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Wild Romance: Springfield Small Town Romances #4
Wild Imaginings
Fans of a sexy romance will love this little holiday adventure about a second chance at love.
Mark and Holly haven't seen each other since graduation from their ultra-conservative Christian high school fifteen years ago. Since then they’ve both experienced the heartbreak divorce brings. Finding each other again through social media gives them both a much-needed connection.
The fun starts when they decide to take their flirting into the real world. The risk of being caught is worth putting their friendship on the line. Who cares what the church gossips say. They're headed straight to heaven on the road to hell.
Warning: Adult 18+ Content
Mark and Holly haven't seen each other since graduation from their ultra-conservative Christian high school fifteen years ago. Since then they’ve both experienced the heartbreak divorce brings. Finding each other again through social media gives them both a much-needed connection.
The fun starts when they decide to take their flirting into the real world. The risk of being caught is worth putting their friendship on the line. Who cares what the church gossips say. They're headed straight to heaven on the road to hell.
Warning: Adult 18+ Content
104 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2020
9 people are currently reading
12 people want to read
About the author
Constance Ruth Clark
18 books51 followersHello Dear Reader,
Thank you for stopping by.
I'm not on Goodreads as much as I am on Facebook. Here's the link to my Reader Group.
www.facebook.com/groups/romanticsparks/
My books are steamy romances, filled with characters who haven't given up hope of finding 'Happily Ever After'. Except that sometimes it doesn't happen right away and sometimes it's hard to trust it will happen at all.
Finding love after heartbreak is a real thing. It happened to me, it happens to my characters and it will happen to you.
If you're anything like me, you're a sucker for a happy ending.
Blessings,
Connie
Constance Ruth Clark is a full time author who believes in chasing your dreams until you rope them into submission and make them work for you.
When she's not writing she's a loving mom to her two beautiful children who split their time with their father and his wife and delighted to be wife to the man of her dreams who helps her stay sane.
In her spare time she can be found performing locally with her husband in their country music band and running her kids to their activities.
Thank you for stopping by.
I'm not on Goodreads as much as I am on Facebook. Here's the link to my Reader Group.
www.facebook.com/groups/romanticsparks/
My books are steamy romances, filled with characters who haven't given up hope of finding 'Happily Ever After'. Except that sometimes it doesn't happen right away and sometimes it's hard to trust it will happen at all.
Finding love after heartbreak is a real thing. It happened to me, it happens to my characters and it will happen to you.
If you're anything like me, you're a sucker for a happy ending.
Blessings,
Connie
Constance Ruth Clark is a full time author who believes in chasing your dreams until you rope them into submission and make them work for you.
When she's not writing she's a loving mom to her two beautiful children who split their time with their father and his wife and delighted to be wife to the man of her dreams who helps her stay sane.
In her spare time she can be found performing locally with her husband in their country music band and running her kids to their activities.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 1, 2020
I loved this book so much. This is a small town romance that could be read in one breath. Holly has gone through a rough divorce. Her ex-husband has berated her so much that she had so many doubts about her womanhood. In a few words she has come out of this relationship very bruised and needs to pick up what is left of her. What better way than turning back time and reconnecting with her high school crush. I must say that her reconnection is quite unusual because she will initially get reacquainted with Mark by text. This way she will allow herself to unleash her fantasies and regain that confidence lost throughout her course of life. Both characters have issues but this game they play through texts will lead them towards a HEA. The author hasn't left anything out. She writes about characters very devoted to their faith with naughty thoughts and that is a plus because the sexual tensions ensures a much pleasurable read.
