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Wild #3
Mountain Wild
A beautiful mountain recluse rescues an injured cowboy who could change her life in this captivating historical western romance.Fourteen years ago a terrified young Maggie Grace fled into the wilderness of the Wyoming mountains, where she has lived alone, fighting for survival, ever since. Until she finds cowboy Garret Daines lying unconscious in a blizzard.Snowbound in Maggie’s cabin, sharing the only bed with this beautiful, wild woman, brings Garret’s body—and guarded heart—pulsing back to life.Garret is the only man ever to show Maggie any kindness, and the walls around her heart begin to crumble. But this wildcat won’t let herself be easily tamed. . . .
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2009
42 people are currently reading
768 people want to read
About the author
Stacey Kayne
8 books105 followersStacey Kayne is a new voice in western historical romance. Her debut novel MUSTANG WILD,(Wild Trilogy), was released in March 2007 from Harlequin. BRIDE OF SHADOW CANYON (Bride Series)was released in April 2007. Stacey has since sold eight western romances to Harlequin--watch for new installments in her WILD and BRIDE series. Specializing in the adventurous wild west, Stacey brings her love of the past to vivid life. With a passion for history and flair for storytelling, she strives to weave fact and fiction into a wild ride that can capture the heart.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
July 6, 2009
I thoroughly enjoyed this latest addition to the Wild series by an author who has definitely impressed me in the historical western romance genre. I can heartily say that Garret grew up to be a wonderful man. Not only is he devastatingly gorgeous, he is strong, intelligent, and independent, but despite having a divorce under his belt, when it comes down to it, he's not afraid to give his heart.
It's clear that growing up with an unusual and strong sister like Skylar really had an effect on him, for he can easily admire the strength and the unique appeal of a woman like Maggie. Even when he sees her at her worst, smelling from her bear coat, with tangled hair, about to kill a man, he still steps in to protect her. His generosity is rewarded, because his life is later saved by her, and he finds the love of his life.
This book was rather like Beauty and the Beast with the genders reversed. In this case, Mad Mag, as she is called, is the Beast. In reality, she is a beautiful woman who has been forced by circumstances to live her life in the mountains, away from most humans, due to a nefarious brother who tries to kill her at the age of thirteen. When mountain man Ira Dawkins steps in to buy her for six beaver pelts, she gets the opportunity to survive that she takes full advantage of.
Maggie is just as admirable as Garret. She has her reasons for hating most people. After all, her brother tried to kill her for her inheritance, and any time she ventures out of her mountains, she is ridiculed and poorly treated by the townsfolk. Despite that, she still takes in Garret when he is left for dead during a blizzard.
That is where the Beauty and the Beast allegory comes in. Garret spends days snowbound with Mad Mag, only she is incredibly beautiful and sweet-smelling. At first, he doesn't even know it's her. Poor Garret falls head over heels, despite his spoiled wife having cut out on him after eight months of marriage and still having a wary heart from that.
I really appreciated how willing Garret was to love Maggie, despite the obstacles in their way. He looks past what her reputation is to the sweet, kind woman she is. Maggie is survivor and is used to having no one stand up for her, so possessing Garret's devotion is a wondrous thing. She doesn't know quite what to make of it.
In addition to having Maggie be the mountain woman, instead of the hero being the mountain man, Ms. Kayne also did things a little differently in that Maggie is the skittish one in this story. She has no faith in human nature, probably for good reason. The only person who was ever nice to her was Ira, and at the same time, he kept her at arm's length as well. She's lived in the mountains so long, she just wants to escape back, although Garret is an almost irresistible allure. She is attracted to him physically and emotionally, and really surprised that he could want her as well. Garret tries very hard not to pressure his "Magpie" so she won't run away back to the mountains. When he is brutally assaulted again, he gets the opportunity to woo her as she nurses him back to health.
I really do appreciate Ms. Kayne's writing. Each book in this series has been different. It's hard to say which is my favorite, because they are all so good. But it's easy to say that Garret is my favorite hero in this series. He's neither alpha nor beta, but a divine mix of the two. He's fearless in giving his heart despite having had it broken. He's also fearless in protecting the woman he's come to love, but at the same time very gentle, kind and understanding with her.
Again, Ms. Kayne really hits pay dirt with the excellent mix of romance and western action. Pick this one up if you want to read a really good western.
It's clear that growing up with an unusual and strong sister like Skylar really had an effect on him, for he can easily admire the strength and the unique appeal of a woman like Maggie. Even when he sees her at her worst, smelling from her bear coat, with tangled hair, about to kill a man, he still steps in to protect her. His generosity is rewarded, because his life is later saved by her, and he finds the love of his life.
This book was rather like Beauty and the Beast with the genders reversed. In this case, Mad Mag, as she is called, is the Beast. In reality, she is a beautiful woman who has been forced by circumstances to live her life in the mountains, away from most humans, due to a nefarious brother who tries to kill her at the age of thirteen. When mountain man Ira Dawkins steps in to buy her for six beaver pelts, she gets the opportunity to survive that she takes full advantage of.
Maggie is just as admirable as Garret. She has her reasons for hating most people. After all, her brother tried to kill her for her inheritance, and any time she ventures out of her mountains, she is ridiculed and poorly treated by the townsfolk. Despite that, she still takes in Garret when he is left for dead during a blizzard.
That is where the Beauty and the Beast allegory comes in. Garret spends days snowbound with Mad Mag, only she is incredibly beautiful and sweet-smelling. At first, he doesn't even know it's her. Poor Garret falls head over heels, despite his spoiled wife having cut out on him after eight months of marriage and still having a wary heart from that.
I really appreciated how willing Garret was to love Maggie, despite the obstacles in their way. He looks past what her reputation is to the sweet, kind woman she is. Maggie is survivor and is used to having no one stand up for her, so possessing Garret's devotion is a wondrous thing. She doesn't know quite what to make of it.
