I read this book in exchange for an honest review. I couldn't put it down! There was great character development. The book had a very unique story line. Kept my interest until the very end. I definitely recommend checking out this author (and this book!!) If you haven't already..

I loved this book. Stacy Reid has quickly become one of my favorite romance writers and I enjoyed this book so much. This story centers around Jules and James and follows their journey of falling in love but both also offer each other emotional empathy and understanding that others have not graced them. Its easy to understand why they fall for each other as they both accept the other for who they are and don't wish to change each other but grow as a unit allowing each other to be who they are and follow their passions. Thank you to net gallery and then publisher for allowing me to access to read this advance copy

Well, that was different.....and I absolutely loved it! Stacy Reid never ceases to amaze me with the stories she writes, I envy her imagination!!

James was lost in the Yukon wilderness for 10 long years. Now found and back in London to take his place as a Duke, his family worries he's not of sound mind since not only does he detest anyone touching him, he prefers to sleep outdoors and runs around barefeet! They hire a psychologist whose "son" Jules joins him in trying to analyze James.

Jules has been disguising herself as a male all her life and has enjoyed being able to study and become a psychology graduate...something a woman in that era was not allowed to do! She's thrilled when her father invites her to join him with this case. When Jules and James meet, it's instant awareness and I just loved their interactions. What follows had me reading and turning the pages as fast as I could, I wanted to see what would happen:) I actually cried at the ending, so beautiful!!

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Wow. This was so unique.

I adore Stacy Reid's writing style and how she is able to craft amazing passionate all-consuming romances. Her last two releases have been all time favorites for me.

This one was also really great. Not quite an instant favorite, but I absolutely loved the premise and the tension that was inherent in Jules being a girl pretending to be a man and James seeing her femininity that no one else could. I love the trope of a "wild" man so that was amazing. I loved how she immediately recognized he wasn't crazy, just not used to the chaos of being around humans.

I couldn't get enough of their early interactions before things got spicy. I was swooning and my heart was racing. They were just so cute and I couldn't read it fast enough. I wasn't totally satisfied with the ending and wish it had been fleshed out a bit more, but overall I loved it.

I highly recommend you check out Stacy Reid. If you like non-traditional historical romances, strong women, and men who don't want to but can't help to love their heroines, you will absolutely love her stories.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Entangled for an ARC. I voluntarily reviewed this and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Wolf and the Wildflower is a new book from Stacy Reid and I jumped in knowing nothing about the premise, just that I love this author’s storytelling. Once I did start the story, the premise definitely surprised me and was such a unique setup! The heroine has lived her life as a man and is now a psychology graduate tasked with helping a long-lost Duke return to civilization after 10 years isolated in the Yukon wilds.

“Two lost people who are found…by each other.”

Jules is a recent psychology graduate who knows a lot about disguises…considering she’s been secretly living life as a boy since birth! In the prologue we see Jules’ mother struggle with childbirth after being advised not to have any more children. When she does give birth to Jules she and her husband wrongly assume it’s the son they’ve both desperately wanted and it isn’t until after her husband rushes off to celebrate that the midwife informs her Jules is actually a daughter. The midwife advises her to keep it a secret, give her body and her mind a little bit of time before informing her husband they have another daughter and not a son. While her husband is the second son of a viscount and he loves her dearly, his want and need for an heir and continuing on his legacy clouds any of his other judgement, including his wife’s health. So thus begins Jules being raised as a son and this temporary solution ends up lasting for all 23 years of Jules life!

James Winters, Duke of Wulverton, was thought lost at sea over a decade ago but turns up alive after having survived in the harsh wilderness of the Yukon. Now returned to his family, his mother is concerned about the changes in her son and wants to ensure he is capable of being the refined, elegant Duke everyone expects. But James finds his responsibilities, his family, the noisy world around him too much after being alone for a decade. To ensure he doesn’t lead his family to doom and scandal, his mother hires Jules and her father to come and make sure James is capable of being the Duke the Queen expects in just three weeks.

This premise was so unique and I found it so interesting right from the start! I do think the romance and the immediate attraction, and willingness to act on that attraction, came about suddenly and I wanted a bit more time for it to develop between them. James instantly is aware of Jules and realizes her disguise, he wants her to help him in disguising himself (or presenting himself) as the Duke his mother, family, and the ton expect. Without really making changes to the man he is now, his perspective of the world definitely changed while he was on his own. James lived with a wolf pack for a time while he was in the Yukon and I found myself wanting to know more about his situation and also wondering why he didn’t ask more about Jules’ life. While he figures out her deception the moment he meets her, it isn’t until 77% into the story that he even asks questions about why she’s living life as a man and how it came about. I did like his nickname for her, “Wildflower”, and the amounts of times he smells her was…interesting. While I did really like the premise and the connection James and Jules have, I just wanted more time for things to be fleshed out.

Thank you to the publisher (Entangled) for an e-ARC via NetGalley, all thoughts in this review are my own. This is out February 27, 2023!

Stacy Reid hits again! This book was bonkers. A woman pretending to be a man and a man who has lived with wolves trying to make a match. I was a bit sad at how quickly Jules surrendered the freedoms afforded her as a man, because the book did such a good job detailing what they were. The end felt a bit rushed and I would have liked to have seen more of the conflict with her parents and family, esp after so much build up. Otherwise, this was fun and sexy and bonkers.

This was interesting and different read for me. I adore Ms Reid's other books, but I couldn't really get into this one. The characters were fully developed with thoughts and feelings of their own. You have a mother giving birth to a child who finds out that it's a girl (whose husband wanted a son). She names her girl child "Jules" and raising her up to be a male.
My thoughts were not liking to "pretend" to make someone of the different sex to be another. The author is pulling some punches too on James, the Duke of Wolverton being raised by wolves. I just can't wrap my head around this theory. A man who has to be civilized by Jules because she's a psychologist so he can meet the Queen?
Hmmm? If you like this sort of romance, well you will enjoy this one.
I appreciate Net Galley for this ARC title in which I gave an honest review.


Reading Progress

Duke of Wulverton survived the wilderness of Yukon and has 3 weeks to become to refined duke for the Queen. Promising psychologist Jules pretends to be man and has little time to transform the duke into a gentleman.... Their attraction is forbidden.....

Love Stacy Reid. Her books are sexy, steamy and romantic. The main characters are interesting. Really like how they are with each other. It's an interesting plot too. Really enjoyed it.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

This is a psodo Greystoke story.
Jules and James were meant to be together.
Jules was actually a female in the guis of a male. James is a Duke who was lost in the wilderness of Canada.
I received this complimentary copy from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.