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"Linda Seed's Main Street Merchants series ... is witty and romantic, leaving the reader captivated."
—Amy Rachiele, author of The Mobster Series

Rose Watkins has never been afraid of anything. She wasn’t afraid to leave home and cross the country on her own at eighteen, she’s not afraid to stand up for herself against judgmental bullies, and she’s not afraid to chase her dreams, no matter how elusive they may seem.

After a phony date with doctoral candidate Will Bachman—concocted to help him save his ego in front of an ex-girlfriend—Rose realizes that the possibility of true love is perhaps the scariest thing of all.

Set amid the rocky bluffs and crashing surf of Cambria, California, Nearly Wild is the third book in Linda Seed’s Main Street Merchants series.

323 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 31, 2016

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306 people want to read

About the author

Linda Seed

27 books95 followers
I write funny, sexy contemporary romances full of friendship and family. My books are set in Cambria, a small town on Central California’s rugged, breathtaking coastline. At a time when close personal relationships are increasingly hard to find, I aim to write a better world full of the kind of love, loyalty, and companionship that we all long for. Connect with me at https://lindaseed.com/ or sign up for my newsletter at https://landing.mailerlite.com/webfor... to get access to exclusive content and special deals.

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5 stars
240 (46%)
4 stars
183 (35%)
3 stars
67 (13%)
2 stars
16 (3%)
1 star
8 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
Profile Image for Linda Reed.
Author 3 books20 followers
July 9, 2017
Nice beach read. The main characters were believable and well crafted. The omniscient voice of the author switched from character to character in a way I found hard to follow on occasion, when it happened mid paragraph. Overall an engaging romance set in Cambria - so local readers will enjoy reading about streets and restaurants they are familiar with.
Profile Image for Ashley Weidemann.
48 reviews1 follower
April 18, 2022
*Spoilers*

I wanted to like this book. The characters were cute, the plot was good. But there was just no substance. No character development, no real chemistry between Rose and Will. Even when everything hit the fan with the pregnancy news, the crazy ex girlfriend, there was no real climax to it. It just..happened. Very blah.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Pam.
4,625 reviews67 followers
February 3, 2018
Nearly Wild: Main Street Merchants Book 3 is by Linda Seed. This series is about four friends who all work on Main Street. They are always there for each other no matter what. Two of the four are now involved with a man. Kate is living with Jackson and talking of marriage while Gen is planning her wedding to Ryan. Lacy has said she is not interested in marriage but is dating. That leaves Rose who has just broken up with her last boyfriend.
Rose is jealous of Kate and Gen and yet happy for them. However, her latest boyfriend turned out to be another jerk. Why can’t she find someone like Jackson or Ryan? She decides to not date for a while. The length of time is not stated; but she thinks it will be a long time.
Will Bachman is a friend of Jackson’s who is working on his doctoral thesis, if he can get to it. He has plenty of research but hasn’t written it. He isn’t sure why he hasn’t started writing; but thinks it may be because he will have to do something else if he finishes and he likes his life right now. He had a terrible experience with his last girlfriend and is not looking for another one.
Will has a problem. His boss is coming to visit and is bringing his girlfriend. He asks Will to make sure the house and everything is ready. Since it is his job, Will agrees. Then he gets a phone call from Chris’s girlfriend. She is Melinda, his ex! She is just warning him that she is coming and hasn’t told Will about them. Chris calls again inviting Will and his girlfriend to dinner with himself and Melinda. Chris is backed into a corner- he has no girlfriend!
Needing to pick up some wine, he heads to De-Vine where Rose works. He talks to her and tells her of his delimma. She suggests he get a fake date. So, he asks Rose to fill in. Just how long will their fake dating last and will it work?
Profile Image for J.
4,061 reviews19 followers
August 28, 2025
This is book 3 in Seed's Main Street Merchants series and can be read as a standalone but does have some crossover, so I love this as part of the series. This book focus' on main characters Rose Watkins and Will Bachman. So far, I have to say I think this is my favorite so far. I love Rose's character for the most part. She's soft and sweet but with an edge and I love how her looks don't necessary reflect the sweet, normal side of her but isn't that the point - this book addresses how we so often are judged by our looks or how others try to change our appearance to fit their mold of how they want us to be perceived. So that's why I love her character, but I think it was taken too far in that it made her closed off from the reality Will provided. Will is an amazing character too and I loved how he was trying to please the masses and honestly, I love how he tried so hard to be the gentlemen - but really, you can't be nice to the kinda crazy that showed up in the form of his ex in this book. Okay, so hopefully I teased enough to make you want this book but not enough to spoil anything. I thought this was a wonderfully well written and beautifully narrated romance with definite sweet; some steam and a few laughs too. A great balance and a perfect HEA - I loved this book and can't wait for more in this series and from Seed!