In addition to having Maggie be the mountain woman, instead of the hero being the mountain man, Ms. Kayne also did things a little differently in that Maggie is the skittish one in this story. She has no faith in human nature, probably for good reason. The only person who was ever nice to her was Ira, and at the same time, he kept her at arm's length as well. She's lived in the mountains so long, she just wants to escape back, although Garret is an almost irresistible allure. She is attracted to him physically and emotionally, and really surprised that he could want her as well. Garret tries very hard not to pressure his "Magpie" so she won't run away back to the mountains. When he is brutally assaulted again, he gets the opportunity to woo her as she nurses him back to health.
I really do appreciate Ms. Kayne's writing. Each book in this series has been different. It's hard to say which is my favorite, because they are all so good. But it's easy to say that Garret is my favorite hero in this series. He's neither alpha nor beta, but a divine mix of the two. He's fearless in giving his heart despite having had it broken. He's also fearless in protecting the woman he's come to love, but at the same time very gentle, kind and understanding with her.
Again, Ms. Kayne really hits pay dirt with the excellent mix of romance and western action. Pick this one up if you want to read a really good western.
January 9, 2018
I really liked this series. Nice characters.
January 18, 2025
Mountain Wild is the story of Mad Mag, a mysterious recluse who lives a hermit-like life up in the freezing mountains of Wyoming and only comes down her fortress of ice to barter the furs she has trapped, scowling at any man, woman, or child who would dare accost her, and keeping one hand on her knife, the other on her ever-ready to shoot rifle.
When she comes across a man half frozen to death in the middle of a blizzard miles away from civilization, she reluctantly rescues him. As the man, a local rancher named Garrett Daines, regains consciousness, the relationship between the two begins as an uneasy truce between rescuer and rescuee before evolving, slowly but surely, into something more.
June 3, 2013
As soon as I finised Maverick Wild, I jumped on Mountain Wild! :D
I loved Jamie in the previous books and was anxious to read his story!
And I was very, very happy!
Jamie is awesome! He's hot, gentle, tender... Mmmmmm... Wonderful!
Maggie was great too! She was tough, capable. I felt sorry for her too: how awful to have a brother who hate her so much to want to kill her!!! Poor girl...
I would have loved to know Ira's story. Why did he helped Maggie? Who was he? I liked him and was sad that he was not developed more in the story.
Anyhow, the love story is great. There's no doubt that Maggie a Jamie are perfect for each other. Magie doesn't fight her attraction and enjoys Jamies adavances fully, but she's rightly convinced that her awful brother will do everything to kill her, even if it means killing Jamie to get to her. So she tries to protect him; not very successfully. Here's her TSTL moment:
That said, I loved this book! ... and this whole series! :D
I loved Jamie in the previous books and was anxious to read his story!
And I was very, very happy!
Jamie is awesome! He's hot, gentle, tender... Mmmmmm... Wonderful!
Maggie was great too! She was tough, capable. I felt sorry for her too: how awful to have a brother who hate her so much to want to kill her!!! Poor girl...
I would have loved to know Ira's story. Why did he helped Maggie? Who was he? I liked him and was sad that he was not developed more in the story.
Anyhow, the love story is great. There's no doubt that Maggie a Jamie are perfect for each other. Magie doesn't fight her attraction and enjoys Jamies adavances fully, but she's rightly convinced that her awful brother will do everything to kill her, even if it means killing Jamie to get to her. So she tries to protect him; not very successfully. Here's her TSTL moment:
That said, I loved this book! ... and this whole series! :D
February 26, 2023
Preface
Garret was the best lead in the /Wild/ series. And surprisingly so was Maggie. I enjoyed that they both were evenly matched in feeling and stubbornness. I rooted for their happy ending. I felt the tension, the push and pull, the wonderment that comes from finding someone when you had given up in even looking for it.
It would have been an easy five stars if it were not for the POV of the the bad guy. Ugh. He was a disgusting person (along with his even more repugnant assistant). But I’m not removing a star because he was a terrible person. I can hate characters and still give them all the stars. This bad guy was just so poorly written: He was a one dimensional cookie cutter version of “muhahahaha twirl mustache, evil giggles” sort of hero. His point of view chapters added NOTHING. Didn’t raise the stakes, didn’t make me understand him. It was all unnecessary words to the page that took away from the main couple. In fact, I’m sure you can skips his point view and not miss anything. I didn’t want to be dragged from a great story to witness the creep. Which seems to happen a lot with this author. She adds villain chapters only to not do anything to the story and ruin a perfectly paced book.
The rest of the story was good. I have to say the book was extremely easy to read. I began it yesterday at midnight- 16 hours later (where I took breaks to work/eat / sleep) I’m done.
If you want a goodish western series that does not require much thinking, yet still brings forth feelings with a tbsp of heat. I would recommend it. Just skip all the villain chapters. You won’t miss anything, in fact, you will be winning the privilege of not having them ruin the books.
————————————————————————————
RATINGS:
Plot : 2.5 📚📚💫 Some + some more. Can a cabin bed fit two? Who is out to murder who? What good is cattle if people keep stealing it? Is that a bear?
World Building(Immersion): 2.5 🌎🌎💫 I did feel the Wyoming winter, not quite the Wyoming wild.
Angst : 1.5 👹💫 Slapping the mosquito dead and scratching the itch.
Funniness: 1.5 🌝💫 Amused. The Morgan brothers teasing Garret was extremely sweet.
Scariness: ❎ Not scary.
Romance: 3 💖💖💖 Aw, it was cute.
Spice: 3 🌶🌶🌶 Explicit, but not a big part of the story.
Goriness: 2.5 🫀🫀 💫 Someone died and I kinda witnessed it.
Sadness: 1 🥲 I know the author intended for me to feel something, and I almost did.
