Customer Reviews

Born to Be Wilde (Berkley Sensation)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ex-marine Joel Wilde can't say no to his old buddy when Zach calls in a favor. After all, you don't turn away the man who saved your life, at no small risk to his own. Once Joel scopes his new mission, he knows it will be much more difficult than he originally anticipated. Oh, he has no doubt about his ability to keep his friend's sister safe from the thugs threatening her, but he is pretty sure that he will have tremendous trouble keeping things on a totally impersonal level.

The beautiful Lora Marshall stirs feelings in Joel that the confirmed bachelor never expected to feel. Even still, he knows his life and career don't allow for long-term relationships, and Lora has forever written all over her.

Born to be Wilde is the sixth book in Janelle Denison's Wilde Series, but speaking as a reader who has never read any of the other stories in this saga, Born to be Wilde definitely works as a standalone novel. This was my first read by this author, but I had no trouble at all understanding this story, never once feeling as if I were missing key information from the other books.

Joel Wilde is the kind of hero who wants everyone to believe he is a bad boy and has somehow managed to convince himself that he isn't cut out for love and marriage - until he meets the love of his life. Once he sets eyes on Lora, the fun starts as we watch Joel begin to unravel when she effortlessly gets under his skin.

Lora is a wonderful heroine, with a big heart and a determination to help those she loves that wins the reader's heart from the first chapter. It is no wonder that Joel can't help falling in love with her.

I enjoyed Denison's characters in Born to be Wilde immensely, but was a bit disappointed in the lack of action in this story. Casting the hero as an ex-marine who is now a security specialist acting as a bodyguard to the heroine sets expectations for a certain level of action, but there really was only one scene that might qualify as action, and Joel wasn't a part of it. In fact, it was simply a scene where the heroine was directly threatened by the bad guys, with no fighting at all. I would have appreciated a few scenes that give Joel the chance to defend Lora against the bad guys and show his military training.

That said, this was a good read, and I was very impressed by Janelle Denison's talent. Fans of Denison's work will surely appreciate this new installment in her Wilde Series!

Series Order:
I Brake For Bad Boys (Something Wilde)
Wilde Thing
Jingle Bell Rock (All She Wants for Christmas)
Bad Boys To Go (The Wilde One)
The Wilde Side
Perfect For The Beach: Some Like it Hot/Blue Crush/My Thief/Hot and Bothered/Murphy's Law (One Wilde Weekend)
Too Wilde to Tame (Wilde)
Born to Be Wilde (Berkley Sensation)

Born to be Wilde is the final book in the Wilde siblings/cousin anthology. This book deals with Joel Wilde - the brother we've only seen casually mentioned in other Wilde books.

Joel, an ex-marine, along with some of his Marine buddies have started a security company, Elite Security Specialists. One marine buddy who didn't join in the firm is Zach Marshall. Zach is having problems dealing with life since leaving the Marines - gambling and alcohol have taken over his life. In fact, Zach has gotten in over his head with his gambling debts and now the bookie to who he owes a lot money wants it now and is willing to threaten Zach's sister Lora.

Zach asks Joel to watch over Lora and Joel agrees as Zach saved Joel's life in Baghdad. He and his team will watch Lora 24/7. To help with the effort, Joel decides that casually dating Lora will make it easier to watch her. He refuses to get involved with her as she's his responsibility. And even if that weren't the case, he doesn't "do" love. He keeps women from getting too close to him as having a committed relationship is something he doesn't want.

Lora has her own issues. She got burnt in a previous relationship, but unlike Joel is willing to give love another try. She knows that what she could have with Joel is something special. She understands why Joel is afraid of having a relationship but is willing to give him the space he needs.

A nice addition to this book is the romance between Sydney, Lora's close friend and boss, and Daniel, Sydney's daughter math teacher. Sydney wants nothing to do with having a relationship. She's been burned in the past and has no interest in having a "relationship" (she can't even bring herself to say the word). Daniel isn't interested in casual sex - he wants a relationship with Sydney. Reading about these two trying to get together was a lot of fun and for me - as enjoyable if not more so than the Lora/Joel story line.

Someone noted in the review of Too Wilde to Tame that the "heat" was considerably lower in that book than in the previous Wilde books. I found that Born to be Wilde had even less heat that that book. This is pretty tame stuff in comparison to the other Wilde books.

This is a good book, but not a great one. I enjoyed reading it and it was great fun to see the final Wilde sibling meet his mate. And the series will continue (in a way) with the new books dealing with Joel's friends/co-workers of Elite Security Specialists. But unlike some of the other Wilde books, this one won't find its way onto my keeper shelf.

Semper Fi. Always faithful. Marine code for having a friend's back at all times. That is what Joel Wilde is called upon to do by his friend and ex fellow Marine, Zach Marshall. Since leaving the Marines, Zach has gotten himself into a bit of trouble with his gambling addiction and has no other choice but to call Joel. The trouble could mean harm to the one person that loves Zach, Lora, his sister. Zach implores the help of Joel to watch her and keep her from danger until he is able to do something about the debt he owes a bookie. Joel agrees to help Zach not knowing how much Lora will change his outlook on life and love.

Lora Marshall has pretty much shut down since the ending of her engagement a couple of years ago. Not in the mood to date, she rarely is attracted to anyone and spends most of her time working. When Joel Wilde comes into her friend's bar over and over and asks for her, Lora can't help but be intrigued by this totally blatant ploy to get her attention. It doesn't hurt that Joel is built, good looking, and sexy as all get out. Finally agreeing to meet him for coffee, Lora has no idea how much she will come to love Joel.