I received this audiobook at no-cost from AdoptAnAudiobook.com. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.
2,522 reviews
June 21, 2022
library ebook
i love this series that takes place in cambria
she works in a wine tasting room
her boyfriend who was a english prof at cal poly dumped her and she decided she wasnt going to date anymore
he is studying to be a teacher and lives in the guest house of his really rich friend
the friend is dating his x, but doesnt know it
so he needed a fake date and she agreed
they had a kiss and both really liked it, his x girlfriend go really mad

her friends from the other book were having a wedding in june. her mom wanted to be invited as he was rich , so she invited herself. she came up a month early. they didnt get along. so she continued fake dating him to get her mom off her back

he wanted a real relationship but she was afraid.

she finds out shes preg, but tells her girlfriends but not the dad of the baby. but one of the boyfriends figures it out and tells him. her mom came to stay in cambria the month before the wedding and she figured it out too. she did like the boyfriend. he decided to buckle down and get a job teaching at cp

they end up in love and decide to move in together.

really good!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for BookWorm.
856 reviews2 followers
October 25, 2020
Decent writing and well developed characters. Rose was a frustrating heroine. It was understandable that she had some issues but her personal growth or at least acceptance she was in a relationship came too late for me. She was withholding information from Will as some sort of test which was ridiculous given he'd already made it clear he was all in. Due to Rose's extreme avoidance issues I didn't find the ending that satisfying and instead was more rolling my eyes throughout. Will was very patient and it's always important to see a hero in touch with his emotions.

The friendships represented were good although I thought there was some slight oversharing. Of course it's great to talk to your friends about your life but I found it hard to believe people would share every single (and I mean every) detail about a romantic relationship. Maybe that's just me.
Profile Image for Jess MacMillan.
Author 2 books3 followers
October 19, 2020
I loved the romance, and the story, but most of all I just loved Will!

He is the Hero every womxn needs in this century! He didn't try to change the heroine, Rose, he met her was she was at! Rose has sworn off all men, and for good reason, and then in comes Will. He falls in love with her and doesn't pressure her to do more than she is able, he just stays present with her.

"Except that Will’s goal with Rose wasn’t to attack her; it was simply to love her, and to make her feel safe to accept that love."

It's safe to say, I want a Will in my life! And if I can't have him, than I hope other authors follow suit and start writing their heroes like Linda.

Also, I read it as a stand-alone and it didn't hinder the story or plot in any way!
Profile Image for Elaine Coghlan .
1,490 reviews14 followers
April 3, 2018
Linda Seed continuously writes such quality pieces of work. I am biased when it comes hers You don't want to miss this one, it can be read as a stand alone but it is the third book in a series. I started reading Linda's books in the other way round , so now i ma starting from the beginning This book is Rose and Will's story an absolutely a well written romance story with many twist and turns!and felt very real to me. Honestly, I can’t think of a thing I didn’t like about this book. It’s how life really is.This book grabs your attention quickly and holds you tight throughout the book highly recommend this grab your copy today you will not be disappointed.
78 reviews
November 12, 2023
What I liked: the banter. Actually chuckled fairly often.
It was a cute book bec of the banter. I liked the main characters. My only complaint with the FMC Rose was her insistence that she was done with men etc etc. it really started to weigh the book down for me. It was getting old. Sadly that meant by about the last half of the book I was having to skim parts.

Why 2 stars? Rose being obtuse and obstinate about not acknowledging her feelings became tiresome. Low spice level. It didn’t grab my attention enough that I thought about it when not reading or craved to get back to it. It didn’t make me want to read any of the other books in the series.
Profile Image for Elizabeth .
333 reviews43 followers
January 21, 2018
I struggled with this book - not so much because of the writing or the characters, but because the climactic conflict seemed so forced! While the author ended up tying it together well enough, I really didn't like the turn she took. For me, Rose was a free spirit who thought she was done with men, but she'd never allow herself to be "trapped" by pregnancy. It was just such an ill-fit for someone who was fighting a long-term relationship to the extent Rose was... I liked the writing, but the storyline missed with me and I even set the book down for a day or two before I could finish it.
Profile Image for Laurie.
119 reviews
August 7, 2020
I am really enjoying the Main Street Merchants series. Each book in the series focuses primarily on one of four close friends (in this case, Rose), and it's fun to get to know more about all the characters introduced in the the first book. Linda has a light touch, a good sense of humor, and a way with words that carries you away to the California Central Coast for a brief escape from everyday life. I highly recommend this entire series (and yes, I'm now reading the fourth one).
Profile Image for Paige Norman.
607 reviews3 followers
April 30, 2021
What starts as a fake date, becomes so much more

