ARC REVIEW and GIVEAWAY: "Her Wild Hero" by Paige Tyler

Her Wild Hero

by Paige Tyler

Book 3 in the X-Ops Series

Department of Covert Operations Training Officer Kendra Carlsen has been begging her boss to let her go into the field for years. When he finally agrees to send her along on a training exercise in Costa Rica, she’s thrilled.

Bear-shifter Declan MacBride, on the other hand, is anything but pleased. He’s been crushing on Kendra since he started working at the DOC seven years ago. Spending two weeks in the same jungle with her is putting a serious strain on him.

When the team gets ambushed, Kendra and Declan are forced to depend on each other. But the bear-shifter soon discovers that fighting bloodthirsty enemies isn’t nearly as hard as fighting his attraction to the beautiful woman he’ll do anything to protect.

If you are a fan of Shelly Laurenston’s Pride books, you will enjoy the X-Ops series. These books are not overly serious, but they are seriously fun. There is lots of action, adventure, drama, and romance. Some stories in the PNR genre tip more toward the paranormal element and less about the action/adventure. To me, this book reads like a romantic suspense that just happens to involve shifters. If the hero were human, this story would still work.

Declan is a conflicted bear shifter who has, to this point, suppressed his full shifting powers. Because of his past, he has a certain level of ambivalence towards his abilities. He’s been attracted to Kendra from the first, but because she has shown no interested in the past, he’s given up on her. Kendra is getting over a wild crush on another shifter, Clayton. It is clear that there is no real chemistry between them and Kendra has moved on. She is one of the staff members of DCO, an analyst who wants some field time. Because of her dedication, she is allowed to follow a supposedly routine training mission in South America. Unfortunately, the mission is sabotaged and it quickly becomes chaos. Kendra and Declan are separated from the rest of the group and have to survive while hybrids are stalking them. The situation gets tense but under these intense circumstances, Kendra has a chance to see the real Declan. I particularly liked these moments of revelation. There is great chemistry between the two characters and the sparks fly (although I couldn’t help but thinking that they spend a lot of dirty, sweaty days in that jungle and couldn’t be smelling so fresh).

As expected our couple gets rescued and find their way back to the real world with one last misunderstanding to overcome. It is surprising to me how insecure Declan is, but there is sweetness in his vulnerability that makes his character attractive. Kendra is a strong, kick-ass character that is suffering from the I-didn’t-see-that-good-man-in-front-of-me syndrome. Once her eyes are opened, then the oh-I-hope-it’s-not-too-late theme kicks in. Yes, it is a familiar trope, but still, it is no less fun to read. 

IN A NUTSHELL: 

If you are a fan of shifter stories with humor and adventure, this book is a fun way to spend an afternoon. I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in this series. 

Paige Tyler is the USA Today bestselling author of sexy, romantic fiction. She and her very own military hero (also known as her husband) live on the beautiful Florida coast with their adorable fur baby (also known as their dog). Paige graduated with a degree in education, but decided to pursue her passion and write books about hunky alpha males and the kick-butt heroines who fall in love with them. Visit her at www.paigetylertheauthor.com.

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