My Wildest Date

Raised by Wolves #3

by Casey Morales

Just when things couldn't get any stranger . . .
. . . a hot guy walked in with a cougar cub on his shoulder.

Yeah, that one caught me by surprise, too.

First, he fumbled out of the closet, then he met an amazing guy with a pair of cute toddlers, now he's thrown into the zoo with lions and tigers - oh, my!

My Wildest Date is the continuation of Michael's search to discover who he is, who he loves and who he wants to become.

You'll love this story because it's giddy fun to laugh at yourself while you fall in love.

Get it now!

My Wildest Date is the third volume in the hilariously cheeky, best-selling Raised by Wolves series, a contemporary MM romance series about a newborn gay finding himself. It has hurt/comfort, found family, sexual awakening, first time gay, and a guy who finally realizes what he wants.

These books chronicle a young man's life and are best enjoyed in series order.

Genres: M M Romance, Queer, Audiobook

182 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 10, 2022

About the author

Casey Morales is an LGBT storyteller and the author of multiple bestselling MM romance novels. Born in the Southern United States, Casey is an avid tennis player, aspiring chef, dog lover, and ravenous consumer of gummy bears.

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Wildest Date is the third in the series about Michael, a young gay man finding his sexuality and personality after being raised as a preacher's kid in an ultra-conservative family, AKA the Wolves. This episode sees him dealing with losing his first real love, experimenting sexually, and meeting a really nice man with issues. He meets some real animals! This book is sweeter and more profound as Michael becomes more caring and tolerates building a relationship before sex. But we still need to read on to find out what happens; there is no clear ending yet.

Beautifully written, still very funny.

One enormous problem I find in all these books is that it is in the time of AIDS, and they don't use condoms!

I received an advance review copy for free and left this review voluntarily.

[BeckieLouLou · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars. Audiobook. Different but wonderful. The journey of a young man questioning his desires and exploring the many options out there. Non-traditional romance, this is not a story of a boy finding The One right away, it’s the long sexy road towards that partner. 5 book series, following the same maybe-not-straight twenty something as he dates around and sleeps in lots of different places. There is romance, we see a new relationship bloom and wither in each book until he does find The One. There is also the sometimes-silly, sometimes-poignant coming of age shenanigans as we see many bed partners, ranging from a first crush, a casual hook-up, a no-name escapade, dating a single dad and being part of a couples fantasy. Lots of exploration and discovery on the road.
No actual wolves or shifters, lol! Contemporary, present day, nothing paranormal what so ever. I always thought that “raised by wolves” meant being raised wild/rough/uncivilized, but this author seems to mean it as being raised in a very strict religious family. Since I try not to read blurbs, I honestly thought this was going to be. A wolf shifter paranormal story. It’s not.

The narration grew on me, it became more and more perfect as we got to know the MC, single POV, one narrator doing multiple voices really well. By the end, I don’t think anyone could have done a better job, especially the quite introspective moments, with softened voice and sighs. Really great job by Jon Curtis.

[Rombutan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just want to hug Donny.

[Robbo · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s two very different dates vying for the title!

Some very funny moments and a bit of heat. Michael continues his voyage of self discovery with a couple, then moves on to a completely different experience. The hook up with the couple was very hot, but maybe the bartender/zookeeper has real potential. He’s more romantic than raunchy, so far…Some of those dates have been wild in a very unexpected way! Book 3 of 5 of an excellent series.

[Dinoh (Akari) · Rating 5 out of 5]

(ARC Review)

Another funny story of Michael and his journey of self-discovery.
I have to say, I missed Carter too, I really liked him and I suffered deeply from his situation. Despite that, I also liked Donny, but, this time, I tried not to get hooked on him, because I'm sure that in the next book I'm going to miss him too!!!

In any case, the story was like the two previous ones, Michael's dialogue with himself and with his readers was funny, the scene with the family was unexpected, and the date at the zoo was very original!

Looking forward for the next!!!

[Thera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cougars

Swoony. Sweetness. Tigers. And lions. And cougars! No sex this time. Lots of kissing though and sweet dates. Ended on somewhat of a cliffhanger.

