✨A duke lives with wolves in a dark cave in Alaska for 10 years but now he’s returned and can scent his psychologist’s arousal and mood changes through DOORS????✨

Oh and the heroine has been living as a man for 23 years because her father wanted an heir so badly her mother had to lie in order to not risk another near-fatal pregnancy. Thank god psychology ran in the family because they’ve all got some ISSUES to unpack.

Listen…I oscillated between three stars at times but feel confident with my four stars bc I’m frankly just so impressed plus the end was my favorite kind of drama. I was mainly frustrated with their respective families but I found that they made the right decisions and fought for their love.

The end has sacrifices on both end and while I was worried how it would all shake out, I shouldn’t have been. There was also a trope I didn’t think was a favorite but when it happened I was like YES! Now That’s What I Call DRAMA.

This book felt like Stacy really wanted to dabble in shifter romance. This man was scenting her arousal, running naked in the woods, and growling all over this book. While I was initially thrown by the absurdity of the setup, I really ended up loving this one. Stacy is a master of pulling on my heartstrings. She’s probably one of the only authors I’ve read that could make this book work!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️*/5

*There was a lot of from behind action and I have to assume it’s bc he was partially raised with wild animals 🫶

After spending a decade lost in the Yukon wilderness, James Winters, Duke of Wulverton, is back in England, but to those who knew him, he is markedly changed. Concerned with how he will present himself to society, his mother hires a father-son psychologist team to come observe and work with James.

The psychologist son, however, is secretly a daughter dressed in disguise. Only Jules, her mother, the midwife present at her birth, and her nursemaid as a child know her true identity. Well, only those ladies know her true identity, that is, until she encounters James. James can sense and see the real Jules.

What begins as companionship grows into a heated affair, but with their different positions, the façades and lies they hide behind, and both teetering on the brink of potential scandal, where can things go from there?

Admittedly, the premise behind both characters’ current positions is indeed a bit out there, but if you can move beyond your sense of disbelief, this is a fun read. It’s always nice to see when characters truly connect and understand each other against all odds. And I enjoyed watching how both James and Jules were shaped by and responded to circumstances outside of their control. In their own ways—James taking to the wild and Jules dressed as a man—they are claiming freedoms that fall outside of the confines under which society places them.

While I was entertained by their relationship as it developed and swooned some at the growing tenderness and steam between the two, partway through the novel my interest began to wane. I wanted to see how the happy ending would be tied up in a bow, but I struggled a bit trying to get there. And even though we were building towards the conflict all along, the conflict itself and its accompanying resolution felt quick and rushed at the end.

I received an advance copy from Entangled Publishing and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

For some reason I was under the assumption that this was a novella, and after reading the book I think it would’ve read much better as a novella than a novel.
It was just too long. I loved everything about this premise but so often I found myself getting bored as descriptions and explanations blocked the feelings and nuances of the characters’ reasoning from coming through. We read many explanations and instances where James shies away from being touched, but I didn’t feel like any time was spent on explaining why Jules was the exception to this.
Good story, good characters, but way too long.

A quick glance at Stacy Reid’s website shows you that she’s a prolific writer with over 40 books to her name! There is a reason for that; Stacy Reid writes fun books. This one, with a completely insane premise is one of them!

When James Winters, the Duke of Wulverton, is recovered, his family is concerned with for his mental health (he seems to be half a wild man) and also for their futures and lives. He may be a duke, but even his sister can’t get engaged if the haute ton think her brothers out of his mind. Jules Southby, the psychologist, knows a bit about having to deal with the expectations of society and living a lie, which James is now expected to do. When they meet, the interest is mutual and intense, but one has to give up a lot more than the other for this to work!

While the plot is a little out there, I loved how Stacy Reid depicted how insane the expectations were of everyone. The dukes family had to follow the rules, even when they actively harmed his health, because the rest of them had to survive. Of course, his mother could have been less intense about some things and should have been more understanding, and it’s interesting to watch the what-will-people-say thing that happens here.

