growth is my favorite part of a novel, and this one set the stage for a lot of that.
I found that I identified with Bly in a lot of ways, though I liked her more as the story progressed and she began to develop.
I also greatly enjoyed the dynamic between Turner and Bly, They balanced one another really nicely and their banter was a lot of fun to read, It kept me interested and kept the story light when it needed that quality,
For me, the best part of this story was the therapeutic element with the teenagers, I'm completely biased in this area because I studied Psychology in school so that sort of thing constantly appeals to me.
I relished the connection Bly developed with Kia and wanted to know so much more about the work Turner did with kids.
It would've been totally okay with me if that had been the core focus of this story, In some ways, it was, really, Through the development of relationships with this group of kids, Turner and Bly kind of grew and developed on their own.
Readers do need to realize that because of the nature of the setting a therapeutic camp for youth, there are some things discussed that might be uncomfortable.
There is mention of drug use, neglect, child abuse, and domestic violence, There is also a rather extensive discussion of rape, They are necessary to the plot, but it's always better to go into something like this prepared for a potentially triggering scenario.
It was a cute story and a quick read, Personally, I found the pacing just a little too fast to be realistic, but that's what happens when you take romance and mesh it with something that will keep the interest of your audience.
That's why people fall in love and get married in the span of ahour movie, and that's why relationships tend to move so quickly in stories like this.
All in all, it was well written and I would recommend it for anyone looking for a light and entertaining read.
Book worm problems abound as daily life gets in the way of Bly's passion for books and reading.
When her passion leads her to complete community service at a wilderness camp for young people, it is her worst nightmare come true.
Antisocial Bly is forced out of her comfort zone and into the wild with camp leader Turner, With an ineptitude for anything but books, this is a comedy of errors for Bly and she struggles to fit into the natural world.
Hot camp leader Turner, though, pushes her outside her comfort zone and she may just learn that life outside books is good.
This was fun, quirky and humorous read but with a serious underlying message, I loved the voice of Bly in the telling of the story and the way she changes over the course of the book.
It was a light hearted look at camping and a reminder that you are never too old to learn and to change.
ed for LBM Book Blog ed by Laura on behalf of Amo amp Sarahs Book Corner
I stumbled across this author last year and have been happily devouring her work ever since.
I thoroughly enjoyed this quick and entertaining read,
Bly Daniels, tenured English Professor at Bookman College, is stuck in a rut! Fortysix and single, she is more content around the stacks of books in the library than conversing with her fellow man.
Following a series of car calamities, she finds herself the subject of a thirtyday community service order which she must serve helping wayward teens at The Wild Way wilderness camp.
This is Blys idea of purgatory,
I didnt warm to Bly straight away, I found her a bit priggish, but as her story unfolds you realise this strong woman has been through a lot.
Its no wonder she has her emotional walls built so high to keep everyone away, However, she didnt bank on Turner Wild, owner of the camp, breaking down her defences,
I loved the banter between Bly and Turner where Blys dry sense of humour came to the fore.
I had a few lol moments, none more so than at this quip:
“I still feel like a piece of classic literature wrongly shelved in the contemporary fiction section of the library.
”
What I enjoyed most about this story was the kinship between Kia, one of the teens, and Bly.
It tugged on my heart strings, They bond over their love of the written word and the connection becomes elemental,
I bet youre asking yourself why I only gave thisstars, arent you Well, truth be told, its because Im greedy.
I wanted more scenes with Bly and Turner and Bly and Kia,
In the end though, Bly finds where she belongs where she least expects it, Come take a walk on the Wild side,
Note: Copy kindly received from author in exchange for an honest review, I give this bookstars, It was a very well written book,easy to read and quite enjoyable, This is the first book I've read by this author and can't wait to read more, It was actually funnier than I thought but also has very strong messages in it,
College professor Bly Daniels thinks that even a short walk outside is torture, Known for being the stodgy professor, and the girl that always had her nose in a book life hasn't went as planned.
So when she is arrested and her choices aredays at a wilderness camp ormonths in jail, she thinks she picks the lesser of the evils.
Until she arrives at the camp, lol
Turner Wild runs the wilderness camp and is everything Bly despises, rugged,unrefined and outdoorsy, But there is just something about him she drawn too, And the more she gets to know him the more she likes, And she never expected to form a strong relationship with one of the troubled teens at camp, With camping, troubled teens and a sexy camp director things turn around for Bly,
I don't want to give to much away but this is a must read, A perfect summer read that I would recommend,
“Gone Wild” was not my first book by Dakota Madison, Longer time ago I already read “Community Service”, so I kind of knew that I would at least like the writing style of this author.
The Blurb sounded nice because I like bookish characters but what I wasnt so sure about was how I would feel about the age of the characters.
I can not remember reading many novels that featured people old enough to haveth reunion at their college.
Not sure why but it just IS like that,
But I was happy to see that the fact that the leading characters were older than I am used to did not interfere to much with the story to be honest they could have been younger or older without it mattering to much.
Bly reminded me a lot of someone I know so I kind of understood her way of thinking and I like how her character was constructed.
The banter between Turner and Bly is just hilarious at times,
So in total I can recommend this book because what you read in the Blurb is exactly what you get.
And funny was also the fact that I could see the whole setting like a movie developing in front of me so I am pretty sure you will have an enjoyable time while you are reading this.
