Ok - upfront- I didn't read the first two books and I don't think that mattered a bit. Second, ok, yes, some of this might be a tad predictable but be honest- you know you love books where there's some sparring and then a happy ending. And puppies! Dax has a track record (ahem) and Lissa's got some bad guys after her. She hitches a ride from Louisiana to Pineville, Michigan with him and along the way, well.....Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is a fun read.

The story of Dax and Lissa.
She is on the run and he inadvertantly helps her escape. On her way to art college, she decides that she will spend some time with him in Michigan before her course starts.
He is trying to make he way in life, and buy the business he currently works for.
Lissa is in trouble and Dax wants nothing more than to help her, even if it means the end of his own dreams for the future.

I was given an electronic copy by Kensington Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I’m going to write my review in a different format this time in the hope that it can help give a clearer understanding of things that worked and things that didn’t work for me. These may be things that are particular to just me or things that are universally liked or disliked in their reading. The book comes out on June 11th.

Things I didn’t like:
1. Lissa felt like a manic pixie dream girl to me. She was unique/different just to be different or so it felt to me. If she had been just a little more grounded in reality then I would have liked her more.
2. Insta-Love. I get the instant chemistry between Dax and Lissa and that was all good. But falling in love in a month is really unrealistic. Especially considering that they’re both in their late 20s. As a 29 year old I couldn’t imagine even feeling like I know someone in a month. Let alone loving them.
3. The story lacked a lot of depth. I felt like it was a combination of plot driven story (for all the sections of action) and slice of life (for all of the at home or at work parts of the story). I didn’t feel like there was enough history or world development. I get that it’s a romance/contemporary, but that doesn’t mean we don’t need more than the bare bones of a story.
4. It all wraps up so nicely. I know what genre we’re in so I knew to expect it, but I’m really a “kill your darlings” kind of person. I don’t mean we needed a character death at the end, but maybe something to make it feel more realistic.

Things I did like:
1. The puppies! Okay, we knew that was going to be on the list so we might as well get that out of the way now. They were cute and William was the best even if he was super high energy all the time.
2. The scene where Dax and Lissa are having sex for the first time felt realistic to me in that laughter and joking should happen during sex. You’re having sex with the wrong person if you can’t laugh during sex. So it was sweet and realistic to see them being so normal in one of these scenes.
3. The main character’s friends. I liked all of the side characters in this story. I just wish they had more depth which is something I mentioned in the things I didn’t like. But I loved that everyone felt like they were real people and not just people who were written in because the main character needs friends.
4. An easy and quick read which is what I love out of my romance/contemporary novels.

Annelise Ansel is on the run. When she sees the men that she knows are after her, she jumps in to the back of Dax Cannon’s van. Dax heads for Michigan and finds Lissa in the back of his van along with the 8 at-risk dogs that he is rescuing for the Forever Friends Rescue. Instead of forcing to get other transportation, Dax agrees to take her along on his trip to Michigan. Lissa is waiting to start her schooling at the Bruggart-Tayo School of Visual Arts…an art career that her parents do not approve of or support. Dax is focused on his career plans and Lissa is a “spur of the moment” woman who brings a little fun in to Dax’s life. When her troubles start to affect Dax, she knows she must step in and face her past. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

The other books in this series we’re great, and I was really looking forward to Dax's story. He's a bit of a mess, doing community service at the Forever Friends animal shelter instead of jail time, but he's a loveable mess. He has a huge heart and he's taking life more seriously, trying to get a bank loan to buy the outdoor adventure company where he works when the owner retires. Now that he's on the straight and narrow, the last thing he needs in his life is the larger-than-life, pixie of a gal who stows away in the Forever Friends van when he picks up rescued dogs in New Orleans and takes them back to Michigan. Lissa has the heart and free spirit to go along with her artist's soul, and trouble has a way of following her.

I loved both heroes from the first two books, but Dax is definitely my favorite. He has a huge heart, and he's trying so hard to make a life he can be proud of and shake off his old reputation, which isn’t always easy under the small-town microscope. But then Lissa shows up and manages to throw an entire tool chest of monkey wrenches into his plans. Dax is finally getting his life together, and Lissa has him torn in two. He can’t deny his attraction and need to help her, especially when he understands how much she needs to be loved and accepted for who she is, but she's not too careful about toeing the legal line and trouble is dogging her heals. It makes for entertaining and exciting reading, and these two had me rooting for them every step of the way.

This is one of those book worlds I want to get lost in and stay in forever. Not only are the human characters engaging and endearing with a wonderful side of quirk, but the four-legged characters have a way of stealing the scene and wagging their way into the reader's heart. With perfect pacing, laugh-out-loud humor, enchanting romance and inspiring character growth, this feel-good read will definitely leave your heart smiling!

*I reviewed an advance copy of this book freely and voluntarily, having made no commitment to provide a review and receiving no compensation of any kind from any source for this review.