October 21, 2020
This review is spoiler free except for the two sections marked “spoilers”
Overall: 2.8/5
Plot (5/10):
The overall theory was good. The book centered around a girl who’s husband cheated on her. She’s religious and wanting to not have sex again until she’s getting married, and she finds this puts a damper on her dating scene. That part was interesting, and as someone who isn’t religious (or usually interested in books where it’s a huge theme) I actually liked how her religion was tied into the story. It did, however, end up adding down confusion on Holly (and Mark’s) end. She claims she doesn’t want to have sex until things are serious. It’s a big part of her internal dialogue to not move too fast, and yet she has sex with Mark while not even thinking they’re in a relationship (just friends with benefits). This didn’t make sense to me, and from what I know it would take a lot to make someone throw a moral like that out the window. I wish we’d either stuck to one or the other. There were also several times where the author was incorrect about her own timeline (for example, the two started talking after Holly comments on his post in July and then they later say that they met when she sent him a valentine on Valentine’s Day). More on plot in the “captivating” section.
Grammar/Editing (8/10):
There weren’t really any spelling errors. However there were some sentences that just didn’t make sense. I’d have to go over them a couple of times to even figure out what the sentence was trying to tell me. It also was formatted incorrectly. There were no indents at the beginning of the paragraphs, which was sometimes annoying, and just a weird mistake to made. I guessed this book was self edited, and then I noticed it says that it is at the beginning. There was also one of my pet peeve of mine (I didn’t include this in the score) where Holly kept saying “I could care less” when she meant to say “I couldn’t care less” and it just bugs me to see they so much.
Description (7/10):
The descriptions were pretty good. We got Holly’s thoughts as well as the actions around us. There were some times where I was confused as to where people were or how they got somewhere (mostly in the sec scenes). There were also a lot of times where we were told something. The entire first chapter is us being spoon fed exposition and stuff that would have been much nicer to find out through Holly (or just slower).
Dialogue (7/10):
Each character has their own dialogue, and I felt like they all were their own people. They never said things that seemed like they were just there to move the plot forward. They did, however, say somethings they seemed scripted and not natural. One of the lines is “Yes, oh Mark. I’m so sorry I almost ruined everything with my fear.” Which is both straight up telling (instead of showing) and also not something someone would say unless they were in like a soap opera or something.
Captivating (4/10):
This book wasn’t interesting at all until about half way. The entire first half of the book is weird time jumps (we go from July to April) without anything happening. I didn’t care about Holly finding a man, or her relationship with Mark. Even when the book did start to add more to it, it wasn’t something I felt like I couldn’t put down.
*Spoilers*
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I feel like this book would have been much better if it had started with Holly going to a church summer camp and she met Mark there. It could have been a month long camp, or honestly even shorter. Either way, they meet at the camp, there’s tons of sexual tension, they flirt a little, but Holly is too nervous to take it farther. She takes her new teaching job not too far from here she used to live (with her parents). Low and behold, it’s the same place Mark lives. Now they can interact in person the whole time, we don’t need these weird time jumps, and I learn who Mark is before the halfway point of the book.
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Romance (5/10):
This book had a weird romance time line. We start with them texting (for like 9 months, I think) before they even meet in person. They don’t see each other for the first time until around the 50% mark. Before this I knew next to nothing about the love interest (Mark) and didn’t feel connect to their romance at all. I couldn’t have cared less if they ever talked again. I didn’t feel any “aww” moments, or any “sexy” moments. It was just bland text conversations.
Once they meet, their relationship is decent. We learn more about Mark’s personality (though still not that much) and we see more with Holly and how this relationship is affecting her and her thoughts. (Also, it apparently isn’t even a romantic relationship until they meet, which I was confused by?)
Characters (6/10):
I like the characters, they were interesting and had good inner conflict. The points I took off were for (1) The two main characters not sticking to who they are throughout the book. (2) Not knowing anything about Mark at all until 1/2 way through the book. I got absolutely no information about Mark through those texts. Hell, I don’t think I’d have gotten a lot of Holly’s either if it hadn’t been for the first chapter exposition we got. I think it would have helped me care about the characters and what happens to them if I could have known more about them earlier on.
Character Development (7/10):
There is character development, I guess? But we don’t work through it, and there’s not really a good progression. Holly goes from someone who’s shy, afraid of getting hurt, and lost for love, to someone who’s having sec in public, to a guy she isn’t in a relationship with, and head over heels in love. It would have been nice to have seen how to got there. Even the falling in love part (which takes place in the first half of the book over the 9 month period) isn’t really shown, because how do you show a character falling in love over text conversations?
