I loved it

I love the storyline. I felt like I knew the characters personally. It was a true love story. I can't wait to read the other books in this series. ( )

WILDE RIDERS is a sweet lighthearted country romance between a city slicker and a former country boy turned "Wall Street Wannabe" that tries to break the notion that everyone can be strictly classified by stereotypes.

WILDE RIDERS is the debut novel in The Old Town Country Romance series, which details the love lives of four brothers raised in a small New Jersey town named, Old Town, and their small-town bar and country band called "Wilde Riders." As each book primarily focuses on the romantic life of one of the brothers, each can be read on a stand-alone basis.

Cooper Wilde, the second oldest of the Wilde brothers, has always longed to leave his small hometown. After graduating from Columbia Business School, he takes a job on Wall Street, buys a BMW and gets the perfect NYC apartment, intent on never looking back.

Then both his parents pass away, and his older brother, Jake, who is much better at seducing women than running a business, lets the family bar get into financial trouble and asks Cooper for help.

When Riley Smith, also a Columbia MBA grad, is sent out to the "sticks" to investigate the potential fraudulent loan that her employer, H & C Bank, made to the Wilde family bar, Riley is excited to prove herself. Having lived all her life in NYC and determined to make her first million before turning 30, the last thing she is looking for is a relationship, much less with a country boy. Moreover, she is sick of all the "Wall Street Wannabes" who are so self-absorbed and only want to talk about their BMWs, Ivy League educations and their plan to make their own million before they turn 30, so she is convinced that there will be no romance for her in her future as her top, and only, priority is moving up the corporate ladder.

Then Riley meets Cooper and they are instantly attracted to one another. Only problem is she thinks he is a small town boy from New Jersey, and what could she possibly have in common with him? Then when Cooper's younger brother Tucker, who is a veteran and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, crashes into Riley when she is on her way out of town, Cooper offers to let her stay at his family's home for the weekend until her car can be fixed.

With more time to get to know one another, they begin a passionate "weekend" stand. Cooper, however, neglects to tell her his true identity knowing her animosity towards "Wall Street Wannabes." Once the truth comes out, will Riley give him a chance for a HEA? Moreover, will she even want a HEA with anyone, given her emphasis on her career?

Given the book description, I assumed there would be some suspense surrounding the fraud investigation, but other than to lay the setting for how Cooper and Riley meet, it really serves no other purpose. Instead, the story is more focused on character development and does a good job of describing country life and laying the groundwork for an understanding of the other family members who will be the main characters in the future books to come.

All in all, WILDE RIDERS was an enjoyable, if somewhat predictable, love story that should be appealing to readers that like uncomplicated, feel-good, love stories.

Source: Review written by me and originally published in The Romance Reviews. ( )

Welcome to rural Old Town, NJ, home of loud trucks, cold beer, country music, and the hot Wilde brothers!

Cooper Wilde left his hometown of Old Town, NJ and never looked back when he attended Columbia University and got a position on Wall Street. Cooper never thought he would return to his small hick town roots, he has plans to become a millionaire by the time he turns thirty. But his plans are put on hold when he heads home after his older brother Jake tells him that the family bar, Haymakers, is in financial trouble and needs his help. Back in the day, Cooper was a member of the Wilde Riders country music band with his brothers Jake, Tucker, and Hunter. Cooper loves playing music, but the days of singing for money and trying to find the next gig has been replaced by his lofty Wall Street aspirations.

Riley Smith is a fraud investigator with H&C Bank in Manhattan. Her life is going exactly as she had planned, except in her personal life. Tired of dating "Wall Street Wannabes," she hasn't been on a date in the last six months, and doesn't plan on dating in the near future. Riley is assigned to her first solo fraud investigation on a business loan issued to Jake Wilde, owner of Haymakers bar in Old Town, NJ.

Riley's not impressed by the one-bar town until she meets Cooper Wilde, who she thinks is a good old boy from a small NJ town, not a Wall Street executive. Cooper is instantly attracted to Riley, so he chooses to hide his Wall Street position and NY lifestyle and pursue Riley. But when their attraction turns into something more, Cooper knows he has to tell Riley the truth about himself. Will Cooper and Riley find love, or will it end after one "wilde" weekend?

In Wilde Riders, Author Savannah Young calls upon her NJ roots to weave an entertaining romance novel that takes the readers on one hell of a fun ride!

Wilde Riders is the first book in the Old Town Country Romance series that introduces the readers to the four Wilde brothers: Cooper, Jake, Tucker, and Hunter. Set in the small rural town of Old Town, NJ and told in the first person narrative, the reader follows Cooper and Riley as their romance unfolds like a classic country song. This is a fast-paced fun and sexy tale that keeps the reader turning the pages with its romance, drama, and brotherly rivalry. Who says you can't go back home?

