Run Wild With Me: A Loveswept Classic Romance

by Sandra Chastain

Beloved author Sandra Chastain offers readers a wild ride with the tale of a man who is always on the move—until he meets the one woman who can make him stay put.

Sam Farley grew up hearing stories about his late grandmother’s house in Arcadia, Georgia, but for all his travels, the small town is one place he’s never been. So when he shows up, on foot, in a ferocious storm, he quickly has the locals buzzing: Who is this dark-eyed vagabond, and what does he want with Millie’s old, boarded-up house? Sam never intends to stay long—just long enough to see the house before it’s auctioned off. Then he meets the gorgeous city clerk, Andrea Fleming . . . and gives her a kiss. Now Sam’s torn between his desire for this intoxicating woman and the terrifying prospect of staying in one place.
 
Andrea is undeniably drawn to the brooding journeyman carpenter with his stories of faraway places. But she belongs in Arcadia and is certain that she will be nothing more to Sam than a fling, a way station on the road to all the places he hasn’t yet seen. But despite her deep misgivings—and the warnings of everyone around her—Andrea finds herself falling for the wickedly handsome wanderer . . . come what may.

Includes a special message from the editor, as well as excerpts from these Loveswept titles: Taking Shots, Along Came Trouble, and Hell on Wheels.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary

175 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 1990

About the author

Sandra Chastain was born on 1936 in Wadley, Georgia, 100 miles northwest of Savannah. As a little girl, she created fantasy lives for her paper dolls, and then she discovered Nancy Drew. Sandra wrote her first novel with a friend when she was 10 years old, The Mystery of the Green Necklace. Some four decades later, when her three daughters had gone off on their own, she returned to writing and was soon busy with writing, in addition to working with her husband in their veterinary practice in Smyrna, Georgia. Before long she was writing full time.

Published since 1988, she writes historical novels for Bantam, short contemporary romances for Harlequin, and southern women's fiction for Bellebooks. To date, she has produced over 50 works, including her first fairy tale, The Tiniest Fairy In the Kingdom, published by Bellebooks. She writes under pennames Jenna Darcy and Allie Jordan as well as in her own name. Sandra has won many honors and recognitions from her industry.

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam Farley is a wanderer. Traveling from town to town doing carpentry work, Sam has seen so many places in this world. But he’s never seen the one place that his mother always talked about when he was young, his grandmother’s home in Arcadia, Georgia.

Discovering a tax foreclosure notice in his deceased mother’s paperwork, Sam decides to make a quick trip to spend one night in the home his mother left so many years ago. What he didn’t expect was the attraction he has to Andrea Fleming and the little town with porch swings, chocolate chip cookies and lemonade.

Andrea just became the local sheriff in Arcadia. She gets a call about a possible vagrant in Millie’s boarded up house. When she investigates, she discovers Sam, Millie’s very hot but estranged grandson.

The sexual tension is instantaneous, but Andrea is “gun shy” do to a previous relationship that failed horribly. Can Sam convince Andrea he’s worth a shot? Will Sam find the home he never knew he wanted in Arcadia?

Run Wild With Me was a fasted paced contemporary romance. I found this to be a cute, enjoyable read with interesting characters and a heartfelt romance. Reading Run Wild With Me is a splendid way to spend your afternoon.

This ARC copy of Run Wild With Me was given to me by Random House Publishing Group - Loveswept in exchange for a honest review. This book is set for republication for May 13, 2013.

[Jenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

These two are just a bunch of sissies...


Girl, you are 26... not 15.


*Yawn*

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great cover! But after I flicked the first page this book went downhill for me. Unfortuately I found the characters hard to connect with. The arguements between the couple felt scripted and predictable.
Run Wild With Me, just didn't hold my attention. Sorry to say this one just wasn't for me.

[Tina "IRead2Escape" · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

I had really high hopes for Run Wild With Me by Sandra Chastain and was left wanting just a bit. Don't get me wrong it was a pleasant enough read it was just so predictable it left me annoyed.

Sam Farley has found himself in Arcadia, Georgia. The grandmother, that he never met, has died and left her home to her only daughter. Sam's mom has also passed on and he's trying to recapture a piece of her by visiting the place of her childhood. He has every intention of just passing through - small towns are definitely not for him - until he's met Arcadia's beautiful interim Sheriff. Now, he is starting to rethink the future he always that would be his.

Andrea Fleming is a small town girl to the bone. She tried throwing caution to the wind and follow her heart years before and she still has the scars to prove it. She'll never again allow herself to fall for a man that doesn't have his roots planted as deeply in Arcadia as she does. Now, the sexy drifter is on her mind and she can't get him off it. She's scared to death to explore the attraction she has for him, even if he is promising her a future.

This story had a bit of everything - unrequited love, suspense, bad guys, distrust and romance. It was just all way too simplified. The unrequited love issue could have been addressed with one conversation. The suspense and bad guys was so easy to figure out and what resulted because of this between Sam and Andrea was obvious.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate the book and it's a perfect for you if you are looking for a nice, easy, relaxing read. Just don't go in expecting depth or intrigue and you'll be fine.

I would like to thank NetGalley.com for the loan of this book in exchange for my honest review.

You can find this review and others at http://riverinaromantics.blogspot.com and http://tinar1121.blogspot.com

[Tala · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting. I would recommend it to those who like romance with just a bit of angst/mystery.

