Wild for You

Tropical Heat #2

by Sophia Knightly

To Love, Honor, and Protect

Detective Clay Blackthorne has his hands full when he promises to safeguard an old college pal’s sister without letting her know what he’s up to. He never imagines that lively Marisol Calderon will knock his socks off and put a ring on his finger - and all at his suggestion! Their marriage of convenience is meant to protect her and Clay doesn’t plan on being hitched for long to the tempting beauty. But the honeymoon sure feels real to him...

Sassy Marisol is used to doing whatever she wants - and right now her plan is to shake up the hot detective’s hard-edged demeanor. But the fun turns to danger when a mystery stalker bent on marrying her marks her as his prey. Temporarily becoming Clay’s wife seems like a practical way to thwart the stalker. But as passion ignites and Marisol falls for the tender heart buried beneath the tough detective’s chest, Clay’s true identity is revealed and she begins to wonder who - if anyone - she can trust...

Genres: Romance, Romantic Suspense, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Suspense, Ebooks, Mystery

166 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 7, 2011

About the author

New York Times & USA Today bestselling author, Sophia Knightly cooks up hot romance and delicious humor in her sexy contemporary romances that pair hot, alpha heroes with strong, smart women and throw them on a challenging emotional journey. Traditionally published by St. Martin's Press, Kensington, and Samhain Publishing, her popular Tropical Heat Series and Heartthrob Series have consistently been on multiple best selling lists.

Sophia loves writing books that end with a sigh and a smile. In addition to traveling, foodie adventures, and the arts in all forms, one of her favorite pastimes is simply watching people--especially those in love!

She is also a beauty blogger on YouTube at www.youtube/sophiaknightly

Write to her at: sophiaknightly@gmail.com
Follow her on Twitter @SophiaKnightly
"Like" her Facebook author page at: www.facebook.com/sophiaknightly
Visit her website at: http://www.sophiaknightly.net
Sign up for her New Release & Giveaways Newsletter at:
http://sophiaknightly.net/newsletter-...


Book Trailers:

WILD FOR YOU Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/XtVlFBdaHvs
SOLD ON YOU Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/X20NbJElrvM
GRILL ME, BABY Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/6Y07iUPt3rg

Reviews

[Anu · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just...no. There was a point in the book where the H told the h she walked "provocatively", and proceeded to imitate the same. While this particular element was probably added to up the humour content of the book, it just came off in bad taste. The instalove was too insta, and the chemistry was bullshit. I am so done with "noble intentions", mostly because any H who shows them ends up being kind of hypocritical anyway. Oh, and what is with the anti-abortion agenda in this one? Like the fact that the ex-wife aborted her pregnancy due to fear of having a mentally unstable child is looked upon as a terrorist act. I'm not saying she was right, all I'm saying is don't use issues like this to push your h into the "she's just da besht" category. Also, am I the only one who has an issue with the way the whole stalker situation was handled in this book? Because if I had a stalker, I wouldn't let a complete motherfucking stranger that I just met into my apartment where I live alone! But Marisol is too cool for school, so she lets the man into her house, heart, and life. Kewl. She really is a special snowflake, that one. *rolls eyes* Avoid this one if you can.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars --> Hmm... Where to start?

Ok, For the most part, I enjoyed this book. The plot was well written and the mystery stalker was actually a surprise! I hate when I know pretty much from the beginning of a book whodunnit, but with Wild for You I was enjoyably stumped! Throughout the book I had a few ideas of who it could be, the person it turned out to be was one of my 'persons of interest', but there was a twist I really didn't see coming. So that part I liked a whole lot.

As for the characters, I'll start with Clay. I liked that he was this tall dark and mysterious guy who had an arrogant and alpha side as well as a soft spot for Marisol. He was immediately drawn to her (at first against his will) and develops this possessiveness towards her and this need to make sure she's safe from her psycho stalker. Who doesn't like that, right! Plus he had a tattoo and that always earns bonus points in my book! [Whether he remembers getting it or not! :)]

On to Marisol. While I liked that she is a strong, independent, somewhat stubborn woman, she was at times what they call 'TSTL'! I mean really... You know you have a stalker and yet you continuously put yourself in dangerous situations! Not to mention the constant irritation at her brother for butting in her life! Hello, if he didn't she'd probably be dead!