Lora and Joel begin a relationship of sorts. Each is scared of voicing the word commitment and each has their own ghosts to deal with. The one thing that is evident between the two is the sparks that fly when they are together.

I adore this entire series. From the first Wilde story, Something Wild, to Born To Be Wilde, I have engulfed every character's story. Janelle Denison has the ability to keep every story new, intriguing and completely captivating. For a man afraid of commitment, Joel sure knew how to be the perfect gentleman and lover. His affection and loyalty to Lora was very interesting to watch. As for Lora, she wore her heart a bit more on her sleeve and while she loved Joel, I like how she put everything on the line for him to grasp on his own without any pushing from her. I don't know if I could have been so patient.

Janelle Denison once more will entice and enthrall readers with Born To Be Wilde. I know I was.

Talia reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Former marine Joel Wilde enjoys his work as a security specialist almost as much as he likes being single. Zach Marshall asks Joel to protect his sister Lora. Joel agrees as he was a Force Reconnaissance Unit buddy; ironically as good as each was, neither reenlisted after the Baghdad mission; in fact few re-upped as most including Zach and Joel walked away at a minimum emotionally damaged if not physically impaired.

In Chicago, Lora works as a waitress at a dive and a masseuse at a spa. She enjoys being a bachelorette, but her dream is her owning a spa. When these two confirmed bachelors meet, spark fly as they are attracted to one another. However, being a professional bodyguard means keeping Lora safe from a gang with nasty intentions even as Joel wonders who will keep his heart safe.

As always with Janelle Denison thrillers readers obtain a Wilde romantic suspense thriller that takes off from the moment Joel meets the sister. Joel quickly learns that Lora is TOO WILDE TO TAME as she prefers a walk on THE WILDE SIDE. Fans will enjoy this fine tale of a vet who believes he is unworthy of the woman he loves while she wants this WILDE THING in her life at least for now. The gnat angle takes back seat to this Wilde war of the sexes.

Harriet Klausner

Janelle Denison pens a sensational story in Born To Be Wilde.

Security Specialist Joel Wilde comes to the aid of a fellow former marine, Zach Marshall. Zach has landed in some serious trouble over his gambling and his sister Lora is now being threatened. Joel agrees to keep an eye on Lora as long as he doesn't tell her the truth about her brother.

Lora Marshall could not believe this hot guy is paying her so much attention. She hadn't really dated much after her fiancée dumped her. Joel Wilde was every woman's fantasy. Even after Lora finds out the real reason he was hanging around the bar where she works, she still wants to be with him.

When the dangerous thugs attack Lora, Joel brings her to his home to give her 24/7 protection. Their relationship deepens but Joel insists he is a loner and is not a commitment kind of guy. Lora knows this but falls head over heals anyway. Can she make him see that they would be awesome together if he would only let go of his past?

Born To Be Wilde is an all out hot and sexy story. The chemistry between Lora and Joel is hotter then the summer sun. All the characters in the story are exceptional, especially Sydney and Daniel. Their secondary characters really touched me deeply too. You really need to pick up this book.

Very few series hold my attention...this one was fun...great characters and did not rehash old books but had nice continuity.

Once I read the first book in this series, I had to have them all!

I love how this story cinnectes with the pasy syort and does a little setup for the next. The main characters were both scared in their own ways and you felt for them as well as rooting for them.
The substory was great, the ending a little predictiable. But the ride to that ending was great.
I love how the Wilde series has the characters intermingle and their stories overlap. Each story makes you love their family.
The suspense about if the characters would actully make a go of their relationship, would the bad guys win, and what to do with the brother propel the story and you just want to find out what will happen

I really loved this book. I enjoyed the whole series actually,Janelle Denison has become one of my favorite authors. Keep them coming Janelle,I'm looking forward to your next book already.

Lora Marshall is a hard working young woman, a masseuse in a spa by day and a bar waitress at night. Having a broken engagement in the not too distant past, Lora initially resists the irresistible Joel Wilde, although she finds herself undeniably attracted to him. Lora doesn't realize that their meeting isn't purely coincidental; Joel is secretly watching out for Lora as a favor to her brother Zach, who has gotten himself into a deadly chase with some vicious thugs over unpaid gambling debts. Lora's life has been threatened as a result of this debt. When Lora is unexpectedly attacked at work, Joe's protection intensifies and he refuses to leave her side. Lora soon discovers the truth about their meeting, but her initial anger quickly dissipates when she discovers and appreciatively understands the reasons behind Joel's secrecy.

Joel owes a huge favor to Lora's brother, a former fellow Marine, after Zach saved his life in Iraq. His unquestionable sense of obligation, however, isn't the only reason Joel doesn't balk at Zach's request. Lora is a beautiful young woman and watching over her is hardly a hardship. It isn't long before the wall that Joel has solidly kept around his heart begins to crumble in response to Lora's gentle, loving nature.

Janelle Denison has once again given her readers an intriguing continuation of the Wilde family with Joel and Lora and and their story. Both are driven characters who possess unwavering devotion to family and friends, both ever conscious of who they are deep within themselves and never losing sight of their personal desires and goals. Joel's determination to succeed in helping his friend Zach get his life back on track is heartening. A blossoming relationship between secondary characters, and the pain and soul-searching that plays between them, is excellently written and is a wonderful addition to this book. While I would encourage readers who haven't enjoyed the previous books in the "Wilde" series to do so, I would also point out that each of them, including BORN TO BE WILDE, capably stand on their own.