Review: Wild Hearts by Jessica Burkhart

Enjoy Wild Hearts and the other standalone titles in Bloomsbury's contemporary If Only romance line centered around an impossible problem: you always want what you can't have!

 Brie Carter's father's land development business has taken her family all over the world, but as soon as they arrive at their new home in Lost Spring, Wyoming, the town turns out to protest. They don't want a new hotel if the resident mustang population will be displaced or hurt as part of the deal. Then Brie meets Logan, a gorgeous local who has a special connection to the mustangs, and she is immediately drawn to him . . . and the horses. However, with Logan's father leading the protests and Brie's father refusing to budge, it's clear that their parents are heading towards an all-out war. Can Brie and Logan find a way to save the mustangs and be together? Or is their love doomed from the start?

This new title in the If Only line is the perfect summer read and proves that love flourishes in the wildest places!

 I was really feeling the contemporary romance mood, and I am a huge horse lover, so when I came across this on Netgalley I thought I had discovered the perfect answer to my craving. I expected something cute, sweet, and that would leave me with a smile.

The first half definitely delivered for me. At times it felt a little young, but I'm a twenty-six year old reading young adult novels so it happens and it's not something that I actually hold against a book, and for the most part I did think it was sweet. I liked the characters and there was a lot of potential for development both with the storyline for the wild mustangs as well as Brie's actual character development. I was set.

Unfortunately the second half didn't deliver for me. Wild Hearts went from being a cutesy romance novel to a story of lies. The entire plot seemed to be revolving around all of these lies that the characters were not only telling themselves but everyone around them. For me it was cringe-worthy. I'm not a fan of excess secrets and lies and that's what this story had suddenly turned into. Gone was that adorable romance from the beginning, and that was promised to me from the blurb, and I'll admit I was disappointed.

Like I said though, it wasn't all like that for me. I did really enjoy the first half of the novel. And one of the things that I truly found myself enjoying throughout the story were the little cowboy sayings that were included at the beginning of every chapter; I never knew what would come up next. They were a great touch and definitely added to the overall western atmosphere of the novel. Overall though this just wasn't the right novel for me. But if you like your romances on the clean and sweet side, with doses of drama and a hint of western flair, this might be for you.

2/5

*I received this novel as an E-ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a fair/honest review.*