He’s someone she can’t trust…
She’s someone he thinks he knows…
Violet Wilson is a wallflower. Shy, serious, and accident-prone, she’s got a bad habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The night she’s forced to pose with her friend might just be the worst time of all—that’s when she meets Jet Blevins. She knows better than to get involved with someone like him, but he touches her in ways she never expected, neverwanted before. On the outside, Jet is a typical rocker, an arrogant lead guitarist who unapologetically lives a wild lifestyle. But on the inside, he’s battling demons and using the stage to escape the troubles of his past and the addictions of his present. Until the night he sees Violet standing at the back of the room. She brings his life into focus. She knows his secrets. She’s the girl he can’t forget, and the one thing he craves more than his addiction. But can they ever hope to have a future when their very foundation is nothing but lies?
Have you read the other books in The Wild Ones Series? Check out my review for The Wild Ones and Wild Child…
From the author of the Bad Boy Novels Down to You and Up to Me
Passion as hot as midnight in the South and love as wild as the horses they tame.
The darling daughter of a champion Thoroughbred breeder, Camille “Cami” Hines has a pedigree that rivals some of her father’s best horses. Other than feeling a little suffocated at times, Cami thought she was happy with her boyfriend, her life and her future—until she met Patrick Henley. “Trick” blurs the lines between what Cami wants and what is expected of her—and he just happens to be so sexy she can’t keep her hands off him. While they both know that Trick would lose his much needed job on the ranch if anyone finds out, they can’t resist the lure of their scorchingly hot encounters. But when Trick stumbles upon a note from his father, it triggers a series of revelations that could ruin what he and Cami have worked so hard to overcome. It turns out there’s more to Trick’s presence at the ranch than either of them knew, and secrets with the power to tear them apart…
Jenna Theopolis has always known what she wanted. Getting out of her small hometown of Greenfield was number one on her list of priorities. Until she met Rusty Catron.
Rusty’s fun-loving personality was the perfect match for Jenna’s inner wild child. But what started off as a summer fling quickly turns into something more. At least it does for Jenna.
Rusty has lived with the ghost of his father’s abandonment since he was a child, but now he’s beginning to feel the crippling effects of his scars. He wants to trust in Jenna, but deep down he doesn’t believe someone so wild and free can ever be tamed.
But tragedy strikes, pushing Jenna out of Greenfield and leaving Rusty with a choice to make—face his inner demons or lose the love of his life. Forever.
First was The Wild Ones. Now, the next book in M. Leighton’s Wild Ones series…
How far will a good girl go for the bad boy she loves?
Laney Holt is a preacher’s daughter. A good girl. Her only goal was to get married, have babies, and live happily ever after, just like her parents. Only that didn’t happen. The two people closest to her betrayed her, and Laney’s dreams came crashing down. Now she’s left with an empty space she doesn’t know how to fill. Until she meets Jake Theopolis, a daredevil with a death wish who has heartbreaker written all over him.
Jake has no interest in thinking beyond the here and now. All he wants out of life is the next rush, the next “feel-good” thing to keep his mind off the pain of his past. His latest rush? Showing Laney there’s more to life than being a good girl—and that going bad can be so much fun. Her only concern now is how she can ever hope to satisfy the wild side of a boy like Jake. She’s looking forward to trying. And so is Jake.
If you love The Wild Ones, you’ll be just as wild for M. Leighton’s Bad Boys series which includes Down to You, Up to Me, and Everything for Us.
Jet
“What was all that?”
“What was what?”
“All that posturing down there? Is that why you brought me? To have your own groupie?”
“What? What the hell are you talking about?”
“All the special attention, all the sweet touching and singing to me like that. I’ve never felt more used.”
“I wasn’t using you, Violet.”
“Then what were you doing? You’ve never acted like that before.”
“I didn’t realize it would bother you.”
“It bothers me because you did it as part of your show.”
“Trust me. That had absolutely nothing to do with my show.”
“Of course it did! Why else would you act like that?”
