Benji

by Wren Wilds

MICKEY
Car show weekend in Panama City always ends badly.
By noon, half the crowd is drunk. By sunset, the jail's full. By seven, dispatch won't stop calling.
By seven forty-five, I'm counting down the minutes until my shift ends and I can get to Tex's bar for ribs and a beer.
I think the worst of the night is behind me.
Then a 911 call comes in from Big Tex's Roadhouse.
By midnight, it’s already too late.

BENJI
My eyeliner's too sharp. My shirt's unbuttoned too low. My white jeans are tighter than common sense allows in the Florida Panhandle.
I stroll into Big Tex's Roadhouse looking for a drink and a sunset.
The bartender begs me to turn around and leave.
I laugh like she's joking.
That's my first mistake.

Benji is an emotional M/M hurt/comfort romance about healing, found family, and a love story forged in the aftermath of one life-changing night.

No cliffhanger. Guaranteed HEA. Can be enjoyed as a standalone.

611 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 30, 2026

Reviews

[Kathleen Lanman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a bad story, but it has to be AI generated content. There were repeated instances of weird descriptions of clothing or food that didn’t make sense. For example, there were several mentions of characters drinking a whole gallon of sweet tea with half a pound (!) of sugar, then a mention of the “warmth” from the tea. Nobody’s drinking gallons of hot sweet tea in the South. Real people wouldn’t make that mistake. Or when clothes are described as having an elastic waistband and drawstring then are called jeans. ??? They’re not 80-year-old women. Or when Benji takes a picture of the interior of the bathroom and somehow managed to get a shot of his naked back in the mirror? Was he taking pictures over his shoulder? Then there’s the brisket in the cooler. Benji brings Mickey an ice chest full of brisket, ribs, beans, slaw and cornbread. He serves it all cold. Who’s out there eating cold ribs? I supposed it’s slightly possible that a real human could make these kinds of mistakes, but it’s incredibly unlikely. I wish I could unread this book so I wouldn’t be giving support to AI authors.

[Megan (feral hearts club) · Rating 1 out of 5]

This author uses ai

[Sully (sulliedjedi)]

Another day, another new author with no cover credit in 2026.

Wilds put out two books between January and March, 2026. Both books are missing cover credit.

🚩 Wilds also released (Jan-March 2026) both of these books in German, French and Italian. Human translators were not credited. Check out the review for Wilds other book by Jessica, a native French speaker who looked through the French version.


We shouldn't have to spend this much time looking for an author's socials, checking to see if they have used AI narration, AI translation, sell AI merch, use AI ads, etc.

No cover credit in 2026 = I will not read it.

When an author chooses to not credit the cover, they are showing us they don't care about human artists.

When an author uses AI translation, they are showing us they don't care about human translators.


SUPPORT HUMAN ARTISTS.

There are so many books out there to read by authors who support human artists, why waste time on those that don't?

[Caroline Forrester]

Authors uses AI for covers and I suspect translations as well considering there are multiple translations with no translator credited. I also can’t find any trace of them online. The book also reads that way, although I don’t have proof. Not sure how this is an Amazon best seller already.

[TheBookishK9RN · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Beautiful Story of Healing, Love, and Found Family

Benji and Mickey’s story is emotional, hopeful, and beautifully written. It’s a story about healing after tragedy, finding your people, and learning to love out loud despite the scars life leaves behind.

The found family aspect was one of my favorite parts, and the relationship between Benji and Mickey felt genuine and earned every step of the way.

[Tamera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great follow up to the story of Stormy and Tex in book #1. While the subject matter here was dark at times , I LOVED that Benji always lived his truth. Always! Great banter also, laugh out loud banter!!! Can’t wait for Dante’s story. 😊💜

[Jem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great follow up book. A beautiful story of healing and love. I couldn’t put this book down. Loved Benji and Mickey together. Stormy, Tex and Sheila are great in this book too. Can’t wait for the next one

[G L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t put it down

I loved this second book in the series. I didn’t think you could top Stormy’s story but you certainly have. The characters were addictive and had you rooting for them from the start. Can’t wait for Dante’s story next

[Jodi Casselman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heart warming

I am so glad I found Wrenching Wilds books. They are so heartwarming and I absolutely love them. I would read any one of her books.

[Katrina Berogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this!

I loved the story and character development. Benji is a stem and I love him. Mickey just needed to be able to protect and be protected. Can't wait for the next book.

[Bridgette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!

I loved this novel as much as I loved Stormys story! I laughed, cried and finished the book in around 12 hours. I can't wait for Dantes story!

[Gregg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice, sweet, low drama

Sweet predictable story, opposites attract, insta-love, minor angst, HEA. Easy but unsatisfying read. Rated 4, probably truly deserves only 3.

[Katie Zimmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

All of her books brings all the feels💕 This one did not disappoint and I can’t wait for the next one!