Wild About Denali

Wild Hearts of Alaska #1

by Sara Blackard

Falling for the single mom? Nope. Not gonna happen, no matter how gorgeous and kindhearted she is. The potential for heartache is too high.

I should know. My mum proved that dating a single parent leaves one open for soul-crushing bachelorhood. Which is why I determined to keep things friendly with Denali Wilde once I learned that the beautiful police dog trainer came with a kid. Why add all that drama on top of moving to Alaska and opening an animal rescue center?

Too bad I didn’t keep my wits when it came to her son. The problem? The kid is amazing, into rescuing animals just like I am. Fair dinkum, the kid needs a mate about as badly as I do.

I’ve done a lot of crazy things in life. I mean, my TV series on Nature Channel wasn’t called Getting Wild with Wilder for its placid landscapes and tranquil animals. Yet, getting close to Denali and her son proves I have more than a few roos loose in the top paddock. Not only has my admiration for Denali increased with her insane dedication to her son, but he’s buried himself so far in my heart, I’ll never escape.

My determination to keep things friendly with Denali? Yeah, not as easy as I thought it would be. The thing is I’m wild about Denali. I just don’t think she feels the same for me.

Wild About Denali is a laugh-out-loud, heart-melting romcom with a single-mom, an Aussie reality TV star, and kisses that will curl your toes while keeping it clean.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Audiobook, Clean Romance, Amazon, Humor

220 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2021

About the author

Sara Blackard writes stories that thrill the imagination and strum heartstrings. When she’s not crafting wild adventures and sweet romances that curl your toes, she’s homeschooling her five children, keeping their off-grid house running, or enjoying the Alaskan lifestyle she and her husband love. Visit her website at www.sarablackard.com.

Reviews

[theliterateleprechaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book exceeded my expectations!

Encouraged by the author’s words at the close of ‘Rebel’s Beacon’, I downloaded this one last night and thought I’d read a chapter or two and confirm that it wasn’t for me. WRONG. I loved the cross-over with the same setting and characters.

This book had SO much heart and the characters wrestled with real problems. Denali Wilde is Sadie Wilde’s cousin (from Alaskan Rebels series) and owns North STAR Kennel where she trains police dogs. She’s also a single mom to Sawyer, an amazing 11-year-old boy. Not only did I love the sweet second-chance romance developing for Denali, I also loved the sections where Sawyer appeared. I read looking for them!

This book deals with single moms’ challenges in wanting someone to share the load, the fear of heartbreak and how it’ll affect a child, and choosing between her heart and her livelihood.

I also loved the Aussi Drew Wilder and appreciated seeing things from his perspective. He had me Googling and smiling at his Aussie terms: galah, arvo, g’day, drongo, smarmy, No wucka’s, grab some barbie, tucker, Vegemite Snackabouts, Twisties, crook, troppo, nuddy, and crikey!

I’d love to grab a coffee at Resurrect Art ‘Rez’ Coffee House and spend time with the characters in this book. Two things: who knew Alaskan’s loved their icecream so much? They “eat more of the cold dessert per capita than any other state.” And… thanks to the author’s great sense of humour, I spat out my wine at the reference to ‘budgie smuggler’.

I’m off to download book two ~ another Kindle Unlimited choice!

[Maven_Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wild About Denali by Sara Blackard is a delightful contemporary romance that follows Drew, an outfitter and reality nature TV star from Australia who moves to Alaska to open an animal rescue center, only to find himself irresistibly drawn to Denali Wilde, a warm, devoted police dog trainer raising her son with tender care, and the story blossoms as he learns to navigate his growing feelings against his own bachelor instincts. This is book one in the Wild Hearts of Alaska series, and it blends laugh‑out‑loud moments with heartfelt emotional beats.

What struck me most about this novel was how deeply it made me care about these characters and their quirky, animal‑filled world. From the moment Drew decides to keep things friendly with Denali despite her being a single mom, I felt the internal tug‑of‑war in his heart: he wants connection but fears heartache, a tension that feels honest and vulnerable. Denali’s devotion to her son and her work training police K‑9s is inspiring and tender, grounding the story with real stakes beyond just romance.

