Member Reviews
Fake Dating ✔️
Silent, Moody Mountain Man✔️
Steamy ✔️
Wilder With You is the third book in Serena Bell’s series Wilder Adventures. If I’m being totally transparent, I missed the memo that this was the third in the series despite Mama telling me that beforehand. It totally slipped my mind. However with that said, I didn’t feel at all lost and felt the book was still funny and seamless on its own without knowing the rest of the Wilder Adventure books.
There is definitely some 🔥🔥🔥 between Jessa and Clark! Both characters don’t want any sort of romantic relationship due their past experiences, but when you are stuck in a tiny tent with a grumbling mountain man, things will get spicy!
I’ve added the first two of the Wilder reads to my TBR list this year. Can’t wait to see how the other Wilder Adventures turn out!
I adored this book! It’s steamy but heartwarming, and it manages to tackle some more serious topics at the same time.
Jessa is a wedding planner who just went through a divorce. Looking for something fun to do, she plans a wilderness weekend with her friend. The only problem? Her friend had to bail and her ex-husband and the woman he cheated with showed up on the trip. Clark, a widower, is leading the wilderness expedition and immediately senses Jessa’s discomfort. Logically, the only thing to do is to pretend to be her new boyfriend. After an uncomfortable but not totally G-rated night sharing a tent, Jessa and Clark realize that they need to keep up this charade to get Clark’s family off his back about dating again. Let the “fake” dating begin…
I absolutely love a grumpy/sunshine romance and the fake dating trope. I swear I was making heart eyes at the screen the entire time I was reading. This is one of those books that you get sucked into and want to just shake the main characters and be like “do you not see what I’m seeing?” Not only did I fall in love with the love story, but I also really enjoyed meeting the other Wilders. I actually went and bought the first two books in the series after reading this! And I’ll be patiently waiting for my Easton/Hanna story lol!
I also want to applaud Serena Bell for the realistic picture of grief she paints in this book - nonlinear and sometimes it shows up at unexpected times. She tackled grief in such a real way and still managed to keep the essence of the book lighthearted and joyful.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!
Whew, this book is STEAMY!!!
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥😅
Wilder With You is an “open door” romance with a fake dating trope. When I say “open door” I mean: That door was ripped off the hinges! 🤣 If you want something entertaining and steamy, then this is your book!
Jessa is still recovering from being cheated on by her jerk of an ex-husband. She decides to embark on wilderness adventure with her bestie when suddenly something comes up and her best friend cancels. Jessa decides she needs this trip to get away and refocus. She knows she is stepping outside of her comfort zone but this might be just what she needs. Unexpectedly, her ex-husband boards the bus at the last minute with his new girlfriend - the one he cheated with! She is horrified and cannot believe this is happening! Clark (trip leader) and total hunk saves her by pretending he’s her boyfriend. As you’ve probably guessed, fake dating leads to real romance. As predictable as this book was, I still enjoyed it and I may have shed a tear at the end. 😆
Thank you Serena Bell. Your imagination and attention to detail are impeccable. 👌🏻
Thank you to Netgalley and Jelsba Media Group for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Recovering from a nasty divorce, Jessa Olsen, co-owner of a wedding planning company, signs up for a glamping wilderness adventure with her best friend and business partner, Imani. When a family emergency causes Imani to bail on the trip, Jessa is left alone in a group consisting of friends and couples, including her ex-husband and the girlfriend he had cheated on her with. Jumping to her rescue is Clark Wilder, of the Wilder Adventure group and the leader of this wilderness trip, thus beginning a fake dating relationship between Jessa and Clark. What started out as a temporary arrangement to save Jessa from her obnoxious ex-husband starts becoming complicated as feelings develop and Jessa is roped in to plan the wedding of Clark’s older brother.
I’m not really one for wilderness adventures, but the rave reviews and the fake dating trope piqued my interest and here I am.
This is my first novel by Serena Bell, and although “Wilder with You'' is the third book in the Wilder Adventures series, I wasn’t too confused or lost reading it as a standalone. This is a romantic comedy set in a small town. Written in first person but with alternating POVs of Jessa and Clark each chapter, I was charmed by Serena Bell’s witty and humourous writing. Although funny, the story also deals with pretty heavy issues such as divorce, the loss of a partner and the process of grieving and moving on.
