The Simple Wild Series: Standalone Novel Published by Atria on 8/7/18
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction
Pages: 400
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City girl Calla Fletcher attempts to reconnect with her estranged father, and unwittingly finds herself torn between her desire to return to the bustle of Toronto and a budding relationship with a rugged Alaskan pilot in this masterful new romance from acclaimed author K.A. Tucker.
Calla Fletcher was two when her mother took her and fled the Alaskan wild, unable to handle the isolation of the extreme, rural lifestyle, leaving behind Calla’s father, Wren Fletcher, in the process. Calla never looked back, and at twenty-six, a busy life in Toronto is all she knows. But when her father reaches out to inform her that his days are numbered, Calla knows that it’s time to make the long trip back to the remote frontier town where she was born.
She braves the roaming wildlife, the odd daylight hours, the exorbitant prices, and even the occasional—dear God—outhouse, all for the chance to connect with her father: a man who, despite his many faults, she can’t help but care for. While she struggles to adjust to this new subarctic environment, Jonah—the quiet, brooding, and proud Alaskan pilot who keeps her father’s charter plane company operational—can’t imagine calling anywhere else home. And he’s clearly waiting with one hand on the throttle to fly this city girl back to where she belongs, convinced that she’s too pampered to handle the wild.
Jonah is probably right, but Calla is determined to prove him wrong. As time passes, she unexpectedly finds herself forming a bond with the burly pilot. As his undercurrent of disapproval dwindles, it’s replaced by friendship—or perhaps something deeper? But Calla is not in Alaska to stay and Jonah will never leave. It would be foolish of her to kindle a romance, to take the same path her parents tried—and failed at—years ago.
It’s a simple truth that turns out to be not so simple after all.
Wow, where do we start? What a fantastic read. We loved this one. It’s so heartfelt, so intense, and so well done. It’s full of feels, guys. Once you start reading, you’re lost to Calla and her world, and when you’re done you feel like you’ve just went on a major journey. It’s a stunning read. Reviews are below. We just loved it so much. You really must read The Simple Wild!
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Angie’s Review
4.5 “OMG. LOVE” Stars!!
That was way more emotional than I thought it was going to be. In fact, I underestimated the power behind The Simple Wild. Maybe I did that because I’ve never read K.A. Tucker before, or maybe it was because the cover seemed so serene and peaceful. I don’t know. But after finishing, I can say I’m absolutely wrecked by this story. It stung. A lot. It was bittersweet and beautiful and wholly impactful. It moved me, made me think, broke my heart, and had me falling in love in at so many different stages. It’s a story of regrets and forgiveness, of life, acceptance, and making the most of the time we’re given. It’s breathtaking, slow-burning, detailed and riveting, and I simply can’t stress enough how much I loved this book, how much you need to read it. It was so heartfelt. As I sit here eyes red and swollen from sobbing, heart achy yet filled to the brim with absolute fullness from the journey I just went on, I can’t help but think that this is most certainly one of those unforgettable stories of 2018. It felt important, more than just romance, it was about self discovery and reflection, about acceptance and forgiveness. Just downright fantastic.
The Simple Wild, at it’s essence, is about relationships. It’s Calla Fletcher’s journey. The gist of it is: Calla gets laid off at work and in the same week finds out her father has lung cancer. Her dad lives in a remote part of Alaska and Calla lives in Toronto. They don’t have a relationship. 12 years prior Calla cut it off because she was tired of being disappointed, rejected, and feeling unimportant to a man who never seemed to show up for her. But with her dad’s illness comes a sensation she’s unable to ignore, and at the urging of her stepdad, Calla decides to go to Alaska to see her father, to make peace with him. Only once there, in the remote town of Bangor, she not only finds her dad but a rugged pilot that just might have the power to rock everything she’s ever known.
And holy FEELS, does this story make you ache ALL OVER. It was unforgettable. A real, raw, slow building, deep, and absolutely gorgeous story that focuses on human relationships. It delves into the broken bond between Calla and her father, uncovers those oozing wounds and regrets and lost time, but also heals and makes peace. It teaches you to let go of things you can’t change, to look beyond yourself and SEE THE OTHER PERSON. To accept things because life is so short. It’s a story that punched me in the gut. I have daddy issues, like many people in the world. In fact my father is dying of emphysema. He’s at the severe part of his disease. Calla’s feelings toward Wren (her dad) were something I could so easily and wholly relate to. On top of that, the relationship that blooms between Calla and Jonah, our rugged, masculine, Alaskan pilot simply steals your breath. This story is layered and so well done. We get the stingy, bittersweet angst, but we also the dreamy, sexy romance. And gosh, it’s all so intense and honestly, I felt every word. I just FELT IT. And I just loved it. And I never wanted it to end.
