It’s been a while since I’ve written a book review on the blog, but today I get to share about a book that became one of my favorite reads of the year! If you like romance novels with found family, sexy book boyfriends, single moms, and small town vibes, this is definitely the book for you!

First thing’s first: I will preface with the disclaimer that I was part of the Advanced Reader Copy review team for this one. As always, all my thoughts are my own and I wasn’t required to leave a positive review. I really just loved the book that much. 🙂 With all that legal disclaimer nonsense out of the way, let’s get into it!

About Wicked & Wildflower by Sarah A. Bailey:

“When Dahlia Andrews uprooted her life in Kansas to start over in Pacific Shores, the last thing she expected was to become wrapped up in one night of wicked passion with a nameless local. Even less expected? Said stranger happens to be her new boss. And the son of her only friend in town. And her brother-in-law…in-law? Whatever Everett Ramos is to her, it’s too complicated to be more than their one-night-stand. Dahlia has enough on her plate: a new job, familial turmoil, and raising her daughter alone. But when the chaos of her life begins to spill over, Everett may be the only person who can save her.

Everett Ramos never cared about much beyond his family and his business…until a hurricane of storm-blue eyes and mile-long legs barreled into his best friend’s bar and turned his entire life upside down. Dahlia Andrews is complicated and stubborn, with an iron cage built around her fragile heart. All it took was one night with her to leave him craving more. So when she comes to him for help keeping her toxic father at bay, he finds himself leaping at any excuse to get closer to her. While Dahlia insists their arrangement is all business, Everett can’t deny their orbital pull.

He’s all in, but can she be convinced this wild love is worth the risk?”

Heathen & Honeysuckle, book 1 in Bailey’s Pacific Shores series, has been on my TBR since this summer when I saw some gorgeous character art created for it by one of the artists I follow on Instagram. Between that, the book description, and stalking all the snippets Bailey shared on her social media, it was an immediate “follow this author” for me because the book sounded EXQUISITE.

But then when I heard book 2 was coming out, her ARC team was open to new members, and the books could be read out of order/as stand-alones? Hook, line, and sinker – I was done for. I knew I had to get my hands on Wicked & Wildflower one way or another, and I’m so grateful that Sarah A. Bailey and Luna Literary management accepted me for the review team!

I knew the book was going to be so, so good. What I didn’t realize was how quickly I was going to fall in love with it – the characters, the setting, how gently Bailey handled topics that I deeply connect with from experience in my personal life, etc.

Five stars, ten stars, literally all the stars, you guys.

Dahlia, Everett, and Lucille capture your heart and soul within the first few chapters, and my love for them carried throughout the entire book – to the point I was actually bawling my eyes out from 92% of the way through till the end.

And Bailey wrote about motherhood SO. WELL. Dahlia’s love for her child transcends everything, and her desire to make sure Lucille knows she’s loved every day, protected, and given the best life she could ever have is so poignant. But the places where Dahlia struggles with the joys of motherhood while also missing who she used to be before she became a mother were also handled so delicately and realistically. Many of the moms in my life have been hesitant to talk about that transition – the feeling of losing yourself and having to learn who you are all over again – once you become a mother, so it’s something I’ve set out to try to “normalize” in conversation in my daily life. To see it handled so beautifully in a book meant everything to me. ❤

Everett was the BEST book boyfriend, holy smokes. There is literally nothing for me to say except for that. He’s hot. He’s caring. He’s sincere. He’s patient. He’s protective and nuturing. He takes care of his girls. Like…sir, please. 12/10 character, sexy as hell. You’ll enjoy him. 🙂 Also, there were so many emotional moments between him and Lucille that were so precious, I could hardly stand it. This man steps up to prove not just to Dahlia but also to her daughter that he’s ready to be the steadfast, caring, trustworthy presence both of them need in their lives. When I say he’s the best, I mean he is literally the best.

I rarely cry when I read but the last chapter of the book made me clutch my chest and cry for several minutes after finishing. No spoilers, but it was EVERYTHING. ❤

The last two things I wanted to touch on before I make myself stop fangirling:

1. The spice in this book was SO HOT. Phew. Dahlia and Everett are kinky as hell and I love that for them. But I also felt like Bailey did a really great job showing all of the deep emotional buildup and trust that had to occur before we got to the sexy scenes, which I really appreciated. The open door scenes were a natural product of where the characters’ relationship was taking them, not just inserted just because it could be. (NOT that there is any problem with spice for spice’s sake! But that would have been a disservice to Dahlia and everything she’s been through, so I just greatly appreciate how Bailey handled that so delicately.)
2. Book 3 is going to kill me. I can’t say much due to spoilers but holyyyyyy. I’m so ready. *grabby hands*

Okay, okay, I’ll stop flailing about this book now. 🙂 If Wicked & Wildflower sounds like your cup of tea, definitely go grab your copy from Amazon! It just released yesterday so it’s the perfect time to read it! ❤ (Not to mention it’s basically a holiday book because it takes place over Halloween and Thanksgiving. See? All the more reason to buy it now! *winks*)

If you’ve read it already, I’d love to hear what you think! ❤

(FINAL PSA: I know I have several readers both here on the blog and on social media that prefer clean books. Just wanted to throw out there that this is squarely in the Adult Romance genre, and there is both ample spice and language. Please review any trigger/content warnings yourself to decide if the book is right for you! <3)