Overall star rating : 3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 It was good, it was almost great.
————————————————————————————
🚨🚨🚨MILD SPOILERS 🚨🚨🚨
The Good Place:
▫️Garret, my sweet viking man.
▫️Maggie, the incredible mountain woman.
▫️Skylar and Tucker ofc.
▫️Cora Mae and Chance.
▫️ All the kiddos (freaking 10 kids man that is insane, then again seeing the winters and them having nothing else to do much I don’t blame them 🤣).
▫️Boots!! My precious doggo. I worried for a second there but he was fine!
The Bad Place:
▪️Nathan and his disgusting associate.
▪️All the lackeys who helped the two a-holes above.
Romance Safety:
Garret ( the H) was married before. He was not happy. His wife left him. They got a divorce. Before he met the heroine he had not been with anyone for a long while. Maggie (the h) didn’t have any experience (virgin), giving that she lived with the older guy who saved her when she was a child. She asked him for a baby but he refused her. Once she and the hero met and get together they are devoted to each other. No cheating. And thankfully no OM or OW drama.
————————————————————————————
🚨🚨🚨🚨 SPOILERS 🚨🚨🚨🚨
Some ( Very Random) Moments of Notice Along With (Sometimes) My Very Live Reactions Straight From My Notes App to You:
📌“A dream,” he muttered. The only safe place to love a woman.
📌“Holding you…is worth every bruise.”The lump in her throat made it hard to breathe. “If I find out you set this up just to get me into your bed, you’re a dead man.
Garret was the best lead in the /Wild/ series. And surprisingly so was Maggie. I enjoyed that they both were evenly matched in feeling and stubbornness. I rooted for their happy ending. I felt the tension, the push and pull, the wonderment that comes from finding someone when you had given up in even looking for it.
It would have been an easy five stars if it were not for the POV of the the bad guy. Ugh. He was a disgusting person (along with his even more repugnant assistant). But I’m not removing a star because he was a terrible person. I can hate characters and still give them all the stars. This bad guy was just so poorly written: He was a one dimensional cookie cutter version of “muhahahaha twirl mustache, evil giggles” sort of hero. His point of view chapters added NOTHING. Didn’t raise the stakes, didn’t make me understand him. It was all unnecessary words to the page that took away from the main couple. In fact, I’m sure you can skips his point view and not miss anything. I didn’t want to be dragged from a great story to witness the creep. Which seems to happen a lot with this author. She adds villain chapters only to not do anything to the story and ruin a perfectly paced book.
The rest of the story was good. I have to say the book was extremely easy to read. I began it yesterday at midnight- 16 hours later (where I took breaks to work/eat / sleep) I’m done.
If you want a goodish western series that does not require much thinking, yet still brings forth feelings with a tbsp of heat. I would recommend it. Just skip all the villain chapters. You won’t miss anything, in fact, you will be winning the privilege of not having them ruin the books.
————————————————————————————
RATINGS:
Plot : 2.5 📚📚💫 Some + some more. Can a cabin bed fit two? Who is out to murder who? What good is cattle if people keep stealing it? Is that a bear?
World Building(Immersion): 2.5 🌎🌎💫 I did feel the Wyoming winter, not quite the Wyoming wild.
Angst : 1.5 👹💫 Slapping the mosquito dead and scratching the itch.
Funniness: 1.5 🌝💫 Amused. The Morgan brothers teasing Garret was extremely sweet.
Scariness: ❎ Not scary.
Romance: 3 💖💖💖 Aw, it was cute.
Spice: 3 🌶🌶🌶 Explicit, but not a big part of the story.
Goriness: 2.5 🫀🫀 💫 Someone died and I kinda witnessed it.
Sadness: 1 🥲 I know the author intended for me to feel something, and I almost did.
Overall star rating : 3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 It was good, it was almost great.
————————————————————————————
🚨🚨🚨MILD SPOILERS 🚨🚨🚨
The Good Place:
▫️Garret, my sweet viking man.
▫️Maggie, the incredible mountain woman.
▫️Skylar and Tucker ofc.
▫️Cora Mae and Chance.
▫️ All the kiddos (freaking 10 kids man that is insane, then again seeing the winters and them having nothing else to do much I don’t blame them 🤣).
▫️Boots!! My precious doggo. I worried for a second there but he was fine!
The Bad Place:
▪️Nathan and his disgusting associate.
▪️All the lackeys who helped the two a-holes above.
Romance Safety:
Garret ( the H) was married before. He was not happy. His wife left him. They got a divorce. Before he met the heroine he had not been with anyone for a long while. Maggie (the h) didn’t have any experience (virgin), giving that she lived with the older guy who saved her when she was a child. She asked him for a baby but he refused her. Once she and the hero met and get together they are devoted to each other. No cheating. And thankfully no OM or OW drama.
————————————————————————————
🚨🚨🚨🚨 SPOILERS 🚨🚨🚨🚨
Some ( Very Random) Moments of Notice Along With (Sometimes) My Very Live Reactions Straight From My Notes App to You:
📌“A dream,” he muttered. The only safe place to love a woman.
📌“Holding you…is worth every bruise.”The lump in her throat made it hard to breathe. “If I find out you set this up just to get me into your bed, you’re a dead man.
September 19, 2017
Plutôt bon pour un Harlequin collection historique, même très bon !
L'héroïne est atypique puisqu'elle vit seule et n'apprécie pas le contact humain. J'ai apprécié qu'elle garde cette caractéristique, c'est sa personnalité après tout, tout au long du récit (c'était très réaliste). Du coup, sa relation avec le héros était touchante puisqu'il arrive peu à peu à "l'apprivoiser".
L'intrigue n'était pas très originale mais elle a permis de montrer les évolutions des héros et de donner un peu de tension à l'histoire.
