~Born to be Wild~

by Patti Berg

     Heroine: Voluptuous

       High society wedding organizer Lauren Remington's plans for her best friend's wedding have come to a dead halt.  Literally.  Because Henri the caterer has most inconveniently passed away, which means all other chefs worth their salt will be at the funeral set for exactly the same day and time as Betsy's wedding.  The frantic Lauren's only option now is to risk a chance on some low-class food service called "Born to be Wilde".

       Tattooed cookout king Max Wilde can't resist a person in need.  Usually.  But this time the desperate person is none other than Lauren Remington, a woman who once descended from her lofty social circles long enough to crush his heart.  Still, he's willing to come to her rescue--for a price.  Her royal highness must accept the menu he prepares: no samples, no questions asked.  And she must bestow on him a single dance at the reception.  In front of every member of "who's who" in well-heeled Palm Beach.

        Lauren is desperate.  But is she desperate enough to serve up a BBQ buffet and dance with the hired help at the wedding of the year?!

What worked for me:

       I have a real soft spot for bad guys with broken hearts of gold, so I thought Max was as yummy-sounding as his culinary creations!

       The main storyline was very cute, and the subplot of finding the lost sister added an interesting tension to the story.

What didn't work for me:

       There was a potential mystery sub-plot, but it didn't have enough time spent on it to make it anything more than a footnote in the book.

        It took me a long time to warm up to this heroine.  In fact, it almost didn't happen at all.  And I'll never be able to warm up to her mother, tears or no tears.  That gal is just plain toxic to her daughter.

Overall:

       This fun, light read brought a smile to my face several times.  Definitely a good choice for tossing into the beach bag this summer.  (And if this one book isn't enough, be sure to pick up the other titles from this series.)

If you liked "Born to be Wild" you might also enjoy "Love at Large", "Simply Sinful", "Some Girls Do", "Midsummer Lightning", "The Independent Bride", "The Bridesmaid's Reward", "Getting Lucky", "Dear Cupid", "Runaway Bay", "Carried Away", "His Seductive Revenge", "Looking for Laura", "It Had to be You", or "This Heart of Mine".

Have you read this book and have a comment to make on it? Join a discussion about the book at the Dangerous Curves forum or submit a review to this website.