Wild Crush

Wilder Valley

By: Kacey Shea

Narrated by: Erin Mallon, Robert Hatchet

Length: 6 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

I've loved Maeve Wilder my whole life.

She's never seen me as more than a friend but that's my fault. By the time I was brave enough to confess my feelings, I was too late.

She met the man she would marry and it wasn't me. I missed my chance.

Now we're in our thirties, still the best of friends, and I've made peace with the fact my unrequited love will never amount to more than a wild crush. Mostly.

But when her husband walks out—leaving her to raise their three children alone, I'm the one who is there to pick up the pieces.

Each night I fall asleep on her sofa, longing for her to see me as more than a friend. When she does, it changes everything.

My heart belongs to hers, it always has. But when reality comes crashing down, will the life we've built over the last few months be enough for her to choose a forever with me?

Wild Crush is a small town, single mom, unrequited love, best friends to lovers, steamy romance in the Wilder Valley series by USA Today Bestselling Author Kacey Shea. This book can be enjoyed as a standalone or start with Wild Hearts.

©2024 Kacey Shea (P)2024 Kacey Shea

Best friends to lovers!

I have been looking to Maeve getting a book since we could tell things were rocky in previous books. And when Maeve finds herself separating from her husband, life starts to brighten for her best friend Rainer who has been in love with her for years.

💛Small town romance
💛Best friends to lovers
💛It’s always been you
💛Cinnamon roll MMC
💛Surprise pregnancy

When Maeve’s husband leaves, Rainer immediately steps in to be THE person for her. He helps keep her together when her life seems to be falling apart.

And during that time, things seemingly switch from best friends to lovers real quick for them. You would have thought that they were together for years based on their chemistry and the domesticity between them.

But all can’t be that easy for them; can it?

Rainer is literal perfection. Everyone deserves a Rainer in their life and I will die on that hill for him. He is one of my favorites from this series.

Now Maeve - I resonated and emphasized with her difficult situation. However, some of her decisions made me want to shake her and ask her what she is thinking?! I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’m going to leave that vague.

Erin Mallon and Robert Hatchet were fantastic in this! Rob always has this way about him and the dirty talking was spicy with his voice! Erin Mallon was perfect as Maeve, especially in her most vulnerable times. The narration pairing for this one couldn’t have been better matched!

Cannot wait to read Jackson’s falling in love next!

An emotionally intense journey filled with feels

Rainer and Maeve really take you on an emotionally intense journey that is jam-packed with feels. My heart ached viciously as I enjoyed this romance. Rainer was truly an incredible book boyfriend. He was so sweet, kind and generous. He totally stole my heart and made me swoon. As for Maeve, I thought she was a very genuine, relatable character but I must admit that I found her frustrating. I thought that the narration on this book was wonderful. Both performances were well done, and I felt the voices fit the characters well.

Friends to lovers

We have been teased with Maeve and Rainer since book one of this series and I couldn't wait for this author to give them their story. Rainer has had a crush on Maeve for years but he missed his chance way back to express his feelings and she married another man. He isn't a good man and Rainer knows that so he is there for her as a best friend. When things change and he steps in to help her and her kids will they finally get their happily ever after or will he lose her again? No spoilers!

I love this series and this book was so good. There are lots of emotions but this author always delivers those. I love this small town and the people that live there. I felt as though I was on this journey with them. This is book four of the series but each book stands alone.

Erin Mallon and Robert Hatchet narrate this book and they both deliver. They bring the feels. I loved it and recommend this book.

Friends to More

This was a Wilder romance that kind of lacked the other Wilder siblings… but I think that just showcased how alone Maeve was. I felt for Maeve, her life was her family and yet it wasn’t good enough for her husband. It was pretty obvious how worthless her husband was after Rainer moved in and I like that it opened her eyes to how a true partnership should be. Without giving anything away, she made me extremely mad there towards the end and honestly I don’t know if I wanted Rainer to forgive her but he’s a better person than me because he staid by her side for everything. Erin Mallon and Robert Hatchet did a great job narrating.

Good Story

Ok I think I was expecting more from this for some reason. I mean I loved the story but felt it just seemed to quit at the ending. I was expecting more strife from the ex husband situation or even some resolution from Pop. Some of the situation with Alex was glossed over in the Epilogue..but I just find it odd he is being so gracious to Maeve and Rainier. I know the story is about the new relationship between the two MC and that has tragic and lovely elements.

Overall this is just an okay listen for me. I liked the characters but felt something was missing especially near the end.

I listened to this on audio. Erin Mallon and Robert Hatchet are the narrators. They both are pleasant to listen to did an excellent job portraying their characters. Perfect choices!

Fantastic story with amazing narration

Another amazing book from Kacey! Erin Mallon and Robert Hatchet deliver a phenomenal performance. They brought the characters to life by giving them perfect voice, emotion and personality. I love how narrators give readers/listeners a whole new experience to enjoying an authors words. Reiner is the perfect man…he is so kind, gentle, protective and soooo in love with Maeve. But he never crosses the line….until the appropriate time. Maeve is a hot mess and needs a break…she’s doing her best but is at a breaking point. She’s gets some help after her husband leaves but it’s from a very unexpected person. Reiner and Maeve are such a beautiful couple…I love how Kacey writes their friendship…and how they grow towards one another. A really beautiful love story between two people who deserve happiness. Looking forward to the next book in the series….they’ve all been fantastic!