L'héroïne est atypique puisqu'elle vit seule et n'apprécie pas le contact humain. J'ai apprécié qu'elle garde cette caractéristique, c'est sa personnalité après tout, tout au long du récit (c'était très réaliste). Du coup, sa relation avec le héros était touchante puisqu'il arrive peu à peu à "l'apprivoiser".
L'intrigue n'était pas très originale mais elle a permis de montrer les évolutions des héros et de donner un peu de tension à l'histoire.
September 25, 2015
I didn't dislike it and some parts were sweet, but for all of its dark tones and serious drama this book was pretty ridiculous. The bad guys were cardboard cut-outs and evil for no reason, the characters had very little depth and often made decisions for whatever reason, and each conflict was cleaned up nice and tidy, wrapped up like nothing ever happened.
So again, it's not that I disliked the book but I personally feel like it wasn't very well written. The characters kept me reading but I definitely found myself skimming after a while.
So again, it's not that I disliked the book but I personally feel like it wasn't very well written. The characters kept me reading but I definitely found myself skimming after a while.
December 27, 2012
This is really 3 1/2 ** read for me, it's the first of this author that I've read and I will look into more of her books.
Maggie, aka Mad Meg (h) is on the run and in hiding ever since her brother tried to kill her at age 13, when he sold her to trapper who happened along rather than beating her to death. Fast forward several years she's now 27, living on her own after the trapper had died and staying hidden in the mountains. On the rare occasions that she does have to go into town she goes in disguise. She makes sure she is dirty, smelly and looking old and the towns people call her Mad Meg. They also leave her alone which is just the way she wants it.
One day while she's in town she has a chance encounter with her brother, he thought she was dead and when he cornered her in an alley a blond cowboy came to her rescue. A few days later she runs across this same blond cowboy injured, freezing and a breath away from death. She couldn't't just leave him there to die but bringing him back to her little hidden home would mean opening up a whole can of worms......she would just have to move again once he was better and out of her hair.
last thing he remembers is looking for his friend when he never returned to the ranch, now he's waking up in a cave with a very skiddish young woman taking care of him. He's as weak as a newborn but as soon as he's recovered he has to continue looking for his friend and check on his ranch. Bad things have been happening to the ranchers in this area and he needs to keep a look out and try and figure out who's behind all of this so he doesn't't become the next victim.
I really did like the story of these two, but one thing really bothered me and kept me from grading this higher. *******SMALL SPOILERS****** just before the H and Maggie have sex, she remembers back on her life with Ira (the trapper who bought her). She remembers asking him to give her a baby , after spending so much time with the Indians and seeing the Indian women with their babies she wanted one of her own to love, the author explains how Ira had gotten mad and left saying she didn't know what she was asking of him and later as he lay dying she apologises to her saying she would have made a great mother. She had no other contact with any other people yet when she sleeps with for the first time there is no mention of her being a virgin , nothing. In fact the love scenes read as though they are both very experienced in sex. This made no sense to me at all. Other than that though the story was pretty good. =)
Maggie, aka Mad Meg (h) is on the run and in hiding ever since her brother tried to kill her at age 13, when he sold her to trapper who happened along rather than beating her to death. Fast forward several years she's now 27, living on her own after the trapper had died and staying hidden in the mountains. On the rare occasions that she does have to go into town she goes in disguise. She makes sure she is dirty, smelly and looking old and the towns people call her Mad Meg. They also leave her alone which is just the way she wants it.
One day while she's in town she has a chance encounter with her brother, he thought she was dead and when he cornered her in an alley a blond cowboy came to her rescue. A few days later she runs across this same blond cowboy injured, freezing and a breath away from death. She couldn't't just leave him there to die but bringing him back to her little hidden home would mean opening up a whole can of worms......she would just have to move again once he was better and out of her hair.
last thing he remembers is looking for his friend when he never returned to the ranch, now he's waking up in a cave with a very skiddish young woman taking care of him. He's as weak as a newborn but as soon as he's recovered he has to continue looking for his friend and check on his ranch. Bad things have been happening to the ranchers in this area and he needs to keep a look out and try and figure out who's behind all of this so he doesn't't become the next victim.
I really did like the story of these two, but one thing really bothered me and kept me from grading this higher. *******SMALL SPOILERS****** just before the H and Maggie have sex, she remembers back on her life with Ira (the trapper who bought her). She remembers asking him to give her a baby , after spending so much time with the Indians and seeing the Indian women with their babies she wanted one of her own to love, the author explains how Ira had gotten mad and left saying she didn't know what she was asking of him and later as he lay dying she apologises to her saying she would have made a great mother. She had no other contact with any other people yet when she sleeps with for the first time there is no mention of her being a virgin , nothing. In fact the love scenes read as though they are both very experienced in sex. This made no sense to me at all. Other than that though the story was pretty good. =)
November 9, 2025
Reviewed for THC Reviews
Mountain Wild is the third and final book in Stacey Kayne’s Wild series. Our hero, Garret, appeared in the first two books as a teenager, and is the younger brother of Skylar (Mustang Wild). Now he’s grown up and running his own ranch, but all the ranchers in the area have been dealing with rustlers stealing their cattle. Garret was also briefly married to a beautiful Southern Belle who decided after only eight months together that ranch life wasn’t for her. One day, when his business partner doesn’t return, Garret goes looking for him and gets attacked and left for dead in the snow. He’s rescued by the notorious mountain woman known as Mad Mag. Rather than being the old woman everyone thinks she is, Maggie is a young woman around Garret’s own age, who ended up living an isolated life on the mountain after escaping her older brother’s abuse and attempted murder at the age of thirteen. Maggie fears anyone knowing where she lives, but at the same time, she can’t just leave Garret to die. She reluctantly takes him back to her cabin, where she nurses him back to health. An instant attraction takes root between them, and with there only being one small bed in her tiny abode and a snowstorm raging outside, one thing leads to another. Even though Garret would like more, he doesn’t want to pressure Maggie or rush into anything like he did with his first marriage, and since he needs to get back to his ranch, he reluctantly leaves her. Unable to take his elderly dog with him through the deep snow, he leaves Boots in her care until the spring thaw. At the same time, Maggie comes down the mountain to return Boots, Garret’s ranch is attacked by masked outlaws who beat him senseless. It soon becomes apparent that Maggie’s brother is behind it, but proving his involvement when he’s the mayor of the town will be nearly impossible and also incredibly dangerous when there’s a bounty out on Maggie’s head.
