Maybe if things were different, Leo could date the woman he’s suddenly longing for, the free-spirited Yvonne Collins. For her, life is an adventure; for him, life is all about work and keeping things simple so he can focus on his son.When a tragic event upends Leo’s orderly existence, he’s forced to admit he can’t do it all, and he can’t do it alone. Yvonne feels like exactly what Leo doesn’t … what Leo doesn’t need, until she shows him chaos isn’t always bad, and letting go isn’t the same thing as losing control.
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She had me at “the woman he’s always longed for”. Yes please! Plus a single dad?! And the Collins family?? I’m in!
What would you do if your world seemed to fall apart when things seemed to fall into place? For Leo and Yvonne, best friends, turned lovers, that may well be the case. Finding out what and how to navigate life together, when there are others involved, may just take all the courage in the world. Another great read in the Wild Irish world. Love Pop Pop and his wittyness!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
So much goodness! Loved Leo & Yvonne. The Collins family. Steamy, sweet, witty, and heartfelt. A very satisfying read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Received an advance copy through Booksprout.
I just love the Collins family, and can’t wait for the next books!!! Leo and Yvonne face some hard times, but it is wonderful to see them grow together and find their HEA.
Yvonne has been in love with Leo for the past 15 years, but is stuck in the friend zone. Leo has wanted to be more than friends with Yvonne, but has too many responsibilities to have a relationship. When tragedy strikes and Leo is overwhelmed Yvonne steps in to help! Can they find their happily ever after?
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Why is it that whenever a certain author publishes a new book, I have to blame her? Mari Carr is to blame for a lot of late night reading and being tired the next day at school in the classroom. And she dared to pick the first day of school for the publication date of her latest book in the Wilder series.
Wild Spirit is the eighth book in the Wilder series and just like every other book, it can be read as a stand alone. This book is about Yvonne Collins who is very much a free spirit. And about Leo who she has known for most of her life. And for Leo, life is all about work. Obviously Leo needs some adventure and a free spirit in his life to shake things up.
Leo has been taking care of his son and things get out of control when tragedy strikes. He is in over his head and for him chaos is not something to be tolerated. Well, that is until he is schooled by the lovely Yvonne that chaos isn’t all that bad and that letting go can be fun. And
Yvonne has had a thing for Leo since she was a teenager. But because he was in love with someone else, she never acted on it. But she has remained his friend through out the entire time and has been there when Leo has needed her. And she finally gets a chance to act on her feelings and to see if Leo feels the same. (Hint: it is a Mari Carr book so he does but not without some challenges and adventures along the way.)
I did receive a copy of this book ahead of time from the author in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
Surprisingly, Wild Spirit has become my favorite Wilder Irish books. Leo and Yvonne were so perfect, had so much of a history that you knew that the friends to lovers story was going to be resplendent. And, I loved how the story started so that we understood the history and the love.
Leo. One of the most responsible, loving men that I have read in a long time. He knew how to love and, when he did, he loved long and hard. His first responsibility is to Vince, Clint and Ryder … his second responsibility is his family. A devoted dad and son, he didn’t have much time to be devoted to himself. Until a certain someone crashed back into his life and started teaching him about just how great his life could be.
Yvonne is a whirlwind. She fell in love with Leo when she was a teenager and he always had a special place in her heart. She hated that he refused to take time for himself, to ask for help when he so desperately needed it. It’s time that she stepped in and opened his eyes to the world beyond Vince, Clint and Ryder. It’s time to teach him a few Collins lessons. Maybe it’s time for her to admit to her feelings that she’s had forever.
I loved how this story went. From the devoted family man to the man who realized that the person he needed the most was standing right in front of him, Leo’s transformation was wonderful. Mari Carr really did a fantastic job in making us understand his feelings, his way of thinking and why he felt the way he did. She also showed us the Collins’ spirit and determination in bringing life and love into other peoples lives. The children were so well written … typical teen and pre-teens with hormones and all … you had to love them.
From devastation to determination. From defeat to victory. Mari Carr brought two wonderful people to life in Wild Spirit and gave them a beautiful story filled with love, laughter and PopPop.
fun and steamy!!!
This book is part of the Wilder Irish series but can easily be read as a stand alone novel. However, since this was a very enjoyable friends to lovers romance, I recommend reading the series. Yvonne has had a crush on Leo since high school but Leo never saw her as more than a friend. But can his current life situation ever allow for the two of them to become more than friends? A great addition to the series and I look forward to more from the Collins family.
This friends to lovers romance is everything! Mari Carr delivers a steamy, emotional read that I could NOT put down!
I really really love the Collins family! This is Yvonne and Leo’s friends to lovers story. Their story starts off with a broken hearted 14-year old Yvonne. She had just found out that her crush, Leo had asked another girl to a dance. With advice from Pop-pop she decides that friendship is just as important as love and that is the way things have been for the past 15 years. It is due to this friendship that Yvonne decides to intervene when she sees how overwhelmed Leo is getting. She was determined to see Leo relax and she took it upon herself to impart the Collins’ secrets of a happy and balanced life. This new role Yvonne puts into place definitely changes the dynamic of their relationship, especially when Yvonne confesses her teenage crush. Leo is now seeing her in a new light and what ensues are some really off the charts steamy interactions and so many sweet ones too. Unfortunately a misunderstanding derails them for a bit, but is resolved in the best way.
Wild Spirit was a fantastic read and I loved everything about this book! A definite 5-star read.
