REVIEW: Dark Wild Night (Wild Seasons #3)

Dark Wild Night (Wild Seasons #3), by Christina Lauren
Publish Date: September 15, 2015
Publisher: Gallery Books
Format: paperback, provided by the publisher
Genre: adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Rating: 4 STARS

(From Goodreads) Lola and Oliver like to congratulate themselves on having the good sense to not consummate their drunken Las Vegas wedding. If they’d doubled-down on that mistake, their Just Friends situation might not be half as great as it is now.

... Or so goes the official line.

In reality, Lola’s wanted Oliver since day one—and over time has only fallen harder for his sexy Aussie accent and easygoing ability to take her as she comes. More at home in her studio than in baring herself to people, Lola’s instinctive comfort around Oliver nearly seems too good to be true. So why ruin a good thing?

Even as geek girls fawn over him, Oliver can’t get his mind off what he didn’t do with Lola when he had the chance. He knows what he wants with her now ... and it’s far outside the friend zone. When Lola’s graphic novel starts getting national acclaim—and is then fast-tracked for a major motion picture—Oliver steps up to be there for her whenever she needs him. After all, she’s not the kind of girl who likes all that attention, but maybe she’s the kind who’ll eventually like him.

Sometimes seeing what’s right in front of us takes a great leap of faith. And sometimes a dark wild night in Vegas isn’t just the end of a day, but the beginning of a bright new life...

I knew I was going to love Oliver. I just knew it. While Ansel was being crazy and staying married to Mia who was a perfect stranger and Finn and Harlow were humping like bunnies, Oliver was the steady one. The one who didn't do crazy stuff. The one everyone could could on to make the smart decisions. 

Oliver has been running his comic book store while his BFFs fell in love. And Oliver has been in love with his other BFF the whole time, but she doesn't know it and doesn't feel the same way. It seems like Oliver was content just being close to Lola in whatever way he could be. And that made me sad. Oliver shouldn't have to struggle with his feelings for Lola. He's so sweet and smart and awesome. 

And then there's Lola. Honestly, she was my least favorite of the six. She's quirky and driven and very focused on her path forward, and her comic being turned into a major motion picture is the culmination of all her work. It's her ticket to greatness. But, she's very introverted and not comfortable putting herself out there in public situations. Doesn't make for a very good combination. But, hey - she has her good buddy Oliver to help her out, like always. 

It seemed like it took forever for Lola to realize that Oliver was the best thing that ever happened to her - not her comic or her movie. But, the really frustrating thing is, even after Lola realized that, it didn't stop her from making one bad decision after another when it came to him. Oliver loved her fiercely in the only ways he knew how. And Lola didn't know what to do with all that. 

In reality, these two were so perfect for each other. It's funny to me that you have these six people who meet randomly in Vegas, and they pair off with the exact perfect matches for each other, without even knowing it. That was no different here. Lola and Oliver are the hot nerds of the group. They think the same way. They love the same things. They have a fine appreciation for each others' work. And, they were both in love with the other, but had no idea how to speak it into being without ruining the incredible friendship they had cultivated. These two were a hot mess. 

The struggles I had with Dark Wild Night had more to do with Lola and her treatment of Oliver than anything else. Ollie was amazing. I loved the appearances of Finn, Harlow, Ansel and Mia. Not Joe sort of stole the show in this book - he and the relationship he has with Oliver cracked me up! I just had a really hard time relating to Lola. And I spent most of the book being pissed off at her for how casually she treated what she and Oliver had, and for how neurotic she was when it came to her relationship with him. IMO, Oliver is perfect and it made me mad that she couldn't see that as easily as I could. 

Everything else was perfect. The writing was awesome. The setting and the premise of the story was cool. The book was funny and sweet and poignant at times. And, of course, it was hot and sexy. Oliver and Lola may be the nerds of the group, but they definitely know how to burn up the sheets. And who knew Ollie was hiding such a sexy dirty talker behind those glasses??? 

Mia's ex Luke gets the next book in this series, and I'm really looking forward to it. I'm betting his relationship with London is going to be a fun one to watch. They're the only ones who haven't already been married, so at least there's that, right?