Maggie’s mother died in childbirth, but she was adored by her wealthy father, who always made sure she had the best of everything. However, when she was just thirteen, her father died, and her greedy brother, Nathan, was enraged that the will provided for Maggie’s future instead of it all going to him. He beat Maggie and would have killed her if Ira, a mountain man who witnessed it, hadn’t stepped in to save her. He took her into the mountains, where he taught her everything he knew about trapping, hunting, and survival. Ira died a while back, but Maggie has continued to live her isolated mountain existence. When she goes into town, she disguises herself in such a way that everyone calls her Mad Mag and thinks she’s an old woman. But in reality, she still maintains a modicum of the genteel life she once knew in private. When she finds Garret half-frozen and unconscious in the snow, she fears taking him to her humble home because there’s a bounty out on her head for assaulting Nathan months ago. But since Garret helped her escape that incident and his kin have been good to her in the past, she feels she owes him something. She takes him to her cabin and nurses him back to health. Maggie finds Garret very attractive and her body responds to him in ways she’s never experienced before, so sharing her small bed turns into a whole lot more. A part of her really likes him, but the part that fears repercussions wants him gone ASAP. When she volunteers to watch his dog, though, she knows she’ll have to see him again, and by the time that happens, she’s missing him terribly. Still her fears war with her desires, while her brother poses a serious danger to both of them. I really liked Maggie. She’s definitely a survivor. I enjoyed the juxtaposition of her clean cabin and its refined touches with her rugged mountain woman persona. She’s certainly carved out a unique life for herself, and I’m glad that she was able to allow Garret to become a part of it.
Garret has kind of had a rough go of it through the first two books. With him and his sister, Skylar, losing their parents, he had to grow up fast and become a cowhand, helping her, Chance, and Tucker drive horses to the ranch where they now live. Then he fell for Cora Mae (Maverick Wild), offering to marry her, only to have Chance snag her away from him, leaving him heartbroken. In the seven years since, he’s set up his own ranch a half-hour ride away from the others. He was also briefly married to a Southern Belle who quickly figured out that ranch life wasn’t for her, once again breaking Garret’s heart. Now he’s dealing with a range war between the local ranchers, but no one yet knows who’s stealing the cattle. One day, when his ranch foreman and business partner doesn’t return home, Garret goes looking for him, only to be attacked himself and left for dead. He awakens in Maggie’s humble cave home after a delicious dream of kissing a beautiful woman, not realizing at first that it was real. Once he’s recovered from his injuries, he discovers a deep attraction for Maggie in more ways than one. After spending several days snowed in together, during which they share intimacies, Garret knows he has to get back to his ranch before something else happens. But he’s reluctant to leave Maggie behind. When it becomes apparent that she isn’t inclined to go with him and that his dog won’t be able to make the long trek back in the snow, he leaves Boots in her care, knowing that at least he’ll see her one more time when she returns the canine. When Maggie finally shows up two months later, Garret has once again been attacked and beaten senseless by men who want to know where she is. It’s then that he realizes the danger Maggie is in. But when Garret is arrested by a corrupt sheriff and accused of being the cattle rustler, he’ll have a hard time proving his innocence. Garret is a sweetheart who treats Maggie with kindness and gentleness. He’s loyal to those he loves, and she quickly comes to fall into that category. Although he has a history of falling hard and fast for women and then it not working out, I admired that he wasn’t afraid to do it again when it really counted.
Overall, Mountain Wild was an enjoyable read. Garret and Maggie were both great characters. Maggie can be a little prickly and understandably so given how things went down with her brother after their father’s death and how she’s had to live rough ever since. She thinks she wants to be alone, but having Garret with her for a few days shows her how lonely her existence has become and makes her long for things she never dared to before. Garret has an open heart and is patient in dealing with Maggie’s fears and uncertainties. He falls quickly for her and misses her deeply after going back down the mountain to his ranch. Together they made a great match. There are touches of suspense as Maggie’s brother stirs up trouble and tries to kill Maggie so that he alone has claim to their father’s fortune. Admittedly his motives perhaps weren’t quite as strong as they could have been. He’s basically just greedy and sociopathic, but because of his wealth and position, he’s able to buy off officials, making him a somewhat scary villain. The way that all wrapped up maybe could have been a little more climactic as well, but overall not bad. All things taken into account, Mountain Wild was a very respectable entry into the series and a nice ending to this family saga. My enjoyment of the entire Wild series has left me very interested in checking out the author’s remaining backlist.
Mountain Wild is the third and final book in Stacey Kayne’s Wild series. Our hero, Garret, appeared in the first two books as a teenager, and is the younger brother of Skylar (Mustang Wild). Now he’s grown up and running his own ranch, but all the ranchers in the area have been dealing with rustlers stealing their cattle. Garret was also briefly married to a beautiful Southern Belle who decided after only eight months together that ranch life wasn’t for her. One day, when his business partner doesn’t return, Garret goes looking for him and gets attacked and left for dead in the snow. He’s rescued by the notorious mountain woman known as Mad Mag. Rather than being the old woman everyone thinks she is, Maggie is a young woman around Garret’s own age, who ended up living an isolated life on the mountain after escaping her older brother’s abuse and attempted murder at the age of thirteen. Maggie fears anyone knowing where she lives, but at the same time, she can’t just leave Garret to die. She reluctantly takes him back to her cabin, where she nurses him back to health. An instant attraction takes root between them, and with there only being one small bed in her tiny abode and a snowstorm raging outside, one thing leads to another. Even though Garret would like more, he doesn’t want to pressure Maggie or rush into anything like he did with his first marriage, and since he needs to get back to his ranch, he reluctantly leaves her. Unable to take his elderly dog with him through the deep snow, he leaves Boots in her care until the spring thaw. At the same time, Maggie comes down the mountain to return Boots, Garret’s ranch is attacked by masked outlaws who beat him senseless. It soon becomes apparent that Maggie’s brother is behind it, but proving his involvement when he’s the mayor of the town will be nearly impossible and also incredibly dangerous when there’s a bounty out on Maggie’s head.