The only things I found throughout that I didn't really like was (1)some of the dialogue. At times (not too many) it seemed a little cheesy. Like Clay would say or think something that was too lame for a badass alpha man to be saying/thinking. (2)And Marisol falling in love with him so soon after meeting him was also a negative for me. Sometimes the I-love-you-after-knowing-you-a-week bit works, but not very often and not so much here. My biggest con was the sex scenes. I think I've just become a major perv and expect all the books I read now to have smokin hot sex scenes and these were a little tame for me. Plus there weren't that many.

Overall I'd say it was a good book. Not too long, I read it in one day, but not so short I felt cheated. Nice, smooth plot with a non predictable bad guy! The author has definitely caught my eye and I will read the next book about Marisol's brother! Maybe he'll get more lucky than she did! HA! ;)

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the reason that I originally downloaded this book for Kindle is that it was on a "recommended" shelf (which makes me wonder how much amazon really knows about me) and it was only $.99. It had it's good points and it had it's bad points, but for me, the bad outweighed the good. Maybe it just wasn't my kind of book - I'm typically not the romance novel kind of girl.

Marisol was a very likable character. She was independent and sassy and driven... but then she just gets stupid (but more on that later). The plot made sense, girl has stalker, girls brother hires old friend to protect her, girl falls in love with brothers friend, girl gets pissed off when she finds out brother knows bodyguard. The identity of the stalker was a nice twist, although I suspected a couple of other people before it was revealed.

However... in a city where any one person has a 1 in 81 chance of becoming the victim to a crime, and if you already have a stalker to boot, then what the hell are you doing just welcoming a complete stranger into your home? Use your head, girl! Maybe I'm a cynic, but I don't really see how you can completely fall for someone when you don't know anything about them. You spend a couple of days with someone and suddenly, you're head over heels? I don't really understand how kicking a gun out of a madman's hand can completely change someone's opinion on marriage and children. Please, don't get me started on all the grammatical and spelling errors...

Good story, unfortunately overshadowed by the incessant female need to have a man and to reproduce.

[Tori Macallister · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would have to give this novel 2.5 stars - there were few typos that made me wince ("relive" instead of relief and "mail clients" when the detective wanted a list of her male clients). While the heroine was bubbly, Marisol sadly had a few TSTL moments. Her stalker contacted her on the phone two separate times with Clay standing next to her and she STILL suspects him of being the culprit? I would readily believe she was a lot younger than her stated age, but she still had many endearing qualities. Both the typos and the inconsistencies mention feel more like an editing issue to me, so I would still give the author a second try.

[Des · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick and enjoyable read with some fun and comedic dialogue.

I must say though that this general trend in romance novels of falling in love within two days to a week and then pledging everlasting love a week after are a bit much. I mean, it's fiction but really? Has that always been the trend or have I not been paying attention?

And speaking of implausible plots, how is it that Marisol can suddenly trust Mr. Detective Hottie McScottie so easily seeing as she knows absolutely nothing about him and there's a stalker on her tail? O_o

[Catalina · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm more than halfway done with the book and I can't seem to get into it at all. I've had to put it down a few times because I have school stuff to do but at no point am I in a hurry to coming back and reading it like some other books that I just can't seem to put down. They're whole entire relationship is silly and ridiculous. Who gets married after two days of meeting a person and gets that comfortable? It's just all wrong. IDK maybe it's just not for me but I seriously would consider other things before reading this book.

[Hbeebti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought his was pretty cute. Clay was so very yummy. My only complaint was that I wish the ending was a little longer. It kinda felt rushed at the end. Other than that I will be looking for other books by this author.

