Title- Wilde Riders
Series- Old Town Country Romance Series Book #1
By- Savannah Young
Genre- Contemporary Romance
FOUR WILDE BROTHERS...ONE WILDE COUNTRY BAND
WILDE RIDERS is the first novel in a spicy new contemporary romance series about four sexy brothers, their small-town bar and their local country band. WILDE RIDERS can be read as a STAND ALONE NOVEL or as part of the SERIES.
Cooper Wilde spent his entire adolescence counting the days until he could escape rural northwest New Jersey. Now at 26, he can't believe he's coming back. But his late father's bar, Haymakers, is in financial trouble and his older brother, Jake, has asked for Cooper's help.
Riley Smith, 25, is fresh out of her Ivy League MBA program and wants to make an impression on her employer, H & C Bank. Her first solo assignment is a fraud investigation on a business loan they made to Haymakers.
Even though Old Town is less than 90 minutes from New York City, Riley feels like she's stepped into another world in this remote, one-bar town. Riley can't wait to do her business and get back to the city as quickly as her sports car will take her...until she meets Cooper Wilde. He's not like the other guys in this rural town and Riley feels inexplicably attracted to him.
If you like your trucks loud, your beer cold and your men hot...you'll love WILDE RIDERS.
The drive into New Jersey is exhausting. My only saving grace is that most of the traffic is going into the city instead of out of the city like I am. You’ve got to love those bridge and tunnel guys. I wouldn’t date one but I have a little bit of respect for them. The commute into Manhattan turns a nine hour work day into an eleven hour one, if you’re lucky.
I can feel my stomach start to knot as I get further away from the city and further away from civilization. Pretty soon I’ll be in the sticks surrounded by woods and farmland. I can almost smell the manure that will no doubt take days to completely rid from my nasal passages. I pray that I don’t run into any animals, especially cows, which are huge, smelly and completely freak me out. The only live animals I ever care to see have to fit comfortably in a handbag, like a Chihuahua or Teacup Poodle, for example.
I have an appointment with a man named Jake Wilde. He asked me to come early, before the place opened at noon, so he could give me his full attention. I try to imagine what someone named Jake Wilde would look like and all I can come up with is an old gunslinger like Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven.
As I pull into Old Town the place looks exactly like I thought it would. The buildings in the town square are old and I image the place hasn’t changed much in the last hundred years or so.
Haymakers is just past the town square, down the hill from the deli, next to the gas station. Those were the exact directions I was given, in those words. I take that to mean the town only has one gas station and one deli.
When I pull into the parking lot, there’s only one other vehicle sitting there. It’s an old beat-up Dodge Ram. Nothing like fitting the country bumpkin stereotype like a glove. Then I have a brief moment of panic and wonder if it’s safe to park my BMW in the dirt lot. Then I remind myself where I am. Who is going to mess with it in the middle of the day? A stray deer from the woods out back? The only thing I probably have to worry about is it getting dusty.
I take in a deep breath. I have to be thankful there’s no manure smell yet. The quicker you do this, I remind myself, the quicker you can get back to the lovely asphalt jungle you call home.
I’m hit with a gust of wind as soon as I get out of my car. How is it possible that Old Town is even windier than lower Manhattan? I didn’t think I’d ever find a place windier than Wall Street. Even the Windy City didn’t seem this windy when I had business in Chicago.
When I enter the bar, I try to smooth down my thick hair, which I know is probably a complete mess from the gust. I’m surprised by the homey feel of the place. How could someone like me possibly feel at home in a country bar? Even if I was wearing jeans and cowboy boots, if I even owned jeans and cowboy boots, I wouldn’t fit in at a place like this.
I hear someone clear his throat and I turn to see a guy about my age, mid-twenties, standing next to me. I can’t help my surprise when I see he’s wearing khakis and a polo shirt, like he just stepped off a golf course. He looks as out of place in this country bar as I feel.
“Are you Jake Wilde?” I ask.
The guy gives me the faintest hint of a smile but it’s almost as if it pains him to give that much. His deep brown eyes look even more distressed and I can’t help but wonder what’s behind those sad eyes.
He rakes his fingers through his thick dark hair. “A little windy out, isn’t it?”
My hand automatically goes to my hair and I try to casually flatten it down again. I imagine I must look like I just stepped out of a wind tunnel.
“Your hair looks fine,” the guy tries to assure me. But he’s got that hint of a smile on his face again and it makes me wonder if he’s lying just to make me feel better.
“I’m Cooper Wilde,” the guy says as he offers a hand.
