Tropes/Characteristics: novella; standalone in an interconnected series; opposites attract; close proximity; second chance romance
Dylan Allen does what she does best in her newest Rivers Wilde story, The Wild Card: create emotional, erotic, entertaining romance. Her voice is decidedly spicy, and her characters bear all in this story of second chances. She draws Cassie and Leo together in the most creative of ways: jewelry theft (although that isn’t the situation at all), and as Allen does so well, she crafts an emotional journey between soulmates. Do they have different backgrounds? Yes, but it’s the individual struggles of her characters that unite them. Allen draws you into her story as they work through those struggles and find happiness and completion in each other. Dylan Allen has a special way of building empathy between her characters, their story, and her readers. My only criticism of hers is a need for polish to the story and consistency within a particular character’s development.
However, Dylan Allen’s Rivers Wilde series is one of my favorites, and The WildCard is another wonderful story to add to the mix. It returns us to a beloved place, and it allows us to fall back in love with this extraordinary fictional community, adding more interesting characters to the mix.
In a game of second chances, will their messy past be a winning wild card or their downfall?
The Wild Card, a Rivers Wilde novella from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Dylan Allen is now live!
Wall Street Journal bestselling author Dylan Allen continues the Rivers Wilde series with a neighbors-to-lovers second-chance romance.
A billionaire with family secrets looking for a fresh start. A reformed jewel thief. And a choice that changes everything.
Leo has two priorities: putting down new roots and making up for his mistakes.
He doesn’t have time for a blind date with his new neighbor.
Until he finds out she’s the woman he let slip away…but never forgot.
Cassie has finally paid her debts and is living the life she’s always wanted. Her new neighbor sounds like he could be Mr. Right. Only, he turns out to be the man who promised her the world then disappeared without a trace.
In another time and another place, he was a playboy who made her believe in miracles. Now, he’s a danger to everything she’s worked hard for.
He wants to pick up where they left off. She wants to keep her distance.
But when they’re together, their chemistry is undeniable. The heat between them burns hot and fast. Until a secret whips up a fire that threatens to engulf them all.
**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.**
I drop my phone into my pocket and grab my suitcase’s handle to turn around.
“Hey, watch—” I hear him too late and crash into the man trying to warn me with a thud that knocks the wind out of me and pushes me back onto my heels. I windmill my arms to try and correct my balance but cry out as it proves in vain and my body teeters backward. I brace myself for a fall.
Instead, an arm wraps around my waist and I find myself staring into the mirrored lenses of a dark pair of Ray-Bans.
Even with his eyes hidden and his face covered in sweat he’s easily one of the most handsome men I’ve ever seen in person. He’s got a mouth most women would envy and a nose that belongs in a museum. His pores are amazing. I need to find out what he uses on his skin.
“Are you alright?” he asks, still hovering over me, still holding me up as if I weighed nothing.
“Yes.” I cough to clear the husk from my voice. “I’m sorry I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
“I was,” he murmurs.
“You were…watching where I was going?”
“No. Where I was going. So, I saw you. Caught you.” The heat from his hand seeps through the thin fabric of my sundress.
I can’t see his eyes but I swear I can feel them on my face and I don’t like that I can’t see him.
And that’s my cue to end this little…whatever it is.
“Can you let me up?” I press my hands to his chest.
“Oh.” He starts as if he didn’t realize he was holding me. “Yes, sorry.” He straightens and lets me go. But the heat from his touch doesn’t.
“Thanks for breaking my fall. I’m Cassie.” I give a lame wave.
He flashes an unfairly perfect grin. “Nice to meet you. How long are you here?”
“All week. I’m working at the resort. You?” I ask as he starts to jog in place and glances at his watch.
“Two weeks. At least. So…maybe I’ll see you around?”
“Sure. What’s your name?”
“They call me Wild Card.” He winks and runs off.
Oh shit. I’ve already fucked up. Well at least I know who to avoid.
“I glance over my shoulder and watch him run away, his back muscles a thing of art and perfection, and sigh. “What a waste.”
But for me, there was only one man and he was destined to be both.
I used to believe in fairytales.
I thought my happy ending was inevitable.
Until I lost my father, my home, and the gorgeous golden boy I loved in the blink of an eye.
I rebuilt my life with one thing in mind – certainty.
I didn’t get my happy ending, but I spent my days making other people’s come true.
I wasn’t happy, but I was in control.
It was enough.
Until my first love crash lands back into my life and
I start questioning everything about my perfectly constructed life.
I realize that I may have moved on but my heart stood absolutely still.
And when he asks for a second chance, I throw caution to the wind and say yes.