[Mio · Rating 1 out of 5]

Worst book I read in a long time, no depths to the characters and the story was way way cliche, really disappointing

[Milena · Rating 1 out of 5]

DID NOT FINISH THIS BOOK for the following reasons:

- contrived plot to throw the lead characters together

- awkward writing and POV switch

- the guy's ex-wife is constantly demonized for having had an abortion behind his back because she didn't want to risk having a child with Down Syndrome (which the character's brother has). The woman is written in the most evil, gross way possible so we can constantly justify the character's hatred of her, because he even says that she rubbed it on his face that she got an abortion so she wouldn't have a R-word child. Sure, it's problematic to have an abortion behind someone's back if you're married to them and your marriage is a safe and consensual one. But overall the way his ex-wife was written was just messed up and problematic and a disservice to people who choose to have abortions for whatever reason (honestly, not everyone is able to raise children with developmental abilities, even if they can turn out to be productive members of society later on, we never get to see his ex-wife's point of view further and every time ANYONE mentions her to the female lead, it's to reiterate the guy's disgust for her)

- MAJOR SPECIAL SNOWFLAKE SYNDROME - the main female character is unique and fun and unlike no one else, possibly THE ONLY WOMAN EVER that would thaw the guy's frozen heart locked away in his glacial chest cavity. I'm sooooo tired of this shit.

- every guy in the book is somehow in love with the main female character or at least after her goods (except for her brother, but I'm not even sure). They all want her because she's this sexy little latina that speaks her mind and walks in sky-high heels 24/7

- the main female character is a fake strong woman. she barks and talks about doing things her way and being independent, but as soon as the romantic interest yells at her, she bows her head and apologize, eventually realizing that of course SHE was wrong and he was alright.

- the romantic lead is a demanding jerk, trying to control the main female character.

- the main female character runs a salon and as in most salons, she has a mostly female staff. You'd think that at least one of those characters would be developed and fun and cool. It seems that way in the beginning, but then it turns into a mess. They're all character tropes, not people.

- out of nowhere, we find out that one of the salon girls (Trini? The receptionist? I can't even remember their names) has been in an abusive relationship for quite a while and that her male partner has beaten her pretty badly before. When she shows up with injuries, blaming it on some accident, the main female character IS A FUCKING JUDGMENTAL ASSHOLE to her, going on about how she knows the relationship is abusive and why does the girl stay and she should just leave the guy and this is the last time she'll help the girl, totally making light of a situation that is often extremely complicated.

I will not be reading any other books by this author if this is the kind of thing we can expect.

[Siobhan Muir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wild for You was an intriguing story, a romantic suspense between a salon owner and a police detective requested by the salon owner's overprotective brother to protect her from a stalker. Ms. Knightly does tell an entertaining tale and this is a fairly light story, but there were a couple of things that bugged me (and this is just my opinion).

One of my pet peeves is head hopping and this story has several places where it happens. Sometimes we have one sentence in her POV and then it switches back to his POV, and it's hard for me to keep track of the story. Also the detective suggests a solution to deter the stalker that I'm not convinced a seasoned detective would believe would work, particularly a man like Clay.

Again, these are just my opinions. The characters were likable and for the most part, believable. I particularly liked the baggage the detective is carrying around and what he has to work through to find his HEA.

[LaFleurBleue · Rating 2 out of 5]

That book had a promising start, with characters who had a little something to make them stand out. However outside of this effort in characterisation, the whole read really quickly went downhill. The plot was far-fetched, with too many "convenient" and cliched tropes thrown in, including the very bad unknown stalker and the expected to be miraculous marriage of convenience. This last I really hate in almost all contemporary romances. What disappointed me most was the fact that nothing was ever shown through description or actions, but always told. And the few demonstrations of "shown" things (like the respect for handicapped persons the heroine has) felt pushy. The attraction between the two leads was mentioned a few times but unconvincingly as I never felt it. And their budding love was shown through the growing appearance of cheesy sentences and feelings. Ugh
Probably my first and last from this author

[Jules · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a hard time staying with this story. It was one of those where the main characters fall in love practically at first sight (gag!) and the woman is constantly throwing herself at him no matter what he does or says (double gag!). Then there are her many stupid mistakes when she's got a stalker after her! As one poster put it - TSTL!!! I have a hard time believing anybody would be as careless as she was in that situation.

