Wilderness Heart by Jacqueline Hopkins

This is a romance set in the beautiful Idaho mountains.

Lyn is an attractive wilderness hunting guide in the Idaho lumber region where she has lived all her life.  She has to battle against male dominance of this job and discrimination against her gender for the ability to do the job just as well as a man.  On one particular expedition, this opinion is heartily voiced by Nic, an attractive, well-honed, thirty-something male.  He, however, is using the hunt to disguise his reconnaissance of the area as, unbeknown to Lyn, his father owns a lumber mill company that wishes to make a bid on the land for its timber.  Lyn has a deep-seated hatred for such companies as she can see no further than their defacement of the stunning place in which she grew up and believes their lumbering methods were responsible for a tragic accident that befell her grandfather.

Seven days in each other's company in the wilderness gives them challenges above those provided by having to survive the harsh outdoors.  The attraction between Lyn and Nic is magnetic and intense, but they each have to overcome their prejudices;  Lyn against the lumber companies, Nic against women who hunt guide (and cuss and smoke). 

This book has all the ingredients of a hot romance:  a good-looking, droolworthy male, a feisty female with mesmerising eyes, lust, desire that just has to be given in to and love.  The relationship between Lyn and Nic, our protaganists, moves along quite quickly and the HEA ending is predictable, but there are a few humps in the road, so you are thrown off kilter just a little. The dramatic Idaho wilderness is the perfect backdrop, wonderfully portrayed by Jacqueline – I could almost feel the crisp, crunchy snow beneath my feet and feel the cold, fresh and exhilarating air.

An easy-to-read and satisfying holiday read.


This review was originally written for The TBR Pile
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