Writing Style (9/10:
I like her style of writing. She had the dialogue tag “I said” a lot in the book. She said it 246 times as a “he said” or “I said” type thing, which bugs me in books. Otherwise, it was the kind of writing style you’d see in a typical book like this.
Ending (4/10):
I could have given this ended something like a 7 or 8/10 if it hand then for the epilogue. The ending was of a good tone and nature.
*spoilers*
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In the end of the book, before the epilogue, Mark proposes to Holly and she said yes. I felt like it was strange, and kind of out of the blue, but maybe Mark is the kind of person to take risks, I don’t like (like I said, I don’t know much about him). Then we have an epilogue immediately after (a six month time jump) where the opening lines are they Holly freaked out and decided not to get married to Mark... which could have been some pretty could climax material (since this book didn’t have one?). She’s sad, she tells her sister she’s scared of committing. Then Mark shows up, says a line about “I love you, you’re pretty” and Holly suddenly forgets she wasn’t wanting to marry him, falls in his arms, and they’re gonna get married. There was absolutely no reason for this to be here. It added nothing to the story. It made the whole ending of them getting engaged just seem dumb (and proved the point that yes, them getting engaged was out of the blue like I said before).
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Overall:
5.6/10 or 2.8/5
If you have kindle unlimited, why not. It’ll be free, it’s an easy and pretty quick read, and it doesn’t have any triggers.
I wouldn’t buy the book (kindle or paperback). The book had a very slow start, didn’t keep my attention, and I didn’t care about the characters or their relationship, which is pretty important in a romance book. I liked the incorporated parts of her religion and how it was defining her, but I wish that it was better explained why she strayed from her beliefs. I think this book could have been much better with the first half of the book taken out and fixed.
*Side note, the cover doesn’t match the book at all. Not once do they go anywhere with a couch, and they’re camping the last 1/2 of the book, so I’m not sure why the room is a perfectly white scene.
**I was sent this book for free to review, but I left an honest review of the book**
Overall: 2.8/5
Plot (5/10):
The overall theory was good. The book centered around a girl who’s husband cheated on her. She’s religious and wanting to not have sex again until she’s getting married, and she finds this puts a damper on her dating scene. That part was interesting, and as someone who isn’t religious (or usually interested in books where it’s a huge theme) I actually liked how her religion was tied into the story. It did, however, end up adding down confusion on Holly (and Mark’s) end. She claims she doesn’t want to have sex until things are serious. It’s a big part of her internal dialogue to not move too fast, and yet she has sex with Mark while not even thinking they’re in a relationship (just friends with benefits). This didn’t make sense to me, and from what I know it would take a lot to make someone throw a moral like that out the window. I wish we’d either stuck to one or the other. There were also several times where the author was incorrect about her own timeline (for example, the two started talking after Holly comments on his post in July and then they later say that they met when she sent him a valentine on Valentine’s Day). More on plot in the “captivating” section.
Grammar/Editing (8/10):
There weren’t really any spelling errors. However there were some sentences that just didn’t make sense. I’d have to go over them a couple of times to even figure out what the sentence was trying to tell me. It also was formatted incorrectly. There were no indents at the beginning of the paragraphs, which was sometimes annoying, and just a weird mistake to made. I guessed this book was self edited, and then I noticed it says that it is at the beginning. There was also one of my pet peeve of mine (I didn’t include this in the score) where Holly kept saying “I could care less” when she meant to say “I couldn’t care less” and it just bugs me to see they so much.
Description (7/10):
The descriptions were pretty good. We got Holly’s thoughts as well as the actions around us. There were some times where I was confused as to where people were or how they got somewhere (mostly in the sec scenes). There were also a lot of times where we were told something. The entire first chapter is us being spoon fed exposition and stuff that would have been much nicer to find out through Holly (or just slower).