Maggie’s mother died in childbirth, but she was adored by her wealthy father, who always made sure she had the best of everything. However, when she was just thirteen, her father died, and her greedy brother, Nathan, was enraged that the will provided for Maggie’s future instead of it all going to him. He beat Maggie and would have killed her if Ira, a mountain man who witnessed it, hadn’t stepped in to save her. He took her into the mountains, where he taught her everything he knew about trapping, hunting, and survival. Ira died a while back, but Maggie has continued to live her isolated mountain existence. When she goes into town, she disguises herself in such a way that everyone calls her Mad Mag and thinks she’s an old woman. But in reality, she still maintains a modicum of the genteel life she once knew in private. When she finds Garret half-frozen and unconscious in the snow, she fears taking him to her humble home because there’s a bounty out on her head for assaulting Nathan months ago. But since Garret helped her escape that incident and his kin have been good to her in the past, she feels she owes him something. She takes him to her cabin and nurses him back to health. Maggie finds Garret very attractive and her body responds to him in ways she’s never experienced before, so sharing her small bed turns into a whole lot more. A part of her really likes him, but the part that fears repercussions wants him gone ASAP. When she volunteers to watch his dog, though, she knows she’ll have to see him again, and by the time that happens, she’s missing him terribly. Still her fears war with her desires, while her brother poses a serious danger to both of them. I really liked Maggie. She’s definitely a survivor. I enjoyed the juxtaposition of her clean cabin and its refined touches with her rugged mountain woman persona. She’s certainly carved out a unique life for herself, and I’m glad that she was able to allow Garret to become a part of it.
Garret has kind of had a rough go of it through the first two books. With him and his sister, Skylar, losing their parents, he had to grow up fast and become a cowhand, helping her, Chance, and Tucker drive horses to the ranch where they now live. Then he fell for Cora Mae (Maverick Wild), offering to marry her, only to have Chance snag her away from him, leaving him heartbroken. In the seven years since, he’s set up his own ranch a half-hour ride away from the others. He was also briefly married to a Southern Belle who quickly figured out that ranch life wasn’t for her, once again breaking Garret’s heart. Now he’s dealing with a range war between the local ranchers, but no one yet knows who’s stealing the cattle. One day, when his ranch foreman and business partner doesn’t return home, Garret goes looking for him, only to be attacked himself and left for dead. He awakens in Maggie’s humble cave home after a delicious dream of kissing a beautiful woman, not realizing at first that it was real. Once he’s recovered from his injuries, he discovers a deep attraction for Maggie in more ways than one. After spending several days snowed in together, during which they share intimacies, Garret knows he has to get back to his ranch before something else happens. But he’s reluctant to leave Maggie behind. When it becomes apparent that she isn’t inclined to go with him and that his dog won’t be able to make the long trek back in the snow, he leaves Boots in her care, knowing that at least he’ll see her one more time when she returns the canine. When Maggie finally shows up two months later, Garret has once again been attacked and beaten senseless by men who want to know where she is. It’s then that he realizes the danger Maggie is in. But when Garret is arrested by a corrupt sheriff and accused of being the cattle rustler, he’ll have a hard time proving his innocence. Garret is a sweetheart who treats Maggie with kindness and gentleness. He’s loyal to those he loves, and she quickly comes to fall into that category. Although he has a history of falling hard and fast for women and then it not working out, I admired that he wasn’t afraid to do it again when it really counted.
Overall, Mountain Wild was an enjoyable read. Garret and Maggie were both great characters. Maggie can be a little prickly and understandably so given how things went down with her brother after their father’s death and how she’s had to live rough ever since. She thinks she wants to be alone, but having Garret with her for a few days shows her how lonely her existence has become and makes her long for things she never dared to before. Garret has an open heart and is patient in dealing with Maggie’s fears and uncertainties. He falls quickly for her and misses her deeply after going back down the mountain to his ranch. Together they made a great match. There are touches of suspense as Maggie’s brother stirs up trouble and tries to kill Maggie so that he alone has claim to their father’s fortune. Admittedly his motives perhaps weren’t quite as strong as they could have been. He’s basically just greedy and sociopathic, but because of his wealth and position, he’s able to buy off officials, making him a somewhat scary villain. The way that all wrapped up maybe could have been a little more climactic as well, but overall not bad. All things taken into account, Mountain Wild was a very respectable entry into the series and a nice ending to this family saga. My enjoyment of the entire Wild series has left me very interested in checking out the author’s remaining backlist.
June 18, 2023
4.5 stars.
Que romance más romántico!!!! (Valga la redundancia!)
Me han encantado los personajes y me ha encantado la historia (un romance super tierno)
Aunque es el tercer libro de la serie se puede leer como uno solo. Yo no he leído los anteriores y no he sentido que faltase nada.
Los personajes son consecuentes y coherentes, una vez que se nos presentan no empiezan a hacer tonterías y lo que hacen o no hacen tiene su explicación y es sincera, o al menos creíble, eso es muy importante para que la historia me enganche y ésta me ha enganchado.
