Wild Child

Coffee Shop #6

by Katie Cross

Ellie:

Three years ago, my best friend joined the Marines without warning. Our plans of attending state university together—demolished. He left me in a world of discarded dreams.

We haven’t spoken again.

Now I’m twenty-years-old and ready to be known as the best outdoor guide this side of the Rocky Mountains. That sort of honor comes with experience, and I’m just about to get my chance for a dream guide.

Then Devin crashes back into my world.

And everything falls apart again.


Devin

I messed up once—and I lost almost everything that mattered. Ellie. My best friend. My soul. The girl I loved but didn’t have the courage to tell her.

Now, it was time to fix the biggest mistake of my life.

Ellie isn’t giving ground, and I can’t say that I blame her. But this time I’m not giving up. She thinks we’re done? That we can never go back and never fix what happened?

She’s wrong.

I’m determined to make up for my mistakes and show her that we’ve only just begun.


WILD CHILD is the sixth book in the Coffee Shop Series. It can be read as a standalone, but maximum enjoyment comes from starting at the beginning. This is a sweet-but-spicy romance with no sex-scenes and a guaranteed happily-ever-after.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Thriller

274 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 15, 2021

About the author

My world revolves around my husband (who is a major hottie), my precious kids, my Vizsla’s who act like children, and the mountains.

I wear hiking boots instead of heels when I need to feel powerful, and on a bad day, I love a weightlifting workout. Actually, I love it on a good day.

I don’t eat bread because my thyroid doesn’t like it, although there are days I miss it. Especially ciabatta. Sweet potatoes are kind of my thing. Cookies too.

I write because I never stopped.

Author of The Network Series, The Dragonmaster Trilogy, and The Coffee Shop Series.

Email me at kcrosswriting@gmail.com

Reviews

[Vibliophile · Rating 5 out of 5]

(4.5 stars) - the long wait is over!

[This book can be read as a standalone, but I recommend starting from the beginning to get a fuller sense of the relationships between the characters.]

Ellie & Devin connected in the 1st book and were inseparable BFFs almost immediately. But later, Devin joins the military without telling Ellie till the last minute & leaves her behind.

When he returns home on leave without warning, Ellie struggles to deal with it. The story is full of unexpected twists & turns, and there's a bit more suspense to this one than any of the other previous books. I had to take a break a few times to relieve the anxiety, lol.

I'm not sure about trail guides working solo, the few businesses we've used had a minimum of two for multiple safety reasons, but they were also bigger outfits - & spontaneous changes in itineraries were hard no's, but the majority of that could potentially be attributed to Ellie's not having a whole lot of experience dealing with clients yet.

By the time I reached the end of their Wild adventure, it was almost like the grand finale of the series, & it felt so incredibly happy!

But I have to admit that I was kind of melancholy that it was all over, too. I didn't want it to end. I would have liked there to be more to the series. And there's a new character named Dahlia who seemed to have potential for a fun new story... then I saw the additions to the series page... 🥳

*Romance level: passionate kisses, nothing graphic

*Both characters have some degree of PTSD, & there's a threat of rape that some readers may find triggering

*Language: about a dozen common swears

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was intense! Like, my heart was beating super fast in the last 10%+, intense. It was a great story. I've been waiting for Ellie's story for a while. Book 6 is a long way from her intro in book 1. This book deals with PTSD and drug dealers, and now I think I'll go read some light, fluffy regency romance before heading into the next book in the series!

[Marti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down and raced to finish it to find out what happened. I even woke up in the middle of the night and read it for about an hour at 4AM. There was friendship, romance, tension, and suspense. As usual with books from Katie Cross, I fell in love with the characters and was rooting for them the whole time. I know that I'll be reading this book again more slowly to savor this great story.

This is the 6th book in the Coffee Shop series. While it's a standalone novel, if you start at the beginning of the series, it's nice to see some of the characters woven into each book.

[R. Jetleb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so far my favourite of the Coffee Shop series. The romance is sweet, clean, and not too sappy. The plot carries you along and you can't help but root for the happy ending.

[Chrissy Moran · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wild ride!

This is the most intense of the Coffee Shop series yet, and I loved it! Adventure, danger, and passion fill this page turner. I couldn't put it down once I started. We've watched Ellie from the sidelines through the series, and now she gets to be front and center as she reconnects with her best friend. I love how strong all of the female characters in the series are, and Ellie is no different in that respect. She holds her own and stands up for herself. I LOVE it. The story gets dark, edgy and a little scary. It will keep you on your toes the whole time.