There is a pretty good diversity of characters. And Jessa is half Korean. All that description of Korean food made me hungry. I love the family dynamics from the huge Wilders family and the loving support they give each other.
The story development and pacing were both good and I enjoyed the character growth, especially from Clark as he deals with the grief of having lost his wife and struggles to learn how to move on to a new relationship with Jessa. The story is also pretty steamy 🔥
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this and am looking forward to Kane’s story in the next book! In the meantime, I would totally like to check out the first 2 books of this series. ⅘ ⭐️
Thank you NetGalley and Author Collective 20, Jelsba Media Group for the e-ARC.
I love this book for what it was. It addressed some pretty heavy topics in a very sensitive and thoughtful way. I loved the characters, not just the leads, but also all the secondary roles. I loved that we got to see everything without it feeling overwhelming.
I wish we had had a bit less sex maybe? Like one less sex scene or sexually motivated scene and instead got to see more relationship development between Clark and Jessa.
Overall though, this book was a really fun read. It was mostly light-hearted and would be the perfect antidote to a hard day.
ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
While this was very cute it was also very predictable.
It's your classic sunshine and grump story where Clark Wilder is the gruff widow and Jessa is the bubbly divorce.
Jessa starts off the book by going on a weekend hike and camping activity with Clark's company. She's brooding on the bus because her best friend bailed on her when things get even worse, the group is joined by none other than Jessa's ex-husband and his new girlfriend.
One thing leads to the other and Jessa and Clark start a fake dating arrangement. She wants to avoid humiliation, he wants his family off his back because after his wife passed away he's been single going on two years.
The writing and setting were charming, but there was absolutely nothing new here. It was very formulaic. I couldn't connect with the characters because they were incredibly cliche.
I feel like I’m not going to be able to do this book review justice. This story, the deep emotions, the laughter, the tears…this book wrecked me. It went beyond my expectations, which were VERY high. Right when I thought it’s wasn’t possible for this series to get any better, the Author proves me wrong. Each book in this series just gets better and better!!
The fake dating trope is a favorite of mine, and this one was done exceptionally well. I loved Jessa in this. Even though she didn’t see it right away, she was one heck of a tough cookie. Her ex pretty much humiliated her in front of the world, and she didn’t let it destroy her. I admired her so much, because I can’t say I would have survived even if I experienced just a quarter of the humiliation she suffered at the hands of her ex. Thankfully, she has a knight in shining armor, Clark Wilder, to swoop in and save her. But who’s really saving who? The tragedy Clark has endured is an even harsher one, losing his wife unexpectedly, and becoming a widower at very young age.
The two decided to fake date to stick it to Jessa’s pompous ex and to get Clark’s Family to ease up their insistence for him to ‘move on’ with his life. The two get so tangled up in their own web of lies that no one, not even they, can decipher what’s real and what’s fake any more. I laughed, I cried and I had all the feels. Be prepared to fall head over heals in love with Clark Wilder and this entire Series. A little added bonus: I loved all the Korean representation in this book as well, such a pleasant touch. I feel like giving this book 5 stars is an insult, it deserves so much more than that. Thank you @netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review!
This is a really cute book! I liked the dynamic between Jessa and Clark, I would love to see more of them. I liked how the women in the Wilder family really accepted and warmed to Jesse quickly.
A cute, steamy read!
Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!
The book had a good story and a great premise. I liked that whole "dating for convenience" however for it to be a romance book for my liking, i needed more romance, angst, something like more jealousy and just some more cute significant things. it was a very surface level relationship for me
I fell in love with the Wilder family from Page 1 of the first book in this series and each book just keeps getting better and better! I was anxiously anticipating Clark's story from the moment he was introduced to us and we discovered he was a widower. Believe me, his story did not disappoint. It was everything and more than I had hoped for in the "fake" dating trope . It was heartbreaking but heartwarming at the same time. I loved Jessa's personality so much -- she was the perfect match for Clark even though he thought he wasn't ready for her. These rugged mountain men in this family never fail to make me laugh either -- they give each other a hard time in the funniest of ways, but always have each other's backs. I love this series so much and can't wait to see what Ms. Bell has up her sleeves in Kane's story!! I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC for NetGalley.
Funny, sexy, and heartwarming!
Wilder With You is a charming rom-com that will have you laughing one minute and 'aww'ing the next. Serena Bell does a wonderful job weaving themes of grief, loss, and hope (expertly navigating the tricky waters of widowerhood in romance) into a story that still manages to be lighthearted and fun. The setting of this book is expansive, taking you from a wilderness adventure to a hot spring wedding venue, to Las Vegas, keeping the story constantly engaging. As does the boisterous family of lovable side characters, which include lesbian, non-binary, and POC representation (yay for diverse casts!) Fun as it may be, Wilder With You does a great job of tying in important life lessons like acceptance and healing that give the romance itself more of an impact, and Bell's writing is both hilarious in the light moments and poignant in the emotionally significant ones. Overall, this book is stinkin' cute, but also steamy, and also has a big wilderness guru, Viking-esque MMC...so...what more do you need, really?
Thank you Jelsba Media Group and NetGalley for the ARC!
I had heard so much about this series, So I had to see what's the hype about and I am not at all disappointed. Who can get disappointed with fake dating trope. Clark and Jessa both had connection and spark from the moment they met each other. While their two meetings didn't end up with good notes with Clark brushing away Jessa's attempt to talk, the third time might be lucky because it started with them telling their fake dating story to Jessa's A-Hole ex-husband and Clark's siblings.
I had enjoyed the book from beginning to end. Jessa knows what she wants, I love how strong she is yet also have her venerable moments and Clark ?? He is literally giant teddy bear inside once you know him. They're amazing individually but together create sparks, explosions. Serena did an amazing job by showing how a person handles the grief and their inner struggles. While she didn't dig deep and made the book heavy, I still loved how she addressed it and gave some what closure to Clark's self-blame.
I can't wait to read KaneMaria and EastonHannah story soon.
This was so cute. And fun and steamy. A quick, easy read for a lazy Sunday. This is the 3rd book in the Wilder series, but it can be read as a standalone. I haven't read the first two, but I'm inclined to do so. I'm also interested in the 4th book.
The writing is really light and fun, it flows easily and it's quite engaging in a quirky way. My only objection would be that we don't get enough on page interactions. And by that I mean that we only get mentions of important events that I think could have added a lot to the story if they weren't skipped.
This is the story of Jessa and Clark, a recently divorced wedding planner and a widowed mountain man. Haha, well, he's working for his family's business, outdoors activities, hiking and all that, so as I was saying, a mountain man. Everything kicks off at a glamping event where forced by circumstances, these two adorable humans decide to start fake dating in order to get people off their backs.
The small town vibe is present, but not nearly enough. I love a small town setting, so this was a plus, but perhaps a bit overlooked. I would have liked more details on the town itself and its inhabitants.
One thing I absolutely adored is the family dynamics. Clark is one of 6 siblings, he has 4 brothers and 1 sister. I just love when a big family is involved, the sibling banter is something I really enjoy. We get a bit of that, but I definitely would have wanted more.
I liked how Clark's past relationship was handled. I love a book where former partners aren't vilified for the sake of the current love interest. You can truly love more than one person in this lifetime, it's ok to grieve and be scared to love again after losing someone important. Jessa's story is interesting as well, but perhaps too easily dismissed.
I mean, of course I liked this, it has fake dating! That's only my favourite romance trope ever. But, at the same time, something was missing. It just felt like there wasn't enough information and the book was a bit rushed.
I really enjoyed Wilder With You. It was a fun, easy read to get through.
I liked the characters and the romance. I liked how the fake dating started because Clark wanted to stick up for Jessa when her ex husband was being a jerk to put it nicely.
Wilder With You is part of a series, but it can be read as a standalone easily. There were only a few moments where it mentioned other things that happened in other books but I didn't feel like I had to go back and immediately read them in order to know what they were talking about.
I do hope to read more about the other characters in the future.
Thank you Netgalley and publishers for allowing me the chance to read and review this book. This was a four star rating.
Embarking in a group wilderness adventure, Clark and Jessa are forced to pretend they are dating after Clark stands up for Jessa when her ex-husband shows up with his girlfriends. Also on the trip are Clark's siblings, who are after him to start dating again after the death of his wife. As Jessa and Clark continue the ruse with the wedding of his sister approaching, will they find love?
This story is told from the perspective from Jessa and Clark, which I always enjoy. The book starts out with the wilderness trip, which is where the fake dating begins. It doesn't last too far into the story, which is too bad. There are several Wilder siblings and I was surprised to find out that this is a book in a series. Once Jessa and Clark find that they enjoy spending time together, they decide that they can have real physical relationship but a fake dating relationship. I felt like the book spent more time exploring that than it did actually having the two falling in love.
Overall, this was a decent book. Thanks to NetGalley for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Widower Clark Wilder, of _the_ Wilder brothers of Wilder Adventures, is an adventure guide.. Jessa is newly divorced and is the owner of a bridal planning business. They meet on one of Clark's Gilderness trips, planned to introduce people to camping and hopefully to the business. Unfortunately, so does Jessa's prig of an ex and his newest woman, the one he used to embarass Jessa in his latest book. When the ex decides to be rude to Jessa, who knew Clark from before, he impulsively says that yes, she's with him. But now they're thrown into a situation neither expected or wanted: he's not ready to date yet and she's moving East after the summer. But as everyone knows, these fake dating romances have this sneaky way of becoming real.
Lots of steam in this story, as well as dealings with the grief, guilt and humiliation experienced by the main characters. Plus lots of laughter from siblings and friends. It was fun watching Clark grow from being a grouchy mountain man who only spoke in two word sentences to a truly lovable character. And also great to have all of the other siblings involved in this 'fake' relationship story. Jessa was honest about her feelings, so there was no doubt how she felt. And then there was Buck, the dog. I'll leave that for you to discover.
This was another delightful addition to the Wilder Adventure series. I'm looking forward to see what Serena does with Kane, Ethan, and Hanna (who isn't a Wilder in name but....)
I loved this! Wilder With You is my first Serena Bell read but won't be my last. This book has a great cast of characters, is fun, sexy and very sweet. I really loved the chemistry between Clark and Jessa. The way their relationship developed felt very real. I like that there isn't really much external conflict, the stumbling blocks that they encounter are all related to the the emotional baggage that they each have and that felt very genuine and when well-written, is the perfect kind of romance for me.
I came into this book reading it standalone without knowing that it was a part of a standalone series and omg I have fallen in love with the Wilder siblings! Clark in particular holds my heart (for now!), I was hooked as soon as he saved Jessa from her gross ex-husband. I definitely recommend reading this book, as a series or even standalone!
"You know at the beach, when a wave is rolling back out, and the another one comes in, and they smash into each other? That's how I feel right now. Relief and disappointment, one rolling in, one rolling out, and I'm not sure which is coming and which is going."
What You'll Find:
✔️Romantic Comedy
✔️Tortured Past
✔️Fake Relationship
✔️Steamy Open Door
✔️Dual POV
Wilder With You is quick enjoyable read with the perfect blend of humor, heart, emotion and steam to keep you locked in to the end!
Clark Wilder is a widow, not ready to move on. But when he finds himself fake dating Jessa to get her ex off her back, he soon is in over his head. And sharing a very small tent, that leaves no room to hide their attraction. Once the small town gossip has spread they find themselves continuing their fake relationship for the sake of his family. Especially since Jessa is now planning his brother's wedding. Forced to spend more time together because of this, their chemistry can no longer be ignored. But can he move on from the past?
This is the third (full) book of the Wilder Adventure Series and I have really been enjoying these siblings. Based in a smalltown setting, the Wilder family offers a variety of outdoor adventures. And Clark teaches wilderness survival. This mountain man of few words has a tortured past. But doesn't hesitate to step in when he sees Jessa needs it. I truly adored him. And Jessa. What a strong character. So caring and empathetic. They had a spark from the beginning that they naturally fight. But it eventually ignites.
This was a quick and enjoyable read. It has humor and plenty of steam. But also heart and emotion too. I enjoyed the diversity of characters. And all the delicious food talk. Such a fun and unique series idea... I have been loving the variety of outdoor settings, each with their own unique stamp in the Wilder family. This one features a miscommunication (or perhaps lack of) aspect, that isn't always my favorite. But overall this is another great addition to the series I enjoyed and would definitely recommend. And I am so excited for Kane's story next!
* I received an ARC from Author Collective 20, Jelsba Media Group via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own and given freely.
I absolutely loved this book! Serena Bell is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors! Wilder With You is steamiest of the Wilder Adventures series. This is an incredibly quick read and jumps right into the action! I loved loved loved how both characters understand each other and the book doesn’t fall into the dreaded miscommunication trope. Instead, it’s full of the one tent trope, I want you but can’t have you trope, and lots of other little goodies that that make this such a fantastic rom-com!