Wednesday, October 30, 2013

[Pat's Review]: "Wild Child"


Wild Child by Molly O'Keefe
Publisher: Bantam (October 29, 2013)
Series: Boys of Bishop, 1
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Perfect for readers of Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Rachel Gibson, this sizzling romance tells the story of a sexy small-town mayor and a notorious “bad girl,” who discover that home really is where the heart is.

Monica Appleby is a woman with a reputation. Once she was America’s teenage “Wild Child,” with her own reality TV show. Now she’s a successful author coming home to Bishop, Arkansas, to pen the juicy follow-up to her tell-all autobiography. Problem is, the hottest man in town wants her gone. Mayor Jackson Davies is trying to convince a cookie giant to move its headquarters to his crumbling community, and Monica’s presence is just too . . . unwholesome for business. But the desire in his eyes sends a very different message: Stay, at least for a while.

Jackson needs this cookie deal to go through. His town is dying and this may be its last shot. Monica is a distraction proving too sweet, too inviting—and completely beyond his control. With every kiss he can taste her loneliness, her regrets, and her longing. Soon their uncontrollable attraction is causing all kinds of drama. But when two lost hearts take a surprise detour onto the bumpy road of unexpected love, it can only lead someplace wonderful.




Where to Buy*:
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Pat's Review:




I love small town stories, and this is a great one. Bishop, Arkansas is dying.  It's money base is dwindling, the okra factory closed down, and one third of the population has moved on. Some very tough decisions are coming up, which may even include having to close the public library.  The mayor of Bishop, Jackson Davies is looking for a miracle. This novel has so many wonderful characters, and exciting sub plots I'm afraid I would give spoilers.  So I decided I'm going to give you the basic icing, you have to read and dig deeper for the cake!



Jackson moved back to Bishop when his parents were killed in a car accident. He was in his first year of law school, but he had an 11 year old sister that needed him. This was not a plan he wanted, it was what he had to do. He has lots of friends, everyone in town looks up to him, but he just wants to get his sister in college and go back to his life, definitely not in Bishop.  He sees a crazy opportunity to win a contest that will save the town, bring in more families and money, and give him back his life. He wants to win this contest!



Monica Appleby is a perfect example of a "child star" whose life has gone through the ringer.    She is thirty now, author of a tell all book about her teenage years that was a best seller, Wild Child.  She wants that life, including any relationship with her mother, Simone, to be over.  Her first novel was a best seller. Now she wants to write about her short time spent in Bishop. As a young child she and her mom  moved to Bishop to try and carve out a normal life, away from her manic alcoholic father.  One night he appears, beating her mother, and trying to kidnap Monica, Simone manages to grab a gun she had hidden, and shoots him dead.  Charges were dropped, but the titilating story followed them.  Simone and Monica start a wandering existence with Monica becoming the caretaker. 



In order to write this story, she has to interview townspeople, and generally bring back everyone's memories of that night.  This is not in Jackson's plan to save Bishop.  Jackson and Monica immediately clash, and it is a volatile love/hate relationship.  I really felt pulled in by this plot and it's colorful  characters. I see a few more interesting events for Bishop, with a number of citizens I would like to learn more about.


  4 STARS!









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Pat received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for her honest opinion.


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Meet Pat:




Hi I'm Pat Fordyce. I am a retired pediatric nurse living in coastal North Carolina. Being retired I get to do one of my favorite things .....READ..... I love to read and talk about books, and my reviews are my voice. I also volunteer at our Public Library a few days a week. So glad to be joining The Book Queen's group of guest reviewers.







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Thanks for the review, Pat! :) I love the cover on this one; so sexy! I'm glad to hear you liked this book. 

Have you read any of Molly O'Keefe's books before? Do you have a favorite?






Enjoy! 



Until Next Time,


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*TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!

1 comment :

Anna@herding cats&burning soup said...

Oh it sounds great Pat! I have a weakness for small town romances. And love when the hero/heroine clash like that. Always entertaining to watch.