I loved reading Cooper's story, but I do have to admit that I am biased because of the following: the story is set in my home state of NJ, I love country music, and I love me some hot country men! I knew I was going to get hooked when I read the book's description, and I wasn't disappointed as it left me eagerly wanting to read about the other three brother's stories in this series. I loved the attraction and chemistry between Cooper and Riley, and I enjoyed watching as their relationship developed. And if that isn't enough to catch your interest, then add the tantalizing introduction of the other Wilde brothers into the mix, and you won't be able to resist their charms!

Wilde Riders is a playful romantic tale that has a fun cast of characters, witty and humorous banter, and a sweet and spicy romance set to a country theme.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Bewitching Book Tours.

http://jerseygirlsizzlingbookreviews.blogspot.com/2014/04/wilde-riders-by-savann... ( )

I was given a copy of “Wilde Riders” by Savannah Young in exchange for an honest review. I also agreed to participate in a book tour with Booksniffer Review Tours (http://booksnifferreviewtours.blogspo...)

*****

Cooper Wilde has been called back to his hometown of Old Town, N.J., by his older brother Jake. Since the death of their parents, his brother has taken over the family bar, Haymakers. Jake had taken out a loan with H&C Bank and now they are sending in a fraud investigator to check into the possibilities of misappropriation of funds and failure to repay the loan.

Cooper left Old Town and never looked back. He went on to attend an Ivy League college and became employed on Wall Street. He has the perfect plan in place for how his life is going to play out. He was going to make his million before he turned thirty. He has his ideal lower Manhattan apartment. He drives a new BMW 6-series convertible. His life nothing compared to what it was when he was part of the Wilde Riders singing for money and trying to find the next gig.

Riley Smith has been working her tail off to get to this point in her life. She is the fraud investigator for H&C Bank. She has everything in life that she could possibly want, except a man. She has set her standards pretty high on the type of men she doesn’t want to date anymore. “The Wall Street wannabes and the only things they talk about are their 6-series BMW’s and the first million they’re going to make before they turn thirty.” She has forced herself into a dry spell due to her decision of men. It’s been 6 months since she’s even been with a man. Her future of finding Mr. Right is looking a little bleak.

Her job assignment is taking her to Old Town. Since her conversation with Jake Wilde, she has set in her mind that she will be dealing with good old country boy that reminds her of Clint Eastwood. However, upon her arrival at Haymakers, it’s her meeting with his brother Cooper Wilde that spins her world into one crazy and “Wilde” weekend.

After the meeting with the Wilde brothers, Riley is leaving the parking lot of Haymakers, when she runs right into a truck. (By chance it’s Tucker Wilde’s, another brother.) Her car being towed off to be fixed, she has no way back to the city, it appears she will be staying the night in Old Town.

With Cooper taking notice that Riley is stressed and worried about her car, he offers to buy her a drink to help calm her down. It’s over a Jack and Coke the Riley starts to spill out her thoughts on the men from the city. From the conversation, Cooper realizes that the person he is in NYC isn’t the kind of man who Riley is interested in. Taking a leap of faith, he decides that he will just let leave this portion of his life out of the story until he sees where things are headed with Riley.

After a few drinks, things start to become heated between Riley and Cooper. Flirtation and sexual tension start to grow to the point that both aren’t sure where things could lead. With inner conflicts going on between the two, it leads you to wonder if they are ever going to do anything. It’s a touch of a hand, a hint of sparkle in the eye, and of course the alcohol that sets these two up for an action packed weekend.

*****

“Wilde Riders” takes on a different style of storytelling. Instead of being from the point of view of just one character or allowing us to take on the voyeuristic abilities to see into their lives; we get the story told from the eyes of Cooper Wilde and Riley Smith. You’ll find yourself flip-flopping back and forth between the two, but the author does a great job at keeping her readers from being confused.

I did find that the characters were self-centered. This irritated me off and on throughout the story. We all have encountered people like this in our own lives and you just want to tell them to get over their selves. Other than that small little annoyance, I enjoyed the book.

I will admit that what caught my eye about the book was the man on the cover. I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but in this case, I did. Actually there was no judging. It was more of, yes I shall read this book because of this sexy man.

The sex scenes in the story weren’t explicit, so I didn’t feel as if I was reading some kind of dirty book. They sex was handled tastefully, but leaving you wanting to know more. I’ve read a couple of books in the past that just were so focused on the sex that it might as well had been porn. With this book, that wasn’t the case. Yes, there was a lot of sex, but it wasn’t graphic by any means.

I’m glad I decided to participate in the book tour with “Wilde Riders.” This book was exactly what I needed as a break from the longer and more in-depth books that I had been reading lately. It was the little breath of fresh air that I needed. ( )