ARC Book Review: Running Wild (The Simple Wild #3) by K.A. Tucker

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: TBD pages
Author: K.A. Tucker
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: January 25th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From the internationally bestselling author of The Simple Wild comes the story of a woman at a crossroads in her life, struggling between the safe route and the one that will only lead to more heartbreak.

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.

Thank you to Valentine PR for the eARC.

BEAUTIFUL STORY.

I could not put this down. I have a deep love for Tucker’s romances and this was another great one. I’m elated that we got to read Marie’s story at last!!

Marie and Tyler got off to a bumpy start (which is honestly kind of my favorite). I loved the slow nature of their connection as it built over months. Truly becoming friends first and then watching that love grow as they got to know each other on very deep levels. These are two heartbroken people just trying to find the next right step on their paths. I wanted a bit more of page time between them in the first half, but that 50% mark really set off a rollercoaster ride to the end. I was alllllll up in my feels wondering how it was going to end. Grateful for a short and sweet epilogue that gave some closure.

The Alaskan setting is always the best. I loved that this focused on the Iditarod race and all that that entails. It was SO COOL. I learned a lot from the book and looking up my own information. How can you not love a book that’s filled with ALL THE DOGS? Answer: you can’t.

I never felt overly negative towards Marie in TSW. Going in to Running Wild, I wasn’t sure what to expect from her character. But I ended up loving the whole process. Grappling with feelings for Jonah, moving on, dealing with family and what she hoped for herself and the dreams she wanted realized. Everything together made for a beautiful characterization and I adore Marie. I do. She gave it her all, and finally got her all.

And yes, you do get to see Jonah and Calla again!!

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: a little strong
Romance: two brief open door scenes
Trigger/Content Warnings: major theme of the book is about pregnancy/babies, brief mention of miscarriage (side character), abused animals, discussion of treatment for pets (euthanasia, amputation, etc.)