Whilst the characters were not the strongest, the story itself was enjoyable - what I refer to as a fluffy read (something easy to read that doesn't make me think too much).

We are pretty much thrown straight into this story which I prefer with a fluffy read, I tend to get bored with lots of build up so to be thrown in at the deep end was great for me.

The story involves dog so it is obviously amazing, because dogs right?!

Dax and Annelise are not the strongest characters I have read but they are interesting and fun to read about.

All in all, a really easy and fun read with just the right amount of romance and doggies!

Dax has a soft heart. To the point of being a pushover at times. I can see where it was probably hard to write, Forever Wild, so that it doesn't come off as Lissa taking advantage of him. She totally did in the beginning. Granted she had a good excuse and Dax pretty much let's her. So it's all good.

Forever Wild
By Allyson Charles
June 11, 2019


In the Forever Friends series, Allyson Charles gives us part 3 in Forever Wild. I am a newbie to this series but found it a great beach read. Dax Cannon works as a volunteer for the Forever Friends no kill animal shelter in Crook County, Michigan. He’s currently on a mission to New Orleans to pick up rescued dogs to place them in the Michigan shelter. Making the drive in record time, he pulled the van to a spot near the shelter. He decided to take a break, get dinner and then pick up the dogs and head back north. While crossing the road his eye found Annelise Ansil, a gorgeous woman with long, curly hair jogging down the sidewalk. Forgetting dinner he decided to catch up with her but with all of the traffic by the time he walked the same path she had been on, she was gone. Armed with dog treats he carried on to the shelter to pick up his road mates. After loading up his passengers he hopped into the driver seat and drove off onII-10 freeway out of Crescent City. In the back of the van he heard the howling and banging of the dogs in their crates. He really enjoyed the work at the shelter in MIchigan but couldn’t help but think of his day job at Off Road Adventures. He takes vacationers on different kinds of tours. His main goal was to get back for his meeting with the loan manager for the bank. He had plans to buy out his boss, Jesse who is selling out to retire.
His mind on other things, when the commotion in the back grew he pulled over and got out to check on the noise in the van. Upon opening the doors all of the dogs flew out, cages flying. Grabbing leashes, he began running after them. Rounding up a couple with 2 more to go he saw the woman he saw in town carrying an escapee back in her arms by the van. Confused, he made his acquaintance and put the Blue Tick Hound back in his crate. Annelise is an artist looking for a ride to New Mexico for Art School. When she finds he is only going north to Michigan she decides to ride along to help with the journey and enjoy the travel. Uncertain but needing to get back on the road he accepts her offer.
Their journey is full of adventure, her life relaxed and in no hurry while Dax is wanting to get to Michigan for his meeting. The story continues with Lissa and Dax fighting demons from her past and arriving in Michigan to meet up with his friends from the Shelter and the Adventure Company. It is an enjoying tale of how these two become more than friends. Each has a career to expand while finding a way to stay together.
Forever Friends by Allyson Charles will be published on June 11, 2019 by Lyrical Press of Kensington Publications. I appreciate the opportunity to read the Advance copy of Forever Wild.

Forever Wild starts off at full spend with Dax, in New Orleans rescuing eight dogs, ending up with a stowaway on his way back to Michigan, Lissa. And it continues at full speed.

That's one of the main problems I had with the book. It jumped right in, gave the simplest start of a plot outline, and kept on going. There was no build up in character, no explanations, it lacked structure. The dogs added charm to the book, but the character of Dax and Lissa needed improving on and could have been better developed.

Was it a great book? No. Is it worth the time to read? Maybe if you've already read your whole reading list.

Dax Cannon is recovering 8 at-risk dogs from a shelter in New Orleans and driving them back up to Michigan. Annelise Ansel is an artist who has been painting for a gallery manager in New Orleans, only to find out that he’s been selling her paintings for a lot more than he’s been telling her, so he’s been stealing from her for two years. She decides to take her money back and hops into the back of the van with the dogs and a backpack full of money just before Dax hits the road back to Michigan. He’s unaware that he has an additional passenger. When he learns her story, he decides to let her tag along for the rest of the trip.

There were some very funny parts in this story. Dax is a good guy, and he loves animals. The animals provide quite a bit of levity to this story. Some of the situations that Dax and Annelise end up in are quite entertaining. There’s also a certain amount of low-level tension present throughout the book, as the reader isn’t quite sure how these goons keep tracking Annelise. Unfortunately, that question is left unanswered. She gets rid of 3 phones during the course of the story, and there isn’t a hint of any other way of how they continue to find her—yet they do.

The pacing is good and the characters are fleshed out fairly well. There are some obvious conclusions that the reader makes easily, making this book slightly predictable, but still very enjoyable. There was a nice twist toward the end that redeemed the predictable parts somewhat. Also, the animals add a lot of unexpected personality to this book. It is still a fun read!