Rose is a free spirit living life on her own terms. Will is figuring out what comes next. Her friends are finding love; she's off men forever. Will's ex comes to town intent on getting him back at any cost; Will wants Rose and no one else.

One of my favorite things about this story was the men figured out relationship issues as much as the women. Stand alone and a HEA.
3 reviews
October 23, 2020
Just.....Fun

I admit I am more drawn to nonfiction, but after several “heavy” books, I wanted something lighter. This book was so much fun! I found myself laughing out loud and reading parts to my husband. Author is VERY adept at writing conversation....I felt like I was listening to the way my friends and I talk to each other. Just....fun! Thank you!
918 reviews3 followers
November 3, 2020
Laugh-Aloud Funny

This romance is filled with laugh-aloud scenes. The slightly nerdy hero is unusual, which I found refreshing. The secondary characters seemed interchangeable--they did not have distinct personalities--which was a little confusing. All together, though, this ais a very enjoyable book.
2,472 reviews10 followers
December 15, 2020
So frustrating

This story was all one sided. He was a gem. A true dream boyfriend. She’s a tool. Through the whole, entire book. Just when you think the friends get through to her, nope she’s still a witch. Though the couple gets together in the end. Though the best line of the book is hers, and it’s the last thing she says.
844 reviews
October 15, 2020
Free book

I love how authors let you have a free or nearly free book to acquaint you with their work. The characters seem a little confused at times, just like normal people but, sometimes can't see the forest for the trees. Book was good but I wouldn't pay a lot for it.
11 reviews
October 22, 2020
I enjoyed reading this book. It had great characters that I wished I had in my life. A group of friends who all "have your back" no matter what, is something everyone wishes for, I think. This was my first read in the series, I'll have to get the first one and start at the beginning. ;)
Profile Image for Deb Shank.
493 reviews2 followers
October 25, 2020
Good read

Good read. Characters were interesting. Moved along with a few twists. All worked out well for them. A bit on the steamy side, that prefer to do without, but easy enough to skip over.
4 reviews1 follower
December 19, 2020
About to lazy the day away with

I choose rating because the story just flowed right along and it captured you until you finished it. It was funny and warm and it had the heart and heartache that we all have at one time in our life.
9 reviews
July 16, 2021
You Never Know who you will fall in love with!

Conventional looks aren't everything in life and love and don't make assumptions about your parents. This was an eye opener story and I loved it! The characters were perfect!

1,160 reviews2 followers
December 14, 2024
I just can’t stand the what’s her name.
You can be honest but you don’t have to be vulgar
It makes you look stupid and immature.
So I gave up after chapter 1
She was stupid, rude, selfish and immature
7 reviews
September 18, 2017
Funny and sweet

Breaking down walls isn't easy. But love and patience,anything is possible for Rose and Will in "Nearly Wild". Main Street is growing ...
1 review
January 7, 2018
My Favorite!

This one was my favorite so far in the Main Street Merchants series. I loved Will and Rose! Can’t wait to read Book 4.
Profile Image for Vicki Pilant.
390 reviews3 followers
October 3, 2019
Nearly Wild

Just finished this and its another great book for this series. I would highly recommend it. I did not want to put it down once I started reading.
228 reviews
October 16, 2020
Vulgar language

Only read one page and encountered gutter language. Search revealed pages of that word and similar inappropriate words throughout the book.
1,394 reviews
October 31, 2020
This is the first I’ve read of this series. Wild Rose and ordinary Will seem to be direct opposites, but they work. A much better read than I was expecting.
Profile Image for Anne Blyth.
1,975 reviews1 follower
November 1, 2020
I quite enjoyed thus story with its quirky characters and the changes they went through.
401 reviews2 followers
November 23, 2020
Delightful

Quirky Rose and sweet, sweet Will make a lovely pair. I’m a sucker for a good fake girlfriend/boyfriend story and this one hit the mark.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews

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