Además del romance hay más historias en paralelo, no tan previsibles como parecían en un principio (otra cosa que me ha gustado un montón) y la “explicación” de porqué el malo es tan malo (o lo que yo considero que es la razón) me ha parecido interesante, original y refrescante.
Sólo por poner una pega y por ello no lo doy las 5 stars, es el epílogo…entiendo que a la mayoría le va a encantar, para mí, en esas últimas páginas, los personajes pierden su identidad envueltos en tanto azúcar, pero claro, es una opinión muuuuy personal.
Me ha encantado!
Que romance más romántico!!!! (Valga la redundancia!)
Me han encantado los personajes y me ha encantado la historia (un romance super tierno)
Aunque es el tercer libro de la serie se puede leer como uno solo. Yo no he leído los anteriores y no he sentido que faltase nada.
Los personajes son consecuentes y coherentes, una vez que se nos presentan no empiezan a hacer tonterías y lo que hacen o no hacen tiene su explicación y es sincera, o al menos creíble, eso es muy importante para que la historia me enganche y ésta me ha enganchado.
Además del romance hay más historias en paralelo, no tan previsibles como parecían en un principio (otra cosa que me ha gustado un montón) y la “explicación” de porqué el malo es tan malo (o lo que yo considero que es la razón) me ha parecido interesante, original y refrescante.
Sólo por poner una pega y por ello no lo doy las 5 stars, es el epílogo…entiendo que a la mayoría le va a encantar, para mí, en esas últimas páginas, los personajes pierden su identidad envueltos en tanto azúcar, pero claro, es una opinión muuuuy personal.
Me ha encantado!
January 10, 2011
Despite the cover, this was an amazing read. The book had a couple of different parts, a bit of mistaken identity/identity deception, and ornery woman down on her luck, a great guy who is slightly bitter about his life so far, and of course someone who is trying to murder people.
I especially loved Maggie's character. She is full of cute contradictions, so strong but she is a little weak too (we notice because she does hide out a lot), and she's so primative but when she first takes in Garrit she tries to spiff up (it's so cute!).
This is a great little story about a couple that fights against all odds. I loved it.
I especially loved Maggie's character. She is full of cute contradictions, so strong but she is a little weak too (we notice because she does hide out a lot), and she's so primative but when she first takes in Garrit she tries to spiff up (it's so cute!).
This is a great little story about a couple that fights against all odds. I loved it.
August 8, 2011
I read this on recommendation of amazon lists. I liked it really well. The story was very well told, with a clear and cohesive plot. I liked the younger man. I need to go back and read the rest of the series now. Author did use the word okay a lot and that would throw me out of the story every time as I had to stop and wonder if the word was in common use then and what she could have used instead. Still a pretty good western feel.
June 29, 2009
Terrific western romance. Maggie Grace is a character you can't help but love and root for. Garrett is the consummate equal to her stubbornness and pride. Solid A read.
July 9, 2009
I haven't read a historical book in a while but I saw this mentioned on blogs and was interested right away. I decided to buy it and definitely wasn't disappointed. I loved the budding relationship between Maggie and Garrett. This was a great story with alot of action bringing back my love of cowboys and western books. Maggie is such a strong character having to deal with all she went through. I'll have to pick up the others in the series since both Maggie and Garrett make appearances.
January 17, 2011
4.5 - 5.0 stars
Loved this small series and have them marked to read again in my Personal Notes.
I would recommend that readers start with book 1, 'Mustang Wild' and then read Book 2 'Maverick Wild' before reading 'Mountain Wild' because Garret is a sub-main character in each, and Maggie is also in each book. Those books are also very good. There is a greater insight to Garret as a person if you read all three books.
Loved this small series and have them marked to read again in my Personal Notes.
I would recommend that readers start with book 1, 'Mustang Wild' and then read Book 2 'Maverick Wild' before reading 'Mountain Wild' because Garret is a sub-main character in each, and Maggie is also in each book. Those books are also very good. There is a greater insight to Garret as a person if you read all three books.
March 8, 2015
4.5 stars! I absolutely loved this!
After reading the first couple books I was hoping for more of Maggie and I got it. I enjoyed hearing about her life and how she came to be known as "Mad Mag". I love her and Garrett together. I love the suspense with her brother and how it was resolved. My only complaint was with the epilogue. It was nice but I would've loved something longer, wrapping up the whole series.
After reading the first couple books I was hoping for more of Maggie and I got it. I enjoyed hearing about her life and how she came to be known as "Mad Mag". I love her and Garrett together. I love the suspense with her brother and how it was resolved. My only complaint was with the epilogue. It was nice but I would've loved something longer, wrapping up the whole series.
April 9, 2016
MOUNTAIN WILD by Stacey Kayne will satsify your hunger for a good Western romance. A tender-hearted cowboy, a feisty heroine, and a dog named Boots. True love overcomes evil relatives, crooked law-enforcement and the coventions of public opinion. The setting is described in vivid detail which places you right in the beauty of the Wyoming landscape.
August 27, 2014
Stacey Kayne is a good story teller and her heroes and heroines are very likable. A good read.
April 28, 2024
4 + stars An unusual western romance
From the very beginning this novel had me intrigued, beginning with a wanted " wild woman" roaming and scavenging on the side of a mountain . A lot of cattle rustling plagued the neighboring ranchers and the town was in the middle of a mayoral election campaign with a wealthy ranch owner running for mayor. Another prosperous rancher was determined to see the corruption and rustling stopped and ranchers who refused to sell their ranches were suffering losses from stolen cattle.
Doesn't seem like a romance does it? But it doesn't take long before the cleaned-up 'wild woman' and the handsome rancher have a sizzling romance, and bravely take on the corruption. He brief epilogue tops off the complicated plot with a happy conclusion.
Recommended, and enjoy. I didn't laugh out loud but I did have a lot of smiles and a few chuckles at the witty banter throughout.