[Tayo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ellie:
Three years ago, my best friend joined the Marines without warning. Our plans of attending state university together—demolished. He left me in a world of discarded dreams.
We haven’t spoken again.
Now I’m twenty-years-old and ready to be known as the best outdoor guide this side of the Rocky Mountains. That sort of honor comes with experience, and I’m just about to get my chance for a dream guide.
Then Devin crashes back into my world.
And everything falls apart again.

Devin:
I messed up once—and I lost almost everything that mattered. Ellie. My best friend. My soul. The girl I loved but didn’t have the courage to tell her.
Now, it was time to fix the biggest mistake of my life.
Ellie isn’t giving ground, and I can’t say that I blame her. But this time I’m not giving up. She thinks we’re done? That we can never go back and never fix what happened?
She’s wrong.
I’m determined to make up for my mistakes and show her that we’ve only just begun.

I'm coming in hot with this one. Is there any, and I mean any hint in that synopsis that this is a thriller? No? Yeah, me neither. And that's a problem. There's a reason we have synopsis. It allows the reader to decide if that's the type of story they want to read in that moment (or even ever).

I didn't feel like reading a thriller. I wanted to read a sweet story of best friends who fell apart and are trying to find their way back to each other (you know, the story that was sold to me).

I had a pretty disappointing experience with Lovesick, and wanted to see if I would connect to another story, so jumped right over to Ellie and Devin's book.

Things I liked:
- Ellie and Devin were very mature. They had the maturity that was missing from Lisbeth's book in Lovesick. Both Ellie and Devin both took responsibility for their role in the initial dissolution of their friendship, and they didn't take the whole book to get there. In fact, they're almost immediately back on good terms, when Devin returns from Afghanistan, and they continue to keep the communication lines open through the book - nice.
- Ellie's development was quite earned as well, with her trying to figure out her life like every twenty-year old ever.
That's it. That's all I liked.

Airing of my grievances:
- Like I hinted, this was a thriller. Ellie wants to be an adventure guide and on her first forray, she and Devin end up caught in the middle of a kidnapping/fight club/drug ring in the woods. It's not a crime that it's a thriller, but if I had known this going in, I know I wouldn't have picked it up - because it's not the type of story I wanted to read in that moment. I feel immensely duped that the book I got was completely opposite to what was put forth. One line would have been all I needed, like ...."Now we're caught in a dangerous situation in the woods, and we'll have to do more than mend our friendship." Something like that.
- There was like no chemistry between Devin and Ellie. I didn't ship it at all. Sure they were fine, but there were no sparks and nothing to really root for. Maybe if I had read the whole series, their relationship would feel more earned - to which I say, if you don't have enough sparks to carry your own book that's on you.
- The whole mystery/thriller plot literally made no sense to me. Because I'm feeling harsh, I would say that it was stupid. Ellie goes as a guide for a guy called Kimball and his friend Steve. Devin goes along as well because one female guide and two male strangers isn't often a recipe for safety. Immediately these two guys give off huge skeevy guides but Ellie ignores both her instincts and Devin's outright warnings. Anyway, the plot turns when Kimball and Steve knock out Devin and tie up Ellie, because they're there for Steve to fight to win drugs to use and sell. They'll kill Devin and do nefarious things to Ellie. They allude to a game master who is controlling things. Turns out that the park ranger, and Ellie's buddy Neils is the drug manufacturer and the guy pulling the strings, and he made Kimball bring Ellie out there so he could take her. But the whole things was sooooooo convoluted. Ellie herself said she'd run into Neils tons of times on the mountains when it's just the two of them and they would eat together. So why did he need Kimball to get to Ellie. It seemed he could have grabbed her whenever??? Anyway, so stupid.

I gave it three stars because I did like the maturity of Ellie and Devin's relationship and it was everything I needed from the end of Lovesick, so I think I rated it higher out of spite kind of.

Anyway, I may make one last attempt with this series with Coffee Shop Girl, and if that doesn't work out I'll know this author is just not for me.

[Shyla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wild Child, the sixth book in Katie Cross' Coffee Shop series is an absolute wild ride. It is an excellent stand-alone book, but if you've read the previous five books, you've watched the two main characters grow up as friends, and then separate for unknown reasons, which is where we pick up their story at the start of Wild Child. That build-up makes this book feel like you are finally sitting down to talk to an old friend who you know a little about, but haven't dug in deep with.

And oh, boy, do we dig in deep with this book!!

