I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you @netgalley & @kensingtonbooks

TW: Assault, Rape

I was very excited to get this book as a huge fan of Fern Michaels.

We start out with a tragic accident when Melanie was a little girl, then after a talk with her dad, made her always want to follow rules. Now, while not a tattletale, she will guilt you on your behavior if you are in the wrong.

The book follows Melanie through school and to a secret government job.

She then decided to be a grade school counselor, but her secret job does come back to find her.

It’s an ok read. I read it in 2 days.
If you need an “in between palate cleanser” book, this is a solid read.

I would check it out from the library but would not purchase.

I think I had higher expectations of this book based on the publisher description, and that it would be more of a the level of The Sisterhood Series (which I LOVE!).

Fantastic! Loved it! Am so hoping this was the first book in a series. I would love to know more about Melanie and Gilmore too. Melanie is highly intelligent and her gut instinct, or intuition, is extremely accurate. For fifteen hears she worked for the government in Special Investigations. She really wanted to make a difference but decided she had to start in another direction. She wanted to start with children, helping them to grow with kindness in their hearts so she resigned from her government job and became a guidance counselor . She is happy and bought a house and has two wonderful dogs for company. She is highly skilled and also is very adept at magic tricks and sleight of hand taught to her by her uncle. Her previous boss at the government job contacts her and asks for her to help in taking down a number of nasty and ruthless criminals. She agrees and I just loved reading about how she disguises herself and how she completes the missions. I really loved Melanie and hope we hear more from her.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Wild Side by Fern Michaels is a book that lulls you into turning the pages, as the reader follows the life of Melanie Drake from her grade school years through her work as a profiler to her switch to working as a guidance counsellor in grade school.
Melanie is a unique and intriguing character, and Michaels ties seemingly separate incidents in the book together nicely. While the book isn't what one would call action packed, it keeps the reader's attention as Melanie progresses through the challenges of life and work as an agent, without sacrificing her character as she does so.
I found the book to fall short of the promise of the description, which focusses solely on the last quarter of the book in a rather misleading fashion. However, it is a well-written, intriguing book, just not the book one expects to read given the blurb provided.
I received an ARC of #TheWildSide from #NetGalley .

Melanie Drake has started a new career after years in the OSI. She is now a guidance counselor in a elementary school. She is super smart and burnt out from her previous job. He old boss calls her to run a few local operations with her old partner.
She is just now buying a home and thinking of getting a home. As she works at school she is now moonlighting as decoy at rich men's parties.
I just loved the twist and turns of who is dirty and who is just being used. Fern Michaels books always hold my attention and leave me wanting the next book.

Melanie Drake is a rule follower from way back. When she was told that the reason her family was in a bad accident was because someone didn't follow the rules, she followed the rules. And she worked hard to make sure those around her followed the rules as well. So is it any wonder she got a job at the Office of Special Investigations. During her career there she uncovered and dealt with the dregs of society. Until one day she has had enough and decides maybe she can identify and change the life of a child so they never get to the point where they are involved in a life of crime. That is when she discovers ActII of her life, school guidance counselor. She loves her job there. Helping children and families. Then an old friend contacts her with a special project that she can do on the side. Will she get pulled back into her old life again. Will she go back to that dangerous lifestyle?

Is Melanie Drake some kind of superhero? She excels at every opportunity presented to her.

When bored at work, ask for more training and get promoted. When at the top of the pyramid retire early. Go back to school and get your master's! Of course, you can get the job you apply for right after graduation. It's no sweat off Melanie’s back… let's save all the children.

This would have worked best as a short story or 10+ book series. The main character was so good at life that I questioned if she was human. If the author didn't have such a long backlist I probably would never pick up another of their books again.

Not my favorite book this month.

The Wild Side by Fern Michaels. An enjoyable book and storyline by a favorite author. I've always liked reading books by Fern Michaels in the past and The Wild Side is another book to add to the list.

Having read many police, FBI, intelligence, special force stories/procedurals and the summary of the book Wild Side by Fern Michaels it was interesting to read what became to me a biography of the character Meldrake (Melanie Drake). From childhood Mel was interested in following the rules and making sure others did too. You follow her childhood story through college to her entrance into the OSI to catch those who didn’t follow the rules. It was a choice of career that lasted 15 years. Retired from the OSI the action really begins once she becomes an elementary school guidance counselor to catch problematic children before they start a career of crime. But her skills are good and soon she finds herself back at work going undercover to fight ruthless and powerful men. Once the action began I wanted more of Mel’s story. I would have loved the book to have included more of the action I enjoyed in the last part of the book when I really started enjoying the character and her double career. Wild SIde is quite a different Fern Michaels with a biographical tilt with light suspense and a bit of romance. I waver between 3 and 4 stars wishing for more action and less biography. Thank you Kensington and NetGalley for the ARC

What a fun and original book! The synopsis reeled me in, and I’m so happy that I got the ARC. The spying escort part was what really intrigued me, but that’s actually not a large part of the book - and no, she’s not THAT kind of an escort, she was there for dinner, not dessert!