Wonderful Story & Narration🎧Riveting & Heartfelt!

Wilder Valley has become one of my favorite places to spend time in, and the Wilders become some of my favorite characters, so it is great to be back there for another fabulous romance novel, a beautifully heartfelt story of a newly single mom, Maeve Wilder, and her best friend, Rainer who has been her rock and by her side threw thick and thin. Rainer and Maeve have been friends for years, but his feelings morphed into more, and he was ready to tell her such but was too late because she had already met someone, the man she wound up marrying, Adam. Rainer never got over his love for her or moved on with anyone else, it was only her and he was happy to have her in his life as a friend. They are both in their thirties now, she is a mother of three young children and her husband’s job takes him away for days, sometimes weeks at a time and she is struggling at doing it all. Thankfully, she has good friends who help, including Rainer, though she wished her own husband would help more. When he comes home, he expects to be waited on and gets an attitude if otherwise, puts her down and she has finally had enough and lashes out at him for how he treats her. So what does he do? He walks out on her and the kids, leaving her broken and in despair. Rainer is there for her, helps with the kids and the household and gives her time to get through her grief. Rainer is truly a sweetheart, the kind of person we all need in our lives - so thoughtful, considerate, and amazing with the kids.
My heart broke for Maeve, a husband who was not willing to fight for her and their kids, but it was great that she had Rainer and to watch her pick herself up and dust herself off and start living again. I would like to say that this is my favorite book in the series, but that would not be fair to the others since each one is just as amazing as the other and I recommend them all. As always, the writing, plot and world building are fantastic, as are the character growth and development. The story has a perfect balance of drama, a touch of angst, lots of heartfelt emotions, and a meant-to-be romance, years overdue. Kacey Shea, thank you for another wonderful story and emotional rollercoaster ride. 

🎧📚🎧 Erin Mallon and Robert Hatchet were an absolute delight to listen to, and they did an exceptional job bringing these characters to life and their portrayal of them was spot on, giving each a voice that was fitting, while grasping every aspect of their personality. Hatchet as Rainer was swoon worthy perfection and Mallon nailed it as Maeve, and both were equally amazing performing the roles of the secondary characters, too. They set the perfect tone for the story, captured all the characters’ emotions and had you feeling them all. These two make a great narration team, their voices complement each other’s and their performance elevates the already wonderful story to another level. Thank you for another fabulous listen.  

Loved this friends to lovers romance!

This is a friends to lovers romance at its absolute best! Maeve and Rainer have been best friends since they were young. Rainer missed his chance to tell Maeve that he wanted to be more than friends, when she left for college. Even tho she met and married someone else, Rainer stayed in her life. Now years later, her marriage is falling apart, she raising three young children on her own, and she is exhausted. Rainer steps in and helps her with her kids, her house, and herself. Rainer helps Maeve rediscover the woman she was always meant to be. The kids love him, and he loves them as well. As Maeve becomes stronger and feeling more independent, she realizes that her feelings for Rainer run much deeper than friends. Just when Rainer thinks he is finally having his dream, something happens that could take it away for good. This is such a beautiful, sweet, heartfelt and sizzling love story. I fell so hard for Rainer, and Maeve and could really feel the love between them right away. I also loved her children and the sweet family they were building together. But hands down, Rainer is the best part of this book. While I love watching Maeve's growth, along with feeling the deep connection between these two, it’s all strengthened by this genuinely good, thoughtful, caring, compassionate, and completely lovable man. He was so patient with Maeve and with all the complications in their lives. I also loved seeing all the Wilder family and friends who gives this story even more heart.
The excellent voice acting by Erin Mallon, and Robert Hatchet was completely mesmerizing. They easily capture and project the essence of each character, including the children, so vividly. I am always excited to listen to both Mallon and Hatchet, and they definitely brought this beautiful story to life with stellar, and moving performances!
I love this series so much, and I can't wait for more from Wilder Valley!

Beautiful story with excellent narration!

I've been excited to get Maeve's story after getting to know most of her brothers, and although it was a bit of a rocky road, it was wonderful to see her get her happily ever after with the one person in the world who truly loved her unconditionally...and no, it wasn't her husband.

Reiner...this man has a heart of gold and has loved Maeve for as long as he can remember. He's stayed a part of her life, even when she met her husband because she's always been his best friend and he wanted to stay in her life. When a huge, blow-up fight happens between Maeve and her husband and she tells him to leave, he steps in to help her and take care of her three kids. And slowly, over time...Maeve realizes that there is something there between her and Rainer and decides it's something worth exploring. Rainer treats Maeve how she wants to be treated. He does things and helps without being asked. Seriously, Rainer is almost too perfect, but he also knows his worth too.

There's a moment in the story where I wanted to yell at Maeve because girl, what the heck are you thinking? I somewhat understood why she made that choice at the moment, but I also didn't. But this is the moment where I loved Rainer even more.

And if you get a chance to listen to the audio, do it. Robert Hatchet once again voices the hero, and he was absolutely perfect as Rainer. I could just hear the emotion from him during the moments where it was a bit on the heavier side. And Erin Mallon, she was wonderful also as Maeve. You could tell she tapped into her motherly side, because how could she not? Those emotions also came through loud and clear when it was Maeve's POV, and it was one of my favorite narrations of hers.