[Traci S · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am really enjoying this series! It is weaving quite a lovely journey for MC Michael, incredibly funny and charming but also a bit heartbreaking at times. One of the best things about the series is seeing Michael on his journey of self discovery and acceptance, there are leaps forward and steps backwards and he is a very endearing narrator. The real highlight for me is the little found family Michael is building for himself with Dwayne, Katie, and Jason. These friends are so important to his journey and their friendship is very real and wonderful. Excellent addition to the series, cannot wait to read what is next for Michael and Donny! ❤️

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sara Sigler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Micheal is a new gay already had a bad breakup and parents found out. He experimented and then fell for another man that showed him a different world. Good book!

[Chelsea Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

In My Wildest Date we continue on with Michael searching for his perfect match. He just fumbled out of the closet and is trying to figure out who he is, what he wants and he’s really trying to find someone to love who loves him back. Once again this book is so so funny and kept me laughing the whole time. I am absolutely in love with this series and I am so glad I found it! It is so much fun to see Michael stumbling around trying to figure out himself and how to navigate gay culture. He is such a fun character! Casey Morales is quickly becoming one of my new favorite authors! I am so excited to see how Michaels journey continues in the next book!

I received a copy of this book from Book Sirens, and this is my honest review.

POV: 1st Person Single POV (Michael)

Standalone or series: Book 3 in the Raised by Wolves series

Would I recommend it: 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ highly recommend!! 🤩

Would I read it again: Most definitely!

[DLB2572 · Rating 5 out of 5]

These stories just get better and better. Following Michael through his discoveries and experiences have been a lot of fun.

I received an ARC and this is my unbiased opinion

[Euell Santistevan Jr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Continuing with Michael’s story of growth, acceptance, and learning how to navigate gay culture never gets old, it took me all of 2 hours to read through My Wildest Date. I’m looking forward to continuing this journey as soon as possible. Bravo Casey Morales!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Ann Tosti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved watching Michael continue to grow into who he is, but I do feel the most confused by the timeline for this story compared to the previous ones. The first turning point for this book happens just before Christmas- starting where the last books left off. The next thing happens and his new friends ask how long it had been since then and he says it's been 3 or 4 months. That was a smoking hot night. And we know of him seeing them in passing for the next few weeks. Suddenly, it's February. Like more than a year since the first turning point? But also makes it seem like it's only a few months since then. I'm not really sure. And really, that first point also brought on news about his roommate. A roommate that was to leave the next day for the Navy. But he shows back up again. He's really only mentioned the two times in this book. I guess he's still living there after basic, but that really wasn't talked about and didn't make much sense to me. But even with all that timeline confusion, I really enjoyed this story (even if I don't know that I like this new man as much as the last one) and am exciting to read how his journey continues.

*I am leaving an honest and voluntary review after receiving this book as an ARC.

[Nedra81 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audio

The best way to get over a breakup, is to get under someone else (or two). The softball couple was definitely a much needed distraction for Michael from Carter and the kids, and some hot tub excitement, too!

Dwayne takes Michael to yet another bar (I’m still not sure about him), where Michael meets Donny, the bartender/zookeeper. They hit it off right away, from zoo dates to bar dates to babysitting cubs, with absolutely no sexual contact!

I’m excited for the next installment, especially witnessing Michael fumble along through his sexual journey with humor and heartache. The narration is absolutely hilarious, especially when Michael “chastises” his listeners!! Keep the self dialogue coming, especially the humorous banter.

[Helen Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think Casey Morales is one of the best writers in MM romance, and this story bears that out. Every page is filled with witty, clever writing and the story absolutely captivated me, particularly knowing that it's true. I loved this book possibly the best of this wonderful series so far. You know those surveys that ask you what you would like to do as a profession if you weren’t in your current job? Well, I’ve always answered that I would like to handle and train big cats. The scenes with Donny and his cats fascinated me. Also, it amused me when Michael/Casey said “I’ve never cared for books.” I look forward to reading the remaining 2 books in the Raised by Wolves series!

[Wide Eyes, Big Ears! · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still reeling from the breakup with his first love, baby gay Michael throws himself into refereeing and playing sports which leads to a dinner invitation by an established couple and he initially feels out of his depth in their hot tub. Michael also leans on his two club-scene friends for support and starts a promising series of dates with one of the club bartenders.