Even though I hated this particular story, I wouldn't hesitate to read more by this author since the writing was good and the plot was sound. I was genuinely surprised who the stalker was, too. I tried to compromise with a 3 star rating - 1 star for hating the characters but 4 stars for the author's ability to write and come up with a good suspense plot.

[Linda Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Someone is stalking Marisol Calderon and Detective Clay Blackthorne is determined to get to the bottom of it. Even if it means breaking his vow never to get married to protect her. Marisol is full of sass and spunk and won't be so easily controlled by Clay no matter how good his intentions.

Marisol is easy to like. She's kind, vivacious and talented. Best of all she creatively uses some hair products to get her way. Clay is strong and lethal, making him the perfect alpha hero. The combination of their polar opposite personalities had me chuckling. If you're looking for a feel-good romance with a hint of mystery pick up a copy of Wild For You.

[Erica · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a sweet romance. It's short, I read it in a few hours, and it's a cute stalker story where the bodyguard falls in love with the woman that he is protecting and she with him. It's set in Miami which is the best thing about it...I love all the Latin references that make Miami so unique. However, the sex scenes aren't terribly hot (more kissing than anything else), there's not a lot of character development, there could have been more depth to the story, and really, the ending was disappointing...it seems like the stalker sure went to a lot of trouble for kind of a stupid motive. All in all, it was okay, but I'm glad it was a freebie and more importantly, I'm glad it wasn't long!

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a hot suspenseful read. I really liked the hero Clay, he was oh so yummy. I liked the heroine Marisol, she was a strong independent character. There is someone stalking Marisol and Clay has agreed to protect her for an old buddy unknown to Marisol. I loved their first meeting gave me a chuckle. As you read you can't help, but fall for Clay a little yourself though i did want to smack a few times. Will Clay realize he deserves love and a family before it's too late?

[Kjen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was just ok. Popped up as an inexpensive Kindle recommendation on Amazon. I've found this a good way to try out new authors. The characters were fairly easy to like, although some of their motivations weren't believable. Was billed as a "hot" read and the sexual tension was pretty well done, but the love scene/s (can't remember if there was more than one) didn't deliver.

[HJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

For 95% of this book, I was pleasantly surprised. A somewhat predictable, but fairly smooth flowing romantic suspense.

But then, when the villain was revealed, it turned sour for me. How over-the-top cartoonish the villain was just annoyed the crapola out of me, and then the 'faster than the speed of light,' ending didn't help. WTH?!

Maybe it was just me. I don't think so.

[Angie Klug · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just okay. I liked the characters...but something was missing. The storyline just seemed to fall flat. The drama seemed anti-clamatic and I wished it would have been more descriptive. I'm glad it was a freebie, I doubt I'll continue the series.

[HELEN CLAWSON · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wild for You

Excellent, just enough sexy scenes to not take away from the storyline. Page turner from start to finish finish. Looking forward to reading more books in this series. Well written

[Tea · Rating 1 out of 5]

The ending felt very rushed and unsatisfying. The build up of their relationship was nice but then this random jackass tries to kidnap her for realsies, Clay saves her in about 1 paragraph, and then suddenly his issues about relationships are gone?

[AH]

Kindle free download 9/12/12.

[That girl with the book · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Stars

[D.B. Reynolds · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was really no reason for this couple to get married! An improbable plot, but characters that were, for the most part, likable. Especially hero Clay.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book!!

