The Wild One
3 Stars

Juliet Paige and her baby daughter are on their way to meet her deceased fiancé’s family in England, when her coach is waylaid by highwaymen. Little does she know that the young gentleman who comes to the passengers’ rescue is none other than her lover’s younger brother, Gareth de Montforte. Gareth, known as The Wild One for his rakish ways, is smitten with Juliet from the start and vows to reform and become the husband and father she and her daughter deserve. Now all he has to do is figure out how to go about it …

A wonderful premise and solid writing, but the story contains themes that are simply not my cup of tea. Consequently, this review reflects my own personal foibles and those who do not share them will probably enjoy the book more.

To begin with, I’m not fond of heroines who have had a child with a man other than the hero. For me, it undermines the romance and emotional connection between the characters. That said, Gareth’s interactions with baby Charlotte are sweet and endearing.

Second, Gareth is a definite beta hero and initially comes across as childish and irresponsible. While, he does mature as the story progresses, the damage is done and he never quite manages to fulfill his potential.

Finally, although Juliet is a strong and admirable heroine, the fact that she is in love with the hero’s brother at the outset of the story puts a damper on their chemistry. Yes, she grows to love Gareth, but the specter of Charles is always there in the background.

The secondary characters are interesting, especially Lucien who is the alpha hero that Gareth is not. I have a thing for the staid, stuffy and repressed hero who needs to find the perfect woman to bring him to his knees. Thus, despite my issues with this particular story, I will probably continue with the series sometime. ( )

‘The Wild One,’ by Danelle Harmon is a historical romance novel about Lord Gareth de Monteforte who bravely intercedes in a stagecoach robbery by taking a bullet. Unbeknownst to him, his deceased brother’s fiancé, Juliet Paige, arrives on the same stagecoach with her young baby. Juliet arrives from America to plead with Lord Lucien de Monteforte, the eldest brother and head of the estate, to make her newborn child his ward. Lord Gareth, an irresponsible and light-hearted rake, is attracted to Juliet, and he pledges to marry her, while others are dubious about his ability to forego with a carefree life. Although the story is entertaining enough, I thought that there were some moments when I felt like this was just too hasty a transformation of character, and it was difficult to totally accept. How is it that an irresponsible rogue would suddenly fall in love and assume a responsible life? In addition, it seems implausible that an unmarried mother with a child would become acceptable marriage material for an aristocratic lord, during Georgian England. This is most certainly fiction by any stretch of the imagination! ( )

THE WILD ONE opens the de Montforte series which is about four brothers and a sister.
Gareth’s story is filled with humor and heart break, but what I liked best was this heroin’s story and the way she handled herself (although at times she did get my goat up!) despite the situations Gareth put her into.

Gareth is the third son of a Duke, and current Duke’s spare heir. He is not exactly a black sheep of the family, even though he is described as such, but a twenty-three year old scoundrel whose reputation is well-deserved. He is the leader of the Den of Debauchery, a group of lazy and mostly mischievous young-bloods of the county.

Gareth’s immaturity is evident to all and everyone is forgiving of it only because of his good heartedness and happy disposition to every situation he finds himself in, from an midnight debauchery stunt gone awry to the accidental run in with the highwaymen in which he almost ends up killed. It was really hard not to like a man like that! Yes, his immaturity gets him in hot water with all and saundry, but deep down all this man needed was the right woman to give him love and support, and this is where our heroine comes in handy.

Juliet Paige is in England for one reason only: to request help of Lucien, Duke of Blackheath who is the brother of her deceased fiancé, Charles de Monteforte. It has been more than a year since she last saw her beloved Charles, and now that she's left the war-torn Boston with Charlotte, her and Charles’ little girl, she is weary and apprehensive about meeting this formidable family. The uncertainty of their future is weighing heavily on her shoulders, but she is determined to make their acquaintance and introduce them to Charlotte.

As she nears the home of the family, her stage coach is stopped by vicious band of highwaymen.

Gareth de Monteforte is on his way home from yet another night of debauchery and while racing his friends, he comes upon the grisly scene, and it never occurs to him to abandon it, but comes to the rescue of the travelers, especially when he witnesses the heroic stance of Juliet.

There’s so much to recommend this story, but what I liked the best was the family dynamic between all the brothers and their little sister. The story doesn’t falter in pace and for the most part is humorous, with some tender moments, especially the romantic ones between Juliet and Gareth. The sensuality of their first union is really touching and hot at the same time. Most of the story is predictable, yet I still found it interesting and entertaining. My only complaint, if you can call it that since I thoroughly enjoyed the read, is that I wished the author made it longer, and with it delved more into the relationship of all the characters.

All in all, very enjoyable if short read, with plenty of angst, humor and action. This one’s a four quill and I’d say hot and sweet romance.

Melanie for http://rcjrezine.com/ website ( )

Check out my review, an excerpt, and a teaser on my blog during and after my blog tour stop on August 2, 2012 -- http://frommetoyouvideophoto.blogspot.com/2012/08/blog-tour-made-grade-de-montfo... ( )

The Wild One is a Georgian romance about Juliet, an American who became pregnant by a British officer killed at Concord. She and her baby come to England to find help from his family. Gareth, his younger brother, is the Wild One of the title.
Juliet and Gareth are likeable enough. However, I really couldn't buy Gareth's 'growth' throughout the story; he's pretty immature at the beginning and remains so despite the responsibility of a wife and child. I did not find his ultimate solution to their living arrangements to be believable. I also had trouble believing that Juliet could be so in love with her Charles and then forget him so readily for his brother.
However, I did like the other siblings and the epilogue ensures that I will probably continue the series in order to find out what happens next. ( )