City girl Calla Fletcher attempts to reconnect with her estranged father, and unwittingly finds herself torn between her desire to return to the bustle of Toronto and a budding relationship with a rugged Alaskan pilot in this masterful new romance from acclaimed author K.A. Tucker. Calla Fletcher was two when her mother took her and fled the Alaskan wild, unable to handle the isolation of the … isolation of the extreme, rural lifestyle, leaving behind Calla’s father, Wren Fletcher, in the process. Calla never looked back, and at twenty-six, a busy life in Toronto is all she knows. But when her father reaches out to inform her that his days are numbered, Calla knows that it’s time to make the long trip back to the remote frontier town where she was born.
She braves the roaming wildlife, the odd daylight hours, the exorbitant prices, and even the occasional–dear God–outhouse, all for the chance to connect with her father: a man who, despite his many faults, she can’t help but care for. While she struggles to adjust to this new subarctic environment, Jonah–the quiet, brooding, and proud Alaskan pilot who keeps her father’s charter plane company operational–can’t imagine calling anywhere else home. And he’s clearly waiting with one hand on the throttle to fly this city girl back to where she belongs, convinced that she’s too pampered to handle the wild.
Jonah is probably right, but Calla is determined to prove him wrong. As time passes, she unexpectedly finds herself forming a bond with the burly pilot. As his undercurrent of disapproval dwindles, it’s replaced by friendship–or perhaps something deeper? But Calla is not in Alaska to stay and Jonah will never leave. It would be foolish of her to kindle a romance, to take the same path her parents tried–and failed at–years ago.
It’s a simple truth that turns out to be not so simple after all.
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Have you ever read a book that just felt like more?
More than a romance.
More than a contemporary.
More than a just a story…
That’s The Simple Wild for me.
Beautifully written, I felt transported into the fictional Alaskan town, where Calla struggles to make peace with her estranged father (who is my favorite character in the book by the way).
While there is a love story woven throughout the contemporary story (hey, Jonah!), the romantic love wasn’t the star for me. The empathy I came to have for Wren was my favorite part.
Page after page, I fell deeper in love with this story. The characters were beautifully crafted and they all served a meaningful purpose to the story…
And then there was Alaska.
Gosh.
The writing truly created this world around me that was full of a kind of beauty that left me longing to visit in my real life.
K.A. Tucker has written some of my favorite books ever and The Simple Wild is now on that list… and sitting near the top.
So well done.
This was a beautifully written book that reads as if you are part of the story. I truly felt like I was in Alaska from the descriptions. I loved Calla and Wren’s story. Calla feels abandoned by Wren never being there for her, and Wren doesn’t know how to connect with his daughter that he hasn’t seen since she was 2. Add in romance and it is the perfect book to lose yourself in. This is a beautifully written story of family, love, and redemption. I received and advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Atria Books. All opinions are my own.
**received copy from publisher in exchange for honest review**
I wish I could give this more than 5 stars. I have some personal experience with a theme of this story, and I have to give Tucker commendation on writing that part so well. I highly recommend this book to any and everyone. As with all of her books, The Simple Wild was well written with the perfect characters that stay with me long after I have finished reading. This book has taken the top spot of my favorite book! Happy Reading!!
5 “The Sky Cowboy Yeti and Barbie Accidentally and Unintentionally Fall in Love” Stars!
If you’re looking for a unique story that is sure to hit you right in the feels department and that will sweep you away to a beautiful untouched place, then I highly recommend that you read The Simple Wild! From its beautiful descriptions of rural Alaska and how bush pilots are essential to a way of life in this untamed wild, to its candid look at how love between rural and city types can lead to heart wrenching decisions as well as nonextinguishable love, this book will take you on your journey that will cause you to question just what you would do, and leave you rooting for love to find a way to traverse what seems like insurmountable odds.
