Make Me Wilder

Serena Bell

May 2021 · Wilder Adventures Book 1 · Jelsba Media Group

About this ebook

She’s a city girl. I’m a mountain man. This shouldn’t work. So why can’t I stay away? 

Gabe: I promised my dad I’d take care of the Wilder family adventure business, including my rowdy co-workers, AKA my brothers. 

Now the business is in trouble. Rush Creek has become a spa-and-wedding destination, and the new tourists aren’t interested in getting dirty—at least not in the woods. 

Then Lucy comes to town, all blond hair and silky blouses and spike heels. It’s her job to give Wilder Adventures a makeover. If she gets her way, Wilder Adventures will become Wilder Romantic Adventures. 

Lucy hates small towns, getting messy, and anything involving the woods or the water—which pretty much makes her Not My Type. 

That doesn’t explain why when I see her, I can’t look away. Why when I touch her, I can’t stop. And why, even though I know no one can talk a city girl into small town life, I’m still trying. 

She’s driving me wild. All I can do is make her wilder. 

“Serena Bell always delivers on fine writing and sexy characters. And, wow, fans of True North should know that her new series is right up your alley!” —Sarina Bowen, USA Today bestselling author of the True North Series

“Absolutely loved the story! ♥” —@Bookstley on Instagram

“Stayed up so late to read this book last night but it was sooooo worth it.” —@torlynnreads on Instagram

★★★★★ “Absolutely love this book!” —Goodreads reviewer

★★★★★ “This book sizzles right from the start! I lost track of how many times I genuinely laughed out loud.” —Goodreads reviewer

★★★★★ “Humor, steam, and a whole lot of heart.” —Misty, Reds Romance Reviews

★★★★★ “Wow! There aren’t words to describe how this book made me feel.” —Goodreads reviewer

★★★★★ “Funny, romantic and wonderful characters!” —Goodreads reviewer

★★★★★ “I really, really love this book! Just the right amount of humor, angst and sex with a perfect HEA.” —NetGalley reviewer

Keywords: enemies to lovers, small town, alpha hero, band of brothers, fish out of water, opposites attract, outdoor adventure, steamy, fun, funny, romantic comedy, steamy contemporary, laugh out loud, found family, friends and family, steamy romance, contemporary romance, romance series, small town romance

Ratings and reviews

After a truly embarrassing incident during a meeting in her NY office, Lucy goes and visits her mother in small town Oregon. A marketer by trade, Lucy's mother sets her up with a job at Wilder Adventures. Their business isn't doing so hot due to recent hot springs being found locally. Instead of people coming for outdoor adventures, more are coming for destination weddings and girls trips. She meets instant opposition from Gabe, the son of the owner and his four brothers who run various different outdoor adventures. Of course his opposition to her work doesnt translate to opposition of her. I wanted to love this book. The storyline hooked me from just reading the synopsis. A book where a city girl tries to save an adventure company seems interesting and could easily translate to a funny ROM com type of book. But instead of focusing on the amazing story that could be, more focus is placed on her thinking for five pages f having sex with him then him thinking for another five pages of having sex with her. I got to the point of just flipping thru each of their imaginings of what sexual thing they'd like to be doing. I have no problem with sexual books, I just feel the sex was so focused on the potential storyline was lost. This isn't a bad book don't get me wrong, it just didn't work for ME as I was hoping to actually read a ROM com and got more erotica with the story loosley thrown around it. If that's hour thing then this book will be five stars for you. ⭐⭐⭐ Thank you to NetGalley, Serena Bell, and Author Collective 20 for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this city girl meet small town adventure guide. Lucy is a marketing guru who is hired by Gabe's Mother to help bring their adventure business up to date and drawn in more customers, especially women. Gabe isn't happy to find out the women he just met is the women his Mom hired without his knowledge. He has no desire to change a thing. Gabe made a promise to his dying Dad he would take care of his family and business. Lucy just wants to help and of course maybe a fresh start after the fiasco she left back in the city. Lucy also finds it very hard to make friends, but something about this town is drawing her in. Gabe and Lucy are really cute together and I love their flirty and sexy relationship. They try so hard to keep it just business. Watching them fight their attraction was fun. And Gabe's brothers are just waiting for their stories to be told.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and the characters involved, but I'm only giving it 4 starts because of a couple of reasons. The first is the steamy scenes are a little short and too fast paced for my taste. Sometimes starting and finishing in what seems like less than a page. There's definitely a lot of pinning in this books so if that's your thing it's heavy with that. Also the characters chemistry is very sexual, and not super emotional, it seems more like infatuation when Lucy decides she's in love with Gabe after having known him for like 2 weeks. The other thing about this book is it's a bit choppy in terms of flow. Sometimes it seems like a thought was cut short in the middle, or words are missing. I found myself rereading sentences to try to figure out what was happening, but it wasn't enough to stop me from finishing the book in 2.5 days, and I still plan to read all of the other books in the series. I'm hoping the Grammer issues are because it's the first book of the series.

About the author

USA Today bestselling author Serena Bell writes contemporary romance with heat, heart, and humor. A former journalist, Serena has always believed that everyone has an amazing story to tell if you listen carefully, and you can often find her scribbling in her tiny garret office, mainlining chocolate and bringing to life the tales in her head. 

Serena’s books have earned many honors, including a RITA finalist spot, an RT Reviewers’ Choice Award, Apple Books Best Book of the Month, and Amazon Best Book of the Year for Romance. 

When not writing, Serena loves to spend time with her college-sweetheart husband and two hilarious kiddos—all of whom are incredibly tolerant not just of Serena’s imaginary friends but also of how often she changes her hobbies and how passionately she embraces the new ones. These days, it’s stand-up paddle boarding, board-gaming, meditation, and long walks with good friends.