Wild Heat by Lucy Monroe
Publisher: Hachette Group
Series: Northern Fire, book 1
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Publisher/NetGalley
Purchase links || amazon | bn | ibooks | kobo || add to goodreads
Rating: ★★★★1/2
Sometimes old flames are the hottest of all . . .
In the quaint little town of Cailkirn, Alaska, it's impossible to keep a secret, especially one as juicy as the unexpected return of Kitty Grant. Tack MacKinnon remembers her wild red curls and even wilder spirit-and still feels the sting from when she shattered his heart in college. But there's a pain in Kitty's gorgeous eyes that guts him to the core and Tack is determined to do whatever it takes to see the woman he still loves smile again-even if it means taking on her demons as his own.
After fleeing an abusive ex-husband, Kitty decides that the best way to heal her broken heart is to come back home. But she gets a whole new shock when she sees how undeniably sexy Tack has become. More handsome, more muscular, more charming-more everything-he's impossible to resist. Before she knows it, they're reigniting sparks that could set the whole state of Alaska on fire. Yet trust doesn't come easy to Kitty anymore, and as things heat up between her and Tack, she can't help but wonder if one of them is going to get burned . . .
about Lucy || A USA Today Bestseller, most of Lucy Monroe's titles have spent multiple weeks on national bestsellers lists, including Neilson Bookscan (in both North America and the UK), Amazon & B&N.com. She is ranked as a top selling contemporary romance author on Amazon.
{ excerpt } .
An almost frenzied need to bring her back to the present washed over him. His instincts were telling him the best way to accomplish that, but his brain insisted it was a bad, bad idea.Fighting the urge to act on his instincts, Tack cleaned up the detritus of lunch. It only took a couple of minutes to put everything back in his pack. But in that short time, Kitty didn't just maintain her distant silence, but she drew further away from him.
And she couldn't afford to do that.
He couldn't say how he knew that, he just did.
Tack's certainty growing that she'd checked out mentally in a way that was dangerous for her emotions, he put his pack aside and scooted closer to Kitty. She didn't seem to notice.
"Wildcat?" he prompted, his voice as gentle as he could make it. "You okay in there?"
"Of course." The words were right, but the vacant tone was anything but.
He slid his hand under her hair, cupping her neck, giving physical contact to draw her back to him and now. She didn't react to the touch at all and that scared him.
"Damn it, Caitlin Elizabeth Grant, look at me."
Her brows furrowed. "Don't."
"What?" he asked in a tone as gentle as he'd spoken sternly before. Come on, wildcat, tell me not to yell at you.
Her silence changed, as if she was searching for words. "Call me Caitlin." She frowned. "I don't like it."
"I thought you wanted me to." She'd said so, hadn't she?
"No."
"Why not? Why don't you like it?"
She shrugged.
And that was it. He was done playing nice, his own misgivings not nearly as powerful as his need to stop whatever was going on inside Kitty's mind.
With careful, but inexorable pressure, he turned her head so she faced him. Her pupils were dilated like they'd been yesterday, her complexion waxy, but her lips were pink and parted invitingly.
Her breathing changed just a little bit and he took that as a victory.
"I'm going to kiss you, wildcat. Are you up for it?"
{ review } .
...negative review about this story. Well, maybe not negative so much as misinformed. The reviewer stated how it was unlikely that the hero of this story 'cured her anorexia with his cock' -- that's not taken word for word, but you get the gist.
I'm letting you know that this isn't a story of 'curing anorexia with sex'. This is a story of two people who were best friends. One burned major bridges because of her boyfriend-turned-abusive-husband; the other vowed to never give his heart again -- even though he built his house off of his now ex-best friend's dreams.
Tack and Caitlin (Kitty to family) had been best friends since they were six. When it came time for college, Kitty needed to get out of Alaska and, being in love with his best friend, Tack followed her to LA. However once in LA, Kitty fell into a relationship where the man was insecure in Kitty's friendship with Tack and forced them apart. Rather than sticking around in a city he didn't like, Tack left and finished school in Idaho before moving back home to Alaska.
Panic welled at memories of Nevin's reaction when she'd told him she wanted to go to Tack's graduation a year after she'd married. She'd had some crazy idea of renewing her friendship at least enough to they could send the occasional e-mail or Christmas card. Nevin had made it very clear that was not acceptable.LA and her ex did a number on Kitty. Not only did the man abuse her emotionally and mentally, but she suffered a broken bone or two or three. Kitty always had an eating issue when stressed (she just didn't), but in her new environment it grew to a full-fledged eating disorder.
She's returned home and while she's not her thinnest, she's still not 100% healthy. She still has habits of an anorexic (over-exercising, playing with her food, separating her plate), but she's getting there.
Their home town is one where everyone knows everybody else, and as such, Tack isn't even going to try to not be Kitty's friend. He recognizes her need for a friend and while he swears he'll never give her his heart again, he wants to help her. Beyond that, he feels guilt for not trying harder to keep his friend around, to help her through her dark times.
Kitty has some major growth in this story. Don't get me wrong -- she still has more growing and healing to do, but I think her moving home to a town that loves her was a great first step.
Tack only wants to see Kitty healthy. When her family mentioned the disorder, and he sees her for the first time in eight years, he immediately does research on anorexia -- and I love him for it. He wanted to know how to understand and help her. He recognizes her little habits and he finds ways around them -- when they picnic, he makes her a sandwich, putting a ton of avocado on it, a ton of meat, puts it on a dense bread, and hides it with more alfalfa sprouts than is necessary. He knows she'll only eat half of it, so he puts enough nutrients into the half so that she'll be ok. He also knows she likes chocolate milk, so he's sure to offer her (disguised) protein shakes. On one hand, sure this could be considered cruel of him, but on the other... he's helping her.
Does he offer to sleep with her if she eats? If you're just looking at the words, sure.
--but it's more than that. He's not withholding sex, no; it's more of an "I want you to be healthy and not expending more calories than necessary" thing. It comes from a good place.
I absolutely loved the way Tack loved Kitty -- even though he wanted to fight it, it came back naturally. I think these two have more growing to do... but I think they'll do just fine. They have years under their belt, a solid friendship to stand on, and two hearts that only want what's best for the other. I'm excited to see glimpses of them in the future books!
"What if I let you down?"
"I won't let you."
{ giveaway } .
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