Review: A home run for cowboy romance! 

 

“Burn the Wild” follows Reese Austin, a reigning country-pop princess, after she runs to the small mountain town of Resurrection when her world comes crashing down. Her first day there, she’s assigned a babysitter—Ford Montgomery. As the summer heats up, passion sparks, but there’s always a price to pay for trying to escape the past. 

 

“Burn the Wild” is darker than the previous books in the Runaway Ranch series in that both characters experience major depressive states. For Reese, those states stem from abuse and violence at the hands of her manager. For Ford, they result from a series of events triggered by a painful breakup. I appreciate Hunter taking great care in capturing both Reese and Ford’s trauma, having them open up about their painful pasts on their own time. I also value greatly that Hunter emphasizes the importance of medication and therapy in treating mental illness, while still communicating that they aren’t a cure-all. 

 

Reese and Ford’s relationship moved me to tears! Reese found Ford when she was at her darkest and I loved watching them support each other on their respective healing journeys. Throughout the summer they spend together, they slowly but surely let down their walls, allow themselves to be loved, and push each other to chase their dreams. They do so under the guise of being “just friends,” but the yearning glances, stolen kisses, and midnight swims, solidified the two as a couple, making my heart melt. I love that they found their happy in each other and on the ranch!