Review: Wild Thing by Robin Kaye

Wild Thing
~Robin Kaye

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages 
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca 
Publish Date: December 6, 2011 
ISBN-10: 1402257279 
ISBN-13: 978-1402257278 
ASIN: B005UEXEHW

From the author's website:
Whitewater-rafting guide Hunter Kincaid lands his dream job–guiding sportswear models through Idaho's rugged wilderness for a week-long photo shoot. When he meets Toni Russo, the goth New York manager of Action Models, there are enough sparks to set the forest ablaze.

When Hunter finds Toni's book on how to marry the man of your choice, he studies it as a joke. Before long Hunter realizes he's never cared enough for a woman to bother working this hard to get her. But the last man in the world this city girl wants is a Survivor Man wannabe...

Toni Russo is a city girl, through and through.  Hunter Kincaid lives and works in the wilderness.  When Action Models sets up a photo shoot with Hunter's company, taking their models rafting and hiking, Toni ends up having to accompany the models at the last minute.   Toni would rather do just about anything else; she has a phobia about being in the wilderness.  But Hunter makes it his personal mission to be sure Toni loses her fears and has a good time...

My thoughts:
We first met Hunter and his brothers, Trapper and Fisher, briefly in Ms. Kaye's previous book, Yours for the Taking.  I am happy to report that we get more of not only Hunter, but his brothers as well - I love these brothers!!  I found Toni a bit rough around the edges, and not as easy to like as Hunter, but by the end of the story I was rooting for their HEA.

Toni is a goth-wearing, city-dwelling woman with an aversion to anything that even remotely resembles the great outdoors.  We learn later in the story why she has this phobia, and watch as Hunter struggles to make the trip not only bearable but enjoyable for her.  Toni is used to being surrounded by gorgeous models and not being noticed, so Hunter really throws her for a loop.

Hunter is not used to having the feelings Toni brings out in him - protective, posessive, and head-over-heels for Toni.  He wants a real relationship with Toni, but she doesn't have enough self-confidence to believe it and thwarts his attempts at commitment at every turn by telling herself it's only temporary until she gets back to the city.  (This was actually one of the issues I had with the book was that he fell so quickly - I would have liked their relationship to take a little more time)

There's quite a bit of humor throughout the book, so many times I chuckled out loud:

Toni watched Hunter run across the street and put her boots in the truck.  She'd probably drop the things in the incinerator when she got home, but then, if she kept seeing Hunter, he'd expect her to wear them again.  God, her closet was too small for ugly shoes.~page 233, Wild Thing

There was also a side story of a charitable organization Hunter is trying to expand, and a quite funny storyline about a relationship-help book Toni brings on the trip...

Wild Thing is a cute, funny, contemporary romance by an author who's writing style I really enjoy.  Fans of contemporary romance and the opposites-attract storyline will have a great time reading this book.

My Rating:

This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.