help but love and hate.

The Wild Side is the story of Melanie Drake. She is highly educated and easily bored in her many jobs that she has had. It would seem that she outgrows them all. I found it difficult to engage and relate with story. Despite the interesting description, it fell flat for me.

The synopsis for The Wild Side by Fern Michaels sounded intriguing. Unfortunately, the story fell flat. The first half or so of the book felt like a biography as we learn about Melanie’s upbringing, education, and work history (I kept wondering when there would be some of the promised action). There is no mystery, action, or suspense (this section helped my insomnia). The pacing is leisurely. Melanie going undercover is towards the end of the book. It ended so quickly (I said, “that’s it?”). The conclusion was rushed. I was happy that there was little romance. The story had too much build up. I did not feel the school counselor and the OSI agent storylines went together (seemed odd). We got detailed descriptions on some high-end fashions and perfumes (did we really need to know each perfume she paired with each outfit/persona). I loved the retired service dogs that Melanie was coerced into adopting. Unfortunately, I did not find The Wild Side to be an enjoyable reading experience.

It is an interesting and intriguing read as we follow one woman's journey through life and all the stops and starts that follow. A fascinating career that was catapulted by an injury as a child that led to a summer spent reading, watching TV, and learning a few tricks that she will pull out time and again. A unique woman with so much heart that wants to save the world any way she can. Not a romance per se, just a compelling, intimate story you can read in an afternoon.

Well written book, once again fern Michaels brings a story to life that is engaging and has a great plot. Loved the book

I am going to refrain from writing too much about this one. I will instead leave quotes from the book and then you can decide for yourself.

The two things I will say are:
Fern Michaels is not a person. So for those who are saying this is not like other Fern Michaels books it's because there is no such person, just an entity.

The synopsis of the book could not be more misleading. It reads more like the internal thoughts of someone's boring life for the first 70% of the book. Someone who is ridiculously cocky, immature and unlikable. And then last caper is downright comical with the way they stop the bad guy.

Anyway, here's the quotes I thought were representative of the writing/book:
"Just one round of heavy petting scared the whoopie out of her."
"They are very good at being psychopathic. Probably why they're called psychopaths. She chuckled to herself. "
"Gonzalez grunted and replied, 'true dat.'"
"She figured when she met the right guy, he would be the right guy. So far, none of them was the right guy."
From an enraged parent: "Good morning, my big fat hiney!"
Regarding a dog: "If you asked him, and if he answered, he would tell you he was just fine. Then your name would be Dr. Doolittle."
"'Everything I am wearing is geometric, sculptural. Probably the white chin-length bob and gray contacts.' 'Now THAT sounds kinky.'"

This is a light-hearted thriller in every sense. The story starts in MelDrake's childhood and works its way through her second career. The book is more than half way over by the time it gets to what is described in the blurb. The espionage was well explained and nothing ever felt super high stakes. The story felt a bit like reading a TV episode drama throughout. I enjoyed this for the light nature and fun of what is typically intense situations. MelDrake also gets retired service dogs at the end.

This story tells the adventures of Melanie Drake becoming an OIS agent and trying to retire as a school counselor. It spans her younger years into adulthood. She is astute yet naive, beautiful yet scarred, determined yet kindhearted all rolled into one. She is determined to reach her goals and so puts her love life on hold, but in the end, there may be someone who is there for her to fulfill that need.

This was a quick and easy read. I enjoyed the little spy adventures Melanie embarked on and thought her character matured well throughout the story. I would definitely read more adventures written by Fern Michaels.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ebook.