Regretfully, I will not be able to give feedback on this title at this time but I sincerely thank Serena Bell and Author Collective 20, Jelsba Media Group for approving my ARC request, and Netgalley for the opportunity. I look forward to supporting this author and publisher in the future through ARC reviews and book purchases!
With gratitude,
Amanda, Brit and Kelsea

I’m a huge Serena Bell fan. And Walk on the Wilder Side just adds to why I am a fan. Lovable characters that captivated me from the first page to the last!

I voluntarily reviewed this book.

I went on a bit of a Serena Bell binge, and Walk on the Wilder Side was part of that. Rachel and Brody were such a fun couple, and I really enjoy the Wilder siblings. Can't wait for the next book!

Serena Bell is always so fun and her books are just joyful puffballs. WALK ON THE WILDER SIDE with a best-friends-sister trope did not disappoint. So much chemistry, humor, wit, and steam. And the entire cast of characters is just wonderful. Five stars

A fun, sexy, easy to read book that I finished in an afternoon. Should be noted that this is clearly part of a series and probably shouldn’t be read as a stand-alone.

Serena Bell continues to prove that she is great at crafting HEA's with memorable characters. It was fun to read Brody and Rachel's story and I can't wait to read more Wilder adventures!

Rachel's entire world has just imploded - she loses her job, her fiance, and her apartment all in one day - so she heads back to her hometown for a while to help out her mom with her consulting business. Her smalltown where her very hot, bad boy childhood crush - who happens to be her big brother's best friend - lives. Cue ALL THE CHEMISTRY.

This is a deliciously steamy best friend's sibling/sibling's best friend slow burn. The chemistry between Rachel and Brody is already off the charts, then throw in a little forced proximity and some sex toys and - whew! Yes please! I love when a romance is between two people who fit together like puzzle pieces, filling in each others' gaps and helping pull them into better, more well-rounded people. Rachel is a super-planner "perfect girl," and Brody is a bad boy without a plan, and they both challenge each other to stretch themselves to some uncomfortable places and live outside their boxes.

I love this wonderful cast of characters. There are a lot of folks to keep track of, and a few times I felt a bit lost. Perhaps if I'd read the first book in the series I'd have a better handle on who each of the Wilder siblings is, but there's enough info given in this book to really get a full understanding of Brody, who is the brother this book focuses on. And they're all so fun! I'd love to go to a book club on Brody's boat, or grab drinks with the fam.

This is the second book in the Wilder Adventures series and can be read as a stand alone. There are some spoilers for the first book in the series, Make Me Wilder, and the couple from that bok are side characters in this one (which makes sense, since the series is about the five Wilder brothers who run a company together!) Still, this second book can be read without having read the previous book. In this story the seeds for book three, Wilder With You, are planted and I cannot wait for!

I received this arc for an honest review.

Brody was told he needed to change his fishing trips, so he added a book club. Disaster now he is working to save his boat and services, the yelp reviews are bad. Enter Rachel his best friend's younger sister who he has worked on staying away from since he saw her awhile back and realized he was attracted to the beauty. She comes to him with a plan to help him since she is taking over her mothers' seeking business while she recovers from an injury.
It is not until his boat is out in the middle of the lake and while watching he realizes is selling sex toys. Being upset at first he calms down and realizes that the woman is able to open up and share more while being out on the lake than being at someone's home. A whole new business has arrived. Also, he and Rachel start exploring their feelings for each other as he comes clean about being attracted to her for years but ignoring her when she came home, making her think he did not like her. This part of the story really adds to the book. Overall everything about this book really makes for a very good book. Very much worth the read and has wonderful characters.

I loved this story, I didn’t realise it was the 2nd in a series but that didn’t affect the story.

It was hilarious and full of chemistry! I loved the characters together. I’ll definitely be buying the first book and keeping my eye out for more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley & Author Collective 20 for the eArc of this adorable romance novel.

4.5 out of 5 stars.


This novel follows Brody & Rachel’s love journey! Rachel just lost her job, man and apartment in a matter in 24 hours! She returns home for a break and runs into her childhood crush (& brother’s best friend) Brody Wilder. The two have immediate chemistry that has you running through the pages to see more! I love that Brody is not just some hot beefcake but a character with problems and he works through them. Rachel is battling her own issues of not always having a set plan and learning that not everything has to be organized. I love that the couple balances each other out as they help each other find their voice with family and as they try to make Brody’s dream with his boat come alive.. I mean Rachel is selling SEX toys for God’s sake. & the sexy scenes had me fanning myself so if you like a good spice with a bad boy vibe, please read it!

I really loved that this couple doesn’t beat around the bush. It’s that kind of insta connection even though they’ve known each other for so long. The timeline is a little fast paced but still great. I feel like if you genuinely love a great second chance/insta-love romance, you will enjoy this book. This makes me want to read the first book and more books by Serena Bell

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the second book in the series – each will concentrate on a member of the Wilder family. I would suggest that you read them in order, as the underlying family and business dynamics are core to behaviours which play out in these books. The first book pertained to eldest brother, Gabe – the one that at 15 took on the mantle of head of the family. Next we see Brody, only a year younger, but not given the responsibility at 14, he chose to act out and develop the bad boy persona that now dogs him.