The way the narrative shifts between Drew and Denali’s perspectives enriched my experience as a reader, letting me feel their hopes and hesitations as if I were sitting beside them under the wide Alaskan sky. I laughed at Drew’s colorful internal monologues and cheered as his admiration for Denali deepened into something richer than friendship. The romance is mostly sweet and clean, with touches of warmth and subtle passion that never felt rushed.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
This book charmed me with its genuine characters, dynamics, and picturesque Alaskan setting. It isn’t just a love story, it is a reminder of how connection can grow from the most unexpected places, and I would gladly recommend it to anyone craving a romantic comedy that feels like a cozy, uplifting escape.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a short, sweet, single mom, dual POV romance set in Alaska that was also good on audio. A new to me author, this was an entertaining read and perfect for fans of No ordinary hate by Melanie Summers and Whitney Dineen, another single mom x hockey player dad Alaska romance. The reality show and wildlife sanctuary aspects of this story really stood out for me and I liked the Aussie, cinnamon roll MMC!

[Desiree Jacobson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got an ARC copy of it and loved it. Sweet romance with kissing, but kept firmly in the front room (aka: kissing only, no sex scenes or thoughts, etc.)
Denali is a great mom, fierce woman, and has a great heart. Sawyer is the most fabulous kid ever and I loved him. His passion about animals was so cute and awesome. Drew is great with kids and is an incredible guy. I loved how the book unfolded and how they came together. I recommend this one for sure. I will be rereading it for sure.

[MileHighSunshine · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun book to read! Loved not only the characters, but also the setting, described well. You’ll be chuckling a lot yet share tender moments.

[Merry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was okay for me. I'll start by saying that I listened to the audiobook via scribd. I really liked the male narrator, but struggled with the female narrator. She had a nice voice, but it almost sounded robotic. It made it hard to get through. I really liked that it focused on the relationship, but would have liked for the book to have show more about the show they were filming at their interactions during. The MMC was good but I struggled with his lack of self confidence in the relationship and why they didn't just TALK to each other. It was frustrating. If I had read this instead of the audiobook it would probably be a 3.75 ⭐️

[Allyson Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wild About Denali is about Denali, a single mom who is raising her 11 year old son Sawyer, and Drew, an Australian TV star for the Nature Channel who is looking to settle down and open an animal rescue center. Both characters have fears and insecurities as well as past baggage.
I enjoyed the story plot and the characters. Wild About Denali is a sweet romantic comedy with humor and fun interwoven throughout the storyline. Sawyer cracked me up with his personality, his heart for animals, and his blender.

[Laramee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this sweet Alaskan romance! I loved all the Aussie slang and accents! You won't want to miss this one! I can't wait to see what comes next!

I received an ARC from the author and all opinions are my own.

[Pamela Humphrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

These characters had great chemistry! I'm excited for Violet's book. :)

[Jonna DV · Rating 4 out of 5]

“When you close your eyes and think of him, can you imagine life getting better with him in it?”

I was completely captivated by this book and its story. Even more so because I bought it from the author’s own daughter in Tok, Alaska. She was so proud and rightfully so.

The more I get to know her, the more everything inside me aligns into place

The characters are written in such a way that you can’t help but grow attached to them. The setting was (obviously) another highlight for me. I’m in love with Seward's charm. If anything, I only wished some scenes had been drawn out a little more, as certain moments unfolded quite quickly.
Now that I’ve finished the book, I regret not buying more from their store.

I keep telling myself it’ll be easier to heal my heart now rather than waiting any longer, but I don’t want to let her go

Of course, the book is about love. But in more ways than one.
And I think the love Vic has for Drew, and the love Drew has for Sawyer, stayed with me the most. A selfless kind of love, different from the love for a romantic partner. Which brings me to my favorite quote from this book. But to truly understand it, there’s no way around reading the book yourself

But they wouldn’t be you

[HollyReadsAK · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

You know when there is a song title and seems one way? Such as “Space Cowboy” or “Second Guessing”.. it’s really “I need some space, cowboy” and “Since i met you, i ain’t spend one second guessing”. — that’s how i went into this book. Thinking one thing & it was just so much better. Single mother, her ex, the new man, all the friends & family around her are not what you expect. It was such a positive flip!

Sawyer stole the show from beginning to end, his relationship with every character is what i hope my son has one day. I really just hope he is as caring and as passionate as Saywer is.

