by Josie Juniper
Delilah’s small-town saloon is in financial trouble. Griffin needs to get out of Portland and away from his ex/business partner, and a new venture in a small town might be just what he needs. What will happen when big city meets the small town of Wylde? Let’s find out!
Read if you like: Small-town romance, Dual POV, unlikely partners/rivals, grumpy/sunshine (she’s grumpy!), complex characters with big personalities, slow burn to spice!
Delilah’s life is really messy and she doesn’t have time for love. She’s trying to fend off her eager ex, take care of her ageing father, and save the town’s saloon from closing its doors for good. She met a city boy foodie who said he could help her out, but she’s regretting it when he shows up and wants to make changes to everything, the food, the music, the chairs… ugh!
Griffin likes to take risks. It’s why he rock climbs, its why he’s opened not just one, but two successful restaurants in Portland with his now-ex-girlfriend, and it’s also why he decided to help a struggling bar owner in the middle of nowhere after meeting her once. But he needs a change of pace, and distance from the ex. But the owner is so stubborn and opposed to change that he’s wondering if this is one risk that he’ll regret taking.
This book was a ton of fun. Who doesn’t love something that feels like it could be a hallmark movie but then dares to go beyond the predictable romance of big city coming to a small knit town? Well, I hope it’s not you, because Wylde Strangers delivers on all points. We have the familiar leads and small town feel but we get so much more. Josie Juniper creates a full cast of characters and a community that you want to get to know. I also love how her MCs have other love interests, and lives in general, that are separate from the main plot. It really drives up the suspense for when they both realize that they need to work together and get to know each other. It’s a great slow burn that ends with some excellent spice. I also really like how Delilah is the grouchy one in the relationship and gets to be strong and assertive. Both MCs grow a lot and take us a long as we discover more about themselves and their families that is an ultimate set up for her next book and beyond. Overall, you get a great story with a full range of feels from laugh out loud banter to tear jerking family matters all being threaded together by our stubborn MCs.
I’m so glad Josie Juniper found me. (No, really, she did.)
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