Wrecks: Three Stories of Imperfect Love

by K.C. Wilder

Danger
David and Jess are a classic case of opposites attracting. He's a peace-loving health nut and environmentalist. She's a caustic, wine-swilling criminal defense attorney. But what will they do when even physical distance fails to quell the spark between them?

Night Swimming
Patrick is struggling with the death of his alcoholic brother and his unhappy marriage to Beth, who is pregnant with their third child. Olive is newly single and struggling with demons of her own. Will their attraction be a force for better or for worse in each of their lives?

Wrecks
Tina passed on settling down with Ben in favor of an adventurous life on her own. But when time brings regrets and fate brings Ben back into her life, will she make a different choice the second time around?

In Wrecks: Three Stories of Imperfect Love, K.C. Wilder offers glimpses into the hearts of three very different relationships. As she did in chick lit favorite Fifty Ways to Leave Your Husband and the hit novella Seattle Postmark, Wilder combines wit, humor, and an unflinching eye for the moments on which relationships pivot. Love may rarely be perfect, but the short stories in Wrecks offer treasure amidst the debris.

Intended for adult audiences only. Strong language and sexual situations.

50 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 16, 2014

About the author

K.C. Wilder is the author of the bestselling novel Fifty Ways to Leave Your Husband, the Heather Hollow series of YA paranormal fiction, and the novella Seattle Postmark.

Her short fiction appears in the compilations Wrecks, A Kind of Mad Courage, and Merry Chick Lit.

She is a contributor to Elephant Journal and The Huffington Post, and she blogs weekly about women, adventure and creativity at Girl on a Wire.

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love short stories, and this year (remembering the VIDA count!) I've pledged to read more fiction by women, so "Wrecks" was a perfect choice for me. These are three very different stories, all connected by the theme of "imperfect love"--but then, when is love (or life) ever perfect? In "Danger," a man drawn to a woman who seems to be his exact opposite must decide whether to support her in a decision he disagrees with; in "Night Swimming," perhaps the strongest story, a young father struggling with alcoholism and a past family tragedy finds a brief yet galvanizing connection with a young woman recovering from a breakup; and in "Wrecks," a woman diver's discovery of a child's shoe in the wreckage of a lost ship triggers a reassessment of her life. Interestingly, only "Wrecks" is told from a woman's point of view, but all ring true, with characters we'd recognize if we ran into them in the grocery aisle. Each story is brief, but they resonate in the imagination long after the short time it takes to read them.

[Anthony Paull · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've come to love all of K.C. Wilder's stories since introduced to her writing in 'Fifty Ways to Leave Your Husband.' This is a heavier piece, multi-layered and thought provoking -- a cerebral gift for the universally troubled romantic soul. These short stories wonderfully connect with a feeling of love at a crossroads. There's a heaviness to Wilder's words, a weight that burns at your core while reading her characters inner battles. My particular favorite 'Night Swimming' deftly captures a man caught between his mundane family life and a mysterious broken woman. Wilder's paints a portrait of love and lust so real, it's as if you've met the characters before, or could have been one in a previous life.

[Bean Pontes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Devoured this in about an hour. What I have come to love most about the works by k.c. wilder is her characters. They are so relatable. They have depth and aren't what's expected. Can't wait to see what's next from this author.