Thoughts of the way Rand was looking at her, of the ways I know he was thinking of touching her, gets my anger fired back up again. I turn toward Violet, stepping in closer, my face inches from hers. “You wanna know why? I’ll tell you why. It had nothing to do with me putting on a show. It had everything to do with that slimy asshole hitting on you. It was pissing me off.”
“What? Because some random guy was flirting with me? That’s ridiculous!”
“Is it? Is it ridiculous that I hated the way he talked to you? Is it ridiculous that it made me want to rip out his eyes out every time he looked at you? Is it ridiculous that I wanted to kill him when you smiled at him?”
Violet shrinks back, away from my anger. “Jet, I’m sure that was just part of the way he does business.”
“The hell it was! He wanted you, and it was eating me up inside. That is why I was touching you. I wanted him to know that you are mine.”
Violet’s voice is soft. “But I’m not yours.”
I take a few long, deep, ragged breaths. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t want you to be.”
There’s Wild, Then There’s You by M. Leighton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
*ARC Given to Blog for Honest Review*
4 “Violet, Sex Addict” “Just helping.” Kisses
I have been a huge fan of M. Leighton‘s for a while now and The Wild Ones Series is what made me fall in love with her writing, her characters and her ability to create a fantastic story. There’s Wild Then There’s You is a perfect example of just that. While TWTTY is part of the series, in my opinion it could be read as a stand alone. I’m a huge proponent for reading a series in order and I have read The Wild Ones and Wild Child, but I did skip Some Like It Wild, the book before this, and it didn’t affect my reading enjoyment at all.
Violet Leigh Wilson…for a 22 year old she sure doesn’t act like it. Violet is a fixer…a helper…she is always taking on the problems of the people she loves because…well, it’s just in her nature. She is a social worker and to her core she really and truly cares about people, enough to sacrifice her own needs and wants to put theirs first. It’s actually quite admirable and really endearing but at the same time, I kinda wanted to shake her a little bit. I loved where her heart was at but it hurt me that she never put herself first, even when she really needed to. She’s an incredibly selfless person and so sweet and kind, she’s insanely easy to love. She’s also gorgeous…dark auburn hair with silvery grey eyes, a little on the innocent side but that worked a tiny bit in her favor…because no one ever thinks the good girl is capable of lying…but her lie caught her a sexy bad boy.
‘Those eyes…I recognize them instantly. I might dream about them later. I might remember them forever. They belong to the guy who was watching me when I stood up. They were disconcerting then, but now…seeing them with the rest of him…they’re a thousand times worse.
Or maybe a thousand times better.’
Jethro ‘Jet’ Blevins…mmmm…a very delicious rock star bad boy with spiky black hair and dazzling blue eyes…lean muscles and a nipple ring. Excuse me while I wipe up the drool. But don’t let Jet fool ya, there is so much more to him then meets the eye. There’s a lot of hurt underneath the IDGAF attitude and the second I saw that was the second I lost my heart to this boy. He’s not had it easy…he’s made some mistakes and let down the people he loves but he wants to do better, be better. There are so many different sides to Jet and the more the layers were pulled away and the more you saw the real him rather than the stage persona and the harder it was to deny that he really is a good guy. Seeing him with his brothers and interactions with his mom, seeing the way he reacted and treated Violet, it was all so sweet…quite the opposite of what I was honestly expecting. I also loved that he wrote songs and that’s where his passion really was…and don’t even get me started on the song he wrote for Violet *swoon alert*.
‘She stares up into my eyes and, for a second, we’re just two people who are incredibly attracted to one another. We’re not addicts or posers, or liars or cheaters. We’re not people with issues or those who keep secrets. We’re just a guy and a girl who feel an undeniable chemistry.’
So I know M. Leighton can write amazing angst…I have been at her mercy before but GOOD LORD…that was a whole other level IMO! Jet and Violet are wound tight…it was like a rubber band and I was just waiting for it to snap. They were both holding back for different reasons and I was loving and hating every second of it. This is a slow achingly tortuous build just completely sucked me into both of them. I loved each stage of their relationship…the way they met…I loved the cutesy little flirty stage where they were feeling each other out…I loved the trip to New Orleans the most, I felt like they had finally turned a corner and could be free and honest with each other but there was always this grey cloud looming overhead and I was so worried that once the damn broke, someone wasn’t going to survive. Well, that someone was me!