As i read this book, my mind walked through Seward, from the water fall, to walking uphill from the Sea Life Center to the Seward Brewery. Turning after the Seward church. If you’re from Alaska, you knew every inch of the town she was talking about.

This was a five star read without question. If you’re from Alaska, specifically know Seward & love a good romance.. BUY THIS NOW. If you’re not, read it anyways. Throw on some AC/DC & enjoy this read!

This author should be more known than she is! Absolutely adorable! In a few days the second book shows up and I’ll be pausing all reads to jump back into this series!

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF.
I would start and stop this one until I decided just to stop completely and give up.

It’s just kind of boring and the “will we won’t we” plus the mental gymnastics of their uncertainty just fell flat for me. Then we have an 11 year old child who is apparently, a child animal savant who functions as a veterinarian while his mother is concerned about having enough money to pay the bills, but her son is providing medical care to wild animals at 11…It’s just way to much for an 11 year old kid. The kid finds an injured American Bald Eagle chick, and he keeps it to care for it…isn’t that against the law? There’s a bear scene. It’s injured, tries to attack MMC and FMC but the 11 year old kid and the MMC decide to follow it until the local animal control arrives and oh, by the way the 11 year old texts his “contacts” at animal control….like WHAT? If this kid was even just 3-4 years older it would be believable, but this kid is 11 and based on all his knowledge he must have started out of the womb to learn about animals.

So, DNF for me.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Rom-Com

I like Sara's writing a lot. A whole lot. And this book is good. But, it's not as good as the Stryker Security series or the Vestige in Time series. It's still a great read. I would definitely recommend this book to a friend. I love how Drew holds himself back from the relationship to protect Denali's son, Sawyer, from being hurt. Sawyer is a great kid. So smart, yet winsome. I look forward meeting Violet in the next book, Wild About Violet. And... Because Ms. Blackard seems to like to link her series, I guess I'd better get started on the Alaskan Rebels series to see how Sadie and Bjorn become a couple. Anyway, even though it's so very different from the other books of Ms. Blackard, Wild About Denali is a very good book.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well worth the wait

This is a sweet romance featuring 2 people who each have their own reasons for being afraid to risk their hearts. Drew watched his mother run away from love, while Denali uses putting her son first as an excuse for not falling in love.
Their story, falling in love, wrestling with their insecurities, and finally realizing that some things are worth taking the risk for is a great read!
I really enjoyed all of the Aussie slang, Denalis' son Sawyer is delightful, and the bonus of Drews' mom Stella and Vic finally getting together, really made this a great story! I'm looking forward to reading Violets' story when it is released!

[Sietske · Rating 2 out of 5]

At first, I enjoyed this book so much. It was cute. Lovely characters. I really liked Drew spending so much time with Sawyer. And Sawyer, boy, he made the book, honestly. He's the best kid, honestly.
But then. Drew had so much doubts and fears and instead of f*ing talking about it, he pushed it way deep down. It irritated me so much. Also, because you could feel the chemistry between Drew and Denali, but they didn't really have a lot of cute couply activities. So that was a bit of a let down.
Also, I really still do not get the ending, but it's okay. I made peace with it. I'm just going to remember how awesome Sawyer was. He really got me through this.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alaska love

This is a sweet romance where even the ex is a decent dad. But can true love flourish in the midst of fear. What an uphill battle for two people so afraid of being hurt! It certainly keeps things interesting, though Alaskan wildlife grabs me deeper than all the angst between so many people. Likeable characters, a falcon, fox, dogs and a grumpy, wounded bear, set in Alaska. Although this story is about a girl named Denali, and not the mountain. Though it used to be Mount McKinley when I studied geography, Denali remains a great wilderness within Alaska

[Niki Fontes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book club book, cute, easy, quick read.

I loved the simplicity of this book. Drew, Denali, and Sawyer were amazing characters. Sara Blackard is a Christian author, but religion was not the main focus. It was just a hallmark style cute rom-com. I loved Sawyers character the most.
The only thing that I found rough was the lingo from Drew since he was Australian. Sometimes the terms were confusing. Also, it was hard to keep track of who was sisters and who was cousins amongst the Wildes.

All in all I enjoyed this book as an easy mindless read to separate some of the heavier books.

