Customer Reviews

Born to Be Wild

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Lauren Remington's choice of a new career as a wedding planner has not gotten off to a good start. First there was the unfortunate mishap of the wedding cake ending up in the pool at her debut event, and now only days before the wedding of her good friend Betsy, the caterer has died and his funeral is set for the same date and time as the wedding, leaving Lauren with no food, no servers, and no choice but to turn to the yellow pages for help. After being turned down by every reputable caterer in town, Lauren desperately dials the number for Born To Be Wild Catering, hoping they will know how to prepare something a little more upscale than fried chicken. Lauren Remington is the last person Max Wilde expects to hear from.When he was younger he suffered one of the most humiliating experiences of his life at her hands. At first he refuses to cater the upcoming wedding for her, but he reconsiders when he realizes how much she needs his help. When Max and Lauren meet again it is lust at first sight. What follows is a delightful battle of wills and wits that is a sure recipe for fun and romance between a snobbish beauty out to prove her worth to the world and herself and a handsome, tattooed biker/chef with a soft spot for kids and damsels in distress. The mixture of Lauren's high society relatives and friends and Max's collection of off beat biker friends and homeless kids is a volatile one that challenges the budding romance, but never fear- our heroine perseveres with unswerving loyalty to those she loves and the ending is a happy one. BORN TO BE WILD is a wonderful follow-up to Ms. Berg's not to be missed WIFE FOR A DAY!

Lauren Remington is a Palm Beach socialite. Her new career as a wedding planner got off to a bad start but she's out to prove her ability to plan the perfect wedding for her best friend Betsy Endicott and Betsy's wedding is only three days away. Disaster strikes again! Henri, the caterer Lauren booked to provide Betsy's wedding feast, just passed away. Henri's funeral is scheduled for the same day as Betsy's Wedding. Now Lauren must scour the yellow pages to locate a caterer. Born To Be Wild Catering is her last hope but this caterer seems to specialize in barbecues. Will he be able to prepare the fancy food required for this society wedding of the year?

Imagine Lauren's shock when the owner, Max Wilde, shows up on a Harley, wearing black leather, a goatee, a tattoo and earrings. Out of options, Lauren is forced to hire Max. Lauren is about to find out that there is more to Max than what meets the eye. Besides being a major hottie, he is an experienced caterer, able to handle Betsy's wedding with ease. He is the foster father of two very likeable children and he is the owner of The Hole in the Wall. A place where unwanted and unloved kids can hang out. Little does Lauren know, Max is just what she needs.

Born To Be Wild is the sequel to Wife For A Day. You don't need to read Wife For A Day to enjoy Born To Be Wild but you will miss out on a very good read if you don't. Born To Be Wild is a light and fast paced read about two people from very different worlds. Their major problem is trying to fit into each other's lifestyle. The more time they spend together, the more they bring out the best in each other.

This is a truly enjoyable read, one you should not miss.

Lauren Remington and Max Wilde couldn't be more opposite if they tried. She's a Palm Beach socialite (twice married and divorced) with a car and driver. He's a tattooed, goateed, bike riding caterer from the `other' side of town. They existed in worlds so different only an event of cataclysmic proportions could bring them together. The event? The untimely death of Henri, purveyor of haute cuisine. This definitely puts a kink in Lauren's wedding planner business, especially since it's now only a couple of days until her friend's wedding.

After a rather discouraging look through the Yellow Pages, Lauren reluctantly calls Born to Be Wild Catering. Let's just say Max isn't wild about catering this wedding anymore than Lauren is wild about hiring him. They do manage to come to an agreement and disaster is averted. For now. As readers will discover, disaster for these two lurks around every corner. Lauren has her hands full fending off her snooty mother and an even snootier acquaintance-who-wants-to-be-so-much-more. Max is foster father to a brother and sister, runs a program where kids can hang out, get help, and stay out of trouble, and is desperately looking for his own sister, separated from him when they were very young.

This is one of the best books I've ever read. The characters are multi-faceted, likeable and sympathetic. Max is a hero to die for. His dedication to improving the lives of children had me laughing at times, crying at other times, his vow to give Lauren all the love she's never had melted my heart. Lauren's determination to make something of herself, to succeed at something useful, to find true love, had me cheering her on every step of the way. Their rocky road to love is believable, romantic, heartwarming, and shows us that through love all things are possible.