Back in the grown up arms of the man he’s become, I rediscover a passion and pleasure I’d forgotten existed.
But our second chance is a double edged sword that forces us to face the minefield of our complicated past.
He starts asking questions
I’ve spent a lifetime trying to ignore.
In the battle between my future and my past, will love be enough to overcome the secrets that tore us apart the first time?
Grab Your Copy!
Meet Dylan Allen:
Before I was “Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling Author, Dylan Allen”, I was a lawyer who was unhappy at work and a bookworm who wanted nothing more than to get lost in stories I loved. I’ve always written for myself as a creative outlet, but in the year leading up to my 40th birthday, I decided to do something that had always been on my bucket list…write a book.
I’m not an independently wealthy person and had no intention of leaving my career. I didn’t think it was even possible to make a living writing the stories that lived in my vast and dynamic imagination.
That book, now called Then Came You, was so warmly and broadly received that I decided to write another. And then another… And two years after I accidentally found this amazing career, I left my job and went all in on my dream.
It hasn’t been a smooth journey. It’s been full of volatile ups and downs. But, it’s been the most rewarding and exciting thing I’ve ever done.
My favorite part of this job is connecting with my readers. I’m so honored by the kind and interesting people who read my work and reach out to connect to me.
I write compelling, dramatic, emotional romances with exceptional, diverse characters you’ll root for and never forget.
I’m a self-proclaimed happily ever junkie, I loves creating stories where under dogs find a love worth fighting for. When I’m not writing or reading, eating, or cooking, I indulges my wanderlust by planning her next globe-trotting adventure.
I was born in Accra, Ghana, raised in Houston, Texas, and finds that home is where my heart is.
I’m a proud graduate of Tufts University, Howard University School of Law, and the London School of Economics. Nearly twenty years ago, I married the love of my very own book boyfriend and together we’re raising two wonderful sons who are the light of our lives.
I believe in the power of dreams and know that nothing is beyond our reach if we’re willing to work hard and step out of our comfort zone to grab it.
I hope you find hours of entertainment and joy in my books!
But for me, there was only one man and he was destined to be both.
I used to believe in fairytales.
I thought my happy ending was inevitable.
Until I lost my father, my home, and the gorgeous golden boy I loved in the blink of an eye.
I rebuilt my life with one thing in mind – certainty.
I didn’t get my happy ending, but I spent my days making other people’s come true.
I wasn’t happy, but I was in control.
It was enough.
Until my first love crash lands back into my life and
I start questioning everything about my perfectly constructed life.
I realize that I may have moved on but my heart stood absolutely still.
And when he asks for a second chance, I throw caution to the wind and say yes.
Back in the grown up arms of the man he’s become, I rediscover a passion and pleasure I’d forgotten existed.
But our second chance is a double edged sword that forces us to face the minefield of our complicated past.
He starts asking questions.
I’ve spent a lifetime trying to ignore.
In the battle between my future and my past, will love be enough to overcome the secrets that tore us apart the first time?
Meet Dylan Allen:
Before I was “Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling Author, Dylan Allen”, I was a lawyer who was unhappy at work and a bookworm who wanted nothing more than to get lost in stories I loved. I’ve always written for myself as a creative outlet, but in the year leading up to my 40th birthday, I decided to do something that had always been on my bucket list…write a book.
I’m not an independently wealthy person and had no intention of leaving my career. I didn’t think it was even possible to make a living writing the stories that lived in my vast and dynamic imagination.
That book, now called Then Came You, was so warmly and broadly received that I decided to write another. And then another… And two years after I accidentally found this amazing career, I left my job and went all in on my dream.
It hasn’t been a smooth journey. It’s been full of volatile ups and downs. But, it’s been the most rewarding and exciting thing I’ve ever done.
My favorite part of this job is connecting with my readers. I’m so honored by the kind and interesting people who read my work and reach out to connect to me.
I write compelling, dramatic, emotional romances with exceptional, diverse characters you’ll root for and never forget.
I’m a self-proclaimed happily ever junkie, I loves creating stories where under dogs find a love worth fighting for. When I’m not writing or reading, eating, or cooking, I indulges my wanderlust by planning her next globe-trotting adventure.
I was born in Accra, Ghana, raised in Houston, Texas, and finds that home is where my heart is.
I’m a proud graduate of Tufts University, Howard University School of Law, and the London School of Economics. Nearly twenty years ago, I married the love of my very own book boyfriend and together we’re raising two wonderful sons who are the light of our lives.
I believe in the power of dreams and know that nothing is beyond our reach if we’re willing to work hard and step out of our comfort zone to grab it.
I hope you find hours of entertainment and joy in my books!
Professor Romance 