Series: The Wild Ones #1
Author: M Leighton
Published: August, 2012
Format: Print copy received for review
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.
The Wild Ones by M Leighton was a terrific way to start a series. While I didn’t love this book as much as books from her Bad Boys series, it’s definitely worth the read and I’m looking forward to the rest. In fact, I have book two, and bought a novella before I even finished book one.
On the surface this book seems like a regular romance; poor guy, rich girl, crossing the lines and falling in love until it all blows up in their face. And sure, that’s what it is on the surface. But then you scratch a little bit, and you see there are more to Cami and Trick than meets the eye.
Cami is the rich girl, except she hasn’t always been so. She likes horses and cars, and life has been pretty good to her as of lately. There hasn’t been anything mindblowing, but then when Trick steps into her life that all changes. But until then her life was… well, vanilla. She didn’t even realize that she was missing passion and sparks. I think she is an interesting character. You see her stand up for herself a couple times, rather than just letting life happen to her, and I really like seeing that kind of streak in a character.
As for Trick, he’s had it hard. His father has died, and he’s the man of the house. He’s put his own dreams on hold to take care of his family. It’s that kind of dedication and devotion that show you he is what dreams are made of. Trick is sexy, sharp, and he does what he thinks is right.
“Please don’t do that.”
“Do what?” I ask.
“Blush. You have no idea how hard it makes it.”
“How hard it makes what?”
He doesn’t answer immediately. He cocks his head to the side and studies me before he answers. “Staying away from you.”
Trick and Cami meet, and the rest of the world ceases to exist. I love that. I mean, of course, real life keeps getting in the way and making life more than difficult for each of them. But the thing I like about M Leighton books is that she writes these fated couples. Nothing else matters but them. They can’t even function without the other. That really speaks to the destiny driven romantic in me.
The cast is rounded out with a great list. The over protective father, the unflinching best friends, the not so fabulous ex…I could go on and on. I really felt like I got a feel for everyone and got to know them enough to either love or hate them.
There’s plenty of flirtation and woo-ing, and some really great and tension filled romance scenes. I was anxious for Cami and Trick to end up together, I really felt like they belonged. When everything falls apart my heart broke for them before I even realized it had happened. Like I was more invested in this couple than I realized.
If you like New Adult, I think this would be a good pick. You get angst and romance, heat and ultimately, love. It moves fast and I found myself easily immersed into Cami and Trick’s world. I’m definitely on board for the rest of the series, and I’d love to hear how you feel about it!
Find M Leighton Online
The Wild Ones on Goodreads
M Leighton On Goodreads
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