“Don’t do that,” he whispers.
“Don’t do what?”
“Don’t show me your tongue. It’s all I can do not to stand up with you in my arms and carry you to a dark corner and taste everything that you’re hiding from me.”
They both had secrets…I dunno how Violet kept hers for as long as she did, but I thought Jets reaction was reasonable and logical. Jet on the other hand…I was scared shitless of his secret. I had absolutely no clue and I was worried about Violet because she was already emotionally vulnerable but once everything played out, I think I took it harder than she did. I think it was also a combination of the secret and the way we find out what the secret is…both were like a sucker punch to the gut and oh-em-gee the pain. It was harsh. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to forgive Jet – the fall out and Violets reaction were hard but I was 100000% on her side (obviously!) but it didn’t make things any easier. I, once again, had no idea how Jet was going to make up for what he did, I thought it was pretty close to impossible, but…the way he handled things was PERFECT! Genius wrapped in brilliance and dipped in amazing because it completely won me over. He was thoughtful and caring and really put a lot of thought into what he was doing and it showed big time.
‘It seems that as much as I tried to avoid it, as much as I’ve tried to explain it away and lie to myself about it – just like an addict would – I’ve finally found my weakness.
It’s Jet.’
TWTTY was a change of pace from the first two books in the series for me. Yes of course there was angst in both of those but the balance of angst to steam was proportional…as much as M squeezed my heart, she had an equal amount of steam factor to keep me in this happy little state. TWTTY was all angst, for most of the book and I really liked it! I am an uncontrollable angst whore so this was a welcomed change up for me. Not that there wasn’t any steam at all…there was, it’s just very understated and basically minimal…in comparison to the first two books. There was always this undercurrent of physical chemistry between Jet and Violet but it wasn’t the core of who they were as a couple.
‘When he pauses, our noses touching and his lips hovering over mine, I feel the moist warmth of the sweetest words I’ve ever heard, settling over my skin and my heart like a soft promise. “I love you, Violet. I’ve loved you even before I met you. I had no idea what I needed in life until I found you. I didn’t know that there was a person who could make me whole. I didn’t know that there was a woman who could rock my world like no guitar ever could. I didn’t know that all the music in my life was missing something until I found you. You are the beautiful notes in every song I sing. You are the beautiful face behind every lyric I write. You are my reason, my muse. You’re the love I was waiting for, the one thing I can’t live without. Please tell me that you love me, too.”
The ending was…unexpected. Definitely had me on the edge of my seat and holding my breath but it was amazing and perfect for Jet and Violet…everything I could have hoped for. I love this series hard so of course I am sad that it’s over…but this was a fabulous conclusion to incredibly addictive series. Part of me wonders with the introduction of Jet’s band, Saltwater Creek, if there isn’t a possibility for a spin off. The other guys in the group aren’t a huge focus, but they play their part nicely and of course, if it’s coming from M. Leighton’s brain, I can only imagine the fun she could have with them.
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, M. Leighton, is a native of Ohio. She relocated to the warmer climates of the South, where she can be near the water all summer and miss the snow all winter. Possessed of an overactive imagination from early in her childhood, Michelle finally found an acceptable outlet for her fantastical visions: literary fiction. Having written over a dozen novels, these days Michelle enjoys letting her mind wander to more romantic settings with sexy Southern guys, much like the one she married and the ones you’ll find in her latest books. When her thoughts aren’t roaming in that direction, she’ll be riding wild horses, skiing the slopes of Aspen or scuba diving with a hot rock star, all without leaving the cozy comfort of her office.
Michelle loves to hear from readers! You can find her (and she will chat your ear off)
What a great review! Thank you so much for sharing it with us.
Love the review!
review is great;)