I’m really enjoying this semi-biographical series, but this story (book #3) in particular felt like a couple of ‘slice of life’ chapters rather than a complete novella. I guess this is a serial rather than a series, there’s no major romantic plotline that resolves by the end of this episode. I do enjoy Michael’s genuinely nice character; he’s not a player and, although he makes mistakes (don’t we all!), he’s never deliberately hurtful. It’s also a pleasure to watch Michael mature as he learns and grows from each experience or encounter. 🎧 Jon Curtis is an excellent narrator with a young voice, and he channels Michael’s youthful enthusiasm perfectly!

[Lyn Tucci · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to get over a broken heart fast

So it appears it doesn't take Michael too long to get over his breakup with Carter or vice versa. I kept hoping they would get back together but Michael met someone new. A bartender at one of the gay bars and they are taking it really slow. This book was about them meeting and dating. No sex involved!

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael is still trying to figure out how things go in the gay scene. After Carter breaks up with him so his ex wife doesn't try to take his boys away, Michael seems to get over it quite quickly. One of the best things about the series is seeing Michael on his journey of self discovery and acceptance. I received an ARC of this book for my honest review.

[Janelimay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life can be difficult. There are reasons we have phrases for what life throws at us. Sometimes it seems, just when life looks good, something happens. This series throws several things at the reader. It could have been predictable by now, but it is still new and interesting. Requesting the next in the series (I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.)

[Raven and Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lions, tigers, and a different kind of bear

I have fond memories of the Nashville Zoo, lol. Both at the newer one and the sold one described in this book. I like Donny but we all know this one isn’t going to last either. Hint..the whole series…anyway, I am enjoying Michael’s journey. Everyone needs a friend like Danny.

[Jamie Rice · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Wildest Date by Casey Morales. My heart broke for Michael when he was told that he was unable to be with someone because of their vindictive ex. Especially since he was so happy. Honestly, though everyone needs a best friend in their life like Dwayne. he is all the Sass and banter that this series needed.

[Amanda Reeves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another really great book in the life of Michael. We've already been through two adventures and this third one was so fun. I can't wait to keep reading Michael and the adventure of him discovering himself.

[Kathy Seabrease · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read these books in the Raised by Wolves boxset, bit reading them individually by choice. I love that the author puts himself out there and gives a somewhat autobiographical version of himself. I think Donny was special and wish things could have worked our. Added bonus of all the critters.

[Keith Pruitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Animals one and All

In this third book, Casey becomes involved with a dreamy bartender who in the day time works as the Catman at the Nashville Zoo. Will he at last find his handsome prince?

[Shirley (Secret Squirrel) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Donny.

[Erth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the book. Audio narration was great!

[Jim Wilkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the entire five book series. I enjoyed the banter between the author and the reader. It was easy to buy into the story.

The sex scenes were a bit much sometimes.

If you are looking for a fun MM romance this one if for you.

[Cæsar Eanraig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting!!!

The story was very entertaining, heartbreaking, comical, steaming and so, so sweet, I devoured it, couldn't stop, the main characters were fun as usual and the new, so interesting, I was like, "ooooh so that what it meant" (no telling)! Clever title !!!

It was a rollercoaster of emotions, I was devastated at some point and falling from my chair laughing the next!
The AOL explanation was so funny, it reminded me of MSN for me, good times!!!
Dwayne and Jason scenes were great and Donny, he was just perfect!
Katie’s last comment made me laugh out loud!!!!!

The entire book was a joy! High complements to Casey Morales!

Jon Curtis is one of the best narrators, sometimes I like to read and listen at the same time, and there were some occasions when the narrator changed a line from the book, most of the times it doesn't harm the story but it can change the meaning or the intention of the moment, Jon is very accurate to the lines, he was magnificent in his performance, fully committed superb acting, the reading was clear and on point, amazing technique, beautiful voice! Congratulations!!!

5⭐️

Cæsar

[Janice Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael's continuing story has him breaking up with his first boyfriend. His friend Dwayne commiserates with him and together they visit a bar where he meets a really cute bartender, who is also an assistant zookeeper, named Donny. He and Donny end up dating and Michael is blown away by the animals Donny helps to raise. They date for several months without ever going all the way and Michael wonders why that is.

I really liked this book. I loved all the absolute wonder that Michael shows when on his first date at the zoo as well as meeting the baby animals at Donny's home. I like that he was so go with the flow and so accepting of each and every experience he has on his journey of navigating his life as a gay man in Nashville. I can't wait to find out what is in store for him after this.

I received an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.