A beautiful addition to the ever growing Collins clan. This book creates characters that feel like friends and has you going “duhhh” just like you do to your friends in real life. Throw in a bit of pop pop advice and you have one hell of a beautiful story that just makes me want to reread the entire series.
She’s his lodestar
Leo is a single father, raising his son Vince with Vince’s half brother Clint. He knocked up his high school girlfriend but they were not a couple by then. Yvonne tells him what he should do.
Yvonne again advised him when his baby mama died three years ago. Now, things have changed again. Leo is a mess, drowning in responsibility.
I didn’t see Yvonne as a wild spirit. She’s much too practical. She’s crushed on Leo for years and it’s not until she does yet another intervention that he sees her as more than a buddy.
And then the steamy times ensue.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I know two things for sure when ever I pick up a Mari Carr book. One, I know I’m getting a good laugh and two, the romance of the story will be epic. Wild Spirit, the eighth book of the Wilder Irish Series is a fantastic friends to lovers tale.
Yvonne is a wild spirit. As she says living life like a Collins. She independent, confident and contagious. Vonnie is the best type of person to be around. A woman that can go with the flow yet knows when to step in and put her foot done. Being an only child may have spoiled Yvonne, yet the woman shares every bit of what she has. Vonnie is a unique soul.
Leo is a workaholic and a man who stands by his word. He’s also a tatted up hottie to boot. Leo is one of the good guys. He’s Dedicated to his job and his family, which do you coincide. Leo’s life took a tumble but through the struggle he learn what friends are for. He also learned that sometimes friends are more than you think the are.
Wild Spirit is fantastic. Leo and Yvonne are each other’s yin and yang. Their friendship is something both treasure dearly yet Yvonne lingering crush and Leo realizing there’s more that meets the eye makes them both see each other in a new and different light. These two are fun together. Through the ups and downs, trying to make it work, smoothing out the hiccups Leo and Yvonne will make the reader smile. There compassion for each other just adds to the passion they discover together. Let me tell you, these two are not as sweet as you may think. I do believe they could rival each other in a dirty talking contest. We will have to flip a coin to figure out the winner. Lol!
Mari Carr has this way of capturing her readers in so many ways with her stories. Whether it be through laughter and humor, emotion and healing or passion and steaminess, she will hook you one way or another. Luckily for us readers, we get all of that in Wild Spirit.
Book eight in the Wilder Irish series a well written story with a very good storyline. This is Yvonne Collins and Leo Watson’s story of a second chance,and her showing him how to live like a “Collins”. I enjoyed reading their story. This was a fast book to read. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I just fell in love with Leo and Yvonne. When Yvonne was a young girl she fell in love with Leo but Leo was in love with someone else. Through the breakup, the birth of his son to helping when his son’s mom passed, Yvonne has always been there for Leo. With a shoulder, an ear, and advice. But how does Yvonne get Leo to see her. And what happens when he does? An Explosive combination.
Fantastic story and a Fantastic read.
Wild….
Having read several stories by this author over the years, I feel safe in saying that this is one of her best. I can’t say that it was one single thing that made this so but more like several things working together. Leo and Yvonne were great characters on their own but truly phenomenal together. This is a book I feel I will read multiple times.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I just don’t know how Mari Carr does it, but the stories in this series just keep getting better and better. Just when I think I’ve read the best story ever, she goes and does it again.
The next installment of the Wilder Irish series revolves around Yvonne and Leo. She’s had a crush on him since their school days, but he had eyes for another. Jump to the future and he’s a single dad almost running on empty, with demands from family life. But Yvonne helps him to see that a life of chaos is not necessarily a bad thing.
Wowsers and who would have thought that Leo was a bit dominant, totally had me drooling. These characters are so lovable, Yvonne tells it like it is (but she likes when Leo gives her order in the bedroom), she’s funny and full of sass. Leo is very serious, but Yvonne does her best at getting him to let loose.
I loved everything about their story, the Collins clan can do wonders for the soul.
4.5 stars – another fantastic entry to the Wilder Irish series. I loved the strong foundation that came from Leo and Yvonne’s friendship of over a decade, and the relationship Yvonne had with Leo’s son Vince. Mari Carr has a talent for creating unconventional families that add an extra component to the story and I especially enjoyed seeing the dynamics in Leo’s family situation. As always, the secondary characters in this series are well fleshed-out and the use of Pop Pop-centric stories in both the Prologue and Epilogue give the story a well-rounded feel.
I love anything that Mari Carr writes. That’s why I was anxiously awaiting her newest book, Wild Spirit. Wild Spirt is another story in the Wilder Irish series that focuses on the Collins family. This is Yvonne’s story.
Yvonne has had a crush on Leo since she was a teenager. But Leo had eyes for another girl. Yvonne felt destined to forever be in the friend zone. Leo made plans to marry that girl but it turned out that she was pregnant and she didn’t feel the same about Leo. Leo still vowed to be a part of his son’s life. To Leo, life is all about working hard to help his family farm and to support his son. He sees Yvonne often and wishes he could have a relationship with her but he holds fast to his other responsibilities.
Yvonne loves life. She works hard helping to cook for her family’s restaurant and bar. She sees Leo often and wishes she could play a bigger part in his and his son’s life. When tragedy strikes Leo, Yvonne jumps in to help. Leo may insist that he can do it all on his own but Yvonne knows that sometimes people just need a helping hand.
As their friendship grows, can it evolve into more or will continued tragedy drive Leo further away? Wild Spirit is part of a series but it can be read by itself. But I’m sure you’ll love it so much that you’ll go back and read the other stories.