Since I discovered this author I have seen her work with various genres and has never disappointed me, Not even in this case, It 's a funny and brilliant comedy, which also deals with some sensitive issues,
Bly is a forty year old single teacher who loves to read, If it was for her she would live in a library, For a series of unfortunate events she must spend a month at The Wild Way, a desert camp and take care of some rebellious teenagers.
Mud, snakes, spiders is not exactly her ideal environment but discovers she has a great ability to adapt, To help her there is Turner Wild, the fascinating and mysterious boss of the camp,
All the characters are amazing, Bly is a smart woman but very private, has suffered a lot in the past and she is closed in on herself.
She seems arrogant and cocky but she is actually very sensitive and sweet, Her dialogues and interactions with Turner are really hilarious no to mention her monologues,
It 's a funny story, full of humor but also romantic and moving, It 's written very well with a brilliant and witty style, It will grab your attention from the beginning and hold it through to the end and leave you begging for more.
Highly recommended I was pleasantly surprised by this book! I'm a huge Dakota Madison fan, and picked this up as soon as I saw it come available for review.
It took me a bit to get into it, and I'm just chalking it up to my busy life these past few weeks because once I got into it I couldn't set it down! A wonderfulbars to Dakota Madison on a wonderfully written novel about a teacher who has made tenure overcoming a time in her life that she never thought she would hit.
Bly Daniels has everything she'd ever want, A wonderful house, a great job at the local college, and endless amounts of free time to read what she wants when she wants.
When she flees her class reunion that she had plans on staking claim on a former beau, she doesn't expect it to backfire and for her life to spiral out of control, and out into the wilderness.
Meeting Turner Wild wasn't on her list of things to accomplish in her life, But it happened by chance, and that's what she's chalking it up to,
A chance meeting with the exceptional Bly Daniels has left Turner Wild in a world of conflict.
From the moment he meets her, he isn't sure what to think of her, He thinks she's stuck up, A professor with a Ph, D. And a bad moment of her life where she smacked into a pole has landed her at his wilderness camp.
Lucky him. He doesn't expect things to end up the way they do, And he never expected the wildest thing to happen to him, to be her,
I loved this couple, This is a novel based on an older couple finding the love and approval they need without knowing they need it.
A very unexpected novel for an unconventional couple, I cannot wait for the other novels in this series!Stars
Gone Wild is a pretty quick read.
Its a great book for those day when you just want to curl up and get lost in a book.
I read this book in one afternoon, and it was a great one to pass the time,
Not many books feature more mature adults, In this story, the main characters are in their midforties, It is a bit refreshing to read a book with older characters, At first I wasnt sure how I felt about Bly, the heroine of this story, Honestly, at first I felt she was a bit itchy, though I think the author was going for that.
She is refined, a loner, and just seems to hold herself above everybody, If she wouldnt have shown growth as the story progressed I wouldnt have liked her at all, Thankfully, she wasnt so rigid that she couldnt change and I came to really enjoy her, Tucker Wild is a manly man the total opposite if Bly, Hes welcoming but intimidating, outdoorsy, and strong an all around great character,
When Bly is sentenced to community service in the great outdoors, I couldnt wait to see how this city, indoorsy woman handles it.
She took it like a champ, There were moments when I giggled at her, but all in all, she did good, As I said earlier, she really grew in this story, and I loved the changes in her, She was essentially the same character, but made better, All in all, this was a good story of transformation and a joy to read, Bly was a stick in the mud Engish professor who was not well liked because she was a hard cookie.
After a misunderstanding and soe bitter feelings she finds herself on a road less traveled, While not prepared for the road ahead she is dressed in pumps and a suit, She finds herself over packed, breathless, blistered and among the free and closed off,
This adventured turns into raging waters and strong storms that send her on a mission to be a better person.
Yes these are actual events but what stands out is how Bly allow someone in and places all her courage in just doing.
No doubts, no regrets, just determination and drive, Turner in turn assist when he was raged and grabs the bull by the horn and reel in the Doc and her shadow.
This was a very deep book that was more educational on a deeper level than funny, Although there were moments of humor I found myself more engaged in the transformation of Dr, Bly Daniels than anything and especially loved the way she connected with Kia, This is a must read, Go BACK TO BOOKMAN with Dakota Madison's new LoveinMidlife ComingofMiddleAge romance series,
Tenured English professor Bly Daniels believes the short walk from her campus office to the university library is too much exposure to the harsh elements of the outdoors.
She would prefer to spend her days and nights comfortably seated indoors reading classic literature,
When Bly is arrested for reading one of the great books
while driving home, a judge sentences her to thirty days of community service with The Wild Way, a therapeutic wilderness program for troubled teens.
There she meets Turner Wild, the owner and operate of the wilderness program, Turner is everything Bly despises: rugged, unrefined and outdoorsy, For Bly a trip to hell sounds more desirable than spending an entire month with Turner and his band of hooligans as they traverse the woods of rural northwest New Jersey communing with nature.
Bly certainly never expects to form a bond with the troubled teens shes been assigned to mentor and forge an unlikely relationship with their fearless leader, Turner Wild.
Each fulllength novel in Dakota Madisons LOVE IN MIDLIFE romance series can be read as a standalone or as part of the series.
Each story features one of the graduates of Bookman College attending theirth reunion, .