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Reviews for On The Wild
Side
Gerri Bowen
4.0 out of 5 stars Delightful Read,
March 2, 2012
By Terry R. Hartley
This review is from: On the Wild Side (Kindle Edition)
The stories in this anthology of romantic life in England past are
delightful and heartwarming. It was worth stepping outside (far
outside) my genre comfort zone to read On the Wild Side. The writing
is clear and the stories solidly constructed. Well done!
Rating: 3.5 books
Reviewed by Poinsettia, Long and Short Reviews
Regency England has no idea the Wilde family possesses a bit of the
old, wild blood--blood from the Shenti, Dennene, Pelldari, and other
such folk. This makes them a little special, gifted in different
ways, drawing to them people like themselves.
The former Major Trevor Wilde, now the Earl of Ardmoor, takes a keen
interest in connecting those couples who belong together.
On the Wild Side is a Regency anthology of six stories, telling the
tale of love and romance and hopefully, a happy ever after.
Run through regency England with the Wilde family!
Something Wild
I liked the main character, Lady Madeline, immediately. Madeline is
a woman desperately trying to adhere to the expectations of proper
society, but her wild blood makes things difficult. As she tries to
set a good example for her nieces and nephews, she has little
outbursts of feeling that were quite entertaining.
In addition to trying to tame her wild blood, Madeline is nearly
forced into an unbearable marriage. Just at the right moment, a man
from her past reappears. During her only season in London six years
ago, Madeline met Robert, the Earl of Spode, a man she’s never
forgotten. The two immediately feel a connection, but the path to
their happy ending is not clear. Robert must first get Madeline’s
unwanted suitor out of the picture, and also win the approval of
Madeline’s brother, Trevor Wilde, the Earl of Ardmoor.
Ms. Bowen does an excellent job of setting the tone for the
anthology with this first story. In Something Wild, I was introduced
to Madeline and Robert, both of whom are very nice characters who
delight in meddling in the romances of their friends and family.
I did have one small issue with the story. Though Madeline and
Robert had met six years earlier, they were barely acquaintances.
While I realize that space is limited in a short story and that
there is something to be said for love at first sight, I do wish
that Madeline and Robert would have had time to get to know one
another before deciding they were going to get married.
Ardmoor was the most interesting character that I met in Something
Wild. Throughout the story, he retains a bit of mystery. He confines
himself to his room most of the time mourning the loss of his leg in
battle. While Ardmoor comes off a bit gruff at times, it gradually
becomes clear that he cares deeply about his family and by the end
of the story is pulling himself out of his depression. I found
myself smiling as Ardmoor shouted “inventive curses” as he learned
to walk with his peg leg. I looked forward to reading more about him
in the other stories.
Sweet Sauerkraut
While the romance in Sweet Sauerkraut doesn’t directly involve
anyone in the Wilde family, it does involve Ardmoor’s close friend,
Nick Wharncliffe. At first I didn’t particularly like Nick. His
motivations for finding a wife are purely selfish. He is responsible
for his five nephews or monsters as he calls them. Nicke simply
needs a wife to cook for and take care of them. He even needs a
wealthy wife because he needs money to make repairs on his home.
Nick doesn’t seem to care who the woman is as long as she meets
those credentials.
However, when Nick is introduced to Beth Reese, he finds that he
actually develops genuine feelings for her. Beth loves to cook and
plans to use her culinary talents to win over Nick’s unruly nephews.
The more time Nick spends with Beth, the more he likes her. He even
encourages her to enter a cooking contest and suggests that she come
up with a recipe with sauerkraut as the main ingredient. I gradually
warmed to his personality as I watched him fall in love with Beth
and genuinely support her independent efforts.
Beth was a very likable character from the start. Her passion for
cooking and determination to distinguish herself by winning first
prize in the contest set her apart from other women in her class. I
also admired her perceptiveness. She isn’t fooled by Nick for a
moment. She immediately sees through his attempts to conceal the
temperament of his nephews and takes matters into her own hands by
insisting on meeting them. I have no doubt that she’ll not only be
able to manage Nick’s nephews, but Nick as well.
Joy’s Christmas Wishes
When Madeline married Robert, Joy, Madeline’s niece, immediately
decided Emily, Robert’s sister, would be perfect for her father. Joy
makes two Christmas wishes. The first wish is that her father
wouldn’t sail any more. The second is that her father, Geoffrey
DeBohun, would marry Emily. Joy has a bit of the wild blood in her,
which just might make her wishes a bit more potent. Joy’s first wish
comes true, but will her second?
Emily and Geoffrey are immediately attracted to each other.
