Update and Mini Review of Something Wilder by Christina Lauren

 So I'm finally moved up to Northern California with no more going back and forth down South! Thank goodness!! It's been a long two weeks with packing up two locations (apartment down South and up North) to move into our new *to us* house. In between all of this our cat (Peanut) went missing from our apartment up North and I had to leave to do my last day of work down South without knowing where he was. I was a wreck to say the least and cried the whole drive down South and every day he was missing.  He was gone for four days and showed up the day we drove back up with the moving van. I can't even tell you how happy I was!! 

Also, I've had no Internet and spotty cell service here since we moved. It was supposed to be up and running on Friday, but the company forgot to do one thing and of course they couldn't come back until Tuesday. Thank goodness we finally have Internet! I can blog again! I'm behind on reviews and a several comments back (sorry!). I will be catching up!

My  mini-review for Something Wilder:

Something Wilder by Christina Lauren

Publication Date: May 17th 2022 by Gallery Books

Pages: 384

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Something Wilder was a little departure from the usual Christina Lauren romance, because there was adventure and more than a little danger involved, and I enjoyed every minute! Several characters to hate: Todd and Lily’s dad, although I did have mixed feelings about the dad by the end, and a few to love like Lily’s bestie Nicole. She was tough and loyal, the kind of friend that would help you bury the body if you needed it! I love that CL usually incorporates a strong female friendship (kind of like their own, I guess) in each story they write.

The romance between Leo and Lily was of the second chance variety, one of my favorite tropes.  The hurt and longing between them were palpable, which made their romance all the more sweet when they cleared things up and boy did they steam up the pages! Definite recommend! 

4 Stars

Book Description:

Growing up the daughter of notorious treasure hunter and absentee father Duke Wilder left Lily without much patience for the profession… or much money in the bank. But Lily is nothing if not resourceful, and now uses Duke’s coveted hand-drawn maps to guide tourists on fake treasure hunts through the red rock canyons of Utah. It pays the bills but doesn’t leave enough to fulfill her dream of buying back the beloved ranch her father sold years ago, and definitely not enough to deal with the sight of the man she once loved walking back into her life with a motley crew of friends ready to hit the trails. Frankly, Lily would like to take him out into the wilderness—and leave him there.

Leo Grady knew mirages were a thing in the desert, but they’d barely left civilization when the silhouette of his greatest regret comes into focus in the flickering light of the campfire. Ready to leave the past behind him, Leo wants nothing more than to reconnect with his first and only love. Unfortunately, Lily Wilder is all business, drawing a clear line in the sand: it’s never going to happen.

But when the trip goes horribly and hilariously wrong, the group wonders if maybe the legend of the hidden treasure wasn’t a gimmick after all. There’s a chance to right the wrongs—of Duke’s past and their own—but only if Leo and Lily can confront their history and work together. Alone under the stars in the isolated and dangerous mazes of the Canyonlands, Leo and Lily must decide whether they’ll risk their lives and hearts on the adventure of a lifetime.