Frustrated that he is not contributing enough to the rebuilding of the family business, Brody is somewhat clutching at straws when he agrees to host book clubs on his boat. The first one does not go well, and once again he faces the disappointment of his older brother. Then a twist of fate brings his best friend's sister to his boat... and the party is definitely not what he expected Rachel to be running. You will certainly laugh through quite a lot of this book!

Rachel did not have the recent events in her life written in her master plan, but she is back home helping her mother whilst she recovers from a broken leg. This puts her right on Brody's boat running a party. She has had a crush on him for years, but unknown to her, her brother, Connor, has been running interference for many years – and isn't planning on stopping now either. But actually, they are both adults now, and whilst she has no intention of staying in their little town, she is keen to experience just what she has been missing.

As they get close, and together face some of the issues that have bothered them for years, they find freedom in each other. Brody gets to live his best life, and Rachel is starting to reconsider whether she could actually change that plan of hers!

A lovely, funny, sexy romance – I am looking forward to the next installment already.


Veronica – ☆☆☆☆
Brody is the bad boy of the Wilder brothers and his reputation is well earned. Rachel, on the other hand, is the good girl, she plans everything in her life and does the right thing and all it got her was a cheating boyfriend, let go from her job, and back living with her parents in her hometown. On the surface you wouldn’t think that Brody and Rachel would go so well together but they balance each other out well and they really understood each other, which I loved.

This is a fun romantic read. Brody’s reaction the first time Rachel hosted a party on his boat selling products for women was brilliant and really set the tone for the chemistry between the couple. I liked that Rachel went for what she wanted even though it was not what others would have expected from her.

I was surprised how many times tears came to my eyes while reading given this is a romcom, but Brody made my heart ache quite a few times. Issues with his reputation and the way people see Brody and how he sees himself had me tearing up repeatedly. Tears aside, there are lots of sweet and fun times in this romance. I found WALK ON THE WILDER SIDE to be an easy-to-read romance and it left me feeling good.

Adored this sequel. I loved seeing more of the different characters. It was great to read about Rachel and Brody and the way they interacted.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were good and I liked the chemistry between Rachel and Brody. Such a fun book and will definitely will read again.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Author Collective 20/Jetsba Media Group for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is part of a series but reads great as a stand alone. I enjoyed this book. I liked the characters. I thought Rachel and Brody had great chemistry. I didn't get the whole Zoe/Justin thing but that's ok. to me it was just extra confusion and drama. I laughed out loud with the sex toy selling on the boat. It was a cute, funny book. 3.5 stars

The second installment in the series reintroduces Brody, the bad boy of the Wilder family, and Rachel, his best friends sister, and the quintessential good girl with a plan. Only, her plan has gone wrong, and the two of them have carried (secret) torches for each other since they were kids, and now that Rachel is in town selling sex toys on his boat, Brody can’t stay away.

I liked this one a lot more than the first in the series. It had more interesting characters, a unique setup, and grappled with interesting questions around found family, deserving love, and what we do when our plans fall apart.

Highlights:
Brody and Rachel both change a lot over the course of the book, letting go of their preconceived notions of themselves and growing into the people they want to be without losing the core of themselves. They are a well matched couple who bring out the best of each other.

Rachel comes back to town to help her injured mother, and part of helping means taking over hosting sex toy parties, which are just transitioning to Brody’s boat. This is a surprise to both Rachel and Brody, and makes for some funny, sexy tension between them. It’s a nice change to get to know the characters in a vulnerable position and watching Rachel gain more confidence is lovely.

Brody thought he had a son with his girlfriend but finds out prior to the start of the book that she cheated on him and he isn’t the father. He still loves Justin, and grapples with how to have him in his life when he isn’t involved with his mom. I LOVED this storyline, it felt so refreshing to have a hero step up to parent a child who isn’t his, or the child of his current partner. Families are messy, but this was a perfect example of how blood doesn’t equal love, or vice versa.

Overall, I quite enjoyed this one, it was heartfelt and a little bit cozy, and I am looking forward to the next book in the series. I received an ARC from NetGalley, and it didn’t influence my review in any way.

Title: A Walk on the Wilder Side
Author: Serena Bell
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐/5
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥/5 (Hot on the Smut-O-Meter)
Series: Wilder Adventures #2
Tropes: Contemporary, Bad boy/Good girl, Selling sex toys, Small town romance, Brother’s best friend
Content Warning: Past infidelity, Question of child’s paternity, Past death of a parent, Sibling rivalry, Dog endangerment

In Serena Bell’s second installment of the Wilder Adventure series, second brother Brody and family friend Rachel make waves. Brody has always been the bad boy even when he’s trying to do the right thing. He thought life was finally coming together when his girlfriend became pregnant and little Justin was born. Life goes off the rails when it’s revealed Brody isn’t Justin’s biological father. Rachel has always had a plan for a perfect life but when she’s laid off and comes home to find her boyfriend cheating, all plans are out the window.