Andrea has taken over her father’s job as sheriff after he broke his leg. She has no training or experience and no one expects her to need it seeing as Arcadia is such a small town. So when Andrea gets the call about a break in she’s a little nervous, but determined to make her dad proud. Needless to say the drifter in the abandoned home gets the best of her. That’s how she meets Sam. Andrea was hurt by a man in the past and has chosen to stay and hide in her small town where no other outsider can hurt her. She doesn’t realize that’s what she’s doing and watching her come to that knowledge as she slowly falls in love and learns to trust Sam was touching.

Sam is a drifter who has finally decided to see where his mother grew up and was ejected from by her father. Sam hates small towns for good reasons. When he finds out the guy he’s tackled is really a female and sheriff on top of that he’s a bit surprised. The sexual attraction is immediate and intense. Sam has his own issues to deal with and he does with the help of Andrea and some of the other great characters from Arcadia. Following along with Sam as he tries to figure out if he can finally have a home was heartfelt and well written.

Also posted on Darker Passions

(I received copy from publisher for an honest review.)

[Crystal Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a drifter has allowed Sam the chance to see around the world, but the one place he wanted to see the most, could bring painful memories to light. Trying to find his grandmother’s house, in hopes to drink lemonade and eat cookies on the swing with her, he finds out that she had died before he even got there. Just because his grandmother is gone, does that mean that Sam won’t finally settle down?
Andrea was use to the small town she grew up in. Even after leaving it, she came back to stay. Filling in as police chief, when she responds to a call she didn’t expect to find Sam at the house. She certainly wasn’t excepting the reaction that she had towards him. But the fun of small towns causes the rumor mills to fly, can Andrea find the truth in the stories, or will she just accept the rumors as the truth?

Having grown up in small towns, I really did enjoy the way that Sandra was able to incorporate the way that small towns are. If a stranger stops in, everyone knows about it, and they start with their rumors as to what that person is doing there. I also liked the way that Sandra was able to describe the characters, you could tell their different personalities and you could also “see” the way they stood in the town.
I have previously read one of Sandra’s books, and I had mixed feelings about this. However after reading this book, I do have to say that I like Sandra’s writing style. I would continue to read her books in the future.

[Daisy Sloan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Run Wild with Me is the sweet story of a drifter looking for a place to call home. Sam Farley has been drifting around the world and through his life. No one place has been home to Sam for long. When he finds out his Grandmother’s house is to be sold for back taxes, he heads to Arcadia, Georgia to see the house before it’s gone. Once he gets there he meets, Andrea.

Andrea and Sam embark on a whirlwind romance. Sam is learning to trust small towns and how to properly court a woman. Andrea is learning that some outsiders can be trusted.

While I enjoyed reading this story, I found it lacked any real conflict or passion. It was sweet story about learning to trust again. I really wanted more conflict. There was room for that conflict in the story, but Sandra Chastain didn’t take advantage of that opportunity.


I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

[Christa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading Run Wild With Me. The main characters, Sam and Andrea, were interesting and likeable. I enjoyed reading about their attraction and developing relationship.

Sam, a wanderer who hasn't had a place to call home, goes to see his grandmother's home in Arcadia, Georgia before it is sold for back taxes. While there, he meets Andrea, who is filling in for her dad as sheriff after he suffered a broken leg. As the two become caught up in a whirlwind romance, they have to decide if the drifter and the girl who is afraid to follow her heart can have a future together.

This was a quick, fast read with a sweet love story. I liked seeing the characters overcome their past baggage in order to be together. I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley.

[Yazmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Run Wild With Me by Sandra Chastain is a surprisingly sweet and fun read that will keep you hooked till the very end.

Sam Farley grew up with his mother following the oil towns. She told him stories about his grandmother’s house in Arcadia, Georgia. She always dreamed about going back home, but she never made it home. Now with his mother gone, he made a promise that he would at least visit his grandmother’s house before it was auctioned off.

Andrea Fleming is used to doing paperwork as city clerk not being a sheriff, but since her father the actual sheriff, will be in a cast for a couple of weeks, she has been selected to take his place in the meantime. Read More...

[Reading · Rating 2 out of 5]

Whilst this book was well written, I found it to be too predicable and my preference would be to have some sort of a twist or drama that keeps you guessing in a less obvious way. I just knew that he was going to hit his head and then be accused of being the bad guy. I also guessed who the real culprit was (this is coming from someone who doesn't work out twists until the very end when it was revealed).

I read it in sections, getting disgraced by other books but gravitating back to finish it off.

Also, does she never have a day off and where did he get his money from?

This may have been intentional and that is not a problem but for me it was not enough.

[Wanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lonely cowboy showing up in the middle of nowhere to see his deceased grandmother’s house, the idea of the story is sweet and potential to be sexy as he meets the chief in town. Andrea has taken over her father’s job as Chief and she is trying to be tough, but does she even have that in her? I found it hard to connect to the characters. Andrea and Sam’s relationship at first was confusing, and at times made the story seem slow.

This book has potential, if your looking for a fairly fast read, give it a try.

[Kerry sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet love story that has me interested from page one, I loved Sam and I wanted to learn all about him. The relationship between him and Andy was hot enought to catch the book alight and it did this with out being using overtly sexual language. But nor was it cheesy and that is not easy to achieve but this book manages to be romantic and sexy and one I would recommend to all romance lovers.

http://musing-of-a-bookworm.blogspot....

[Kathy powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andrea is the acting sheriff after her father broke his leg. Arcadia, Georgia is such a small town. Andrea gets a call about a break in she has to go check it out. Then she meets Sam, the drifter.
Sam a drifter who wants to see where his mother grew up and his grandmother’s house.The sexual attraction is intense.

I liked this cute love story

[Nicole Naranjo · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This was an enjoyable read. My only complaint is that I wish there would've been an epilogue.

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was just so boring I could not finish it.

[Beret Brenckman]

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