Kimani, $6.25, ISBN 978-0-373-86201-6
Contemporary Romance, 2011
Althea Hudson is a woman on the run, stalked by a villain who always seems to be just one step behind her as she moves from town to town. When she decides to trust her instincts and accepts a position at the Wyoming Wilde Ranch, she may finally feel safe for once. After all, not only is the ranch run by three hunky cowboys who seem unfazed by anything, the emo Nathan Wilde is there to show her around the place.
To Tempt a Wilde is a familiar story, and it’s a pretty decent read. The familiarity prevents this story from standing out much in my mind, but it has its moments. The pacing is fine, the hero isn’t too much of a surly twit despite his trust issues caused by a naughty ex-fiancée, and the secondary characters mind their place without becoming too intrusive. I’m not too sure about the love scenes, though. “Mewling cries of feminine distress” is just one of the several phrases in these love scenes that I’d rather not come across often, let’s just say.
The characters are pretty familiar too, although Althea is refreshingly capable and strong for a heroine cast as a victim of a dastardly villain. Perhaps too capable, as Althea in the end gives the villain a good sound beating up. While I’m all for strong heroines, I have to wonder – what takes her this long to put the fear of god into the villain? Maybe love has given her the strength to do what is necessary, but that is a theme with some unfortunate implications indeed. As for Nathan, he’s what he is. That isn’t a bad thing, but it also means that he’s not a very memorable character as he’s so much like every other hero out there.
There is not much else to say about To Tempt a Wilde because it doesn’t stand out much despite being a pleasant read.