Overall, this was the sweetest, most wonderful read. It’s a heart rendering story with such a powerful message. Don’t let time pass you by. It’s precious. We get one life. Live it. Make the most of it. Love the people around you in spite of their flaws or differences. Regrets are the worst, and relationships are so important. This story is the best. I just ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT. And I hope you pick it up! I highly recommend it.
Jessica’s Review
5 “This was Everything” Stars!!
“It’s not like we’re repeating my parents’ mistakes, though. We didn’t meet each other in some bar and fall madly in love. We didn’t even like each other at first. And I’m not about to get caught up in some false romantic fantasy about moving to Alaska.”
There’s something a bit ironic about a city dwelling risk analyst unintentionally falling for a man who risks his life everyday as an Alaskan bush pilot. Somehow the biggest gamble of all circumvents Calla’s safeguards when she finds herself twisted up in a complicated romance with Jonah while visiting the brutal Alaskan terrain in her attempt at mending old wounds with her estranged father. Hello!?!? DOESN’T THAT SOUND JUST FANTASTIC?!? Whatever the blurb of this book suggests, (I didn’t bother reading it because KA Tucker is a drop-everything-and-read-immediately author for me) THIS BOOK IS BETTER THAN ANYTHING YOU CAN EVEN IMAGINE.
“He’s rural Alaska, thriving on quiet nights and wild, crazy rides in the sky to save lives. I’m the girl who… is feeling the pull of the city bustle. Of her old life.”
I never wanted this book to end. With each turn of the page, I was both eager to see how things would play out and reluctant to continue on for fear that I’d read this book too fast. I fell so hard and so fast for these characters, for this premise, for this beautifully unforgettable story of adventure and romance and character growth. This story devastated me as much as it exhilarated me. It broke my heart, filled me with wanderlust, satiated my inner romantic, and it BLEW ME AWAY with how beautifully it all came to life through Tucker’s lush prose. This moving story touched me in ways few books have before. I could relate to Calla’s situation on a profound level, so this book really hit home for me. But it would’ve undoubtedly done that even if we didn’t have this one distinct thing in common because this book is simply on another level of amazing.
This is quite possibly my new FAVORITE read of the year. This is absolutely my new favorite book from KA Tucker. As soon as I finished, I wanted to go back and reread it. I was as consumed by the fractured relationship Calla had with her father as I was by the brimming attraction between Calla and Jonah. I was as lost in the dangerous beauty of Alaska as I was in Calla’s own story of self discovery and forgiveness. This is a slow burning, sensual romance that is perfectly layered with delicious sexual tension, sharp witty banter, and, inevitably, intense emotion. But it’s bigger than that. Wilder. More profound. For Calla, this experience is life altering, soul searing, wound mending. And for me, as the reader, it was much the same. I felt so many things on these pages. This world that KA Tucker brilliantly illuminates around these characters is breathtaking and emotional and wholly addictive. There just aren’t words to properly explain how much I loved this book.
There’s such powerful messages within this story about seizing moments, about fighting for what you want before it’s too late, about forgiveness, about how easy it is to blur the truth behind the mirage of social media. This is a smart story. This is a rich, sweeping account of going back to the beginning in order to figure out what’s next. It’s powerful in the most simple ways but wildly emotional and fiercely romantic all at once. It is arguably THE BEST contemporary romance I’ve read this year and one I love too much not to revisit again and again. If you only read one book this year, let it be THE SIMPLE WILD. It’ll carry you aloft on a heartfelt adventure of love and family that you’ll never want to end.
About the Author
K.A. Tucker writes captivating stories with an edge. She is the bestselling author of the Ten Tiny Breaths and Burying Water series and the novels He Will Be My Ruin, Until It Fades, and Keep Her Safe. She currently resides in a quaint town outside Toronto with her husband and two beautiful girls.
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