Love is full of bad clichés. Falling for your boss.The widowed dad and the nanny.How did Darcy manage to find both of them in Ryder Hagan?His broken heart and wounded pride means he only sees her as an employee in his company and part-time caregiver for his sons.Until another cliché surprises them both:The old broken elevator trap.And the wild attraction he’s kept buried begins to break out. Can … he’s kept buried begins to break out.
Can his perfectly ordered life survive discovering love again?
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I love Mari Carr’s Collins family series. From the Wild Irish series to the current Wilder Irish series with the kids, I enjoy reading these books.
Pop is the head of the Collins family, he and his wife, Sunday, moved from Ireland and opened a pub. Pop is a permanent fixture at the bar and is always available for to tell a story and hand out sage advice.
This is Darcey and Ryder’s story. Darcy is 24 and works as a graphic designer at the same company as Ryder. He’s the boss. Darcy is a hard worker and has a secret crush on Ryder. Darcy has always felt that some day she’d meet her prince charming. Too bad Ryder never seems to notice her that way.
Ryder is 34 and a widower. His wife died several years earlier and left behind their son as well as a son from a previous relationship. Before Darcy worked for him, she watched Ryder’s son and his half brother. When Ryder’s wife died, Leo, the father of his wife’s other son, moved in with Ryder so that the boys could stay together. Leo married Darcy’s cousin Yvonne and that was how Darcy came into the picture.
Leo may only be 34 but he has no plans to remarry or start another relationship. His marriage to his wife wasn’t good and after she died, he found out a terrible secret.
Darcy and Ryder get stuck in an elevator leaving work late one night. A bottle of vodka gets shared between them and the feelings Ryder has not allowed himself to admit to come out. But after they get out, Ryder has regrets for what he allowed to happen and tries to ignore his feelings but will Darcy be too much for him to ignore?
This book is part of a series. You could read it by itself but it woukd be so much better if you started at the beginning with the Wild Irish series. The characters from all the books constantly walk between the stories and it is so much better if you understand the backstory. You won’t regret it.
Wild Embrace is the story of two hearts. One battered and bruised. The other yearning and hopeful. For Darcy and Ryder friendship has a way of spinning out of control. With two hearts desperate to become one, will the painful secrets of the past destroy their chance at a future? Carr awakens the senses with a banquet of heat, heart and humor that sets emotions on fire.
Wilder Irish is one of my can’t miss series and even though it is beginning to wind down, the stories are as amazing as ever!
Wild Embrace gives you the story of Darcy and Ryder. I’ve been waiting for their story since we first saw her interest in Ryder in Vonnie and Leo’s book and it was worth the wait. Darcy has been in love with Ryder since almost their first meeting, believing with her whole heart that he’s the one for her, in the tradition of her Pop Pop and Grandma Sunday. Ryder on the other hand hasn’t ever recovered from the loss of his wife and it was definitely not for the reason I was expecting. Seeing him overcome his past and learning to really love was wonderful. There was humor and laughs, tears and sexy times – and makes me wish I could get stuck in an elevator with someone 😉
As usual, the Collins family takes center stage in any Wilder Irish book. To me, I think that’s what makes them so special – the family that’s become the reader’s family as we’ve grown, loved, and lost with them. Riley and Bubbles were as amazing as always. “Boob Voyage: LOL Seeing Aaron with his daughter, reliving his journey to Vegas after Riley, immediately had me reaching for a re-read of Saturday Night Special. The scene between Paddy and Ryder was especially moving, given the loss they suffered. And of course, Pop Pop steals any scene he’s in – he is by far and away the heart and soul of these books.
With only two more books until we get to the end of the Collins saga, there’s a touch of the bittersweet in reading this one. But I think that makes it all the better, because characters and a family we’ve grown to love and hope for are getting the happily ever afters.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout (and have pre-ordered a copy) and am voluntarily leaving a review.
4.5 Stars
I really liked this story. It was the first story in the series I’ve read but I did not feel like I missed anything. I was completely hooked on the characters and those that surround them.
Wild Embracce is a great addition to the Wilder Irish series. Darcy has grown up listening to PopPop’s stories of true love. When she was twenty she was hit by the Collins Curse. She found the one but he was a recent widow, ten years older, and her employer. Darcy has had feelings for Ryan since she began babysitting for the widower. Four years later, she is now working for the same company his is and is still babysitting his son. When they get trapped in an elevator at work, a bottle of vodka and a game of questions leads to shared secrets and an undeniable attraction. Will Ryan be able to move on from the pain of his marriage?
Darcy and Ryan are both great characters. I found myself rooting for them. I loved watching Ryan experience the Collins family and become more open. I also enjoyed Darcy’s relationship with Ryan’s son. Overall I definitely recommend this book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Always a great read when we return to the Collins Family!
This time it’s Darcy’s turn with Ryder, her “boss” (really her boss’s boss), who she babysits for, whom we met in Yvonne’s & Leo’s book, Wild Spirit.