This is a clean romance, yes, no doubt about it. Swoon-y and gooey in all the right places for lovely escapism (which is why I read romance novels, btw. They are a mental break and make me happy with the happy endings). However, this book also touches on my other favorite book genre: mystery! There is a major twist that happens pretty quickly in the book, that I was not expecting at all. This is no average romance, no sir! This is an action packed, death is on the horizon, run for your very lives adventure story... with romance and healing. The mountains act as a third main character and Katie describes them with such loving detail, you'll feel like you can reach out and feel the trails as the characters hike them.

I love this book. It has just the right amount of romance (too much can make a book feel as sugary and unfulfilling as cotton candy when you really want a steak), and the characters are written with full and rich ranges of emotions. Neither lead is “perfect” and getting to the emotional core of their mistakes and preconceived assumptions made this book feel like I went on the journey with them, instead of reading about it. Trauma, abandonment, codependency, PTSD, and more are explored in this book with a careful hand. I never felt like these issues were being exploited to make me care about the leads. It actually felt similar to a close friend slowly letting you in on what they have been going through. I feel so close to these characters and I loved reading their journey.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves: romance, action, mystery, contemporary women's fiction (aka chick lit) and healing stories. It's wonderful, well written, and full of heart.

I'm going to go immediately re-read it now!

[Jane Gilbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Sweet baby pineapple!” as Lizbeth would say.

Ellie has always been the most mysterious of the Coffee Shop characters. She was very young when she and Lizbeth escaped an abusive home, traveling day and night, to show up on Bethany’s doorstep in the early hours of the morning.

In all of the Coffee Shop books, Ellie has always been in the background. Wild Child puts Ellie front and center. Not only does the reader get to know Ellie better, but Ellie gets to know herself better. Katie Cross breaks through Ellie’s tough façade and shows us who Ellie really is and what she really wants.

Ellie and Devin were inseparable from the moment they met. Devin made Ellie feel safe. He was not just a sense of safety for her. He was her best friend. When Devin leaves to join the Marines, Ellie’s life is turned upside down.

Three years later, Ellie has figured out life without Devin. She has avoided him since the night of his senior prom, when he told her he joined the Marines and would be leaving. Then he shows up in Pineville unannounced – not just in Pineville, but at the Frolicking Moose while Ellie is working.

Multiple deployments to Afghanistan haunt Devin every waking hour. He sometimes has difficulty distinguishing between what is real and what is not, forgetting where he is due to flashbacks from severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Is Ellie really in front of him, or is he just dreaming of her?

All Ellie can think about is how Devin left her. Her mother always told her men leave. She has to take care of herself, which she has successfully done since Devin left.

Will Ellie be able to forgive Devin for leaving her? For making plans for a life without her while at the same time making plans for their future? Will she even give him a chance to explain why he made the decisions he made without her?

Will Devin be able to explain to Ellie why he left? Will he be able to tell her about the nightmares of Afghanistan? Can he ever get past the horrors of what he experienced there? Can Ellie really rescue him the way she did all those times he was surrounded by death and thought he would not make it back home?

Wild Child, the latest addition to the Coffee Shop Series, is a tale of survival. Ellie and Devin do not want to depend on each other until each other is all they have. A very unfortunate turn of events makes what should be an easy hike guiding clients into the mountains for a few days into a literal fight for survival. Losing their supplies makes Ellie and Devin turn to each other to make it out alive. How can they survive the unpredictable weather, bears, and unfamiliar territory with no food or supplies? Can Ellie saver herself and Devin? Can they save each other? They both are longing to be rescued on so many levels.

Anyone who follows Katie Cross knows how much she loves the mountains. She shares that love throughout the Coffee Shop Series, especially in Wild Child. The mountains are Ellie’s escape. They bring her peace. That peace is shattered, however, in Wild Child. Nonetheless, the imagery takes the reader to the mountains. Katie Cross describes the mountains in such vivid detail because she has been there. She uses all her senses to experience the mountains, and she takes her readers on that journey with her.

Every book in the Coffee Shop Series tells a different love story. However, they are so much more than romance novels. They are also adventures novels. Pineville is a beautiful mountain town that offers refuge to all who visit – the characters and the readers. I visit Pineville often, even when I am not reading one of Katie’s books. Hopefully, Katie Cross will take her readers back to Pineville to get to know more of its residents and see what other adventures await and what love stories are yet to be written.

[Sharon King-Hanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellie and Devin haven’t spoken or seen each other for three years. She’s in love with him but never told him. He’s returned home on leave from his latest military deployment. Is this the time for a long overdue conversation? It sounds like a recipe for disaster but also an opportunity to finally move forward with their lives. I enjoyed learning more about Ellie and Devin‘s history, their lives during the three years they’ve been apart, all while Ellie undertakes her first overnight camping trip as a guide, which will fulfill her lifetime dream. When the camping trip takes a very unexpected turn, and then another, and then another, it’s unsure where things will end up. I enjoyed this book in the series. As usual, there are characters you quickly become invested in, you find out the stories behind the people you’ve met briefly in the other books, and it’s always clean, romantic adventures!