I don’t know why I suddenly feel nervous about shaking it. It’s a business meeting. That’s what people do. But the way this guy is looking at me gives me the feeling that he might be interested in more than just business.
But I’m not, I remind myself. Not only because I’ve all but sworn off men, I’m here to do a job. I’ve been working for H & C Bank for two years and this is my first solo assignment as a lead investigator. If I continue to do well, I’ll be well on my way to becoming a Vice President before I turn thirty. I don’t need a man to throw me off my career trajectory. And definitely not some guy in a country bar in rural New Jersey.
I take his hand and give it a quick shake but I can’t bring myself to look into his smoldering eyes again. “I’m Riley Smith.”
“I figured that,” Cooper says.
“Why is that?”
That hint of a smile has returned to his face again. “We don’t often get women in business suits in the bar.”
I’m not sure why I’m suddenly overcome with the urge to get a real smile out of Cooper Wilde. I don’t know even know the guy but it somehow seems important. I get the feeling he hasn’t really smiled in a while and it’s long overdue.
Not that I’ve had much occasion for real smiles myself lately.
“My brother will be here in a minute or two. He’s just printing a few documents from the computer. Purchase orders and receipts.”
I nod and look around the place. From the outside, I thought it was going to be a dive but the place actually has character. I can tell the wooden bar is old, and it looks hand carved, as do the barstools. There’s a large stage area that looks new. That’s one of the expenses I was charged with investigating. I try to image what the place looks like filled with patrons watching a local band play on a Friday night.
“Ms. Smith?” I hear a deeper male voice say.
I look up to see another guy approaching. He also looks around my age, mid-twenties, but he looks more like what I’d expect inside a country bar. He’s wearing a white button down shirt with jeans and cowboy boots. His hair is lighter than Cooper’s and his face is rounder, more boyish, but there’s definitely a family resemblance between these two guys. They’re both about the same height, around six feet, with athletic builds, like they play sports.
“I’m Jake Wilde,” the lighter haired guy says.
I try not to laugh as I look at Jake. He’s young, attractive and nothing like Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven. So much for my speculation about his name.
I notice Jake has papers in his hands. “Maybe we should have a seat at one of the tables.” He motions to a table closest to us.
“Would you like something to drink?” he asks. Jake has one thing that Cooper doesn’t. An absolutely killer smile. It’s the kind of smile that can probably get any girl into bed in a matter of minutes. Well, any girl except me. I no longer fall for guys with smiles like that. It hurts too much the next morning when they say they’ll call you, and give you that smile, and you know they’re lying and you’ll never hear from them again.
“I’ll take some water,” I reply.
Jake actually winks at me before he turns to head towards the bar. The guy knows how to charm people I’ll give him credit for that.
Wilde Riders is a story about four brothers and their alternative country band. This romance novel is unique in that it includes the lyrics of an original song by singer/songwriter Dan Patrick Fulton. The song, “Summer” is the first song the Wilde Riders play when they are reunited.
Here’s a link to the song: Summer
And here are the lyrics:
The hem of your dress swings wide and wild
Calls to me like an open field
calls to a child
Those twirling layers swing and sway
They beckon to me without words
What do they say?
It's like a language old and rare
Something for which I'm unprepared
I find myself in warming winds
The sunlight shining in your heart
Glows from within
The season's feeling grows again
It's not been like this since I can't
Remember when
Soft reflections in your eyes
Like embers as the fire dies
Summer whispers to me
Calls me out from what I know
Do I dare go?
Summer spirits move me
Send me spinning like a wheel
It's so unreal
The hem of your dress it settles down
The night is cool and dark and still
And filled with sound
But still you linger in the air
And if I reach out in the dark
Will you be there?
I read this book in a matter of a couple hours and I absolutely couldn't put it down. Riley and Cooper have a whirlwind romance that turns into much much more. Cooper and Riley are both Wall Street workers but when they meet Cooper appears to be the New Jersey hick he grew up to be. Cooper came home to help get the family bar back up to par financially after their parents deaths. Riley comes to town as a fraud consultant.
Between the four hot Wilde brothers and the steamy Cooper and Riley scenes this book was awesome. I absolutely look forward to reading about the rest of these brothers because they have such different personalities and they are all hotties in a band. I loved reading the song in the book and hope that each book has a different song in it.
The characters are amazing and well rounded. The plot is awesome and Savannah is an amazing writer who can throw you into a completely different world and I loved being in these characters world.