Brody and Rachel reconnect when she hosts her mother’s Real Romance sales party on his boat. Of course he doesn’t know when he agrees that Real Romance is an adult toy company. While both have reasons to not get into another serious relationship, Rachel and Brody can’t help their attraction. When they finally give in, things get hot.

Thank you to Author Collective 20 and NetGalley for providing a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

5-stars for Walk on the Wilder Side

I cannot say enough great things about Walk on the Wilder Side or this series. It is a well written book with a relatable, sexy hero in Brody! And, it's in the brother's best friend genre too which when written great gives something more to the plot, keeping the reader hooked till the very last page or even longer. Brody and Rachel's story is definitely one you need to read, yes need. I 100% recommend Walk on the Wilder Side, as well as this whole series. I for one cannot wait for Clarke's story next, Wilder with You, I read a small except and am already hooked. Serena Bell has outdone herself with this amazing series so don't miss Walk on the Wilder Side!
Even though I did receive an advanced review copy of this book, I am voluntarily leaving my own unsolicited, voluntary opinion with this review.

This is such a fun series. You could read this book as a standalone. However, I highly recommend you start with book 1 and get to know the Wilder men.

Cute & steamy romcom with a focus on the family business. I can’t wait for the next one!

This is the second book in the Wilder Adventures series by Serena. I read the first one earlier in the year.

I really enjoyed the continuation of the series in this one! I think you got a completely different insight into some of the characters that show up in the first story and a new understanding of them.

This book was really comical at times. There were times I quite you got quite frustrated with the characters but I think it was done really well, then the added humour as well as the romance, it was just a really good read.

I can't wait to see where Serena takes the series from here and which characters we meet next 😃

If ever there were a man ho who could steal your heart, it's Brody Wilder.

Brody is the second of five absurdly sexy brothers who live in the small town Rush Creek, Oregon where they run, with their sister's help, Wilder Adventures, an outdoor adventure outfit trying to stay in the black. Unlike his uber responsible older brother Gabe--his story is told in book one, Make Me Wilder--Brody known as the family f*ckup. After the Wilders' dad died when Brody was 15, he began acting out, ultimately dropping out of high school, and repeatedly letting his family down. Now, however, at 29, Brody is over being the town's bad boy, he's sick of being "the resident bad boy," sick of being a guy that all women want from is "to lick my tattoos and ride on my bike and get fucked against a brick wall.”

Brody's best friend Connor has been there for him through all of Brody's mistakes and Brody would never do anything to betray him. However, when Rachel Perez, Connor's little sister comes to Rush Creek to stay for a few weeks while their mom recovers from a broken foot, Brody, despite being told by Connor to leave her alone, finds he just can't.

Rachel has spent her life trying to be perfect. For years, she assiduously followed her life plan.

4.0 in high school
College
Grad school
Great apartment
The library job of my dreams
Awesome boyfriend
Meet the parents
Get engaged
Get married
Have two point five kids (I can’t decide between two and three)
Live happily ever after
Until recently, everything was going swimmingly. However, in one day, she lost her job, discovered her boyfriend cheating on her, and found herself homeless after she moved out on the lying jerk. So spending a few weeks at home will give her the time she needs to get back on track. Plus, she can also help her mom with her mom's new online self-indulgence and self-care business.

Brody, whose contribution to Wilder Adventures, mostly involves taking tourists for rides on his boat, has been trying to offer more female friendly options. His first effort, a Boat Book Club, did not go well and Brody is feeling desperate. So when Rachel suggest he let her host a special girls' night out on his boat featuring her mom's products, Brody agrees.

The night--hilariously written by Bell--turns out to be a shocking success and Brody and Rachel begin working together to reboot Brody's business. The two have always been--unbeknownst to one another--wildly attracted to each other and as they spend time together, well, I'm betting you know what happens.

Here's the thing: You do know what happens. You know Brody and Rachel will steam up the sheets, Brody's truck, Brody's boat, and the great outdoors. You know Brody will turn his life around with Rachel's support, and that Rachel will find that her master plan will play out differently than she'd thought. You know Connor will be upset that Brody is banging his sister and that the two men will figure out a way to move past that. Nothing in the plot of this love story will surprise you. And that's just fine.

Bell is one of my favorite contemporary romance writers in no small part because she can take tried and true tropes and make them feel fresh, funny, and real. Brody and Rachel--and the way they are together--feel genuine as do the family tensions and affections in both the Wilder and the Perez clans. The two become the people they long to be not through the magic of hot sex or another's adoration but through work, honest and often difficult conversations, and a great deal of effort. I so enjoyed watching them blossom.

Walk on the Wilder Side is a steamy, sweet love story with depth. The sex scenes are plentiful and smokin' hot AND deepen the connection between the leads. The Wilder family is a joy to read about and I am down to experience all their love stories the next of which, Wilder with You, comes out in April of 2022. I recommend this one highly!

Get it at Amazon