Caffeinated Reviewer

Wild at Heart by K.A. Tucker is the second novel in the Simple Wild series set in Alaska. A women’s fiction romance set against the beautiful landscape as Calla and Fletcher begin the next chapter of their lives. Danger, a new home, a curmudgeon neighbor, and an old flame quickly pulled me in.

From the internationally best-selling author of The Simple Wild comes the continuation of a woman’s journey to Alaska and a life she never imagined for herself.

Calla Fletcher returns to Toronto a different person, struggling to find direction and still very much in love with the rugged bush pilot she left behind. When Jonah arrives on her doorstep with a proposition she can’t dismiss, she takes the leap and rushes back to Alaska to begin their exciting future together.

But Calla soon learns that even the best intentions can lead to broken promises, and that compromise comes with a hefty price—a log cabin in interior rural Alaska that feels as isolating as the western tundra.

With Jonah gone more than he’s home, one neighbor who insists on transforming her into a true Alaskan, and another who seems more likely to shoot her than come to her aid, Calla grapples with forging her own path. In a world with roaming wildlife that has her constantly watching over her shoulder and harsh conditions that stretch far beyond the cold, dark, winter months, just stepping outside her front door can be daunting.

This is not the future Calla had in mind, leaving her to fear that perhaps she is doomed to follow in her mother’s fleeing footsteps after all.

This story continues the romance and lives of Calla and Fletcher and while Tucker does a great job with backstory to refresh the reader, I believe this series should be read in order. At the end of book one, Calla returned to Toronto, and this book picks up as Fletcher prepares to leave from visiting her and asking Calla to move back. Calla takes a chance on them and packs up her life to move.

Back in Alaska, they put their homes up for sale and begin looking for a new home to share. She is looking at properties close to the city and he is looking for a homestead with land for an airstrip. They end up buying a log cabin with an airstrip, but it’s forty-five minutes to the city.

The setting and small community were the centerpiece of Wild at Heart from the woman, who is the glue to this small community, to their neighbor, whose bark is worse than his bite. Fletcher is busy building his business and at first Calla feels a part of that, but she quickly learns she must find her own place in this vast wilderness. It was interesting seeing her navigate this new life, her neighbors, and seeing her find her place in this wilderness, from gardening to overcome her fears.

Some drama, suspense and the unexpected problems of life in the wild kept me flipping the pages. I loved the community and their neighbor, the curmudgeon whose story moved me.

Tucker knows how to pull the reader in and hook them. Despite some drama and miscommunication, she brought these characters and their small community to life while making me want to uproot my life and move to Alaska.

Fletcher and Calla had some growing pains and a little miscommunication had me pulling out my hair, but their affection for each other was genuine and I was rooted for them. The story ended on a high note and I am looking forward to reading the novella Forever Wild before Running Wild, the next full-length novel which will give us Marie’s story.

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About K.A. Tucker

Born in small-town Ontario, Kathleen published her first book at the age of six with the help of her elementary school librarian and a box of crayons. She is a voracious reader and the farthest thing from a genre-snob, loving everything from High Fantasy to Chick Lit. Kathleen currently resides in a quaint small town outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and an exhausting brood of four-legged creatures.

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About Kimberly

Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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