When my mood reading hit and asked for a small town romance, I knew Wild Love by Elsie Silver was gonna be my pick. My mood reading can be a bit picky and since I was just getting out of a reading slump, I needed something that would hold my interest. Wild Love was a hysterical, frenemies to lovers, experience that I absolutely loved.
Wild Love by Elsie Silver
Wild Love by Elsie Silver is the first book in the Rose Hill series. It is a contemporary small town romance published on April 9th, 2024 and is 466 pages long. You can find the book on Amazon, Kindle Unlimited, and the author’s website here.
Premise
Sometimes going back to the place you ran from is the best thing you can do for yourself. Rosie’s life felt like it was spinning out of control after she was wrongfully terminated from her job, and going back to Rose Hill – the small town she grew up in – seemed like the best thing for her. Running into Ford, her brother’s best friend, they fell right back into frenemy territory. What she soon realized is that maybe they never actually hated each other at all, because their jabs feel a lot more like flirting than they used to.
Triggers
Triggers found in Wild Love by Elsie Silver include:
- Sexual Harassment
- Sexually Explicit Scenes
- Depression
My Thoughts
Right off the bat this book had a large amount of banter. The will they won’t they tension was off the charts. I kept flipping pages wanting to know how this would all play out.
Ford’s story was fantastic. Ford had recently found out that sperm he donated at nineteen produced a child and twelve years later that child is standing in front of him and asking for help. The son of a rock god he checked everything before out of the goodness of his heart he decided to help Cora and her mom through a difficult situation.
Seeing the way Ford fights for Cora, and how close they become, along with her relationship with Rosie was absolutely beautifully done. Both of them fully accept Cora, get to know her, and support her in ways every teenager dreams of being supported.
“She’s not on her own. And she’s really fucking smart. I know she’ll be just fine. But if I could buy a public school just to fire that chauvinist piece of shit I would.” – Wild Love by Elsie Silver
Meanwhile, Rosie is just trying to get back on her feet after a wrongful termination and is ready to take on a new role. Ford hires her to help him with his recording studio and she jumps right into helping him take care of his new found preteen daughter.
“She’s the sun, the rest of us are just dumb rocks orbiting her.” – Wild Love by Elsie Silver
This is a slow burn, so the sex scenes don’t happen until after the first 50%. In fact it takes a while before we even get a make out scene. But, oh, the wait was worth it. Not especially kinky, though we do have a “fuck me like you hate me” scene along with a bit of ass smacking.
“When Ford tugs my hair back and takes my mouth, my knees go weak. But he catches me. He holds me up. He presses his leg between mine, wraps his big palm around my throat, and kisses me senseless while I hold on to his hips for dear life.” – Wild Love by Elsie Silver
Ford is slightly wrapped up in himself and doesn’t fully think through his actions outside of the lens of his privilege at times. Meanwhile, Rosie is sticking her head in the sand ignoring most of her situation. In the end, I felt both characters went through a bit of growth.
West, Rosie’s brother, is hysterical and the dad’s bowling group scenes are a lot of fun. We also get to see Willa from Heartless again as she is Ford’s sister. We also get to meet Ford Senior and Gemma, Ford’s parents, who are phenomenal.
Overall the book had found family, laid back, cozy romance vibes. It’s perfect if you’re looking for plot that isn’t gut wrenching but will still give you those “aww” moments.
Who Would Like Wild Love by Elsie Silver?
Tropes in Wild Love by Elsie Silver include:
- Brother’s BFF
- Frenemies to Lovers
- Small Town
- Boss/Employee
If you liked Just Next Door by Sarah Everly, My First Kiss by Isla Drake, or So Not Meant To Be by Meghan Quinn you will likely love this book as well.
Make sure you check out my posts for all of the Rose Hill series below:
Also check out my post on Elsie Silver’s Flawless and the entire Chestnut Springs series too.
Have you read Wild Love by Elsie Silver, or have you added it to your TBR? Let me know in the comments below. I love interacting with other readers over books I loved.