Overall Grade: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
“Be terrified with me, Pipes? Give me a real shot to get it right this time. That’s all I’m asking.”
Is there anything better than a hero (MMC) who absolutely without a doubt adores the heroine (FMC)? I’ll admit that, sometimes, those are my favorite types of heroes. There is a simplicity in their character construction, and their devotion to the female character makes you swoon a bit. In the newest book from her Wildcat Hockey Series, Rebecca Jenshak has constructed just such a hero. Add to that the qualities of seriousness and caring, and he’s catnip for most romance readers.
In Wild About You, Tyler is a first-year professional hockey player for The Wildcats. He must balance his rookie year with the surprise entry of his sister, Everly, into his world. When his sister finds herself in trouble, he goes to her school where he surprisingly runs into the lost love of his life, Piper. Piper has befriended Everly on the day that she’s ruined some backdrops for the theater program. When she sees Tyler again, the boy who broke her heart, she’s surprised and overwhelmed again by his hurt. When Tyler realizes he needs Piper’s help, he asks her to watch over Everly when he is out of town. As that agreement turns into Piper moving into the house where Tyler and Everly live, they grow closer, and all the reasons Piper finds to hate Tyler begin to disappear when she realizes he broke up with her to protect her. These two find themselves drawn to each other again. Will Tyler make the same mistake, or will he finally win the girl?
Tyler and Piper’s journey aside, the best part of Wild About You is the found family of the Wildcats. This is seen in Maverick and Leo’s books, but it becomes more clear in this one. Ash, Jack, Leo, and Deacon all pitch in to help Tyler support his sister, Everly. It becomes the battle cry of this story: the idea that if your biological family isn’t willing to love and support you, a found family is all that you need. These men act as protective brothers of Everly, and you find at the end they care as much for her as her brother. There is something adorable about that idea, and you find yourself chuckling about their overprotectiveness of Everly.
Through Tyler, Jenshak deftly illustrates the impact of parental trauma. Having to rely on himself at an early stage, he doesn’t recognize his self-worth. He makes decisions for people to protect them, unable to understand their impact until it’s too late. He’s decided, compassionate, and caring, but any of those done to an extreme can cause problems. Thankfully, Jenshak constructs a heroine who has the capacity to move beyond their past to help him understand that he is worthy of love.
As her female main character, Piper is insightful and intuitive. Granted, her understanding of Tyler’s self-sacrifice comes late. However, her journey is fraught with her past with Tyler. Like most people, that level of hurt acts as a filter for future choices. Once she begins to recognize Tyler’s true motivations, she is better able to respond to him. Her relationship with Everly is also a special part of Jenshak’s book.
As far as second chance romance stories go, Rebecca Jenshak’s Wild About You is a sweet story, not trying to overcomplicate the trope. I enjoyed Piper and Tyler’s journey, and Jenshak further invests us into her Wildcat Hockey world. I’m excited about more stories, specifically for Jack, Ash, and Deacon. There is so much more promise in this world of professional hockey.
In love and romance,
Professor A
Professor Romance 