Dialogue (7/10):
Each character has their own dialogue, and I felt like they all were their own people. They never said things that seemed like they were just there to move the plot forward. They did, however, say somethings they seemed scripted and not natural. One of the lines is “Yes, oh Mark. I’m so sorry I almost ruined everything with my fear.” Which is both straight up telling (instead of showing) and also not something someone would say unless they were in like a soap opera or something.
Captivating (4/10):
This book wasn’t interesting at all until about half way. The entire first half of the book is weird time jumps (we go from July to April) without anything happening. I didn’t care about Holly finding a man, or her relationship with Mark. Even when the book did start to add more to it, it wasn’t something I felt like I couldn’t put down.
*Spoilers*
➖
➖
➖
➖
I feel like this book would have been much better if it had started with Holly going to a church summer camp and she met Mark there. It could have been a month long camp, or honestly even shorter. Either way, they meet at the camp, there’s tons of sexual tension, they flirt a little, but Holly is too nervous to take it farther. She takes her new teaching job not too far from here she used to live (with her parents). Low and behold, it’s the same place Mark lives. Now they can interact in person the whole time, we don’t need these weird time jumps, and I learn who Mark is before the halfway point of the book.
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➖
Romance (5/10):
This book had a weird romance time line. We start with them texting (for like 9 months, I think) before they even meet in person. They don’t see each other for the first time until around the 50% mark. Before this I knew next to nothing about the love interest (Mark) and didn’t feel connect to their romance at all. I couldn’t have cared less if they ever talked again. I didn’t feel any “aww” moments, or any “sexy” moments. It was just bland text conversations.
Once they meet, their relationship is decent. We learn more about Mark’s personality (though still not that much) and we see more with Holly and how this relationship is affecting her and her thoughts. (Also, it apparently isn’t even a romantic relationship until they meet, which I was confused by?)
Characters (6/10):
I like the characters, they were interesting and had good inner conflict. The points I took off were for (1) The two main characters not sticking to who they are throughout the book. (2) Not knowing anything about Mark at all until 1/2 way through the book. I got absolutely no information about Mark through those texts. Hell, I don’t think I’d have gotten a lot of Holly’s either if it hadn’t been for the first chapter exposition we got. I think it would have helped me care about the characters and what happens to them if I could have known more about them earlier on.
Character Development (7/10):
There is character development, I guess? But we don’t work through it, and there’s not really a good progression. Holly goes from someone who’s shy, afraid of getting hurt, and lost for love, to someone who’s having sec in public, to a guy she isn’t in a relationship with, and head over heels in love. It would have been nice to have seen how to got there. Even the falling in love part (which takes place in the first half of the book over the 9 month period) isn’t really shown, because how do you show a character falling in love over text conversations?
Writing Style (9/10:
I like her style of writing. She had the dialogue tag “I said” a lot in the book. She said it 246 times as a “he said” or “I said” type thing, which bugs me in books. Otherwise, it was the kind of writing style you’d see in a typical book like this.
Ending (4/10):
I could have given this ended something like a 7 or 8/10 if it hand then for the epilogue. The ending was of a good tone and nature.
*spoilers*
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➖
➖
➖
In the end of the book, before the epilogue, Mark proposes to Holly and she said yes. I felt like it was strange, and kind of out of the blue, but maybe Mark is the kind of person to take risks, I don’t like (like I said, I don’t know much about him). Then we have an epilogue immediately after (a six month time jump) where the opening lines are they Holly freaked out and decided not to get married to Mark... which could have been some pretty could climax material (since this book didn’t have one?). She’s sad, she tells her sister she’s scared of committing. Then Mark shows up, says a line about “I love you, you’re pretty” and Holly suddenly forgets she wasn’t wanting to marry him, falls in his arms, and they’re gonna get married. There was absolutely no reason for this to be here. It added nothing to the story. It made the whole ending of them getting engaged just seem dumb (and proved the point that yes, them getting engaged was out of the blue like I said before).