[Reading in the Heartland (Michaela) · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was great to return to these sisters and to see Drew again. I knew I was looking forward to this matchup since we saw them in Sadie’s book. This book starts where her book did. After a long day, it was great to relax with this romcom. It was just what I needed. The picturesque Alaskan setting, the TV and SAR vocations, the humor and the faith, it was all one great package. I loved the Aussie language thrown in too. I also liked all of the animals and the information about them.

[Linda Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun & exciting Rom-Com. Sara has a great sense of humour. There’s plenty of laugh out loud moments.
The characters are delightful, especially the 11year old boy Sawyer. Aussie TV star Drew Wilder comes to town causing great interest. This is especially so for Sawyer, who finds a kindred spirit where animals are concerned. And there’s the blender! This is a must-read book. Sheer entertainment.
I received an Advanced Reader Copy from the author & I am writing a voluntary honest review

[Jennie Pendergast · Rating 5 out of 5]

A man from down under falls for an Alaskan beauty.

Loved being back with the Wilde girls. Denali and Drew story was sweet. He fell in love with her son Sawyer and then reeled Denali in. Sawyer and Drew were so much alike you they were father and son actually so happy for Sawyer. Denali needed Drew for her and Sawyer both because he wanted to stay unlike Nathan. Happy for Drew mom and Vic too. Now onto Rory and Violet and their stories.

[Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m Australian, living in Australia. I quite like the writing style of this author but her overuse of old fashioned stereotypical Australian slang made me cringe. It’s awful. I don’t know any Australians who talk the way her male protagonist does in this book, even the most bogan (look it up) just don’t talk that way. I feel like she just googled “Aussie slang” and then forced it into every utterance by the male protagonist. Needs a really good edit to get rid of most of the Australian slang.

[Ronald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story!

Wild About Denali is a cute love story, wholesome, and enjoyable reading. Two people, unsure about each other, an amazing young boy who is the son of one of the two people, and a group of supportive friends and relations, make for a charming story.
Lose yourself in Alaska, find the joys of love and sit back and relax as love finds a way to open up the way to those things that can hold one back.

[Mary Garbarino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Austin and Alaska.meet

I love this story and the characters. Denali is a self sufficient woman and raising her son by herself. She snd her sisters are doing well with their dog training business. Then a wild life adventure show comes to their home in Seward. Alaska. Sparks fly and chemistry is ignited, a great book.

[Judith Barillas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wild about Denali

Sara is one of my favorite authors! She has smoothly moved from romantic suspense to romcom. Her sense of humor shines through the pages of the book! Since she knows Alaska it makes the story more interesting - AK is like another character in the story. Can’t wait for the next one!

[Heather Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't like it as well as the first book

The reason being, i felt like it was all physical fire and not much else. I didn't see them doing things as a couple much except making out. I did like Drews relationship with Sawyer, and Denali was a good mom. I'm interested in Violets story.

[Sandy Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightfully Rocky Road to Romance

The two protagonists of this delightful rom-com tell their story in alternating chapters. What makes it work so well is their inner thoughts are revealed along with their descriptions of events. These thoughts reflect their confusion, frustration, and greatest fears in often funny, yet endearing, honesty. This story will tug at your heart while keeping a smile on your face.

[Rhondia Cannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Drew and Denali share many things: a love of animals, an adventurous spirit, a deep appreciation of one particular 11-year-old, and a paralyzing fear of emotional pain. This author takes these characters and moves them through so much emotion all while painting a vibrant picture of Alaska. Great story!

[Teddy G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was SO good!!!
If you love animals and people that love and take care of animals you’ll love this!
The characters are great!
The book is funny and charming!
I think this is the start to a great series!
Set in Alaska there’s adventure, crazy situations and ultimately fun!
A great sweet, closed door rom-com.

[Barbara Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to the audiobook. Cute story. One funny thing that really is about me not the book… the audiobook has two narrators. A female and a male. And the male appropriately has an Aussie accent. If you have small children in your life, you’ll get this… For the first few chapters I thought Bluey’s dad was telling the story. 🤣🤣🤣

[Laura Koesterer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick, sweet read! Basic plot, a few too many animal metaphors to describe personal feelings. I would have given this a 5 if it hadn’t been for the female voice in the audio book. Drew’s narrator was amazing…Denali’s was horrible! She sounded AI with the wrong inflections and atonal reading the WHOLE novel! Consider re-recording with a better female narrator!!!