A bad boy. A good girl. A second chance that could send them both up in flames.Emily was a cop’s daughter, and I was the boy from the wrong side of the tracks. At eighteen, our affair was wild and completely secret. Until she left town for college and a better life, and I hit the road to nowhere.Eight years later, we’re both back in town. My father is in prison; Emily is selflessly helping her … selflessly helping her sister. We should be farther apart than we’ve ever been. But I’ve never been able to resist temptation, especially when that temptation is Emily.
I shouldn’t go near her. But I do.
She shouldn’t say yes. But she does.
Our chemistry is hotter than ever, but she’s hiding something from me. Just like I’m hiding something from her. It’s hard to tell whose secrets are more dangerous, until it all goes to hell.
I can save her – and she can save me. But we’ll have to break the rules.
We’re from different worlds. We don’t belong together.
But in the end, Emily and I are going to have to get dirty.
The Riggs Brothers Series:
Drive Me Wild (Book 1)
Take Me Down (Book 2)
Work Me Up (Book 3)
Make Me Beg (Book 4)
more
This is the first book in the Riggs brothers series, and if they are like this book, write me down for the full ride! They are all sexy in their own way:
“While Ryan was an athlete and Jace was smart and Luke was just outrageously cool, Dex really was a bad boy. He had the slouch down to perfection and his looks were sleepy and dangerous, like he’d just come from a wild all-night party.”
The Riggs brothers are all separated by their lives, just as they were when kids. They’re from two different mothers, but they left when the brothers were little, and no surprise, since the father is a deadbeat. He didn’t take care of his kids, just let them fare for themselves, letting them live in the house, occasionally feeding them and mostly letting them roam about, aimless, driftless, with an occasional punch.
“Now Jace was a con, Ryan had knocked a girl up and torpedoed his baseball career, and Dex was barely conscious. This is what happens when the boys on the wrong side of the tracks are raised like a litter of feral puppies.”
Luke and Emily were a couple, in secret, for two weeks before she left for college. She had big plans and no desire to stay in Westlake. Their sexy times were off the charts, but Emily was off for something better. Except that, eight years later, she’s coming back to town, feeling like a failure, no husband, no brilliant career, and no money. Her twin sister called for help, her mother who is a sergeant in the PD is having a recognition ceremony, and she had nowhere else to live.
Likewise, after Emily left, Luke got into his car and has been wandering aimlessly, traveling all around the states. Looking for something that he didn’t find. Then his father calls that he’s going into prison and Luke needs to take care of the business, Riggs Auto.
It was serendipity that they meet on the day of Emily’s arrival, to find that their chemistry is still off the charts and that no one, in their time apart, ever came close to the fireworks they generated while having sex.
“Luke and I had never had the kind of relationship where we had long heart-to-hearts, but he knew me. Everything about me. He’d gone to school with me, even during my short-hair phase—ugh—and he knew my family.”
“that last night we’d been together had changed things for me. It had made me realize that the woman I wanted, the woman I’d always wanted, was Emily Parker. I wanted her body and I wanted her mind and I wanted her laugh and I wanted every bitchy, prickly thing that came out of her mouth.”
This story was so interesting because it had so many layers. The dysfunctionality of the Riggs family, something shady going on in the Riggs Auto garage, Emily’s relation with her family, her coming to terms with herself, Emily’s sister and her parents are hiding something from her, and Luke wants to connect with his brothers but doesn’t want to admit it. There was also the obstacle that the Riggs family come from the wrong part of town, and are associated with shady things, while Emily is a good girl, daughter of a cop. With all these plotlines, the story was hugely entertaining and riveting. It was a story of coming into your own, redefining your purpose in life, and connecting with your family, for both characters.
They were drifting for eight years and when they got together again, it all falls into place. They had hard knocks, they had to face their families, and they had to solve old problems. The brothers got together for some problem solving that was as scary as slightly lawless but that is their mojo, live dangerously while trying to maintain a normal façade. This was a page turner! Now looking forward to read about the next brother!
Drive Me Wild by Julie Kriss is the first book in her interconnected Riggs Brothers series. Told in dual POV, this series focuses on the Riggs brothers and their stories, starting in book one with Luka and Emily. A boy from the wrong side of the tracks and a girl whose mother is the police captain of their small town makes for an awkward family dinner UNLESS you keep this kind of smoking hot relationship secret. It’s just for the summer, right?
Well-written and fast-paced Julie Kriss is a recently new to me author and I’m very glad I took a chance on her books. The stories flow well, read easy, are smoking hot, and have enough angst and drama to keep you enthralled but not too much so your left wore out by the end of the book. Loved this! Enjoy!