I also adored the dukes sister (99% sure the next book will be about her) and how the guy she wanted was ghosting her! I loved that she and James were able to build things up again.

I like that this book is very different than the average historical romance. Jules is a female, but hides it from the world. It's hard to imagine someone would do that and manages to get away with that for so long. The plot felt a bit rushed, but the interesting characters made up for that.

Ohhhh The Wolf and the Wildflower. This was a good one! I am a pretty big fan of Stacy Reid, and once again, she didn't let me down. I didn't know how this one was going to go -- its not part of a series, and the premise is a little bit out there. James, the Duke of Wulverton, was lost in the Canadian wilderness for 10 years, then suddenly found and brought back to England to reassume his legacy. Barring the disbelief about his survival story, I really enjoyed reading about him acclimating to being around people again, through the help of Jules Southby, who had a secret of their own. Really enjoyed this one, and very satisfied by the ending as well. Thanks to #NetGalley for the Advanced copy to review!

James and Jules story was a beautifully written story of how love can overcome even the strangest obstacles. Stacy Reid never disappoints with how throughly she develops her characters and this book has all the angst you could handle. I do wish there was an extra chapter of them happy as a couple. I felt so invested in their struggle to find a way to be together that I’d earned more of them just being together.

I received an arc of this book.
This was another steamy book from Stacy Reid. I enjoyed the chemistry between the main characters from the beginning. Although the plot was a little unbelievable, she made it work well. I felt bad for both of them, being pressured by their families. There is some humor, angst and steam in a witty romance. I look forward to more in the future.

🐺Book Review🐺

Ah, the new Stacy Reid was such a lovely surprise. Of course I was surprised because I didn’t read the premise before starting my read and the plot was so original.

Our hero has been missing for 10 years and lived in the mountains alone. He had to learn to survive and went through a lot of emotional trauma. Our heroine, lived her whole life pretending to be a boy (romance reasons) and is studying to follow in her father’s footsteps to become a doctor of the mind.

They get hired to help the hero, a duke, and make sure he’s ready to enter society and take a duchess. I didn’t know how they’d end up together and I couldn’t put it down 🥹

🥸 Class difference and heroine in disguise
🧲 Forced proximity
🥹 I see you, really see you

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for my advanced reader copy, opinions are my own.

A new FAVORITE! I love how Stacy kept me guessing on how the events would be played out. This was really good. Jules (Julianna) and James were so fun to watch together. James gah! yes he does have "wolf" traits and fitting for the Duke of Wulverton, even a bit of a Tarzan trait. There is raw emotion coming out of the pages towards the end. I can't wait for what Stacy releases next.

I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Their connection and passion- fire 🔥🔥! The deception- strange stuff.
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I have to admit I think the author really went out on a limb in many aspects of the story. I also have to admit I did have some eye rolls a few times while reading this one.

The good thing is that the positives have definitely overcome the questionable aspects. This book is written with a deep connection and passion between the two characters. Moving through the questionable parts and the fact she’s taking a risk with a character who is a woman masquerading as a man her entire life, falling for a man, and trying to figure out how to be a woman is tough to write I’m sure.

It’s also a little tough for the reader to envision a happy ending. It’s a little difficult for the reader to envision a scenario like that actually happening in those times.

But Reid supported her choice admirably, and as the story evolved, and the crescendo was building, we knew she had to have an ace up her sleeve. And she did.

Reid’s characterization is amazing. I love the way she connected these two characters. Two complete opposites who are trying to be free to be who they are and to hell with what others think and believe.

The first bit of the book is a little interesting and difficult to get through in terms of the vision of the ending but I promise you it’s a great ending and a great love. And as always Reid does not shy away from the heat and the passion. Jules and James are combustible!

