REVIEW: There's Wild, Then There's You (The Wild Ones #3)

There's Wild, Then There's You (The Wild Ones #3), by M. Leighton
To Be Published June 3, 2014
Publisher: Berkley Romance
Format: e-ARC, obtained from the publisher
Genre: new adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Rating: 4.5 STARS

(From Goodreads) Violet Wilson is a wallflower. Shy, serious, and accident-prone, she’s got a bad habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The night she’s forced to pose with her friend might just be the worst time of all—that’s when she meets Jet Blevins. She knows better than to get involved with someone like him, but he touches her in ways she never expected, never wanted before.

On the outside, Jet is a typical rocker, an arrogant lead guitarist who unapologetically lives a wild lifestyle. But on the inside, he’s battling demons and using the stage to escape the troubles of his past and the addictions of his present. Until the night he sees Violet standing at the back of the room. She brings his life into focus. She knows his secrets. She’s the girl he can’t forget, and the one thing he craves more than his addiction.

But can they ever hope to have a future when their very foundation is nothing but lies?

Between all of M. Leighton's "Wild" men to date - Trick, Jake and Jet - Jet from There's Wild, Then There's You, is by far my favorite, and he's also the worst of the lot. How does she do that?

Volet is a helper. She feels the need to help anyone who needs it, no matter if that means she has no time for herself or just to go out and have fun once in awhile. It's in this capacity that she finds herself at a sex addicts meeting to support her BFF who fails to show up. In a fit of desperation, Violet tells the group she is a recovered sex addict. She captures the attention of Jet Blevins, lead singer and guitarist for a local rock band. He asks her to be his sponsor, and in true Violet fashion, she agrees, even though it's under false pretenses. Jet and Violet grow closer and closer, while sharing more and more of their lives with each other. But, they're both withholding facts about that initial sex addicts meeting that could destroy their budding love before it really gets going.

I had a love/hate relationship with Violet. On one hand, her giving nature was respectable and admirable. She's a social worker, so she's used to fixing other people's problems. Her dad has a drinking problem, her BFF has issues (don't get me started), and then when Jet approaches her about sponsoring him, she agrees to that as well. She doesn't go out, doesn't know how to have fun. After awhile, I realized she's sort of pathetic. She constantly sacrifices of herself so that others can be lifted up, and each time, she loses a little bit more of herself. The fact that she doesn't realize this makes me nuts.

I think that's why I loved Jet so much. He was the one person that got Vi out of her own head and caused her to do things out of character - which was exactly what she needed. He wasn't willing to overlook their attraction to each other, despite meeting at a sex addicts meeting. He's got some balls, I'll say that much.

But, the more we see of these two beyond what they allow everyone else to see, the more I was endeared to both of them. Violet's rocky relationship wtih her dad and her nonexistant one with her mother is really very sad and has colored her views on love and relationships. Jet's dad has lots of money, but no time or attention for his son. His mom isn't happy with the way Jet is leading his life - drinking, sex, rock-and-roll - so, she doesn't want him spending time with his impressionable younger brothers, and that hurts him immensely. He doesn't think of himself as worthy of someone else's love because to date no one has deemed him worthy. It's pretty sad, actually.

It becomes evident early on that Jet is harboring a secret that he doesn't want Violet to know about. We all know what Vi's secret is (that she's not really a sex addict), but Jet's we could only speculate on. I have to say, I was WAY off on this one. I love being surprised. And, when I found out what his secret was, I thought it was both better and worse than it could've been. But, yet - it is pretty damaging, especially the way that Vi finds out.

The best part of There's Wild, Then There's You is how Jet and Violet both help the other without even realizing they're doing it. They encourage and uplift and care about each other in subtle ways that make a big impression. It's told in dual POV, and includes M. Leighton's typical extra spicy moments that I just love so much.

Although there is no mention of Trick and Cami from The Wild Ones, we do see what's happened with Jake and Laney from Some Like It Wild (The Wild Ones #2), which I was very thankful for.

If you haven't started M. Leighton's Wild Ones series, yet, you really need to. These bad boys are the best.