The Simple Wild – Fangirl Fury

Wild at Heart Summary (from the publisher):

51P0h7k0zmL Calla Fletcher returns to Toronto a different person, struggling to find direction and still very much in love with the rugged bush pilot she left behind. When Jonah arrives on her doorstep with a proposition she can’t dismiss, she takes the leap and rushes back to Alaska to begin their exciting future together.

But Calla soon learns that even the best intentions can lead to broken promises, and that compromise comes with a hefty price—a log cabin in interior rural Alaska that feels as isolating as the western tundra.

With Jonah gone more than he’s home, one neighbor who insists on transforming her into a true Alaskan, and another who seems more likely to shoot her than come to her aid, Calla grapples with forging her own path. In a world with roaming wildlife that has her constantly watching over her shoulder and harsh conditions that stretch far beyond the cold, dark, winter months, just stepping outside her front door can be daunting.

This is not the future Calla had in mind, leaving her to fear that perhaps she is doomed to follow in her mother’s fleeing footsteps after all.

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

My Thoughts:

K.A. Tucker’s Wild at Heart WAS one of those books that always seemed to fall on those ‘books I still need to read on my TBR’ type posts. My county library recently added it to their ebook collection via Libby (if you like ebooks, I highly recommend seeing if your library provides this platform), and I found myself in the mood for a light & breezy contemporary romance. The sequel to The Simple Wild (my review is linked), the book picks up with Calla’s decision to move to Alaska permanently.

I definitely recommend picking up The Simple Wild before picking this one up (this series is the PERFECT kind of binge read), but the sequel is really a story of its own as Calla tries to figure out her place in Alaska. Despite having about a two year reading break in between the two books, it took me no time at all to get re-familiarized with the characters & storyline (and yes, Calla’s stepfather, Simon, is still my favorite). More secondary characters are added in this sequel that I did ultimately love, however, I will admit that there were a few moments where someone was mentioned & it took me a few seconds to remember who they exactly were. I loved the Roy storyline, and sorry Jonah, but Calla’s friendship with this cranky neighbor is my favorite relationship in the series. It was a tad reminiscent of Calla’s relationship with her father in book #1. The setting of The Simple Wild books is my favorite part – while I honestly am way too much of a beach/warm weather person & could never imagine living in Alaska, K.A. Tucker’s descriptions of the setting made me want to visit.

Summary (from the publisher):

Calla Fletcher wasn’t even two when her mother took her and fled the Alaskan wild, unable to handle the isolation of the extreme, rural lifestyle, leaving behind Calla’s father, Wren Fletcher, in the process. Calla never looked back, and at twenty-six, a busy life in Toronto is all she knows. But when Calla learns that Wren’s days may be numbered, she knows that it’s time to make the long trip back to the remote frontier town where she was born. 71gyLEGAECL

She braves the roaming wildlife, the odd daylight hours, the exorbitant prices, and even the occasional—dear God—outhouse, all for the chance to connect with her father: a man who, despite his many faults, she can’t help but care for. While she struggles to adjust to this rugged environment, Jonah—the unkempt, obnoxious, and proud Alaskan pilot who helps keep her father’s charter plane company operational—can’t imagine calling anywhere else home. And he’s clearly waiting with one hand on the throttle to fly this city girl back to where she belongs, convinced that she’s too pampered to handle the wild.

Jonah is probably right, but Calla is determined to prove him wrong. Soon, she finds herself forming an unexpected bond with the burly pilot. As his undercurrent of disapproval dwindles, it’s replaced by friendship—or perhaps something deeper? But Calla is not in Alaska to stay and Jonah will never leave. It would be foolish of her to kindle a romance, to take the same path her parents tried—and failed at—years ago. It’s a simple truth that turns out to be not so simple after all.

My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

My Thoughts:

New adult books happily took up some of my May reading life. While YA will forever be my favorite and go-to genre, I’ve been reaching for new adult lately for the maturity (yes, romance included) and characters closer to where I am in my own life. K.A. Tucker’s The Simple Wild crossed my TBR radar earlier this year, as many of us bloggers like reading about characters who are also bloggers. Twenty six-year old Calla is uprooted from her comfortable life in Toronto, where she helps run a fashion and lifestyle blog, to the Alaskan wild to get to know her estranged father.

Aside from Calla being a blogger, what really sold me to pick up The Simple Wild was its Alaskan setting. This unique setting is often not done too much, but when it is, I often love those books, like the gem that is Bonnie Sue Hitchcock’s The Smell of Other People’s Houses. The Simple Wild delivers on this setting, as K.A. Tucker transports readers to small town and village life in the fictional Bagnor, Alaska. The remote and nature-filled setting felt really peaceful and quaint (aside from all of Calla’s dreaded mosquitoes of course). This setting really allows Calla to understand her father and perhaps why he never left Alaska. The close knit community also helped welcome Calla into their lifestyle- no lattes with soy milk fortunately or unfortunately included.

Fangirl Fury

Tag: The Simple Wild

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