This book broke me in half, Jules and her inner struggle the loneliness and emptiness they both felt, it broke me and then Stacy Reid put the pieces back together so that I would die of love for them
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To avoid another difficult pregnancy to navigate and the possibility of dying in childbirth, her mother decides to pass off Jules as a boy. From that moment on, her life was completely different from that of her older sister and she only had a notion of the truth when she became a teenager, but with no other option than to follow her mother's lie in order to study and avoid conflicts in her family
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Upon returning home, her father asks her to accompany her in the mysterious case of the Duke of Wulverton who reappeared in London after being lost in the mountains. But of all the people in the world, the Duke with his savage ways of survival is the only one who she can't fool with her appearance and they quickly form an agreement
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The Duke is going to accept the assistance of her and her father in exchange for knowing her history. What is vital for both, for Jules to maintain the facade and for the Duke to pass the test of society and the queen to maintain their titles and be able to take care of his family
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But the more time they spend together and learn about each other, something more intense grows between them
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Stacy Reid can make me cry and sigh, go through so many different emotions in the same book, leaving me with a book that is impossible to forget. If I could I would give it a thousand stars
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Jules and James strike deep chords about their circumstances, their feelings and anxieties. I love the way that Stacy Reid put these characters in such different lives and tied them together with something so unique, touching on such profound themes.It became another favorite book of her for me
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Thanks to Stacy Reid and Entangled Publishing for give me the chance to read this beautiful book in exchange for my honest and voluntary opinion

Kudos to Stacy Reid for coming up with a concept so unique that I can’t recall ever having read something similar. This story sucked me in from the beginning and didn’t let go; it was a refreshing take on seeing and being seen. I’m generally not a fan of secret identity tropes, but it’s done well here. My biggest problem with the book was the level of suspension of disbelief it required. There’s always an element of that in fiction, but this really stretched my limits. The main conflict came very late in the book, and I felt that we didn’t see enough of the true fallout from that. I received an ARC from NetGalley and this is my honest review.

I had such a great time reading this book! It plays with some tropes I've seen before (character 'lost' to society, woman living as a man, etc) but that I haven't seen combined. James had a really hard past prior to the book. As a young man he got lost in the Canadien wilderness and had to survive alone for ten years. Jules was raised as a boy so that her mother could avoid having more children, keeping the secret even from her father and sister. One thing I would have loved to see explored more is her relationship with gender. Her character reads more like that of a woman who chose a male disguise as an adult than one who was raised and socialized as a boy. Basically, I don't think you come out of an experience like that without being at least a little genderqueer. Similarly, James is written as straight, but I doubt his sexuality is that straightforward given his attraction to Jules. Taken together, the book could have been a great story of queer love in the 1800s. That all said, not having it wasn't a detraction from the book, it would have just made it extra special.

It was really fun having a main character who studies psychology. I don't think I've seen that before, and I liked how that was the basis of Jules' relationship with James. These two characters made the book the delight it was! And as always, I can't wait to read more from Stacy Reid!

This was an unexpected winner for me. I have no interest in reading about women disguising themselves as men (and vice versa) so I was hesitant to start this book.. The Wolf and the Wildflower is perhaps one of the most romantic books I have read in a long time. I felt their longing for each other and by the time I finished, I was sobbing. Highly highly recommend!!

I am a sobbing mess! This was practically perfection. Utterly romantic and so swoony. Highly recommend The Wolf and the Wildflower!

The Wolf and the Wildflower is a steamy romance between Jules Southby and James the Duke of Wulverton. Unbeknownst to everyone except her mother Jules has lived her life as a boy. Her mother fearing for her life decides to raise her as a boy so she can avoid having any more children. Her husband was desperate to have a son, even at the risk of dangerous pregnancies. So, Jules wears the clothing as a man, goes to university as a man, and is hoping to practice medicine as a man.

James Winters, Duke of Wulverton, was believed to have been lost at sea over a decade ago but has recently returns to his life a very different man. He has survived living in the Yukon wilderness and has now returned to his family. The duke's mother does not understand how different he has become and hires Dr. Southby an alienist, a doctor of the mind, to help him to be the young man he was before he was lost. Dr. Southby agrees to help but on the condition, he brings his "son" Jules as his assistant. When they arrive at the Duke's home, the Duke instantly sees through Jules' masquerade, but he finds her very interesting and wants to know her better and why she dresses as a man.