[Mary(Beth) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellie and Devin have been best friends since the original Coffee Shop Girl book came out . I have been following their progressive friendship as Katie mentioned them in subsequent stories. What a joy to see their relationship transition from BFF’s to a real true love. I cried like a baby as Ellie sat in a tree watching her best friends going away party from afar. Katie’s development of the plot with it’s twists and turns will keep you on the edge of your seat. Several times I had to take a break when a plot turns put Ellie in dangerous situations. I would go get a cold drink and then I was glued to find out how the story turns out.

As I have said many times……..this is my new favorite book! I can see me re-reading this one many times over along with “Shy Girl”.

[Joanna Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so glad to have Ellie and Devin's story! I have been anxiously waiting their book for a while now. There were many things in this book that I loved. I could feel the tension and feelings between Ellie and Devin, but it wasn't the type that made me roll my eyes with how stupid the characters were being. Ellie has been known to be, well, wild, and her history has made her wary of trusting others. Therefore, her misgivings about Devin make sense. I would love to hear more of their story! I am always happy to have an easy read because I am a busy mom who does not have a lot of time to myself. Katie's books fill a need for me while also sincerely keeping me entertained. I love the storylines, the wit, the banter... I just love it all. I am glad for all the Katie's in the world!

[Annette Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great summer read filled with Girl Power!
Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2021
Ellie is embarking on her dream career, but her first adventure as an overnight guide doesn’t go quite as planned. There is danger and intrigue. There is the tension of a best friend and love interest who has returned after leaving 3 years earlier with little warning and no explanation.
This book is #6 in the Coffee Shop series. It can be read alone, but would be even better if you start at the beginning of the series. These characters are so likable and the has a young woman who finds her personal strength and the love she has always wanted.

[Bev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellie and Devin have been friends since childhood and joined at the hip. They are planning on going to college together but Devin drops a bombshell. Oh no! The Marines. Heartbreak. No interest in anyone else for the next three years. Then he reappears in a way that she cannot avoid him. Afghanistan. Memories. Have to go back. Renewing a friendship. Camping in the mountains with two strange men.Trouble. A dilapidated cabin. Something wrong. Trapped. Pixie dust. Unconscious. Fight. Fire. Escape. A confession. Lost. The boss man appears. A powerful kiss. A drug runner. Confessions. Declarations. Safe at last. Finally together.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ellie, the female protagonist in Wild Child, (book 6 in the series) is introduced in The Coffee Shop Girl, and I read this excited to learn how she's doing after she had a chance to grow up. In this new book, she is still an independent young woman. Yet, how independent can one be and still have good emotional health? This is her struggle as she fights the demons her mother left her with, thinking all men leave. She tries to convince herself she does not need her former best friend Devin, who she fell in love with, but he intends to prove otherwise.

This clean romance is quite suspenseful, and I found myself yelling at Ellie in my head "don't do it!" and "nooo, bad idea!" a few times (just FYI, she didn't listen to me). Devin doesn't listen to his gut (or me) enough either. I don't think outdoor adventuring is for me, but it was fun to live vicariously through Ellie and Dev for awhile.

[Laila Savolainen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suspenseful Romance... Wild Child is book six of the Coffee Shop Girl series and does not disappoint!
I was drawn straight into Ellie's world, and was taken on a trek through mountainous terrain of love and danger. The twists and turns, the balance of suspense is so beautifully woven into Ellie and Devin's full gambot of 'feels' as it is with the mystery. Wild Child was the most intense book so far for me, but in a omg, I have to read it all now way because I am so invested in Ellie and Devin.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wild Child is a wild ride! Ellie and Devin are childhood besties who haven’t spoken in three years. Then Devin arrives back in town unannounced, and he and Ellie end up facing fear, danger and all of the emotions they’ve held back for three years. Can they survive the mountain wilderness and find their way back to each other?

I love the whole Coffee Shop Girl series. Each one has its own unique theme, and the lead characters vary, but In each one there is something we can all relate to. Kudos to Katie Cross for another winner! I can’t wait to see what you come up with next!