Marisol Calderon has someone stalking her. She also has an overprotective brother, Marcos, who lives in Naples, Fl. So Marcos asks his best friend from college who's a detective to pretend to help. Clay comes into Marisol's salon for a haircut to see what she looks like and to feel out her situation. He is pleasantly surprised by what he sees. When Marisol receives a phone call during his haircut and goes pale, her stalker decides to change his ways by calling her at work. Clay grills her about the call and subtly asks her to dinner to find out more, also so she's not alone that night. When she finds out that he lives in her building and her building security vouches for Clay, she feels a bit better about him. She wants to change before dinner so he takes Marisol to her apt and sits on the couch as she listens to her answering machine, but the messages from the stalker are getting more obscene and violent. Clay insists on just staying in and ordering pizza and insists he sleeps on the couch for her safety. When the electricity goes out in the middle of the night, Clay pulls out his gun and searches for Marisol. She doesn't know who to trust anymore, so she pulls out her taser and stuns Clay, only to see his detective badge fall from his pocket and find out he's a cop. Being lied to is something Marisol despises. That's why she hates when her brother tries to smother her and control her life.
Now that her stalker has seen her with Clay everywhere, he has upped his game by telling her that she "will marry him" and starts delivering dead flowers, broken barbies, and handcuffs each accompanied with a sick card. Clay has a simple solution; that they get married--temporarily.

Clay Blackthorne is a police detective who is studying to be an attorney. When his best friend, Marcos Calderon calls him for a favor, he immediately says yes to him. Marcos is a doctor, when Clay's brother, Jimmy, had a bad problem with his asthma years ago, Marcos straightened out his medications, his diet, and put him on an exercise regimen. Jimmy is mentally retarded and lives in special home and has a job. So Clay taking care of Marisol is no problem. But he didn't expect to fall in love with her.

Can a man who had hardened his heart to love and kids years ago, can he let himself hope for that dream again? Can a woman who has done nothing but wanted the love of a good man and children of her own give up that dream for someone else?

Read on!!

[Maggie'may Reinders · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was entertaining enough but very unrealistic. The heroine was a idiot. I found the relationship between the two leads weak. The ending was rushed it felt like the writer got to a point that they was sick of their own book and wanted it finished as fast as possible.

Writing style: 2 stars
Book description / Blurb : 4 stars
Story: 2 stars
Flow of the story: 2 stars
Character development: 2 stars
Heroine: 1 stars
Hero: 3 stars
Secondary characters: 1 stars
Tone/mood of the book: 2 stars
Emotion evoking: 1 stars
Originality: 3 stars
Enjoyment: 2 stars
Ending: 1 stars
Effect on me: 1 stars

[Barbara "Cookie" Serfaty Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wild for You: Alpha Male Romance | Tropical Heat Series Book 2

The love story of Clay and Marisol. Clay is a detective and the friend of Marisol's brother. He as him to help protect her. Marisol has a stalker who want to marry her, so to stop him Clay tell Marisol, she must marry him. Can a fake marry turn to a real one? OK story

[BookAddict ✒ La Crimson Femme · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure where I picked this book up, found it both my shelf and in my kindle pile. It started out okay and just kind of stayed the same. Perhaps I'm not the right audience for this book. Marisol is a hairdresser with a stalker problem. Her protective older brother asks his buddy, a detective to covertly find out what's happening and help protect her.

To read the rest of my review, click on the image below to see it on my website on or after November 11, 2021.

[Mary Aquino · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining

I have read a bunch of romance novels this year. It took me a while to get into this one. I was intrigued to find out who the stalker was, but Marisol was a little bit annoying.

[Kasey Riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicely told...

I enjoyed this work except for the once or twice where the author mixed up. Not horribly, but obviously. The characters were well developed and the story had enough red herrings to keep the villain from being easy to spot until almost the end. Good job.

[Patricia Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Secrets

Marcos is worried about his sister, Marisol, so he convinces his fried, Clay to be her bodyguard. Marisol is being stalked, but feels she can take care of herself. A good read, a few twists and turns. Part of a series.