Review: Wilde Fire by Lucy Lennox
SYNOPSIS:
Otto:
Seth Walker was my first love and I always swore he’d be my last. Even after he moved away our senior year in high school, we vowed to reunite after graduation. But when he suddenly broke things off without explanation and crushed my heart, it was my turn to run.
After a decade in the navy, I’ve finally come home ready to move on with my life as Hobie’s newest firefighter. Unfortunately, the minute I set eyes on the new sheriff in town, I know I’m screwed. Hobie’s top cop is none other than Seth Walker.
Turns out, he’s come home too. And hell if he doesn’t have a lot of explaining to do.
Walker:
I thought I was doing the right thing when I walked away from Otto Wilde ten years ago without an explanation. I was wrong. I also thought I could come back home without having to face my past mistakes. I was wrong about that too.
What I’m not wrong about: The fact that my heart catches fire every time I set eyes on the sexy man. The fact that I can’t imagine my life without him. The fact that things are still just as complicated now as they were then. And the fact that I have a lot of work ahead of me if I expect to win him back.
Just when things start heating up between us again, a serial arsonist strikes and suspicion falls close to home. I already lost Otto to a secret long ago but I’ll be damned if I let another threaten to send our future up in smoke.
Because Otto Wilde is mine, and I don’t plan on ever letting him go again.
REVIEW:
We all know how I feel about second-chance romances. So I went into this story with a dose of hesitation but still wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt. Unfortunately, Wilde Fire played into all the things I dislike about second-chances.
First, Otto and Walker are literally pining for each other for over 10 years but refuse to call, email, text, or send a letter? But when they finally get together, it’s insta-love and insta-forgiveness. It’s like 10 years didn’t even go by and all their old feelings just came rushing back. There was no build-up, no getting reacquainted, and most importantly, there was no learning about the new man each individual was. Because trust me, a lot can change in a decade.
Secondly, there was a lack of build-up in their relationship. In fact, I felt this way throughout the entire story. They never really got to know each other on a deeper level. They immediately jumped into bed again and never looked back but they lacked the emotional depth. There was no connection between the two as adults. There were plenty of fond memories and reminiscing, there was even sharing a secret or two that happened during their time apart but they didn’t get to know each other as men.
Both Walker and Otto also seemed set on protecting the other…and in order to do so it meant avoidance. Over the course of the story, especially in Otto’s case, he is willing to go to prison because he thinks it’s better for Walker and Walker’s family. I think this stems from a massive miscommunication which I found insanely frustrating. You don’t need to cast yourself on the proverbial sword for love, JFC just talk it out!
I think at the end of the day, this could have been a novella. There just seemed like so much ridiculous, extra, over-the-top drama that happened to carry the story through. It was unnecessary and didn’t give me the closure I wanted. In fact I was left with several lingering questions, will Otto build on his parents’ land? Did Walkers’ parents stop their bigotry? Did John apologize for how poorly he treated Otto for no reason? I may never know.
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