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Americana #48
Wild and Wonderful
Could Glenna bargain with a man like Jett?
For her father's sake, Glenna Reynolds felt she had to try. The government was going to shut down her father's coal mine anyway--the only chance was for a merger with Jett Coulson's huge conglomerate, Coulson Mining.
She found Jett Coulson devastatingly attractive, but a tough business man. And he wasn't interested in absorbing Reynold's losses.
"It would be easy if you'd suggested a merger with you," he told Glenna. In spite of his cool, emotionless arrogance, somehow Glenna was tempted by the proposition!
For her father's sake, Glenna Reynolds felt she had to try. The government was going to shut down her father's coal mine anyway--the only chance was for a merger with Jett Coulson's huge conglomerate, Coulson Mining.
She found Jett Coulson devastatingly attractive, but a tough business man. And he wasn't interested in absorbing Reynold's losses.
"It would be easy if you'd suggested a merger with you," he told Glenna. In spite of his cool, emotionless arrogance, somehow Glenna was tempted by the proposition!
Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
121 people are currently reading
192 people want to read
About the author
Janet Dailey
400 books1,863 followersJanet Anne Haradon Dailey was an American author of numerous romance novels as Janet Dailey (her married name). Her novels have been translated into nineteen languages and have sold over 300 million copies worldwide.
Born in 1944 in Storm Lake, Iowa, she attended secretarial school in Omaha, Nebraska before meeting her husband, Bill. Bill and Janet worked together in construction and land development until they "retired" to travel throughout the United States, inspiring Janet to write the Americana series of romances, where she set a novel in every state of the Union. In 1974, Janet Dailey was the first American author to write for Harlequin. Her first novel was NO QUARTER ASKED.
She had since gone on to write approximately 90 novels, 21 of which have appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List. She won many awards and accolades for her work, appearing widely on Radio and Television. Today, there are over three hundred million Janet Dailey books in print in 19 different languages, making her one of the most popular novelists in the world.
Janet Dailey passed away peacefully in her home in Branson on Saturday, December 14, 2013. She was 69.
Born in 1944 in Storm Lake, Iowa, she attended secretarial school in Omaha, Nebraska before meeting her husband, Bill. Bill and Janet worked together in construction and land development until they "retired" to travel throughout the United States, inspiring Janet to write the Americana series of romances, where she set a novel in every state of the Union. In 1974, Janet Dailey was the first American author to write for Harlequin. Her first novel was NO QUARTER ASKED.
She had since gone on to write approximately 90 novels, 21 of which have appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List. She won many awards and accolades for her work, appearing widely on Radio and Television. Today, there are over three hundred million Janet Dailey books in print in 19 different languages, making her one of the most popular novelists in the world.
Janet Dailey passed away peacefully in her home in Branson on Saturday, December 14, 2013. She was 69.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 28, 2020
"Wild and Wonderful" is the story of Glenna and Jett.
Our h is a writer, whose sick and aging father owns a old mining company that is being shut down by the government. When they realize the H- owner to the famous empire Coulson Mining- is about to come to a hotel, they plan to meet and appeal to him for help. Ofcourse, the h and H meet, he thinks she is out there to lure him to help her father- which she eventually attempts to do, when the H declines their offer. Anyways, there is a cruel rejection, which somehow culminates in the h's father discovering his true calling in life. What baffled me was how the heroine fell in "love" with the hero. There is some unnecessary trapped in a shaft drama towards the end, but it led to a very average ending.
Meh.
Safe
2/5
Our h is a writer, whose sick and aging father owns a old mining company that is being shut down by the government. When they realize the H- owner to the famous empire Coulson Mining- is about to come to a hotel, they plan to meet and appeal to him for help. Ofcourse, the h and H meet, he thinks she is out there to lure him to help her father- which she eventually attempts to do, when the H declines their offer. Anyways, there is a cruel rejection, which somehow culminates in the h's father discovering his true calling in life. What baffled me was how the heroine fell in "love" with the hero. There is some unnecessary trapped in a shaft drama towards the end, but it led to a very average ending.