The part about a guidance counselor turned escort/informant may not have been necessary; I enjoyed it, but it’s kind of where the book went off the rails a bit. This story is mainly about a woman named Melanie Drake, who has quite the life story on her own. As a child, she was in a car accident that left her bedridden for quite awhile. This was before the internet, streaming services and smart phones, so she spent her time reading. All of us here understand how reading can impact our passions, our vocabularies, and our lives. She became obsessed with learning, and was a star student with a goal in mind…

After college, she began working for the government, and eventually became a profiler, working on cold cases and other stuck problems. Her desire to always follow rules, and her willingness to use her talents in this way, make her very successful for many years.

Things were great and she excelled at her job, but after over 15 years, it was too much. The odd hours, the constant moving, the traumatic events she had to uncover…it all had her burned out. So she went back to school, got her Masters degree, and became an elementary school guidance counselor. Maybe instead of going after people who’ve committed crimes, she can help children at risk of turning into criminals? Her skills at reading people make her a natural at the job, and she’s loving it. Then a former coworker calls…

They need her to go on a few assignments as a high-class “companion” to solve a few cases. Her pull to her former life is strong, and she agrees - with very interesting outcomes. I do feel like this ended a bit hastily, and I can totally see this becoming a series, so I wonder if that’s why things were kind of left unresolved. I’d definitely read another book with Melanie in it; she’s quite the character. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this one (and I loved the dogs named Cosmo and Kramer, nice touch!). I’m giving this one 3.5 stars, rounded up.

(Thank you to Kensington Books, Fern Michaels and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on March 26, 2024.)

I love reading books by Fern Michaels. This one was full of suspense and action to it. The ending was romantic. I'm grateful that netgalley and the publishers let me read this in exchange for an honest review.

In Fern Michaels' latest book, The Wild Side, Melanie Drake served in her previous career as a vital part of the Office of Special Investigations. She loved the risky operations.

After a near death experience, Melanie leaves this job and becomes an elementary school guidance counselor. She has cherished her peaceful life, with her two beloved retired service dogs. Melanie gets a call from her former supervisor, Rich Patterson. He needs her back for a highly specialized assignment, dealing with a group of billionaires is known to meet regularly for expensive dinners, with high-class escorts. Melanie is serving as one of these escorts.

She works to learn every scrap of intel that she can, but these men are exceptionally ruthless. This is just another great Fern Michaels book. .

The story follows the life of Melanie, starting from grade school and her process becoming a government agent then retiring to become a school counselor. It took a long time to get to any of the action in the book and I did find myself skipping over some of it. There was suspense towards the end of the book, but it took a long time to get there. On the whole it was worth my time reading. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

While a completely enjoyable story, and definitely worth reading, it was not one of my favorite Fern Michaels books.
The main character is a brilliant girl/woman on a mission to make sure the world is following the rules. The book takes you through her life, and the events that led her to working for the government. I did enjoy the story, I felt the first half of her life was told in too much detail, and drawn out, where the double life and action part was very quick, and not elaborated on enough. Left me wanting more.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Fabulous and full of intrigue and suspense. Melanie has worked 15 years for the government specializing in cybercrimes and criminal profiling. 15 years was more than enough in her book. She accepts a job as an elementary school guidance counselor hoping she can have some influence over the younger generation. Unfortunately, she was just too good at her previous job. She is needed once more to bring down a group of diplomats involved in smuggling. This one will be tricky as the targets have diplomatic immunity.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this advanced review copy. In return, I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

What a unique and original story with so much suspense I found myself unable to put it down. I really enjoyed this one and highly recommend it!

I really could not get into this story! I thought it had to much going on and was hard for me to follow. Definitely not one of Fern Michaels best!

The summary of the book hooked me right away but I have to say the first few chapters/part one did not keep me hooked. I think I was too eager to get to the point where she is living a double-life to read the lead up! Although I understand the necessity to bring in her school years given that she ends up a school counselor. I wonder if alternating between past and present would have kept attention a bit more though? The linear timeline and breakup of the story into three distinct parts did help me keep my reading schedule though! All in all, a cool premise for a story but a bit flat in the delivery for me. I did find the main character of Melanie incredibly intriguing though—she seemed to be so put together in such a way that made her feel almost too perfect and unrelatable while at the same time admirable and powerful.

"The Wild Side" by Fern Michaels is a thrilling novel that takes readers on an exhilarating journey through love, secrets, and family ties. Michaels, a master storyteller, introduces a captivating cast of characters whose lives become intricately woven together against the backdrop of the South Carolina lowcountry. The narrative unfolds with suspense, blending elements of romance and mystery. Michaels' rich prose and vivid descriptions create a sense of place that immerses readers in the story's atmosphere. "The Wild Side" is a compelling page-turner, filled with twists and turns that keep readers hooked until the satisfying conclusion, showcasing Michaels' talent for crafting engaging tales.

A few things on this book, it definitely ends on a to be continued! Its not a huge cliffhanger but there is many things left up in the air! This book had light suspense, intrigue, some action, espionage, and some crazy twist and turns! The storyline was decent and flowed nicely! I wouldn't say it was one of my top favorites books but it is still worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me! I would definitely like to read the next!

I enjoy Fern Michaels books and this was no different. Well written story with action and a happy ending. I could’ve done without the story of Jerome, why was that included? Also I feel like Mel’s character should’ve just stayed with the OSI maybe as the action side of the story was much more interesting.