Luke is the one who got me to like this book, I was pretty much on the fence about Emily throughout the entire time I was reading it; even after 8 years, Emily still seemed like she wanted to keep the knowledge of her interactions with Luke on the down low. I did appreciate that she finally decided to grow a pair and go after her happiness, despite what others thought about any relationship with one of the Riggs boys. There’s also the matter of the suspense side of the story that involves the Riggs patriarch; I would have liked to see that part of the story get a bit more focus, but overall I liked the start to this series.
Drive Me Wild is the start of this series (The Riggs Brothers), and Julie Kriss lets readers in why people are wary of the boys from the wrong side of the tracks. The four brothers of the local mechanic and all-around bad guy, Luke, Dex, Jace, and Ryan, are all grown up and back in their small town after their father gets arrested. Luke has been called back to take over the garage, mostly because he was the only one available. Luke had left town to get away from a life of being looked down on but hadn’t found his way. Emily Parker is the daughter of a local cop and the one who also left to find more for her life than a small town has to offer. Emily and Luke had had a scorching but brief fling right before Emily left for college. Now they are both back and can’t stop themselves from starting things up again.
Luke and Emily are good characters, both well developed and relatable with their self-doubts and less than significant circumstances. Emily, a young woman who was hoping to escape a town where she felt less than her twin, failed to gain all she needed to make it. She is a little defeated and carries a bad self-image. Luke took the words of the town to heart when he was a kid and hadn’t shed the ugly rumors since growing up. A good man who does the right thing despite where he came from.
The story is the second chance at love for the leads wrapped around the suspense of what criminal elements the elder Mr. Riggs left behind when he was sent to jail. The first is well done and sexy; the second was kind of resolved without much fanfare. I would have liked to see more of the conflict as Luke gets out from under the mess his dad left behind. The three other brothers are introduced, giving readers just enough of their story to tease for their books to come.
Overall, a quick read for those in the mood for a romance hit with a little extra.
I read a book by Julie Kriss earlier and wanted to read more by her. She captured my attention and garnered my respect.
Bad boys! Aren’t they what makes our heart swoon? We want to leave a smidgen of that badness, but we also want to fix them.
Luke, the bad boy. Emily, the cop’s daughter. I think you know where I am going with this. A relationship that’s kept on the down low. Each eventually go their separate ways until eight years later . . . they both return home.
Luke wants to come from other the shadow of darkness and Emily well . . . she is who she is. Direct and to the point. Watching these two grow together was worth the read.
The simpleness is what made this story so compelling. As we know, less is sometimes more. And that’s what made this book a good read for me.
Drive Me Wild by Julie Kriss seems like the classic good girl / bad boy romance, but was so much more!
After a secret high school fling, Emily and Luke go their separate ways. They knew from the start their relationship had nowhere to go, so when Emily left for college, Luke got in his car and drove to wherever the need took him. Both knowing they never planned to come back to their small hometown again.
But eight years later, they both find themselves back in the place they couldn’t wait to leave. Emily’s at a crossroads personally and professionally and Luke is still trying to outrun his father’s influence and all the things his family name means in their hometown. But, just like eight years ago, they are drawn to one another in ways they shouldn’t be and neither can resist.
There’s no way it can work. Emily’s a cop’s daughter and Luke’s father is a career criminal who has just dropped one heck of a mess into Luke’s lap. Both have secrets. Both are willing to break the rules. But, how far are they willing to go to be together?
Woah baby . . . Drive Me Wild was hot and dirty and together Luke and Emily are explosive! I loved that Emily wasn’t so perfect and Luke wasn’t so bad. The lines easily blurred, but reputations had them both playing by rules they didn’t want to follow and couldn’t wait to break. Their relationship is hot Hot HOT and it was clear from the start that Luke always wanted more than just a fling, and I adored that about him.
Julie Kriss is also a master of suspense, because Luke is definitely in over his head and I was on pins and needles the entire book wondering how things could possibly go his way when everyone but Emily and his brothers seemed to be against him.
The characters were well written, and I can’t wait to find out more about the other Riggs brothers as well as Emily’s sister, Lauren. And, the end of this book . . . phenomenal and swoonworthy! It played out just like a romance on the big screen as I read it and I can’t wait for more from this author and the series. 5 stars!
This was a really unexpected story, but it blew me away! I loved Luke and Em, their relationship was out of the norm, but I loved that love triumphed in the end!
Great start to a series! Luke and his brothers are the well-known bad boys in their small town through association by their father and his bad decisions. After graduation, he begins an affair in secret with Emily, the local cop’s daughter that ends once summer ends and she goes to college. Leaving town shortly after, eight years passes and somehow fate intervenes and both of them are returning home under different circumstances. When Emily’s car breaks down on her way back into town, she runs into Luke, and the feelings that were previously there are back. With Emily back in town to help her sister run her business, she finds out things aren’t what they have seemed for the past eight years in her family life and realize that her feelings towards Luke remain the same. But as Luke understands and finds out more as to why he was summoned to return home, he is unsure if his life fits into Emily’s. The mystery behind Luke and his family were really the star of this storyline for me personally and made me want to read the next books in the series! I can’t wait to see where the mystery of these brothers goes and how each of them defy the odds of their reputations.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
This was my first read from Ms. Kriss and I must say I really enjoy her writing and this story. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Emily in the beginning. I understand why she was scared to get involved with Luke, being a Riggs and from the other side of the tracks, but a part of me felt like it went a little too far. However, in the end, she more then made up for it and I accepted her more. Luke, I just loved, bad boy with a heart of gold will always hold my heart. This is a fun, quick read that I just loved and can’t wait to read more from Julie! On to the next brother’s story!
I really enjoyed this story about Emily and Luke! A bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks and a police officer’s daughter. Such a good, forbidden type romance story with a layer of second chance romance.
I adored both main characters, heck even all the side characters! I loved the relationship that Em and Luke had in the past and rekindled almost a decade later. Their chemistry was off the charts hot!!!!!!
I can’t wait to read more books about the Riggs boys!
What happens when the good girl falls for the bad boy?? Fireworks, that’s what happens! This book introduced me to a new author that I will surely read more of. I really enjoyed this story and how it all played out. There were some moments when I wanted to shake Emily and Luke for their stubbornness but OMG, the chemistry between them was undeniable!
Their lives couldn’t have been more different but somehow these two lost souls were able to find their way.
Drive Me Wild had a bit of everything, longing, regret, doubt, smokin hot scenes, and finally a hard won love, but watching it all come together was great!! This is a book that I highly recommend and will definitely be passing along to my friends!
******** AUDIOBOOK REVIEW ********
Well then, I didn’t see any of Drive Me Wild coming at me!! I loved the cover and the blurb and knew I wanted to listen but since I’ve never read or listened to Julie Kriss before I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised though. I’m all in with these Riggs brothers. Luke is definitely the mature one with a take-the-lead kind of personality. My only one small complaint is I wish the characters were developed a little more… what was between Luke and Emily was a bit more fine-tuned. I was almost surprised myself with confessions of love when it just seemed like only a few days of a rekindled romance. I enjoyed it a ton though! I started it this morning while preparing for work and finished before I finished working for the day.
The narrators are two of the best in romance. if either of them are narrating then I know I’m getting something special but to give me both of them, together?!?! I’m strait up in love with them! There’s nothing, absolutely nothing that I would change about this narration except I want more… which is handy because I want more the the story too!!
4.5 Second Chance Stars!
I was so captivated by this second chance at love story! Eight years ago, Emily Parker had a secret passionate affair with the town bad boy, Luke Riggs. Her mom was a cop and his dad loved to break the law. Luke and his brothers couldn’t catch a break because of that. When Emily left for college, she took Lukes heart with her. When Emily needs to return home to help her family, she can’t help but feel that she and Luke have unfinished business. As Emily’s family falls apart and secrets are revealed, she turns to Luke for comfort. Emily makes Luke want to be a better man. But Luke’s father has left a legacy that could take Luke down, and take the love that has grown between Luke and Emily as well. This was a moving and passionate story of growth, loyalty, family, and love. Joe Arden, and Erin Mallon’s narration was so flawless as they brought these flawed characters and their story to life. They portrayed their raw emotions with a perfect balance of strength, passion, and vulnerability. I loved this romance and couldn’t stop listening. Even tho this is a quick listen, Luke has 3 brothers who also have to deal with the fallout from the legacy their father left behind. They are all so intriguing, I am excited to find out more about the rest of the Riggs Brothers!
I have absolutely loved the audio if this book and as a fabulous read. The story is interesting and fast moving. The action between Emily and Luke is hot and and I loved that Julie Kris’s did not shilly shally around filling us in with their background together and moving the action along. I loved learning about each of the Riggs brothers, their banter and behaviour together. The characters are so interestingand I was really drawn to them. The voice actors, Erin Mallon and Joe Arden just knocked the whole thing out of the park and I was reluctant to leave their company as they brought Emily and Luke totally to life. 5 stars all the way!
Emily Parker is returning home to help her fraternal twin and to support her mother. Her mother, the first female cop in the country–the woman who is getting a lifetime achievement award. It’s not like Emily is a complete failure. Just because it took her a matter of hours to pack up her life doesn’t mean a thing. It’s not like she had a terrific job in Chicago, a horrible internship that she didn’t think twice about after completing it.
Her luck doesn’t get any better when her car breaks down a few miles from town. Oh and the man who she gave her virginity to comes to her rescue. A man that she has never quite gotten over. The man she compares all others to. After her last relationship she has sworn off all men, including Luke Riggs. No, especially him.
Emily Parker. She could have her choice of men then and now. She chose him. The cop’s daughter. He was the kid from the wrong side of town. Everything about them is wrong. But they fit. Always have. She is why he can never settle down. Every woman can’t compare to her. He’s tried. He went all over the country trying to find someone to replace her. Emily is irreplaceable. What happens when they cross paths again or he gets another chance with her?
How can he prove to Emily that he can be the man she needs? How is he going to fix his dad’s rundown auto shop? Luke has more issues than solutions. He should stay away from Emily especially since he thinks her mother was investigating his father. And now, him since he took over his father’s shop. He knows in his heart that Emily is it for him. Now, he just has to prove it.
Drive Me Wild
Riggs Brothers Book 1
By: Julie Kriss
Narrated by: Joe Arden, Erin Mallon
Give me a good second chance romance and I am hooked! Julie Kriss, where have you been? I loved this first book in the Riggs Brothers series. It’s a little bit of Romeo and Juliet, as we have Emily and Luke from different sides of the tracks and it’s just not suitable for them to be together. In high school though, this couple had their secret relationship, and now years later, with trouble on the horizon, will they get their second chance? What great characters Kriss has developed. Four brothers, each completely different, with this book focused on Luke. I love books that have history, and it’s not always an easy path. Great first book of the series!
Narrated by Joe Arden and Erin Mallon, it’s easy to get lost in this story. Arden as Luke is a perfect fit, giving him a little edginess, yet his voice has that softness so we can easily fall for the good in him. Mallon gives Emily that energy, the spunky, secretive sister, yet shows the vulnerability as her true feelings show. Loved this dynamic team’s interpretation of the book.
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So glad I found this series.
Julie Kriss is a fairly new author to me, but I am so glad I found her. Luke and Emily have history and even eight years later their connection is still there. I would’ve like a little bit more character development for Emily, but she gets where she needs to be eventually. This book moved fairly quickly and I really appreciated that the author let it develop organically instead of using fillers to make it longer. Luke had a side that I didn’t see coming, but he totally redeemed the Riggs name.
This author is new to me but once I started this book, it was hard to put down. It is a fairly quick read and I feel this dire need to read the other brothers books now. Ugh I also seem to be experiencing a bit of a book hangover right now.
Luke and Emily are some of the BEST characters I have read in awhile. They felt like real people, living life in their beautifully flawed way. Ugh SO GOOD! They were secret high school lovers that come back home after 8 years to help their families.
Luke is amazing. I am so glad he has his brothers even if their relationships are somewhat non-traditional due to a childhood filled with poverty and what I see as abused at the hand of their father. Eek that guy needs to be hurt in a slow painful way in my opinion. Anyway, I love how this author really shows how marginalizing someone because of who and where they come from is a huge disservice to that person. Yep feeling a little broken hearted for the way Luke and his brothers were viewed and treated. So wrong.
Emily (deep breath) this girl is a hoot. I love her. She is emotional, smart, and a little bit cray cray at times. Yes she has a sweetness to her but I really love all her idiosyncrasies even more. She has come home feeling a bit dejected because professionally her life hasn’t turned out like she wanted. I love experiencing her reconnecting with Luke and acknowledging the feelings she left behind. Her desire to appreciate, understand, and protect Luke was portrayed so wonderfully in this story.
Definitely loved experiencing all the swoon worthy moments with this couple and their journey of self discovery as individuals and a couple. I can’t wait to read the rest of the Riggs Brother books. Wink!
Happy Reading Everyone! XOXO
Nothing better than a sexy man who is so misunderstood and is totally off limits. One summer of secret sex leads both Luke and Emily on a path of never having anyone ever measure up. After eight years they are both back where they started from, but is the spark still there? Can Emily and Luke find love again when the deck is stacked against them? Will the illegal mess Luke came home to be the one thing that Emily cannot get past? Holy crap this was such a good book. The reader is instantly drawn into the Riggs Family drama. The characters all have their own issues and I could not put it down until the very end. But even with it finished I need more of the Riggs boys ASAP.
Was very entertaining.