[Pat Percival · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pineville might be a small town in the mountains, but it’s anything but sleepy. The area is packed with people engaged in family dramas, businesses, budding relationships, murderous scheming, and much more. In “Wild Child”, we’re reunited with Ellie and Devin and go on quite a harrowing adventure with them. As with all Katie Cross books, the characters are very real and dealing with modern day issues. Enjoy this book, and treat yourself to reading the previous books in the Coffee Shop Romance series, if you haven’t already.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am pretty disappointed in this book, mainly because I had such high expectations. Ellie and Devin are childhood best friends. Then he leaves. I get they were young but this is his best friend. He should have told her why he had to leave and if she was his best friend she should have paid attention more to what was going on in his life.

He comes home after three years they reconcile quickly and then this is pretty much a thriller with a dash of PTSD. So there was no tension, no investment, no feeling.

I’m sad I didn’t love this one.

[KayLynn Zollinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ellie has been in and out of these books since the very beginning. Devin had been mentioned a few times too. I feel like I knew they had a falling out. But seeing their story play out was both heartbreaking and gratifying. It's hard watching idiots make idiot choices. Like Devin deciding to join the military without telling Ellie. And lying about it for a year. Not honestly sure why she gave him another chance. Except she still love him. So there's that. And we all know I'm a sucker for a good friend to lovers romance. And even with Devin's betrayal, their relationship was fun. Their banter was hilarious, loving their bff vibe. The thriller aspect was kind of unique and interesting and those were some creepy bad dudes for sure.

[Amanda Shinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best best-friends to lovers story! I knew there was something special about Ellie and Devin (even as young children) when I read about them in book 1 (Coffee Shop Girl). They are best-friends until Devin changes plans and enlists in the military. They don't speak for 3 years, until he shows back up to explain himself. Without giving the plot away, this story has the best suspense!! They end up in a very dangerous situation, and they'll rely on each other to stay alive. You guys - this story was perfect! *very little mild language *violence

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been waiting for Ellie's story since reading the first Coffee Shop Girl book. It was worth the wait! Ellie and Devin have been BFF's since they were little. After a 3 year separation Devin returns and the two try to work through their feelings as the story takes us on many twists and turns. This book is much more suspenseful than any of the others but it is definitely hard to put down. This is my new favorite book! Thanks Katie!

[Crystal Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is truly my favorite book in the coffee shop series. The relationship between Ellie and Dev have spanned time, continents and adventures. These two were truly meant to be together. If you want a story that Keeps you on the end of your seat, like can’t put it down, read the entire book within 24 hours, this is the book for you!

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an Amazing Finish to a Series

Love, love, love this book and author! I feel like I've been waiting ages for these two main characters to grow up and end up together. I highly recommend this book, this series and this author. I also recommend reading the books in this series in order, because characters and places of importance continue throughout the series.

[Loni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wild Child will keep you on the edge of your seat and you won’t want to put it down! This book is incredible and I did not want it to end! Devin and Ellie have been best friends for years and this book is where we learn what happened to their friendship and what happened to them. This is another favorite book for me in this series and if you haven’t read a Katie Cross book yet, do it today!

[Emily Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting amd adventerous all wrapped in one

Katie write each book so that you feel like you are right in the story with the characters. You can't get enough of Wild Child as she delves into her own pathway of life and reconnects with Devin who is on his own personal journey. Can't wait for the next book.

[Pam Shea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Page turner all the way. I couldn’t put it down. This is the most emotional and raw stories yet of the Coffee Shop series. You’ll laugh, you’ll swear, you’ll feel as you go on this journey. This was a much anticipated romance since book 1 of the Coffee Shop series when we first were introduced to this duo (Ellie and Devin).

[Pascale’s*ARC,Unwind,Read,Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! I really enjoyed reading about the three sisters from the coffee girl series. I skipped over a couple, choosing to read about the sisters first, and I didn’t miss anything. This could almost be read as a stand-alone but I think readers need to at least read the first one so as not to get lost from the back-story. Some suspense, some grit, very little swearing, and a clean romance.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved!

Ellie and Devin are finally together.!! Yayy. Ugh even the separation and time lapse in the book of three years hurt. They are each others other half. Loved watching them slowly open up their layers and gain trust back. The ending was perfect! Can’t wait for bastians book.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been waiting for Ellie and Devin’s book since I finished book 1 and it did NOT disappoint! I think this was my favorite of the series now! I did not expect that twist at 90%!! 😱 Best friends to lovers Second chance Mystery vibes Steamy makeouts All the feels All the action
engaging
well-paced
easy to read
death
murder
substance abuse

[Tricia Anson · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good!

I had been anticipating Ellie and Dev’s story since book one, and it did not disappoint! Intense, emotional, and a bit of a thrill/mystery wrapped up in a HEA, just the right balance achieved.