Meh.
Safe
2/5
August 14, 2024
The heroine and her father, once wealthy and prosperous, have now fallen on hard times because their main source of income, her father's mine, is failing. Things have gotten so stressful that her father has had two heart attacks in the past three years, and seems destined for another, possibly fatal one.
Father and daughter try one last valiant gamble by insinuating themselves into the company of a big shot tycoon mine owner (hero of the piece) who is spending some down time at a fancy resort. Hero seems instantly smitten by the heroine though he makes highly cynical, cryptic remarks about her and her father being gold-digging hall of famers. Heroine is very offended by his insinuations and slaps him for it. However, the hero was not so far off the mark. No sooner has he turned down her father’s loan request that heroine deliberately tries to seduce him to get him to change his mind.
The hero refuses to rise to the bait. He bluntly tells heroine that he would love to jump her bones, but he simply cannot afford to rescue her financially: Much like the Emperor who had no clothes, seems this tycoon hero has no cash flow LOOOL.
All hope is lost. However, contrary to heroine's greatest fears, this last blow does not kill her father.
In fact, he miraculously recovers from his health problems. Apparently, it was the heavy responsibility of running a mine that was giving him heart attacks. Now that he has finally declared bankruptcy, not only have all his debts disappeared but all his worries too. Free at last, he decides to pursue his lifelong dream of being a… dollhouse maker. He doesn’t even flinch when he finds out his trampy daughter was willing to sell herself to rescue his mine. On the contrary, he feels proud of his little darling that she tried to leverage her body just to secure a loan for him. I think the hero pegged these two gold-diggers right! :)))
The Deus Ex Machina moment that occurs at the conclusion involves… the OM. He gets trapped inside the mine and the heroine agonizes over his fate, leading the hero to believe she is in love with the man. The noble hero rescues the OM for the sake of the heroine and the OM, knowing the heroine has friend-zoned him and is in love with the hero, magnanimously brings the two lovers together.
Father and daughter try one last valiant gamble by insinuating themselves into the company of a big shot tycoon mine owner (hero of the piece) who is spending some down time at a fancy resort. Hero seems instantly smitten by the heroine though he makes highly cynical, cryptic remarks about her and her father being gold-digging hall of famers. Heroine is very offended by his insinuations and slaps him for it. However, the hero was not so far off the mark. No sooner has he turned down her father’s loan request that heroine deliberately tries to seduce him to get him to change his mind.
The hero refuses to rise to the bait. He bluntly tells heroine that he would love to jump her bones, but he simply cannot afford to rescue her financially: Much like the Emperor who had no clothes, seems this tycoon hero has no cash flow LOOOL.
All hope is lost. However, contrary to heroine's greatest fears, this last blow does not kill her father.
In fact, he miraculously recovers from his health problems. Apparently, it was the heavy responsibility of running a mine that was giving him heart attacks. Now that he has finally declared bankruptcy, not only have all his debts disappeared but all his worries too. Free at last, he decides to pursue his lifelong dream of being a… dollhouse maker. He doesn’t even flinch when he finds out his trampy daughter was willing to sell herself to rescue his mine. On the contrary, he feels proud of his little darling that she tried to leverage her body just to secure a loan for him. I think the hero pegged these two gold-diggers right! :)))
The Deus Ex Machina moment that occurs at the conclusion involves… the OM. He gets trapped inside the mine and the heroine agonizes over his fate, leading the hero to believe she is in love with the man. The noble hero rescues the OM for the sake of the heroine and the OM, knowing the heroine has friend-zoned him and is in love with the hero, magnanimously brings the two lovers together.
December 26, 2018
The reviewer's sisterhood who belong to WV have rated this book high, understandably so. But I am an Indian reader and totally alien to the settings of this story. I can assure you all that I loved the book too!
Its not because its sheer literary genius, or a very original story, or even a mind blowing passionate romance. It is a perfectly structured story, well carried out with smooth scenes, clearly visualized characters and a good dose of melodrama. The romance is not bad either. Its written more or less like a movie script.
