Ready for Wild

August 15, 2017
A surly mountain man and a celebrity with a big personality wrestle with their chemistry in the great outdoors.Braden Montgomery is a brooding, solitary game warden who prefers the company of his dog and the great outdoors. Amber Regan is the host of a popular TV show about hunting who lives in the public eye. When she scouts the land in Braden's unit for an elk hunt, sparks fly. Unfortunately, they're the kind of sparks that can result in glowering resentment--or the type of sexual chemistry that could start a forest fire. Braden begins their working relationship by making a lot of broad assumptions about Amber: that she's superficial and a poor imitation of a hunter. In fact, Amber is not only a good hunter, but she also shares Braden's moral code about the sport. And this hunt is her last shot at saving her show, which has declining ratings. Eventually, their relationship evens out with the benefit of distance and the help of a frequent text exchange. Tension gives way to attraction as the two get to know one another and realize how much they have in common. When Amber comes back to get in one last scouting trip before hunting season, they finally hook up, spending two nearly perfect days together before distance drags them apart again. During hunting season, Amber stays at Braden's cabin as he goes after a deer that's eluded him for several years. While they're on their respective hunts, Braden can't keep his mind off Amber and returns early to offer help. When she declines and misses her mark, Braden is there to help her recover. But when her show isn't renewed and Amber is offered a starring role in a steamy reality show, things get a little muddled for the otherwise happy couple. Blake (Second Chance Season, 2017, etc.) offers scenic descriptions almost as lush as the sex between the main characters.

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Starred review from September 11, 2017
In the excellent third Grand Valley contemporary Western romance (after Second Chance Season), Blake makes the Colorado wilderness come alive with sweeping descriptions of the mountains and valleys. Amber Regan is the sexy host of a hunting show on cable TV. Braden Montgomery is a game warden who hates hunting shows. There are too many reasons why the two of them together would never work, but there’s one reason why they do: they encourage each other to be their best. Blake treats hunting with respect, and even non-hunters will appreciate that Amber and Braden believe in conservation and don’t view killing animals as sport. The protagonists have intense chemistry from first sight, and their flirtatious banter is witty, blunt, and sexy. Heat sizzles through every text message and singes every look, and the sex is inevitably scorching. Braden has to learn to open himself up emotionally, to be unselfish, and to accept change, and Amber has to learn not to run when things get hard. Alternating viewpoints illustrate how each one grows into love and togetherness, leading to a satisfying conclusion.