This is the first book I've read by Patti Berg. Half-way through I went out and bought up as much of her back list as I could. She's now on my auto-buy list and I can't wait to read Charity Wilde's story coming up in the future.

This book is a six-star read.

In Palm Beach, Florida Lauren Remington plans the wedding of socialite Betsy Endicott to Richard W. D. Stribling IV. However, the sudden death of Henri, the finest caterer in town leaves the wedding without food. With only threes days until the event, Lauren searches the Yellow Pages, but finds Zippo and, at least in her mind, foot long deli sandwiches just do not belong in this social extravaganza.

Desperate, Lauren turns to BORN TO BE WILD Catering for help. Owner Max Wilde remembers Lauren as a fantasy of his youth when he was a waiter for his father's catering service at his client's first marriage. Though ribs belong in a barbecue pit not a society wedding, Lauren has no other options except perhaps Zippo. Lauren and Max feel an attraction between them reminiscent of a kiss they exchanged at her own first wedding years ago. Will Lauren and Max steel their hearts to bury their feelings or take the risk of seeking love out?

BORN TO BE WILD is a droll contemporary romance that leaves the audience smiling and fond of the lead characters. Lauren's asides add mirth yet seriousness to a warm plot. Max is a hunk who knows better, having been burned once before by just her kiss, but still cannot stop his instincts from reaching into the flame caused by his love for Lauren. Humor packed inside a romance is a Patti Berg specialty and her latest will leave her audience exit laughing but fulfilled.

Harriet Klausner

Poor Lauren! She just knows that Max is not good enough for her. She is oh-so-worried about what her rich friends and family would think if they knew she was attracted to a lowly caterer. She can't convince us that she genuinely cares about people, she just makes an effort to get along with those who have something she needs or wants. It's hard to warm up to a character like that. Berg seems to think that having Lauren say "Oh dear" repeatedly (sometimes for no apparent reason) is the same as giving her a personality. And why would a guy like Max--good looking, owns a successful business, mentors and fosters troubled kids, and even cooks--be single and carrying a torch for years for someone who was so snotty to him? Berg also has the annoying habit of sneaking in infomercials for her other books by constantly alluding to the story lines. Sorry, no sale. Don't be surprised if halfway through this book you realize that you simply don't care what happens to any of these people. There are several terrific writers in this genre--skip Berg and look for them.

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 "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".

I loved this book and could not put it down. I was fascinated by the way Lauren and Max changed and grew from begining to end. Max turned out to be much diiferent than I first expected which was a wonderful twist. Lauren seemed to discover herself--who she really was and why she was special--through the course of the book. I've read all of Patti Berg's books and I think every one is better than the last. Patti Berg is an automatic buy for me!

Born to be Wild by Patti Berg is fun Palm Beach based novel of two people from different backgrounds finding some common ground? Max was a waiter at Lauren's first wedding and now she needs him to cater this wedding.

Max is a Harley riding chef,a foster father,and he runs a place for children called the Hole in the Wall.

Lauren is a rich socialite who's attempting to show the world that she isn't a wild party girl who's a failure @ marriage by being a wedding planner for the other socialites of Palm Beach.

From the time Max and Lauren meet you already feel the heat come off the pages. They don't want their attraction to exist since they're so different from each other but this is a wonderful display of how opposites attract.

This book is funny and endearing. I love how Lauren shows that there's more to her than shopping and catering to snotty people. I love how Max is the image of a hard,tough biker but he has a heart of gold and only wants his kids to have what he never had.

This is by far my favorite book of the series. I just finished 'Something Wild' so if you're looking for more of how opposites attract read that book as well the first novel of 'Wife for a Day'. They're awesome books with awesome characters. Thanks for the good read,Ms. Berg.

Short novels are my thing....and this one did not disappoint! "Born to be Wild" was a perfect blend of love and heartache. Lauren and Max are two totally different people from different sides of the tracks. She's a high and mighty socialite......and he's a rough and tumble caterer who rides a Harley. And when they get together...look out. Add two foster kids to the picture and you've got one terrific mess. And it gets better with every page!