Unfortunately, Robert has been promoting a match between Emily and
Geoffrey’s brother, the Earl of Wickerdun. Despite their attempts to
fight it, the chemistry between Geoffrey and Emily is too powerful
to ignore. Will this forbidden love tear a family apart?
This story again Madeline, Robert, and Ardmoor conspiring to bring a
couple together. Once they realize Emily’s feelings for Wickerdun
aren’t nearly as powerful as what she feels for Geoffrey, they begin
to gently encourage the budding romance between Emily and Geoffrey.
Emily is a sweet woman and Geoffrey is very masculine and fiercely
protective of his children. However, I have to say that Ardmoor was
again the most dominant personality. The other characters needed to
be a bit more developed in order to compete with Ardmoor’s colorful
personality.
The Passage to Summer
This was probably my second favorite story in the anthology. In it,
I found Ardmoor once again meddling in the romantic affairs of
others. Ardmoor sends Wickerdun into the “enchanted” woods near his
property. There Wickerdun meets Megara, and with the wild blood
flowing through their veins, magic is in the air.
One of the things I liked most about this story that I felt was
lacking in a couple of the previous stories was that all the
characters were very well developed. Even the minor characters, such
as Wickerdun’s servants, had distinct personalities that made them
come alive as I read.
Wickerdun had been a minor character in two of the previous stories,
but he really shines in The Passage to Summer. I loved watching him
change from a stiff and formal man with a troubled pass to one who
embraces his true nature, wild blood and all. Megara was certainly
the right woman to bring Wickerdun out of his shell. She was a
wonderful heroine with a sharp mind and a strong sense of self who
would rather “run” through life rather than “trot.” She and
Wickerdun make a powerful couple.
Another aspect of this story that I particularly liked was that it
was the first time that the more powerful aspects of the “wild
blood” become really apparent. Megara has The Sight and can see
certain things about various people. She also knows without a doubt
that Wickerdun was meant to be her husband. The singing wood nymphs
also lend an air of enchantment to the story that I found
particularly enjoyable.
Only and Always You
Only and Always You is a wonderful story of a second chance at love.
Ten years ago, Viscount Harry Seton fell in love with Lady Claire.
At the time, he felt that his responsibility was to his family and
missed the chance to marry her. She wed another a short time later
and disappeared from his life. Now fate has brought them back
together. Harry learns that Claire’s horrible husband is dead, but
he has one question. Why did she marry such a bad man so soon after
his relationship with her ended? Harry knows that Claire is hiding
something from him regarding the nature or her marriage, but what
could it be?
Harry and Claire try to avoid each other, but Ardmoor and his sister
Madeline conspire to bring them together. It is immediately clear
that they still have feelings for each other, but years of pain
stand between them. Will they put their long held grudge aside and
embrace a chance at love?
I enjoyed watching Harry Seton develop as a character. At first, he
is very stiff and formal and completely deserving of the nickname,
“Ice Water Seton.” As he rekindles his relationship with Claire, he
begins to thaw. He throws off the cold demeanor and warms up to
everyone around him, especially Claire. Claire was a wonderful
heroine. At first she seems timid, but I was pleased to learn that
she had was a courageous woman. After learning about the terrible
nature of her first husband, she did not wilt. She remained strong
and refused to let him dominate her. When confronted with Harry’s
horrible mother, again, Claire refused to back down. She spoke her
mind with amazing confidence. I found her strength to be very
admirable.
A Chorus Singing Love
This was my favorite story in the anthology because after meddling
in the romantic affairs of others, Ardmoor finally has a romantic
entanglement of his own. Ardmoor once had a brief relationship with
Lady Melody Bruin. After The Unfortunate Incident of the summer of
1807, they’ve never spoken to each other again. I won’t spoil the
story by revealing what the “incident” was, but I will hint that the
wild blood and wood nymphs might have something to do with it. It
was very amusing to watch Ardmoor attempt to fight his attraction
for Melody after watching him encourage so many others to fall in
love. It would seem that Ardmoor needs to follow some of his own
advice!
Melody was an endearing heroine. Her innocence and sweet personality
serve to balance Ardmoor’s gruff nature. Ardmoor proved again to be
a very entertaining character. I can picture him stomping around
with his peg leg decked out with ribbons from his niece. I can hear
him fumble for words when attempting not to swear around women and
children. Throughout the anthology, he was by far my favorite
character.
I enjoyed reading On the Wild Side. The stories fit together well,
the romances were heartwarming, and several of the characters,
especially Ardmoor, were very entertaining. I recommend it to anyone
looking for a regency romance with a splash of magic.
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