I haven't read this author's works before. I am impressed. I don't know about her writing credentials but this work of hers I loved. Looking forward to reading more of her work.
Coming to the tale itself, its quite simple really. A rich mine owner is at the verge of bankruptcy, his mining business is going kaput over some safety regulations. So he wants to find a salvage buyer who will help his business tide over. He narrows in on the hero and his large mining corporation. The heroine is his daughter, Glenna.
Glenna is a nature lover, writer and her dad's darling daughter. She can see how the business trouble is slowly killing her dad. So she proposes a direct appeal to the hero for help, instead of going to through formal business channels.
Her dad's appeal fails. Jett, the mining tycoon hero makes a simple, logical business decision that the buy out is not viable.
So she decides on a more persuasive, personal campaign to convince him! They have bumped into each other a couple of times before and she can see he is attracted to her. She devices a brilliant plan of seducing him into agreement. The seduction works, they get into bed !!
But before they go through with it, she feels shameful at her cheap stunt. He knows he still cant jeopardize his company. So they back off. And she flees in humiliation.
In an unforeseen twist, the loss of property and assets that should have broken her father, actually seems to bolster him into living a newer, simpler life !! He is totally kicked up about selling off all their unnecessary holdings and taking up a small cottage. Glenna gets a full time job. And the reboot works admirably for both of them.
Only hitch being, she is pining for the guy and realizes she has burnt her chances with him by demeaning herself once. The hero is also away from her for a while just to let things cool down.
After a few months, he comes looking for her. And sees their reduced status, feels a bit guilty. He offers the manager's job to her dad. But the man is happy he got rid of his burden. He recommends the job be given to the OM, Bruce.
This guy Bruce is her father's right hand man at the mine. He is sweet on the girl of course, has been for years. But after her encounter with the hero, Bruce can see the girl is visibly changed. The girl adores the OM, but as a friend. How insulting for the poor guy !
When the hero lands up at her doorstep months later, within minutes Glenna is in his arms. And Bruce walks in to witness the cozy cuddle. The tension between the hero and the OM is well presented by the author.
A grand climax scene acts as a fitting close to the tale. A blast in the mine, Bruce is one of the men trapped. Heroine is sick with worry, hero feels eaten up with jealousy seeing her state. But keeping all emotions aside, the hero and the girl's dad mount an elaborate rescue operation, and succeed.
All is well. Both the men are trying to be gallant and offer the girl to the other. But Bruce wins the hand over scene, though he has lost the girl. After uniting the happy couple, he walks away with dignity.
It is rather difficult to maintain a sense of urgency and drama in a tale when there are no negative characters. This story has a loving father, a charming OM, a lovely heroine and a gorgeous hero! But still the tension is there, the drama is there. Lovely writing.
Its not because its sheer literary genius, or a very original story, or even a mind blowing passionate romance. It is a perfectly structured story, well carried out with smooth scenes, clearly visualized characters and a good dose of melodrama. The romance is not bad either. Its written more or less like a movie script.
I haven't read this author's works before. I am impressed. I don't know about her writing credentials but this work of hers I loved. Looking forward to reading more of her work.
Coming to the tale itself, its quite simple really. A rich mine owner is at the verge of bankruptcy, his mining business is going kaput over some safety regulations. So he wants to find a salvage buyer who will help his business tide over. He narrows in on the hero and his large mining corporation. The heroine is his daughter, Glenna.
Glenna is a nature lover, writer and her dad's darling daughter. She can see how the business trouble is slowly killing her dad. So she proposes a direct appeal to the hero for help, instead of going to through formal business channels.
Her dad's appeal fails. Jett, the mining tycoon hero makes a simple, logical business decision that the buy out is not viable.
So she decides on a more persuasive, personal campaign to convince him! They have bumped into each other a couple of times before and she can see he is attracted to her. She devices a brilliant plan of seducing him into agreement. The seduction works, they get into bed !!
