Wild Fever is my first book by Donna Grant, I was quite happy when I got my ARC because I was really intrigued and excited about this book. I was hooked from the start, Donna’s writing style is really compelling and I enjoyed it but I was a bit disappointed by the length of the book. True, I cannot compare Wild Fever with Donna’s other books because I’ve never read any but I was expecting this one to be longer. For me, Wild Fever is a novella and no, I’m not saying that is a bad thing, because novellas can be very enjoyable and good but since I was expecting a “normal” read with lots of build-ups and all, I was caught off guard.
It doesn’t mean that I didn’t like the story, because I did. Like I said, I was hooked from the beginning. I love the idea of supernatural hunters. It’s new for me and Donna created a great universe, with interesting characters and a good story. I’m kinda confused about Wild Fever… I’ve read it pretty quickly and the only thing that really bothers me is the length of the book and the fact that I didn’t have time to truly enjoy and know the characters. It’s a shame really because they are great characters and the universe is promising but, everything happened at once and, for me, it was just too fast. In a book, I like when I have time to know the characters individually, to see them get to know each other, to see the story evolve as well as the relationship etc. But, unfortunately, I didn’t have that in Wild Fever.
Olivia Breaux comes back to her hometown after ten years of living in Dallas. She comes back for a reason, not because she wants to but because she doesn’t really have a choice. Vincent Chiasson is a supernatural hunter, it’s a family thing. Him and his brothers take their job very seriously, especially after the horrible death of their parents. Olivia has always had a big crush on Vincent but he never seemed to notice her…but what she doesn’t know is that Vincent always had a thing for her as well but he never acted on it because of what he was.
But Vincent and his brothers have a problem: an unknown creature is killing innocent women and they can’t catch it. A bigger problem arises when they realize who the creature’s next prey will be: Olivia. Now Vincent needs to protect her, but will he keep his distance? Do they really have a future together? And will Olivia discover his secret(s)? Read it and find out!
Vincent is a good hero, but once again, I really didn’t have time to connect with him and to appreciate him. He’s very loyal to his job and to his brothers/sister, he loves his town and will do anything to protect it. Vincent is fierce and determined and sweet with Olivia.
Olivia is a strong heroine as well, she’s not aware of what the Chiassons are, even if she has her doubts, her grandmother always made sure of her ignorance. But even dear grandma can’t keep things from her forever. Olivia is not naïve, she knows what she wants and I liked that about her. She didn’t give up on Vincent. It’s a good thing that I like Donna’s writing because I seriously didn’t feel that connected to the characters. I did, in a way, but since the story was short and that everything happened at the same time and fast, I didn’t have time to feel anything. I felt like the relationship was way too rushed, their love came out of nowhere. I can understand their feelings for each other but love, in like two days, is a bit too much for me.
The plot, with the strange creature and the person controlling it, was interesting and intriguing, I admit it. But it didn’t last, there was no suspense, I knew who the bad guy(s) were since the beginning and some really important questions were answered without much of an effect. I felt like some things should have been way more thorough. For me, Wild Fever was more like an introduction to this new series/universe. It was a good introduction because it left me wanting more but I am still disappointed. I will definitely read the next book because I liked Vincent’s brothers and the universe but I hope Wild Dream will be more explored and less rushed.