James is living a lie and wanting to be free from society's expectations and Jules gaining many freedoms as a man that she does not want to give that up. But Jules will have to make a choice about whether she wants to keep living as a man so she can do the things she has always done or accept a new life with the Duke.

The plotline of this book is very different from your typical regency romance. Both are living lies and cannot be themselves. It was a refreshing romance as well as entertainingly steamy. I read this in just a few short hours. It was difficult to put down.

What an emotional, original, fantastic book - the story was stunning, and the couple kept me turning pages like a wild woman!

James Leopold Winters, the Duke of Wulverton is back in London to do his duty to the title. He has been gone ten years, after he was lost and stranded in the wilds of the Yukon and taken in by a pack of wolves after he saved one of the wolf pups. His mother is afraid of his mental ability and being accepted by the Queen and the Ton, especially after his unorthodox behavior upon returning home. She hires Dr. Sothby, a highly respected doctor of the mind and his son, Jules, who had recently returned from Austria after completing his university studies in psychology.

Jules Sothby was born a female, but because of her father's absolute insistence her mother deliver a boy, she was disguised as a boy her entire life. Her mother had almost lost her life delivering her first child, Jules' sister, other children did not live, and the doctor warned her not to have more children, but Jules' father insisted they keep trying and after a horrible birthing of Jules and again dangerously close to death, she didn't know what she was going to do. Her mid-wife who had assisted in the seven possible babies suggested that her husband (as was normal for that time) would never change, bathe or dress Jules - so she/he remained their son. At twelve, when Jules body started changing into a young lady, her mother explained what happened and to keep her mother safe, Jules remained a young man, three and twenty years old.

When Dr. Sothby goes to the duke's home to spend time with him to verify that the duke's mind was normal, he also took Jules with him. The trust, friendship, truths, attractions, romance, love, and HEA begins and once you start reading, you will not be able to put it down and if you do stop reading, you are still thinking about the couple, Wolfe and Wildflower! I voluntarily read & reviewed an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book from NetGalley; all thoughts & opinions are my own.

I love this powerful story about love that heals. Both main characters have lived lives of loneliness with each having to wear masks in society. It is a wonderful mix of fairy tales and other tales with twists, starting with Mulan, Tarzan, Cinderella, etc., woven seamlessly. Lots of teary and moving moments as well. Emotional and satisfying read.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and leaving my review voluntarily.

Slightly bonkers premise + sizzling chemistry = a book that I couldn't seem to put down.

I'll admit that I didn't quite know what to expect when sitting down to read The Wolf and the Wildflower. How hard would the author go with the concept that the female main character had been living as a man her whole life? The answer? Extremely hard. Even members of her family don't know (except her mother, who started this deception in the first place). Obviously, the duke, her love interest, sees right through her disguise from the first. Speaking of the duke, I'm a sucker for a "reeling from unthinkable trauma and trying to find a path forward" stories, which his 100% is.

Look, there's a lot going on here, with the two main characters' circumstances, the secrets, and the rapid pace at which the duke supposedly must prove that he's perfectly sane and not an animalistic wreck. At times, I found all this noise to be distracting, but ultimately, this is a gorgeous love story of two lost people finally allowing them to trust another person and the healing that that trust allows. Jules and James have top-notch chemistry, from the steamy scenes to their deep conversations. I desperately wanted to keep reading to see how they would solve the issues that kept them apart and how they would heal and grow. And even with all that heaviness, I found myself laughing more than once, as the author wasn't afraid to poke a little fun at the absurdity of some of the goings on.

This book is a wild ride, but it's an ultimately delightful and fulfilling one - and with plenty of hope that even the most battered souls can find some peace.

4.25/5