Blog Tour Stop: Review and Giveaway: Some Like It Wild

Some Like It Wild (Wild Ones - Book 2) by M. Leighton

Publication Date: 03/04/2014
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley Books
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Pages: 384
ISBN-10: 0425267814
ISBN-13: 978-0425267813

(Received for an honest review from Berkley Books)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Indiebound

M. Leighton on the WEB: website, blog, twitter, facebook, goodreads

Books in the series: 

The Wild Ones (2012) Wild Child {Novella} (2013), Some Like It Wild (2014)

Coverart: Click the Image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.

Excerpt from, Some Like It Wild, courtesy of the author's website.

Synopsis:

How far will a good girl go for the bad boy she loves?

Laney Holt is a preacher’s daughter. A good girl. Her only goal was to get married, have babies, and live happily ever after, just like her parents. Only that didn’t happen. The two people closest to her betrayed her, and Laney’s dreams came crashing down. Now she’s left with an empty space she doesn’t know how to fill. Until she meets Jake Theopolis, a daredevil with a death wish who has heartbreaker written all over him.

Jake has no interest in thinking beyond the here and now. All he wants out of life is the next rush, the next “feel-good” thing to keep his mind off the pain of his past. His latest rush? Showing Laney there’s more to life than being a good girl—and that going bad can be so much fun. Her only concern now is how she can ever hope to satisfy the wild side of a boy like Jake. She’s looking forward to trying. And so is Jake.

Thoughts:

Author M. Leighton brings readers the next book in her Wild Ones series, Some Like It Wild. This is a riff on the classic good girl meets bad boy story that often captivates readers. Leighton takes a young woman who is used to following the rules and puts her smack dab in the path of one bad boy. She wants to fall in love and get married, he just wants the next adrenaline rush and she is providing the kind of challenge he has never had before. Readers looking for a sweet romance between to unlikely lovers will find M. Leighton's new book magical and full of surprises.

What I liked:

I have always been a sucker for a the good girl/bad boy romance and this one really hit the spot. M. Leighton is an up and coming writer in the new adult sub-genre which focuses on heroes and heroines just comes coming into adulthood. There is a lot coming of age and self-discovery in these types of novels and Leighton has proved that, that is one of her strong points. I often think younger characters have so much to learn they are somewhat exhausting, but not so with Leighton's characters. She seems understand the amount of maturity needed to make the book work, while still falling within the new adult framework. It should be interesting to see how she continues in the sub-genre.

Jake was the ultimate bad boy. Some of his reputation justly earned and some a bit on paranoia on the town's part. He is in town settling his parents estate when he meets Laney again. He had this attitude that was intoxicating. You just wanted more of him. He didn't grow on you, he was already everything you new you should like but did. He was expressive and liked to talk dirty and was a great teacher on how to walk on the wild side. Laney never knew what hit her and neither did the reader. It was a a little tedious waiting for him to sort himself out, but the way he was with Laney made up for it. He complimented her so well. A great instance of the law of opposites.

Laney on the other hand, was a little stiff in some ways. She was accustomed to doing what she was told and being the perfect preacher's daughter. Now I don't know about you but most of the preacher's kids I knew had a wild streak in them and Laney has one of her own. I liked the fact that she wanted something different out of life than what everyone wanted for her. Jake was the ultimate expression of rebellion but that was so not her agenda. I thought she was sweet, a little too sweet maybe, but that made me want to see things work out for her. When her ex shows up wanting her back it was time for her to do some soul searching and find out what she really wanted.

Both of these characters show a lot of character growth throughout this novel and I think Leighton does a fantastic job of showing each of them what really mattered in life. I thought their chemistry was undeniable. They were both so passionate about everything in life that is spilled over into their romantic life and that was nice. I felt like there wasn't a lot of surprises in this book, but I liked the direction it went from start to finish. I also enjoyed the Wild Child short story featuring Jake's sister Jenna. A nice extra.

What I didn't like:

I didn't like Laney's dad very much, preacher or no. It felt like he was a bit condescending toward Jake. Now I understand that she was his baby and Jake was totally not what he thought was best for her, but there is a line that I think he crossed with Jake. He wouldn't let him succeed at doing good. He just kept downing everything he tried to do. Not a very good example of Christian charity and behavior in my opinion. Definitely, not a deal breaker, just a mild annoyance.

Bottom Line:

This is a great example of what new adult contemporary novels are all about. Laney and Jake had a lot of growing up to do and they showed a lot of maturity throughout the book. Leighton gives readers a very sweet and light romance between to characters who are opposites. I liked it a lot.

Some Like It Wild will be available to the public on March 4th. Pre-order is available NOW.

I'm giving this one 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

About the Author:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author M. Leighton is a native of Ohio. She relocated to the warmer climates of the South, where she can be near the water all summer and miss the snow all winter. Possessed of an overactive imagination from early in her childhood, Michelle finally found an acceptable outlet for her fantastical visions: literary fiction. Having written over a dozen novels, Michelle enjoys letting her mind wander to more romantic settings with sexy Southern guys, much like the one she married and the ones you'll find in her latest books: the first in her Wild Ones series, The Wild Ones, and her Bad Boys novels, Down to You, Up to Me, andEverything for Us. When her thoughts aren't roaming in that direction, she'll be riding wild horses, skiing the slopes of Aspen or scuba diving with a hot rock star, all without leaving the cozy comfort of her office.

Giveaway Details:

The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Some Like It Wild by M. Leighton.

~ You must be an email subscriber to participate.
~ US addresses only.
~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, March 17th.

1. Please leave a comment about what you like about the new adult sub-genre.
2. Please fill out the FORM.