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Overall:
5.6/10 or 2.8/5
If you have kindle unlimited, why not. It’ll be free, it’s an easy and pretty quick read, and it doesn’t have any triggers.
I wouldn’t buy the book (kindle or paperback). The book had a very slow start, didn’t keep my attention, and I didn’t care about the characters or their relationship, which is pretty important in a romance book. I liked the incorporated parts of her religion and how it was defining her, but I wish that it was better explained why she strayed from her beliefs. I think this book could have been much better with the first half of the book taken out and fixed.
*Side note, the cover doesn’t match the book at all. Not once do they go anywhere with a couch, and they’re camping the last 1/2 of the book, so I’m not sure why the room is a perfectly white scene.
**I was sent this book for free to review, but I left an honest review of the book**
October 7, 2020
This is a new author to me. I really enjoyed this reading. The story is romantic but still realistic and dealing with h insecurities.
Characters pulled me into the story and I was happy to see the characters getting their HEA. With that epilogue for a moment there I thought they wouldn’t get one!!!!!
Wonderful characters that have me smiling and lol 😂
Is Becky’s story out?
I feel like I need to mention this, I was a little confused as to the spelling of the names of the character. At the beginning it was Holy and then started using Holly for the h. And then Jacob to changed to Jake, Holy’s (Holly) brother-in-law. If u can see pass that, u can enjoy the story.
Happy reading 📖
Characters pulled me into the story and I was happy to see the characters getting their HEA. With that epilogue for a moment there I thought they wouldn’t get one!!!!!
Wonderful characters that have me smiling and lol 😂
Is Becky’s story out?
I feel like I need to mention this, I was a little confused as to the spelling of the names of the character. At the beginning it was Holy and then started using Holly for the h. And then Jacob to changed to Jake, Holy’s (Holly) brother-in-law. If u can see pass that, u can enjoy the story.
Happy reading 📖
October 22, 2020
A small town, steamy romance
I had never been interested in the genre of Steamy Romance, however I gave it a chance and to my surprise it was a well written story about a second chance at love. Connie does a great job establishing her character profiles, it's easy to get pulled into their story. Wild Imaginings is about two friends who reconnect years later and realize they love each other. I didn't want to put this book down, each chapter left me wanting to read more.
I had never been interested in the genre of Steamy Romance, however I gave it a chance and to my surprise it was a well written story about a second chance at love. Connie does a great job establishing her character profiles, it's easy to get pulled into their story. Wild Imaginings is about two friends who reconnect years later and realize they love each other. I didn't want to put this book down, each chapter left me wanting to read more.
September 29, 2020
What can I say? You definitely want to read this book! It's sweet with a nice shot of spicy. It's definitely worth your time if you like well-written stories, intriguing and relatable characters, and smoking hot steam-worthy moments! Do yourself a favor. Read this book. You will not regret it.
September 6, 2020
I loved Holly she is a strong woman who had been married to a cheating douche and reinvented her lifestyle. She is ready to reconnect with am old friend. The characters are well developed and engaging and the storyline flows smoothly throughout the pages.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
October 7, 2020
A super easy read. It was short, sweet, and entertaining. I loved watching the two characters reconnect and fall in love. Anyone looking for a super good contemporary romance needs to look no further!
October 21, 2020
I was lucky enough to get an advanced readers copy of this book. It definitely has a religious undertone, but doesn’t take a stance one way or the other. The heroine is becoming her own person and finding herself. I love that the hero gives her time to figure out her own way.
If you were raised in a religious household you will probably identify with this story.
If you were raised in a religious household you will probably identify with this story.
April 24, 2020
I was given an advanced copy of this book for an honest review. This was a fantastic, short read. One awesome whirlwind romance for Holly & Mark. Two friends from their school days reconnect, build a strong friendship that turns into love.
October 4, 2020
This was a sweet, steamy entertaining read. It was a little strange to mix the Christianity aspect with all the sexual parts of the book but it made it more realistic I think. I’m new to this author but I would definitely recommend this book.
