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kelly_e's review
adventurous
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Title: Running Wild
Author: K.A. Tucker
Series: Wild #3
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: January 22, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Comforting • Rustic • Endearing
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Veterinarian Marie Lehr knows unrequited love all too well after pining for her best friend, only to watch him marry another woman. It’s a mistake she will never make again, especially not when she can practically hear the clock ticking on her childbearing years.
The trouble is, she can’t seem to find anyone who appeals to her even a fraction as much as that burly bush pilot did. Competitive musher Tyler Brady certainly doesn’t, especially not after the heated altercation with the handsome but arrogant, spiteful man. Or so she thinks.
While volunteering at the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, Marie discovers that first impressions may have been false, and her attraction to Tyler is very real. But his heart belongs to someone else, leaving him with nothing to offer but friendship. Marie’s been down this road before and knows how that ends. Yet, no matter how hard she works to keep from falling for Tyler, it seems she’s doomed to follow her own trail once again.
💭 T H O U G H T S
After completely adoring The Simple Wild and Wild At Heart, I was ecstatic to learn there would be a third full length book in the series. However, after seeing so many mixed reviews for Running Wild it ended up getting put on the back burner for longer than I anticipated.
Being back in Trapper's Crossing was an absolute delight. While the descriptions are definitely not as vivid and picturesque, the small town vibes and wholesome characters felt like coming home. I know Marie was portrayed as the villain in books 1 and 2, but I never minded her. The chance to get to know her better seemed like a bit of a redemptive storyline for this third book to take. Tucker's signature banter returns this time between Marie and Tyler, which came across as genuine. Tyler is certainly no Jonah, but his character was highly likeable. He has gone through so much, and yet remains a dependable and caring person. Additionally, I appreciated the inclusion of a widower's perspective. Although Reed (Tyler's brother-in-law) plays a minimal role throughout the story, I adored him.
The backdrop to this story is the famous Iditarod Sled Dog Race (something I learned about in Grade 6), so I definitely enjoyed learning more about the world of dog sledding and the mushing. I must admit that the story did get a bit bogged down with the ins and outs of dog sledding at times. Some of it could have been easily edited out without disrupting the flow.
Despite this being Marie's story, I'd have really liked a little more of Calla and Jonah throughout the story. They make more cameos in the second half, but as a whole this book just felt like a standalone entirely. While I understand the need to include Marie's family, I'd have been okay with a little less of them and a little more of the characters I'd come to know and love, especially Roy. Although he did make a couple of appearances, one of which made me heart swell.
Simply put, I went into this one with a fairly open mind, and that's the best advice I can give any reader looking to pick it up. It isn't the same as books 1 and 2, so if that's what you're looking for you'll likely end up disappointed. But to me it is well worth the read, and offers an enjoyable companion to those two books. I'd gladly take more books in this series any day (a Roy book maybe?), just to get to experience the charm of Trapper's Crossing again and again.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of the series
• dog lovers
• readers in need of a cozy, winter read
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"'My old life is gone. I've always known that, but I'm finally starting to see it, if that makes any sense. I can run that team across Alaska a hundred times, and it won't change a thing. She won't ever be there at the finish line.' He collects my face in his hands. 'But you will be. I want you to be. I can't lose you, too.'"
Author: K.A. Tucker
Series: Wild #3
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: January 22, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Comforting • Rustic • Endearing
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Veterinarian Marie Lehr knows unrequited love all too well after pining for her best friend, only to watch him marry another woman. It’s a mistake she will never make again, especially not when she can practically hear the clock ticking on her childbearing years.
The trouble is, she can’t seem to find anyone who appeals to her even a fraction as much as that burly bush pilot did. Competitive musher Tyler Brady certainly doesn’t, especially not after the heated altercation with the handsome but arrogant, spiteful man. Or so she thinks.
While volunteering at the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, Marie discovers that first impressions may have been false, and her attraction to Tyler is very real. But his heart belongs to someone else, leaving him with nothing to offer but friendship. Marie’s been down this road before and knows how that ends. Yet, no matter how hard she works to keep from falling for Tyler, it seems she’s doomed to follow her own trail once again.
💭 T H O U G H T S
After completely adoring The Simple Wild and Wild At Heart, I was ecstatic to learn there would be a third full length book in the series. However, after seeing so many mixed reviews for Running Wild it ended up getting put on the back burner for longer than I anticipated.
Being back in Trapper's Crossing was an absolute delight. While the descriptions are definitely not as vivid and picturesque, the small town vibes and wholesome characters felt like coming home. I know Marie was portrayed as the villain in books 1 and 2, but I never minded her. The chance to get to know her better seemed like a bit of a redemptive storyline for this third book to take. Tucker's signature banter returns this time between Marie and Tyler, which came across as genuine. Tyler is certainly no Jonah, but his character was highly likeable. He has gone through so much, and yet remains a dependable and caring person. Additionally, I appreciated the inclusion of a widower's perspective. Although Reed (Tyler's brother-in-law) plays a minimal role throughout the story, I adored him.
The backdrop to this story is the famous Iditarod Sled Dog Race (something I learned about in Grade 6), so I definitely enjoyed learning more about the world of dog sledding and the mushing. I must admit that the story did get a bit bogged down with the ins and outs of dog sledding at times. Some of it could have been easily edited out without disrupting the flow.
Despite this being Marie's story, I'd have really liked a little more of Calla and Jonah throughout the story. They make more cameos in the second half, but as a whole this book just felt like a standalone entirely. While I understand the need to include Marie's family, I'd have been okay with a little less of them and a little more of the characters I'd come to know and love, especially Roy. Although he did make a couple of appearances, one of which made me heart swell.
Simply put, I went into this one with a fairly open mind, and that's the best advice I can give any reader looking to pick it up. It isn't the same as books 1 and 2, so if that's what you're looking for you'll likely end up disappointed. But to me it is well worth the read, and offers an enjoyable companion to those two books. I'd gladly take more books in this series any day (a Roy book maybe?), just to get to experience the charm of Trapper's Crossing again and again.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of the series
• dog lovers
• readers in need of a cozy, winter read
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"'My old life is gone. I've always known that, but I'm finally starting to see it, if that makes any sense. I can run that team across Alaska a hundred times, and it won't change a thing. She won't ever be there at the finish line.' He collects my face in his hands. 'But you will be. I want you to be. I can't lose you, too.'"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Grief, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Pregnancy, Child death, and Miscarriage
Minor: Abortion, Alcohol, and Death of parent
partner deathaweightytome's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I was excited to read about Marie because I love the world K.A Tucker has created and the characters that exists in this world. Loved being in Marie’s perspective and seeing her work through her thoughts and emotions. I didn’t love the abruptness of the ending but if K.A Tucker wrote a sequel, I would still read it
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Medical trauma, and Death
smasson13's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I was so hesitant to pick up this book. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of K.A. Tucker books, but never really liked the character of Marie. I was doubtful this was going to be a winner. (Especially since I was secretly hoping the first spin off would be Agnes and Toby).
Yet, this book blew it out of the water. The plot was different than what I expected, but it was impossible to not completely love Marie. I also found the characters in this story felt more real, had reasonable and relatable flaws, truly felt human through it all.
Also, Tyler is the best.
It was interesting to see the dog sled side of things as well, a lot of interesting things that led me down my own research about the sport.
Over all, it was such a joy to be back in this world. I crushed through this novel so quickly because it was a sad but honest breath of fresh air.
Yet, this book blew it out of the water. The plot was different than what I expected, but it was impossible to not completely love Marie. I also found the characters in this story felt more real, had reasonable and relatable flaws, truly felt human through it all.
Also, Tyler is the best.
It was interesting to see the dog sled side of things as well, a lot of interesting things that led me down my own research about the sport.
Over all, it was such a joy to be back in this world. I crushed through this novel so quickly because it was a sad but honest breath of fresh air.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy, Sexual content, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, and Miscarriage
Minor: Medical trauma, Death of parent, Infertility, and Medical content
biancabuysbooks's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
We all met Marie, veterinarian and Jonah's BFF in the earlier Simple Wild books, and now she has her own story. I'll admit I was a little worried about this one as I wasn't a huge fan of her character in the earlier books, but that just shows what a phenomenal writer K.A. Tucker is!
Marie is familiar with heartbreak, having been in love with someone who will never love her back, she's worried she wasted too much time. She still wants to have a family someday, and it doesn't help that her own family is constantly trying to set her up and everyone around her seems to be getting pregnant.
Marie soon meets Tyler, a serious musher. After their rough initial meeting, where Marie basically accuses him of animal abuse, she quickly learns she is so far off the mark, and he treats his dogs better than most. Tyler is mature, handsome, athletic, almost too good to be true, but he is emotionally unavailable and has tragedy in his past that he's still dealing with. Will Marie make the same mistake again, pining after someone who can't love her back?
Marie is familiar with heartbreak, having been in love with someone who will never love her back, she's worried she wasted too much time. She still wants to have a family someday, and it doesn't help that her own family is constantly trying to set her up and everyone around her seems to be getting pregnant.
Marie soon meets Tyler, a serious musher. After their rough initial meeting, where Marie basically accuses him of animal abuse, she quickly learns she is so far off the mark, and he treats his dogs better than most. Tyler is mature, handsome, athletic, almost too good to be true, but he is emotionally unavailable and has tragedy in his past that he's still dealing with. Will Marie make the same mistake again, pining after someone who can't love her back?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical trauma, Animal cruelty, Blood, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
lisacanteven's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Thank you to Valentine PR for an advanced copy of this book for free I’m exchange for my honest opinion.
Now listen, I am a loyal friend of Jonah and Calla’s. I will protect them at all costs, so I’ve always been weary of Marie (read The Simple Wild duet first). For the first 20% or so of this book I still did not trust Marie. She makes a lot of comments about Jonah as if she’s still pining after him and for her age I didn’t like that storyline.
But once she and we as the readers got to know Tyler the story takes off. I couldn’t put it down at that point, leading me to read 1/2 the book in one day. Tyler’s story is sweet but heartbreaking. Dare I say that I like him more than I liked Jonah? I just found myself rooting for him the whole time.
I just had to take off a star because I didn’t like Marie a lot of the time. I wanted to, but some of the things she said and thought about Jonah throughout the book really made her sound borderline pathetic. I wanted this to be her kickass redemption story. She got redemption but it wasn’t kickass enough.
I really appreciated KA’s knowledge about the sport of dog sledding and the controversies surround it. As someone who is familiar with the Iditarod race, I still felt like I learned so much and received some great firsthand experience.
Do *not* read this if you are very triggered by animal cruelty (does not happen on page), animal loss, or pregnancy/birth trauma of animals and people.
Now listen, I am a loyal friend of Jonah and Calla’s. I will protect them at all costs, so I’ve always been weary of Marie (read The Simple Wild duet first). For the first 20% or so of this book I still did not trust Marie. She makes a lot of comments about Jonah as if she’s still pining after him and for her age I didn’t like that storyline.
But once she and we as the readers got to know Tyler the story takes off. I couldn’t put it down at that point, leading me to read 1/2 the book in one day. Tyler’s story is sweet but heartbreaking. Dare I say that I like him more than I liked Jonah? I just found myself rooting for him the whole time.
I just had to take off a star because I didn’t like Marie a lot of the time. I wanted to, but some of the things she said and thought about Jonah throughout the book really made her sound borderline pathetic. I wanted this to be her kickass redemption story. She got redemption but it wasn’t kickass enough.
I really appreciated KA’s knowledge about the sport of dog sledding and the controversies surround it. As someone who is familiar with the Iditarod race, I still felt like I learned so much and received some great firsthand experience.
Do *not* read this if you are very triggered by animal cruelty (does not happen on page), animal loss, or pregnancy/birth trauma of animals and people.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, Medical content, and Child death
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