Make Me Wilder by Serena Bell

This was a sweet and fun small-town, opposites-attract romance with the wonderful Wilder family at the center. It wasn’t fully as great as I’d hoped for, but it was still so fast-paced and addictive that I read it all in just a couple of hours.

Make Me Wilder is the first book in the Wilder Adventurs series, but I actually started this series in the completely wrong order. I received the fourth book as an ARC and absolutely loved it, and wanted to work my way through Serena Bell’s backlist. And while I enjoyed Make Me Wilder too, it didn’t quite match A Little Wilder. Maybe because I already knew a lot of what would happen, or maybe because Serena Bell has developed as an author throughout the series?

In this first book, we get acquainted with the wonderful Wilder family, who owns an adventure business in the little Oregon town Rush Creek. After Gabe’s father died when he was 15, he assumed responsibility for the business and the promise to take care of his mother and brothers. But when hot springs are discovered, the town transforms from a rodeo-focused one to a spa-and-wedding destination, and suddenly the Wilder business is struggling. So his mother hires city girl Lucy to give Wilder Adventures a makeover.

Lucy is the opposite of what Gabe is looking for in a girl, and not to mention how opposed he is to her ideas that threatens to turn Wilder Adventure into a glamping, yoga and sunset cruises business instead of real outdoor adventures, but still he can’t keep his eyes of her, and soon sparks start to fly…

I really loved Gabe and his bad-boy with a good heart vibes from the start, but I had problems connecting with Lucy. I didn’t like her damsel in distress attitude, and how she was this silly city girl walking around in high heels and spending hours on getting her make up perfect. It didn’t make sense that she would be so ignorant to outdoor life, having grown up in a small town herself. Her character just didn’t add up, especially since she was supposed to be a strong business woman who would give advice on business development for the adventure business. I did enjoy her and Gabe’s banter, and their chemistry though. But my favorite part was the big Wilder family with their wonderful dynamics and love for each other.

All in all, this was a quick, fun and sweet read, but it didn’t quite meet my expectations and I don’t think I will continue this series.

Rating:
3 stars

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Author info:
Serena Bell