But before they go through with it, she feels shameful at her cheap stunt. He knows he still cant jeopardize his company. So they back off. And she flees in humiliation.
In an unforeseen twist, the loss of property and assets that should have broken her father, actually seems to bolster him into living a newer, simpler life !! He is totally kicked up about selling off all their unnecessary holdings and taking up a small cottage. Glenna gets a full time job. And the reboot works admirably for both of them.
Only hitch being, she is pining for the guy and realizes she has burnt her chances with him by demeaning herself once. The hero is also away from her for a while just to let things cool down.
After a few months, he comes looking for her. And sees their reduced status, feels a bit guilty. He offers the manager's job to her dad. But the man is happy he got rid of his burden. He recommends the job be given to the OM, Bruce.
This guy Bruce is her father's right hand man at the mine. He is sweet on the girl of course, has been for years. But after her encounter with the hero, Bruce can see the girl is visibly changed. The girl adores the OM, but as a friend. How insulting for the poor guy !
When the hero lands up at her doorstep months later, within minutes Glenna is in his arms. And Bruce walks in to witness the cozy cuddle. The tension between the hero and the OM is well presented by the author.
A grand climax scene acts as a fitting close to the tale. A blast in the mine, Bruce is one of the men trapped. Heroine is sick with worry, hero feels eaten up with jealousy seeing her state. But keeping all emotions aside, the hero and the girl's dad mount an elaborate rescue operation, and succeed.
All is well. Both the men are trying to be gallant and offer the girl to the other. But Bruce wins the hand over scene, though he has lost the girl. After uniting the happy couple, he walks away with dignity.
It is rather difficult to maintain a sense of urgency and drama in a tale when there are no negative characters. This story has a loving father, a charming OM, a lovely heroine and a gorgeous hero! But still the tension is there, the drama is there. Lovely writing.
January 15, 2021
This H is the anti-H. He lets her father go bankrupt although she begs him to save her father from bankruptcy. It is financially better for the H to let her father go bankrupt and then take over his company.
I am disappointed in the H that he chose the easy money and not chose to do what she requested. And I am also disappointed in the h that she didn’t let him suffer even a bit after he rejected her request to save her father. She fell immediately into his arms the first time she saw him after her father’s bankruptcy.
Just a disappointing novel. A waste of time.
I am disappointed in the H that he chose the easy money and not chose to do what she requested. And I am also disappointed in the h that she didn’t let him suffer even a bit after he rejected her request to save her father. She fell immediately into his arms the first time she saw him after her father’s bankruptcy.
Just a disappointing novel. A waste of time.
August 21, 2024
you do not need to read this.
February 1, 2021
Could Glenna bargain with a man like Jett?
For her father's sake, Glenna Reynolds felt she had to try. The government was going to shut down her father's coal mine anyway--the only chance was for a merger with Jett Coulson's huge conglomerate, Coulson Mining.
She found Jett Coulson devastatingly attractive, but a tough business man. And he wasn't interested in absorbing Reynold's losses.
"It would be easy if you'd suggested a merger with you," he told Glenna. In spite of his cool, emotionless arrogance, somehow Glenna was tempted by the proposition!
For her father's sake, Glenna Reynolds felt she had to try. The government was going to shut down her father's coal mine anyway--the only chance was for a merger with Jett Coulson's huge conglomerate, Coulson Mining.
She found Jett Coulson devastatingly attractive, but a tough business man. And he wasn't interested in absorbing Reynold's losses.
"It would be easy if you'd suggested a merger with you," he told Glenna. In spite of his cool, emotionless arrogance, somehow Glenna was tempted by the proposition!
April 26, 2012
I get the sense a lot of people don't read Janet Dailey on principle or something (because of the plagiarism scandal), but she was one of the first romance authors I ever read (my grandmother had her books), and I still think she's got a special talent for it. A lot of her books are older and don't have much sex in them, but the stories are rarely boring and the romance is pretty compelling. Most of her heroes are like the romance-novel version of the Marlboro Man. I wish they'd show a little more signs of love before the end, but they're still compelling. Endings are incredibly abrupt too, and often the hero doesn't even say he loves the hero (that was the case in this one). Anyway, I still thought this was a solid read.