RATING:
5 out of 5 stars
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Please share a short history/bio on each of the main characters with us:
Jake Wilde – The oldest of the Wilde brothers. Jake runs their family bar, Haymakers, and is the lead singer of their country band, WILDE RIDERS. Read more about Jake in WILDE TIMES (Book Four of the Old Town Country Romance series).
Cooper Wilde- Cooper left Old Town when he went away to college and never looked back. He’s a Columbia graduate and works on Wall Street. When he plays with his brothers’ band, WILDE RIDERS, he plays guitar.
Tucker Wilde- Tucker served his country in Iraq and was seriously injured. He works with Jake at the family bar, Haymakers, and plays guitar with WILDE RIDERS. Read more about Tucker in THE WILDE ONE (Book Two of the Old Town Country Romance series).
Hunter Wilde- The youngest of the Wilde brothers, Hunter is quiet but driven. His life’s goal is to be a police officer. He plays drums with WILDE RIDERS. Read more about Hunter in A WILDE NIGHT (Book Three of the Old Town Country Romance series).
Harley Davis- Harley grew up next door to the Wilde brothers. The Wilde boys think of her as their little sister. She works at Haymakers.
Riley Smith- Riley works as a fraud investigator at a bank in New York. She was sent by the bank to investigate a loan they made to Haymakers. She’s a city girl at heart but gets charmed by the Wilde brothers.
Gracie Parker – Gracie was raised by a drug addicted mother who is serving time in prison. She’s alone in the world except for Dex, the boyfriend who abuses her.
Dex – Dex is Gracie’s abusive boyfriend. Her beat her up and left her in the parking lot of Haymakers.
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Book Info-
Title- Wilde One
Series- Old Town Country Romance Series Book #2 (Can be read out of order)
By- Savannah Young
Genre- Contemporary Romance
THE WILDE ONE is the second novel in the spicy contemporary romance series about four sexy brothers, their small-town bar and their local country band. Each novel in the OLD TOWN COUNTRY ROMANCE series can be read as a STAND ALONE NOVEL or as part of the SERIES.
FOUR WILDE BROTHERS...ONE WILDE COUNTRY BAND
Tucker Wilde joined the United States Army right out of high school and was injured in Iraq. But more than just his leg was shattered in the Middle East. The war also crushed his spirit and damaged his soul. When a strange couple arrives at his family’s bar, Haymakers, Tucker can see signs of mental and emotional abuse and is immediately drawn to the lovely but fragile girl seated at his bar.
Gracie Parker has been a victim of abuse her entire life. When her boyfriend, Dex, beats her in the parking lot of Haymakers and abandons her, it’s almost too much for the nineteen-year-old to bear. That is until Tucker appears like a warrior knight from the darkness to save her.
Tucker and Gracie are two broken people who are immediately drawn together. But their relationship and even their very lives are threatened by Dex who will stop at nothing to get Gracie back.
If you like your trucks loud, your beer cold and your men hot...you'll love THE WILDE ONE.
The guy pushes what’s left of his food away. His face is starting to turn red he’s so angry.
“Get up,” he barks at the girl. “We’re leaving.”
She practically jumps from the bar stool in response.
I know it’s none of my business. I see a lot of crazy shit working at a bar, so I’m not sure why these two are bothering me so much. I just don’t like the way this guy is treating her. Like he owns her. It’s not right.
I’m not much of a guy in most respects. I’m not smart like my brother Cooper. I’m not ambitious like my brother Hunter. And I’m definitely not charismatic like my brother Jake. But I always try to do what’s right.
“You don’t have to go with him,” I say to the girl.
When she looks up at me, her grey eyes are so wide with fear, it actually scares me.
The guy makes a point of downing what’s left of his beer. Then he removes a wad of cash from his pocket and throws it on the bar.
He gives me a deadly glare as he grabs the girl by the elbow and begins to drag her out of the bar.
I feel helpless as I watch him haul her away.
But what can I do? I gave her an out but she didn’t take it. Maybe she didn’t feel like she really could. I wonder if I should do something more? I can’t call the cops. The guy didn’t actually do anything illegal. I don’t think you can get arrested for treating your girlfriend like shit. Otherwise half of the male population would probably be behind bars.
I just can’t rid myself of the feeling that the girl is in trouble and that she needs my help. Maybe it was the few looks she gave me. Like she wanted to tell me something. Maybe that she was hurting. Or that she’s lost.
“Watch the bar for a few minutes,” I tell Savage as I head toward the door.
I spot the couple at the far end of the parking lot. It’s just starting to get dark so it’s hard to see but I can see enough to know that he’s hitting her.
I try to hurry over to them but hurrying isn’t one of my strengths since I got back from Iraq. My leg was injured so badly that I’m lucky I can still walk. Running is definitely out of the question. I guess I should be happy that I still have a leg. I know plenty of guys who came back without one. Missing legs, missing arms, sometimes both. I should be happy I’ve still got all four limbs, as imperfect as one of them may be.
When I finally make it over to the couple, he’s on his motorcycle and she’s on the ground. Before I can stop him, he hits the accelerator hard enough for dirt to fly everywhere before he speeds away.
The girl is in a heap on the dirt parking lot. I can hear her sobbing. I want nothing more than to take her in my arms and comfort her but I don’t want to scare her. She’s obviously been traumatized, and I’ve been told on more than one occasion that I’m a scary looking dude, so I hold back.
But I feel like I need to do something, so I slowly and carefully bend down next to her. “Are you okay?”
As soon as the words come out of my mouth, I know they sound stupid. Not that anything that ever comes out of my mouth is ever brilliant. But she’s obviously not okay. I just don’t know what else to say.
She doesn’t respond just starts to cry harder.
“Let me help you inside,” I suggest.
When she turns to face me, I can see there’s a little bit of blood dripping from her mouth and her cheeks are stained with tears and dirt. Even though she’s a mess she’s still the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.
I can feel rage start to build inside me. I know it’s not healthy and that I need to calm down but I want to hurt that son of a bitch who hurt her. What kind of a man hits a woman? My mother taught all of her boys to treat women with respect and our father taught us how to worship them by the way he treated my mom every day of her life.
“Okay,” the girl finally agrees.
“Can I help you up?” I ask.
When she looks up at me, her big grey eyes are even wider. She just stares at me for a few seconds and I’m scared again. My heartbeat has quickened and I’m having trouble taking in a deep breath.
I don’t know why she scares me so much. I want to know what she thinking when she looks at me so deeply and thoughtfully. There’s so much that’s screwed up about me, she could probably try for an eternity and never figure me out.
Can you share your idea of the perfect soundtrack to The Wilde One with us?
THE WILDE ONE is a story about four brothers and their alternative country band. This romance novel is unique in that it includes the lyrics of an original song by singer/songwriter Dan Patrick Fulton. “Road Song” is the number they perform in the second book of the series The Wilde One.
Here are the lyrics:Five hundred miles of highway stretch before me,
It takes so long to get to where I go,
Five hundred miles, I don't know which end home is,
But Lord I'm feeling right at home out on the road
'Cause that old song is playing on the radio,
And that old song is singing out my creed,
That old guitar will bring me such sweet comfort,
And on the road that old guitar is all I need
When everything is changing,
And I can't seem to find my place,
When my life keeps rearranging,
That change blows cold against my face
Five hundred miles, awash in mass confusion,
And thing's ain't clear as each one passes by,
And it's too hard to see through life's illusions,
But I know I've got nothing left to do but try
When everything is changing,
And I can't seem to find my place,
When my life keeps rearranging,
That change blows cold against my face
When nothing stays the way it is, and nothing turns out like I wished,
When nothing feels the way it should, and I’m not feeling quite as good,
And when I travel all alone, that southern music saves my soul,
When all I love has passed me by, that southern music makes me fly
'Cause that old song is easing all my worry,
And that old song is heaven as I ride,
Five hundred miles, but I ain't got no hurry,
'Cause when I reach the end I'll miss the other side.
Oh boy...I can't seem to get enough of the Wilde brothers. Tucker is an amazing man and he has overcome so much. Gracie has overcome her own obstacles in life. When the two meet they go from being two broken people to making each other whole. However there are obstacles put in their way and things don't start out smoothly.
The tale of the Wilde brothers is intense and I can't wait to be able to read Hunter and James stories! However, I don't think anything could beat this story. This is a tale of love, respect, finding peace and fighting for what you deserve. This story shows you that some things are worth fighting for even if it isn't easy.
Such an amazing and thought provoking book. I couldn't put it down and I absolutely recommend this book to everybody! I loved that you don't have to read book one to understand what is going on in this one but there are one or two scenes where it would be helpful to have read the first book but that's about it.
RATING:
5 out of 5 stars!!!!
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About the Author-
Romance novelist Savannah Young grew up in rural northwest New Jersey in a place very similar to the fictional Old Town, which is featured in her books. When she's not at her computer creating spicy stories, Savannah is traveling to exotic locales or spending time with her husband and their bloodhounds.
