Wild [Paperback]

I'm throwing myself to the wolves here. All of the other reviews hand out five stars which made me think about writing my review at all. Because I can't give that book more than three stars. And I hope I survive what is going to crash over my head when the hardcore fans read this. But since money is tight with readers I find it only fair to point out some flaws of Meghan O'Briens's new story. Or if not flaws then at least things I believe potential readers should be aware of before buying that book.

See, I'm a lover of urban fantasy stories and so far I absolutely loved all of Meghan's books. I didn't need to think twice before buying her new book. I'm sorry to say that this is going to change after reading "Wild". I'm going to be more careful now. Unfortunately that seems to happen with a lot of the authors I loved to read over the years. So, either it's me who's changing or the writing changes. Who knows...

"Wild" is classified as "paranormal romance". I think it's more of a thriller with romance and one supernatural being in there. It's a nice read but it can't compare with any of Meghan's other books.

Let me tell you what put me off. There were far too many illogical aspects in "Wild". Paranormal doesn't mean that there doesn't need to be a good plot or logical steps in the development of a story or that characters don't need to be true to themselves anymore. Don't write that someone values this and that highly and two pages afterwards let the character decide totally different without any development inbetween.
Another aspect I really find important with fantasy or paranormal stories is foreshadowing. You can call it suspense if you like. The first chapter of "Wild" however completely destroys this. The reader learns everything there is to know about Selene. Something I found rather boring. There aren't many surprises left for me.

Please don't read any further if you don't want to read any spoilers. If you don't care, then here you go:

There were other things that I didn't like. Selene Rhodes is a shape shifter who never even for a moment wonders throughout the whole story if there are others of her ilk out there. She doesn't want to have close contact to anyone. But one whiff, sorry I meant to write "one glance" at forensic pathologist Eve Thomas and Selene kind of forgets about all her former rules. Another thing I didn't get was that a woman who didn't have sex for nearly seventeen years (and if I remember correctly just had one former lover who hurt her badly) wasn't shy or didn't have any problems having sex with someone she doesn't even know. I find that hard to believe.

Eve herself instantly feels a connection to Selene. Throwing all her cautions over board she has sex with her when they are meeting for the second time. And later in the story when Selene reveals to be a shape shifter Eve needs all of two seconds to come to terms with that revelation. I find that rather unusual. If my girlfriend would tell me that she's a shape shifter and that supernatural beings exist... well, it would take me a while to get over that information.

I'm sorry to admit that his is the first of Meghan O'Brien's books that I didn't finish. It's a nice read if you're a fan of hers and want to have a few hours of escapism. For me that wasn't enough. I can't give that story more than three stars. And now you can eat me alive.

I really liked Meghan O'Brien's Endgame and Battle Scars, but while Wild isn't badly written per se, I didn't like it as much. It didn't have enough world building to work as paranormal fiction. Selene is the only shape-shifter/werewolf around, and she doesn't even seem to wonder if there are others like her.

It's more of a romance than a paranormal novel, but even the romance didn't fully convince me. For someone who avoided emotional attachments for many years, she let herself enter into a relationship a bit too quickly.

If you are looking for a good paranormal fiction novel, you'll probably be disappointed. If you want to read one of Meghan O'Brien's novels, I recommend Battle Scars or one of the others.

Wild is a wonderful new paranormal romance by Meghan O'Brien. I enjoyed it so much, that when I sat down to write the review the day after I finished it, I opened the ebook up to check details and ended up reading the whole thing again.

From the first page we're immersed in the world of shape shifter, Selene Rhodes. We're introduced to Selene the night of a full moon and the lengths she must go to, to keep herself restrained on the one night of the month she has no control over her ability. Her shame at her inability to control herself on the full moon has meant she's spent her life alone, constantly moving and avoiding all intimacy, fearful of her secret being discovered.

Her worst fears are realized when she wakes up the morning after in the middle of Golden Gate Park, naked and with no memories of what she'd done the night before. Her self disgust and concerns about what may have occurred are put on hold though, when she comes to the rescue of Dr Eve Thomas, who is being menaced and attacked by a masked man. The deep empathetic connection she feels for Eve is frightening after a lifetime of solitude, but it just may be worth the risk to open herself to the possibility of love.

As a forensic pathologist, Eve has seen the evil that humans can inflict on each other, so she knows just what she avoided when she escaped from her attacker. Even though she's distraught after the attack, she's surprised to discover she feels connected to Selene. Even more surprising, she feels desire. With Selene she feels safe enough to risk her heart, which is only just healing after being broken by a cheating ex. An ex who is very much back in her life as she investigates Eve's attack.

What an entertaining read. From the first page you're immediately in the story and in the middle of the action, and I found it near impossible to put the book down until I'd finished. I really felt for Selene and her fears of exposure, and the anguish she feels at finally reaching out for love and yet needing to keep secrets. Secrets she's sure will end any future with Eve if she was to ever find out.

I've loved all of O'Brien's previous books, and really like that she doesn't put out cookie cutter stories, each one has been really different to all the others. The only things they all have in common are wonderful writing, great storylines and interesting characters. Wild is no different. Yes it's a paranormal, but it will appeal to those who normally don't read that genre, as that's only one element of the book. At its core it's a wonderful romance with some hot and steamy sex.

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