December 9, 2014
Enjoyed this book a lot, especially since WV is my home state where I have always lived. You can't write about WV without mentioning its number one resource, Coal. Not surprising this story was about a Coal Mine owner and his daughter. Loved the character of Jett Coulson and he was from Huntington, WV. This is the WV book of Janet's Americana 50 book collection of the United States.
August 11, 2012
This is one of Janet Dailey's Americana books. This one takes place in WV and takes place mainly at The Greenbrier. I read this years ago when I was in high school. Probably one of the reasons I love The Greenbrier so much!
July 21, 2023
After reading several good mysteries, I decided to read a couple of romance stories....was disappointed in this one.
Glenna's father owns a coal mine but is deeply in debt due to a strike a couple of years ago and now the gov't wants the safety code enforced and he doesn't have the money for it....he can't borrow from the bank because he has had 2 heart attacks.
I liked him but Glenna was too intense and finally goes to Jett Coulson who owns a huge mining business but he can't help financially because his big business is also struggling right now....but Glenna insists he can and goes to him in the middle of the night in a enticing nightgown to see if she can persuade him to give her father the money. He doesn't.....
but the story like all these romances ends well for everyone....
Glenna's father owns a coal mine but is deeply in debt due to a strike a couple of years ago and now the gov't wants the safety code enforced and he doesn't have the money for it....he can't borrow from the bank because he has had 2 heart attacks.
I liked him but Glenna was too intense and finally goes to Jett Coulson who owns a huge mining business but he can't help financially because his big business is also struggling right now....but Glenna insists he can and goes to him in the middle of the night in a enticing nightgown to see if she can persuade him to give her father the money. He doesn't.....
but the story like all these romances ends well for everyone....
April 30, 2026
It had its offbeat moments (like the h ready to prostitute herself to the H to save her father's company, and her father going from misery at the thought of losing it to happiness when he does, dissociative identity disorder, perhaps?) but the part about the accident and rescue at the mine made for some excitement as the story wound down and was also the means of (finally) bringing the H and h together, while the OM graciously admitted defeat. (This was right after a close call in the mine, and at least he had the consolation of knowing the h cared for him a lot, even if it didn't go beyond friendship on her part.)
There should have been more time for the relationship between the H and h to develop, without the miming company getting in the way.
It's one of those books where it makes an okay read, but if you skip it, that's okay too.
There should have been more time for the relationship between the H and h to develop, without the miming company getting in the way.
It's one of those books where it makes an okay read, but if you skip it, that's okay too.
November 24, 2017
HEA came way too soon.
I used to read JD back in the day with Mills&Boon or probably Harlequin, I can't remember.
I used to read JD back in the day with Mills&Boon or probably Harlequin, I can't remember.
December 29, 2022
I think the H was a complete tool, I sure as f wouldn't have forgiven him. Nonetheless I was hooked on the story so a begrudging 4 stars.
December 18, 2016
Another quick read in Dailey's Americana series. Wild and Wonderful is set in West Virginia in mining country. There were beautiful descriptions of the land, the mountains, the house and the resort. Jett and Glenna had an instant attraction when they met and their chemistry didn't wane even when she wanted it to.
Some hot kisses, family and friends, a mining accident, closing of a business and some closure. An epilogue would have been a nice touch since the book ended very abruptly. A happily ever after was in the offing but it was left at that.
Some hot kisses, family and friends, a mining accident, closing of a business and some closure. An epilogue would have been a nice touch since the book ended very abruptly. A happily ever after was in the offing but it was left at that.
Want to Read
September 10, 2012(Note to self: Nana read this one, but I didn't get the chance to.)
December 21, 2015
This was a good romance but didn't really describe West Virginia. I really wanted to love this book about my home State. We are more than coal!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews