A review by bribreez
The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

5⭐️/ 1🌶️

Calla Fletcher had never really known what life was life living in Alaska, other than she was born there, and left at the age of two with her mother. Calla and her father were estranged, and didn’t keep in contact as much as one would have hoped, but to Calla it just felt like her father didn’t make her a priority. When Calla gets a call regarding her father, it seemed like this was the last chance she had at mending things with him. Set in Alaska, Calla had to get use to not just the bitter cold, but also the grumpy pilot who apparently didn’t like her at all. This was my first time reading a book by, K.A. Tucker, but she immediately piqued my interest with her emotional storyline and with my favorite trope of, Grumpy/Sunshine. 

To my girlies and guys that love a grumpy man that’s entirely rude, but also ruggedly handsome, and again SUPER GRUMPY, then you’ll love Jonah. I must have missed the memo when it came to reading the tropes in this book because, lo and behold, I find a grumpy man in this story! Omg! I’m always a sucker for a grumpy man, but dang Jonah didn’t hold back his verbal punches when it came to Calla. Not going to lie, when first being introduced to Jonah, even I was feeling a bit annoyed/ angry with the way he would Calla when she first arrived. Jonah was the type of man who immediately judged Calla based on her appearance and assumed she was a materialistic, stuck up woman. I mean, sure Calla liked the finer things in life, but she wasn’t self absorbed as Jonah thought. Jonah was the grumpiest man through and through, and for every remark Calla made to him, he was quick to have a comeback. Needless to say, Jonah was the epitome of being a grumpy, a-hole in the beginning, but slowly thawed his grumpy exterior to a bit more softer towards Calla.

Calla struck me as the type of young woman who thought her life was going in one direction, but obviously with certain things occurring her life changed. On top of finding out that her father, Wren, was sick, Calla had to acclimate to her new surroundings while being in Alaska. While Calla was use to living in Vancouver, Alaska was entirely different from the small town, to the way everyone knew each other. I could tell that being in Alaska was a bit tough for Calla from dealing with Jonah’s not so friendly attitude to the way life worked around the small town. Calla was newly single, unemployed, and trying to come to terms with her father’s diagnosis so, while being in Alaska wasn’t for a happy occasion, in a way it brought her some much needed new perspective on her life and those around her. 

With all the grumpiness that we get from
Jonah and Calla not getting along with him, the slow burn romance sure did give me plenty to look forward to. As much as I enjoy a spicy, passionate filled romance, a slow burn romance is always a beloved trope I throughly enjoying seeing in romance books. With Jonah and Calla initially not seeing eye to eye and their different personalities, it would seem like they wouldn’t make the most sense getting together, but oh boy there were still some tender moments sprinkled in throughout the book. Jonah was quick with comebacks to anything Calla had to say, but even his grumpy self couldn’t help, but see that there was more to Calla and her character. By the time the first kiss happened, I was like, “WAIT A MINUTE….DID THEY ACTUALLY JUST KISS RIGHT NOW?!” I’m telling you, those moments when the romance started to happen ramped up all those previous tension filled moments with even more excitement between Calla and Jonah. Needless to say, Jonah and Calla had great chemistry despite all their initial dislike of one another, and I was living my best life watching their romance come to life right before my eyes! 

This was an emotional, beautiful, and enjoyable story. The way I felt truly immersed in the story allowed me to imagine the scenery of Alaska, and feel as though as was right alongside Calla the whole time. I had a feeling this story was going to hit me in an emotional way especially with this story being centered on Calla and her father, I’m a sensitive soul. Calla found herself in Alaska, not just getting reacquainted with Wren, but spending the time with him before they lost more time together. I could relate to some aspects of what Calla felt when it came to her father, and it made me more invested in her story. For all the emotional parts to this story, there was also good, lighthearted humor and lovable characters such as, Agnes, Mabel, and my personal favorite, Jonah. Jonah was the most grumpy, Viking looking man ever to come across Calla, but even she couldn’t help herself with the “yeti” haha. I loved how the romance was a slow burn between Calla and Jonah, it just made it much more satisfying when things got intriguing and intimate between them. The way this story ended, I wasn’t expecting that, but I was more than glad to see how it was for Calla and Jonah. I could see myself reading this book again for all that it made me feel and it transported to another place. Highly recommend reading this book, and I now need to read more books by K.A. Tucker! 
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