Loved seeing Ryder get over his anger for the secret he held & Darcy looses her v-card.
As always love the vinettes with PopPop!
Wild Embrace by Mari Carr is the eleventh in her delicious Wilder Irish series, spun off from the original Wild Irish series, all set in Baltimore at Pat’s Pub, with the loving and compassionately wise Pop Pop still at the heart of everyone’s business 😉
Darcy Young has always believed Pop Pop’s vision for love, so the so-called Collins Curse really does feel like one when her heart sets itself on Ryder Hagen before she’s even old enough to legally drink. She’s never noticed the nearly decade age difference between them but the widowed dad has used that and a number of other reasons to keep Darcy at arm’s length. Ryder is determined to keep Darcy in the babysitter/employee/off-limits zone, no matter how much he might want otherwise.
Until one fateful power outage intervenes, giving these two a little forced-proximity nudge.
Mari Carr’s story is everything you might expect from her writing–emotionally rich, warm and funny, and sexy as all get out!
Ryder is a wounded soul, having withdrawn from being very social after his wife’s death. Darcy’s warmth and enthusiastic view of life starts to take the edge off the ice he’s encased himself in, and slowly but surely he finds his reservations among other things, melting away.
Wild Embrace is a lovely page-turner in the very best way. And you’ll be eager to spend more time with the Collins crew whether by rereading the previous books or anxiously anticipating the next!
As I close this story, I have a smile on my face. Darcy and Ryder were meant to be together and Darcy had enough tenaciousness to stick around long enough for a chance. A power outrage, stuck in an elevator and on the verge of a panic attack, Darcy forces the longest conversation she has ever had with Ryder and creates a crack in his iced over heart. The Collins clan is fun and you should expect the unexpected in every story in the Wild Irish series. This story is sweet and sexy with the right amount of angst.
Holy scorching chemistry, my Kindle just melted! This is my first book by this author, and I’m head over heels in love with the big, loud, messy, Irish Collins family. More! I need more!
Darcy is young and inexperienced but the Collins curse has hit her. She’s fallen in love quickly, absolutely and irrevocably. Ryder Hagen has always seen Darcy as his son’s babysitter, but all that changes when they get stranded in an elevator on Halloween. That doesn’t exactly change anything in Ryder’s mind because he determined after his wife’s death that he’s not the hearts and flowers kind of guy. Not the marrying kind.
Gah! I loved every minute of this quick, steamy, heartfelt read! Darcy may be ten years younger than Ryder, but she’s wise beyond her years and has the tenacity of a Rottweiler. Poor Ryder didn’t stand a chance. And the whole Collins clan is amazing, especially the patriarch, Pop Pop! Although I hadn’t read the other books, I wasn’t at all lost and quickly felt like another member of the family.
This one is achingly tender yet tantalizingly spicy, and the emotional tangle is the most exquisite heartache. These characters will own your heart and burrow deep into your soul, and one book about this endearing family will never be enough. Start with Darcy and Ryder’s story or start at the beginning of the series and read your way through. But don’t pass up the chance to become a part of this phenomenal book world!
Wilder Embrace is the story I’ve been waiting for in this Wilder Irish series. This series doesn’t have to be read in order to get it, but it does help with Ryder and Darcy’s story. They are both characters that have popped up in previous books and have been hinted at something more. This is their book and as usual, it has all the Collins family charm throughout it. My favorite parts are always the beginning and end scenes with the lovely patriarch, “Pop Pop”. He is a character that has ways of tying not only this series but also Wild Irish together. Ryder and Darcy are loveable characters, not a lot of drama, just two people (well one knew it from the beginning) realizing they have been falling for each other for a long time coming. I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was an emotionally intense story. It was a lovely bit of entertainment. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book in exchange for a free copy.
Darcy, well Darcy was everything that is good about the Collins family, sweet, energetic, open, honest, stubborn, determined, and a hopeless romantic. The Princess Bride references alone are enough to have you swooning and aww’ing with her. Realistic and a dreamer, this woman knows her mind and heart, and will settle for nothing less. She embraces life to the fullest and with joyful abandon. Ryder is the opposite of all these things, so he thinks, and life has dealt him a rough hand. He has needed time and space to process where he is, and how he ended up there, but it looks like that time is up. A few hours trapped in an elevator, and Darcy becomes his kryptonite in remaining alone, unaffected, detached, and unapproachable. He keeps backing away, she keeps stepping up t him. They were fun, heartbreaking, lovable, and infuriating. But, by the end, Ryder is helpless to give Darcy anything she wishes. He is the Westley to her Buttercup <3
Pop Pop strikes again! I swear, that old man is one of my favorite characters of any book I’ve ever read! But really, this is a sweet story about reclaiming life after tragedy, moving on, and finding out that the future is independent of the past! It’s definitely one that tugs at your emotions, and one that I’d recommend to anyone!
Darcy is one of my favorite type of female characters. She knows who she is, what she wants, and what she is worth. She has had excellent examples of true love, and knows that that is what she wants, and is willing to wait for it. Her patience is tested when the one she wants, doesn’t want love and avoids it at all cost.
Ryder learned the hard way that love isn’t for him. His tragic love life would break anyone. So he has focused on his son, and his work, avoiding entanglements that could lead down a path he doesn’t ever intend to go down again. But mother nature isn’t taking no for an answer!
This story was as fun, as it was emotional. I love the Collins Family, and their antics never fail to put a smile on my face! Darcy and Ryder are an amazing couple, with chemistry and connection. This book has everything I love about this crazy family, along with a fantastic HEA! What more can you ask for?!?
I just can’t get enough of the Collins family. Mari Carr is amazing in her storytelling and giving this wonderful world to lose ourselves in. This book is no exception. Darcy has waited a long time to make the ‘curse’ complete. Ryder might dig in his heels but Darcy shows what it means to fall in love with a Collins. This is a not-to-miss read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I freaking LOVE Mari Carr and this Wilder family. Darcy and Ryder are so amazing. I wish I could convey better in writing how much I love this book. From referencing one of my favorite movies, to the family, to Pop Pop, to the hot sex, to the storyline … everything. I cried a few happy tears in this book and loved the ending. Mari is amazing. If you want to truly get lost in a book..this is it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
In 2020 when visiting loved ones and having large gatherings is impossible I love revisiting the Collins family. Over the years as my own family has been shrinking due to distance or death I love slipping into these worlds where large families exist. I love enjoying the chaos that comes from all the relatives and more than anything I love sitting down and getting advice from Pop Pop.
Darcy Young has been waiting for perfect love her entire life. Stories that her Pop Pop, her parents, and the rest of her family has shared about finding their true love have been basis that she has based her entire life on. She’s waiting for those fireworks, butterflies and racing heart feelings to find the man of her dreams. Unfortunately, she experiences those feelings while she’s babysitting for the widower, Ryder Hagan, and he has no idea she feels that way. The age gap between them is not only a huge factor, but he’s grieving the loss of his wife, but Darcy is patient and gives him time.
A few years go by and Darcy hasn’t lost a single emotion for Ryder Hagan. Instead they have only intensified and to make matters worse, she now works at the same company as he does. While she doesn’t work directly under him he could be seen as technically her boss so she keeps adding to the pile of untouchable, but Darcy is nothing if not tenacious. She doesn’t know how yet, but she plans to make Ryder notice her because he is the only man who generates the intense feelings in her, so it must mean something, he just needs to notice her to give them a chance.
During a blackout on Halloween where Darcy and Ryder are trapped together, it’s truly the first time that Ryder takes notice of the girl who has been taking of his boys for the past few years. He’d been so trapped in his own head over the death of his wife that he’d lost himself in work that he hadn’t paid attention to anything else going on around him, but that changed on Halloween.
While Ryder doesn’t make any promises to Darcy, he can’t help but be drawn to her. He refuses to ever fall in love again and he makes that very clear, but like I said, Darcy is tenacious and just knows that Ryder is the man she is destined to be with.
Wild Embrace is full of steamy passion and while there is a lot of Collins family interaction, you do not have to have read all of the books to keep up with the action. You are welcome at their table no matter how new you are this world.
I received an ARC for an honest review of this book.
Mari Carr has done it again! Wild Embrace is filled with love, passion, conflict and resolve.
Her Wilder Irish series proves that the next generation in the Collins Clan is just as passionate and wild as their parents. Darcy has a thing for Ryder and she has it bad. She wants it all – her prince charming, romance and a bit of kink. Ryder has issues of his own – trust and romance are not at the top of his list, however, kink is.
Darcy and Ryder’s story is filled with belief, doubt, conflict and most importantly love. Can these two put their differences aside and come to a mutual understanding about love and trust and form a formidable bond? You’ll just have to read for yourself and find out.
You can read this as a stand alone or part of the Wilder Irish series. If you’ve read the Wild Irish series, it’s easy to follow along with the characters laced within.
The Collins curse strikes again! This time it’s Darcy. Darcy had had her sights set on Ryder for years, too bad he hasn’t seen her as anything but off limits. Darcy and Ryder are great together and their chemistry is wonderful once Ryder gives in to his feelings. Everyone needs a family like the Collins. I love this series!
This was a quick, sexy story that I enjoyed reading. I loved that Brooklyn was tied in to the Wilder Irish series since she’s Darcy’s best friend and we got to see the Collins family. Brooklyn, Elijah and Logan were scorching hot together. I would have loved to see their relationship developed more but I know this was a short story.
Everyone deserves to love like the Collins family. These stories are heart warming, they make you wish your family was so close and so loving. That the greatest story that all wanted to hear was Pop pops tell his and Sundays love story. To grow up seeing true dedicated love daily by grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles, cousins. Knowing you would find the same.
This is Darcy’s story, you will laugh and cry with them, so enjoy.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.