Calla Fletcher never remembers meeting her father. She was just two years old when her city loving mother, left her father (a bush pilot in rural Alaska), to go back home to Toronto. Amazingly, Calla is now 26 years old, and her father still never managed to come see her before. But when on top of losing her job, she finds out that her father has lung cancer, she is convinced it may be time to meet him before its too late. So she embarks on a journey to the small town of fictional Bangor, Alaska where she was born. Though she questions why she should even bother to make amends to meet her father, when he clearly never found the time to come and get to know her.
To her surprise though, rather than her father, the bush pilot who comes to pick her up in Anchorage to take her to her father’s town, Jonah, is quite possibly the rudest, most unlikeable man she has ever met. What’s more he looks like a Yeti with his wild unkempt beard, and general appearance, even if he likely is only a few years older than her. He clearly has little tolerance for her, even if she catches him gazing at her a few times. Why then does it seem like everyone in the little town she was born in seem to like him, and moreover the women all seem to be attracted to him?
Just why did Calla’s father stay away all those years? After 24 years apart, is there any way to repair the father/daughter bond? Moreover, why is Jonah treating Calla this way? Could there possibly be anyway for the two to find a way to get along during her short visit to Alaska? Or will history once again find a way of repeating itself?
KA Tucker never ceases to amaze me. I have read many, many of her books, and she always manages to bring a fresh and new perspective to romance. The Simple Wild is completely unlike any of her prior books that I have read and yet it managed to elicit a deep emotional response just like all her priors. I can’t wait to see what new and unique romantic world she conjures up in the future!
Source: Review copy provided for review purposes.
There’s always those type of books that leave you reeling with emotion. And that is precisely what The Simple Wild did.
Calla hasn’t seen her father in over 20 years, but some news comes that can’t keep them apart any longer. So Calla travels to Alaska to see what the wild is all about. I’m still so emotional from this book and still just want to cry after reading. It’s a beautiful story. With all these lovely characters. You can’t help but love them.
Tucker has always been one of my favorite authors. Every book she comes out with I’ve loved. But this one by far is the best. This is Tucker. This is the brilliant writing, that tugs at every emotion. You can feel that love they have for each other. The passion and care. If I could give this a million stars, I would, and still wouldn’t do this book justice.
* A review copy was provided by the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review *
~ 3.5 Sky Cowboy Stars ~
The Simple Wild is an enjoyable read, but I have to be honest, it isn’t my favorite book by K.A. Tucker.
I found myself having a hard time connecting with the storyline and characters. I think my biggest problem is I am not a huge fan of the enemies to lovers storyline and that is what this book is. I found there was a little too much push and pull between Calla and Jonah for my liking.
I did however really like the storyline between Wren (Calla’s estranged dad) and Calla. I loved watching the growth of these characters and forming the bond they should’ve had years ago.
This is an emotional story and at times truly heartbreaking, but it also left me with a smile on my face and warmth in my heart. I also love that K.A Tucker still, after writing so many books, she is able to give us a book that is truly unique to her. I also love that she can give us a wide variety in her books. She knows how to give us wonderful contemporary romance novels, like The Simple Wild, but then can give us some romantic suspense too.
Her stories are always thought provoking and poignant. The Simple Wild is not different. This one actually made me think a little more than others. There is a part in the book, that had me thinking, how would I have handled this?? What would I do in this situation?? I love when a book can make me think.
The Simple Wild is a standalone contemporary romance novel that is told solely from Calla’s POV. I would label this book an enemies to lovers story and an opposites attract romance. I wouldn’t say this book is overloaded with excess drama, but it does cover a tougher subject and you might want to have some tissues handy when reading this story. I thought the flow of the story was good, but I found the pace a little on the slower side. I felt the push and pull between Jonah and Calla really slowed things down for me.
I know I am probably in the minority here when it comes to this book. I would still recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of K.A. Tucker’s and also loves an enemies to lovers story. Just because this wasn’t a 5 star read for me doesn’t mean it won’t be for you. Definitely give this book a chance!!!
My tears cried tears, my heart exploded, and my laughter rang loud. The Simple Wild was anything but simple.
City girl Calla leaves her upper-class home in Toronto to travel to Bangor, Alaska, to visit her ailing father. While Calla was uneasy about seeing her father for the first time in 24 years, experiencing the rugged wild her mother spoke so often about was equally as daunting. She didn’t anticipate though, that her biggest challenge would be from the man she nicknamed the Yeti. Jonah challenges her beliefs about herself, her dad and her life. He forces her to reevaluate what’s important and to take in the beauty around her.
Jonah and Calla were night and day. They were oil and vinegar. Where he was used to the relaxing calm of the wild, she was a city girl at heart, with places to go and people to see. She dressed up in two hundred dollar sweaters and he wore relaxed shirts and jeans bought at the local mart. She learned to see through his grumpiness and he appreciated her sass and backbone. By the time Calla is to return to Toronto, neither want to imagine life without the other person in it, but the city girl needs her city and the Yeti, won’t leave his wild .
I did warn you about falling in love with one of those sky cowboys, didn’t I?
I’m not sure how to express all of the overwhelming feelings swirling in my head right now. Wren, Calla and Jonah’s story touched me profoundly and viscerally. I lost my dad to cancer almost 5 years ago, July 13, 2013. It was devastating and heartbreaking. Reading the story of these three brought all those feelings back. My heart broke for them. It broke for me. Between the physical decline, to hospice, to the anger, fear, and regret these characters experienced, Tucker’s portrayal of an ailing parent was honest and real. It could have been my family she was writing about.
Yet, while there were tear-inducing moments, there were also many funny, light-hearted and heart-warming moments, too.
You asked why I kissed you.
I hazard a glance upward, to find his piercing blue eyes alight with heat. And you said it’s because you wanted to.
That wasn’t the right answer. He reaches up to smooth the wet strands of clingy hair off my forehead, his gaze wild as it skitters across my features. You have been driving me f*cking insane for days and I couldn’t hold myself back for one more second.
I was so caught up in this story that when the end came, I felt an indescribable sadness. The story was consuming. The characters felt real. The writing was impeccable. This is my favorite K.A. Tucker book to date!
THE SIMPLE WILD is beautiful slow-burn romance about family, forgiveness, and second chances.
***5 Stars***
I went into this one expecting fireworks, a bit of angst and frustration, a few laughs and being able to relate ~ at least in my head ~ to some of the issues Calla would face in Alaska and I got that, but also so much more. I got the feels with this, big ones (I caught the teary sniffles). From the first page I was hooked and couldn’t put the book down. I felt like if I put the book down I’d miss something and I just couldn’t let that happen so I “multitasked” and ate up every moment.
Calla was an interesting one for me. Overall, I honestly liked the girl and there were quite a few times when I was totally on board with her reactions, TOTALLY, but then there were those other moments where I groaned and thought “Oh God. You’re one of THOSE people.” because she was. It wasn’t a bad thing in my book, just fact But there is a lot more to her that even she doesn’t realize and I really enjoyed watching her evolve and become more.
As for Jonah. I loved him. I did. I mean I bounced between wanting to hug him, climb him like a spider monkey and Gibbs smacking him. He was a mix of blunt, brutal honesty and blind compassion and it made him absolutely lethal on so many levels.
Calla and Jonah’s journey is filled with a lot of head butting, A LOT. They have a lot of assumptions about a lot things and it was fun watching as they battled it out, only to find that they fit each other in that whole opposites attract way. And though their future at the end of the book is a bit up in the air, I can only see good things for both them.
This was simply a great read. The characters, ALL of the characters were well written and brought so much to the story that it felt real. That these people could, and in some cases, should exist in this world because it would make it a better place. Agnes and Simon are definitely my favs, but Wren, Mabel and Susan are not far behind. And then there is Alaska. Alaska became a character unto itself with all it’s moody unpredictability. Did this book make me want to drop everything and check out the bush? Ummm…no. But it definitely gave me a deep appreciation of the land itself and those who call it home. So, if you’re looking for that book that is more than just a romance, filled with amazing characters and will fill you up with feels, then this is a definite must read!
~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley & voluntarily reviewed ~
Alaska. The last frontier of America and the last place Calla Fletcher ever thought she would be visiting. After a phone call from a friend of father, she either visits or possibly misses out on ever getting to know her father. The visit could go either way, but she sure isn’t ready for a fly by the seat of his pants bush pilot named, Jonah.
First of all let me just say that K.A. Tucker is one of my all time favorite authors and I have been reading her books since the beginning of her career. It is also the first time that I have read an ARC twice before writing my review. I didn’t really mean to, but once started again on it, I couldn’t put it down for nothing.
When Calla was a baby, her parents split up and her mother took her back to her original home in Toronto. Calla’s father is owner and pilot of an airline catering to small villages and out of the way outposts in the bush of Alaska. Even though her parents are still in love, her mother can’t deal with the cold dark winters and a husband that’s home very little due to his business. So she remarried and the new couple gave Calla an upbringing of privilege and a beautiful loving home. Calla kept in touch with her father by phone for years until he disappointed her by never coming to visit. Now, her father is very sick so she goes for what is supposed to be a week’s vacation. She didn’t count on caring about her father again and she sure didn’t count on his second in command, Jonah, becoming a burr under her skin at every step. This was definitely an enemies to lovers type of story. And it ended up being so much more.
Calla is blonde, beautiful and has the makeup and clothes to match. She and her best friend have an Instagram account all about fashion, makeup and being two city girls in Toronto. Jonah has long unruly hair, an unkempt beard and a chip on his shoulder a mile wide when it comes to Calla. He’s everyone else’s favorite person and seems to hate Calla from the start-sight unseen. On Calla’s part, she’s brought thousands of dollars worth of clothes and makeup with her for a week’s vacation. Jonah’s not having it. They butt heads and the chemistry and sparks start flying pretty much off the bat. And then there’s Calla’s dad, Wren. He’s quiet and almost withdrawn, deeply troubled about the way he treated her, but he’s also loved by all around him. I ended up loving his character as well. Other pilots, airport workers, Calla’s mother and stepfather, and friends of Wren’s rounded out the cast of characters.
What a beautifully written story this author has crafted. Her scenes in the wilderness or looking down from a plane to the rugged terrain below made me “see” Alaska and fall in love with the beauty of a place I’ll certainly never get to experience. The visits to the small villages and the Alaskan people that have lived in these out of the way places for generations came alive for me as well. She created the town of Bangor and before it was over with, I felt like I had visited for real. There’s generally not that much world building in a contemporary romance, but this book certainly had it and I was pulled into the author’s world- hook, line and sinker. I wish I could meet the characters that peopled this book because with main characters that were larger than life in some respects, she also wrote wonderful side characters that were just as realistically portrayed. And that’s not even mentioning three raccoons that managed to become involved.
I could go on and on, but I won’t except to say that this book should be a must read for any adult contemporary romance reader or really any reader that enjoys a good story that gives you all the “feels” and transports you out of your own life. There’s some tragedy here, but there’s also humor as well-not to mention a beautiful romance. If you haven’t experienced a book by this author, I am here to tell you that you are missing out! She’s one of the handful of author’s that are auto buys for me. Highly recommended!
Jonah could be such a butt at times, he’s also quite the smart***, “he’s a raccoon that likes to hang out around my house.” Jonah’s gaze narrows at the broom in my hand. “What were you planning on doing with that?” There are times Calla thinks her father is nuts, “…he chuckles nervously. “A father can hope, can’t he?” What did he just say? Is my father actually hoping that Jonah and I hook up?” Jonah could be honest when he wants to be, “you have been driving me effing insane for days and I couldn’t hold myself back for one more second.” Jonah likes to make sure his woman’s are met with the best expectations, “…he tosses the pot back onto the counter. My stomach does a nervous but victorious flip as he reaches over his head to yank his shirt off. “Don’t say I didn’t take care of you out here,” he warns, stalking toward me, his hands making quick work of his belt.” I loved this book, there was so much tension and chemistry between Jonah and Calla.