From the very beginning this novel had me intrigued, beginning with a wanted " wild woman" roaming and scavenging on the side of a mountain . A lot of cattle rustling plagued the neighboring ranchers and the town was in the middle of a mayoral election campaign with a wealthy ranch owner running for mayor. Another prosperous rancher was determined to see the corruption and rustling stopped and ranchers who refused to sell their ranches were suffering losses from stolen cattle.
Doesn't seem like a romance does it? But it doesn't take long before the cleaned-up 'wild woman' and the handsome rancher have a sizzling romance, and bravely take on the corruption. He brief epilogue tops off the complicated plot with a happy conclusion.
Recommended, and enjoy. I didn't laugh out loud but I did have a lot of smiles and a few chuckles at the witty banter throughout.
May 20, 2022
this was going great towards the beginning! i love stories where the FL rescues the ML and has to nurse him back to health, and this one in particular seemed well-written.
and then it just progressively got worse.
i'm not sure why the only gay people in the book had to be evil, conniving villains, but okay.
and, although i shouldn't have been surprised by it given the type of book this is, the whole surprise pregnancy thing is a no-go for me. like, the ML was with his ex-wife for eight months and she didn't get pregnant, but he does it ONCE with the FL and she's knocked up?? i know there's a multitude of reasons why this could happen, but i still hated it so much that i considered DNFing at 88%. i somehow made it through the rest of the book, but it was boring and not at all worth it.
good start, awful end.
and then it just progressively got worse.
i'm not sure why the only gay people in the book had to be evil, conniving villains, but okay.
and, although i shouldn't have been surprised by it given the type of book this is, the whole surprise pregnancy thing is a no-go for me. like, the ML was with his ex-wife for eight months and she didn't get pregnant, but he does it ONCE with the FL and she's knocked up?? i know there's a multitude of reasons why this could happen, but i still hated it so much that i considered DNFing at 88%. i somehow made it through the rest of the book, but it was boring and not at all worth it.
good start, awful end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 7, 2023
I'm having conflicted feelings about this book. I liked the initial interactions between the MCs: Hero slept with the heroine not knowing who she really was.
However, I've always been the type that do not enjoy really strong, 'know how to flight', very independent in a 'manly' way type of heroines. This was feared by all men because of her aloofness, ruggedness, and fighting ways. In a way, she was the protector of the two, instead of the Hero.
So you see my dilemma?
Futhermore, upon discovering the real identity of the heroine, Hero was whipped under a love spell - quite literally. It's no fun reading stories whereby the Hero was head over heels with the heroine from the onset - leaving no misconceptions, no angst whatsoever.
However, I've always been the type that do not enjoy really strong, 'know how to flight', very independent in a 'manly' way type of heroines. This was feared by all men because of her aloofness, ruggedness, and fighting ways. In a way, she was the protector of the two, instead of the Hero.
So you see my dilemma?
Futhermore, upon discovering the real identity of the heroine, Hero was whipped under a love spell - quite literally. It's no fun reading stories whereby the Hero was head over heels with the heroine from the onset - leaving no misconceptions, no angst whatsoever.
July 3, 2023
When her brother tried to kill her, Maggie Grace fled to the Wyoming mountains at the age of 13. She's made a life for herself as a trapper and is known as Mad Mags in town. She finds Garret Daines, a local rancher, buried in a snowdrift and takes him home to heal. The two develop a relationship, very slow-burn, as Maggie is wary of males in general, especially after she finds her brother is now the mayor of the nearby town and still wants her dead.
There's a lot of drama, but the slow-burn romance is good. I liked how Garret gradually woos Maggie, and she finally succumbs to his charm. It's a good read and a bit different from the usual historical Westerns.
There's a lot of drama, but the slow-burn romance is good. I liked how Garret gradually woos Maggie, and she finally succumbs to his charm. It's a good read and a bit different from the usual historical Westerns.
October 2, 2024
IMO the first book was the best, gave it a 5 star rating. Second book rated it a 4.5. It was good but didn't like it as much as first because of H's continual refusal to acknowledge his attraction for h. I didn't like the rather ugly theme of Mountain Wild. The h's brother was quite the villain & his hired mercenaries ruined the lives of the people in the area. Her brother's actions caused her to live in seclusion scaring off anyone unlucky enough to stumble across her path. I like my romances a little lighter with some humor. Garret was a great H but he couldn't save the story enough for me to like it.
March 20, 2018
Mountain Wild
Totally enjoyed this book. Wild mountain Maggie, had to run from her home when she was small. A wiley old trapper traded six beaver pelts for her. In doing so, he saved her life. She learned not to trust anyone but herself. When she found Garret half frozen in the snow, she had little choice but to rescue him. Snowed in for a week in a tiny space led to warm touches and warmer kisses. Then up pops her brother, the very man the trapper had rescued her from.
N
Totally enjoyed this book. Wild mountain Maggie, had to run from her home when she was small. A wiley old trapper traded six beaver pelts for her. In doing so, he saved her life. She learned not to trust anyone but herself. When she found Garret half frozen in the snow, she had little choice but to rescue him. Snowed in for a week in a tiny space led to warm touches and warmer kisses. Then up pops her brother, the very man the trapper had rescued her from.
N
September 27, 2018
Autor is not vice to normal human reactions in extreme situations. She watched too many American movies where people joke and think about trivial things right after shootouts where they bareilly saved their skins and/or they killed several people.
June 28, 2022
I loved loved loved this book! I really enjoyed how awesome and badass the heroine is! Guys i am sucker for women who called mad by their communities; it always says more about the community then the woman! I really loved the hero, i know the standard is in hell but his kindness is so sexy!
December 30, 2017
4.5 stars
December 16, 2018
I enjoyed reading.
January 25, 2019
Could not finish - did not like hero or heroine
June 1, 2019
It wasn't good and it wasn't bad. It was just an okay read.
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