April 1, 2020
I had the privilege of reading this book before publication with an ARC. It promises Wild and Hot romance and boy does it deliver. The story keeps you captivated from beginning to end and will leave you well satisfied with a good happily ever after. A real feel good novella.
July 30, 2020
I guess this is sort of a religious contemporary romance read with steam.
Holly and Mark are recently divorced with lousy ex-spouses who reconnect online. It had a cute buildup as they start as friends, confidants, and develop feelings as they go on.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Holly and Mark are recently divorced with lousy ex-spouses who reconnect online. It had a cute buildup as they start as friends, confidants, and develop feelings as they go on.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 26, 2020
This story is really well written, has characters that are created with tantalizing depth and captivating story line.
Do yourself a favor and get this one. It is worth every penny.
This review has been voluntarily submitted for your consideration.
Do yourself a favor and get this one. It is worth every penny.
This review has been voluntarily submitted for your consideration.
July 11, 2020
Wow. So, so good! I wasn't sure what I was expecting from a Christian romance, or really a Christian erotica, but it was so fun. Good setup of the main character, Holly, and her asshat of an ex-husband, along with seriously hot flirting and sexting and later sex scenes with her new love. My only gripe is that the story should have continued longer before the epilogue. The epilogue explained things that happened in the 6 months we didn't see the characters, but it was just too quick for me. Otherwise? A REALLY FUN read and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
May 22, 2020
Wild Imaginings was an enjoyable read. The author held my attention from the first page. I do wish there might have been a little more character development but this is a short read, so I understand. There wasn't much conflict and the plot wasn't complex. It was a sweet love story with plenty of steam.
July 17, 2020
This was my first read from this author so I had no idea what to expect. So, Holly just ended her marriage to a pastor and her sister is encouraging her to move on. I did not like her husband, her memories showed a really good picture of what kind of asshole he was.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 8, 2020
The book is a good romance read. The story has a good story line. The characters are good, and they have good chemistry. The story is an enjoyable short romance read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 26, 2020
Sweet and still a steamy read with a HEA! Well worth it's price! Can't wait to read the next one!
October 6, 2021
The imaginings were pretty wild! I liked the idea of the story, how the two characters get close over texting, sexting and phone calls for months. Holly is understandably nervous about another relationship after her cheating, demeaning pastor husband. Mark had a divorce due to his wife cheating. They build a very trusting and sexy relationship before they meet again at a church camp reunion. The author does an excellent job of writing that in-person meeting situation and how they hover around each other and sneak off to be together. (Just like we all did as teenagers at church summer camp!) I liked how she showed that people can be religious and still be as sexual as anyone else, and yes, can even have sex outside marriage! Their religion sounds more strict than mine, but, indeed, religion can even enhance one's pleasure.
I received an ARC of this book for free and am submitting this review voluntarily
I received an ARC of this book for free and am submitting this review voluntarily
December 16, 2020
Ruth is a new author to me and I have to say I am so glad I managed to get an ARC of this book.
Small town romance, one of my all time favourite tropes.
Holly has so many insecurities due to her ex husband belittling her therefore she has lost touch with her womanhood.
Holly reconnects with her high school crush Mark via text message.
Both the hero and heroine have issues, but due to the text messaging they’re able to share fantasies and regain confidence.
This book ends with a HEA!♥️
If you want to read a book that’s a quick read and will keep you captivated then this is the book for you!
Small town romance, one of my all time favourite tropes.
Holly has so many insecurities due to her ex husband belittling her therefore she has lost touch with her womanhood.
Holly reconnects with her high school crush Mark via text message.
Both the hero and heroine have issues, but due to the text messaging they’re able to share fantasies and regain confidence.
This book ends with a HEA!♥️
If you want to read a book that’s a quick read and will keep you captivated then this is the book for you!
December 23, 2020
Wonderful quick read about second chance romance. I enjoyed the chemistry between Holly and Mark. Can’t wait to read more about Becky and Frank.
January 6, 2021
I couldn't put this book down!! It was sooo good!!
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews