Ride Wild (Raven Riders, #3) by Laura Kaye

Series: Raven Riders*

Release Date: October 31st, 2017

Rating: 5/5 stars

*Each novel in the series is Standalone

Ever since Kaye’s Hard Ink series, I’ve been in love with her writing style. Her storylines are always fascinating, rounding out her books with swoon-inducing romances (usually). I was so excited when I found out she was doing a spin-off featuring the Raven MC. However, the books and mainly the romances haven’t been as “spot on” as Hard Ink. Not to say they were all excellent (the second book I didn’t like because I found the hero to be really annoying and uppity). It’s kind of ironic then that I also DNF the second book in this series as well. I didn’t like–at all–the heroine. Also, while I love Dare and Haven (the couple from the first book), Dare was an ass to Haven (all to preserve his stoicism, I guess).  So, you can kind of see how this series was falling a bit short for me. But, then I read Ride Wild, and I have to say: I absolutely loved it!

I really think Ride Wild is the best book Kaye’s written. All her characters jump off the page, and you completely fall in love with the MCs. I thought that Dare and Haven were cute … but, man, did Slade and Cora put them to shame. Ride Wild seriously has all the feels. What made the book so amazing was the amount of love and acceptance that radiated off the pages. You could seriously feel the connection between Cora and Slider and Cora and Slider’s sons.

Typically, or at least in my experience, the hero having a dead spouse usually creates the feeling of the heroine being the “second choice,” especially when there are children involved. But Cora simply admired how Slider loved his wife and how he adored his boys. She respects that he lost something important to him and simply wishes that someone would love her that much someday. However, from Slider’s POV, you know there’s more to the story than his wife passing from being terminally ill. And never does he think of Cora as second anything.

Another element that I’m sure annoys more than just me is when one (or both) of the MCs have (a) child(ren) who are used as only a plot device–simply to introduce the hero and heroine to each other–and are not treated as characters in their own right. Usually, once the “meeting” has been achieved, the child disappears. That was not the case–at all–in Ride Wild! Cora interacts with Sam and Ben (Slider’s two sons) throughout the whole book and consistently demonstrates how much she cares about them and vice versa all throughout the story. These boys have such a significant impact on Cora’s character development, helping her to achieve that safe place where she is loved and accepted into a family. Both Sam and Ben were also so cute; I loved how much of a little man Sam is–he was regularly depicted as a 10-year-old boy going on 35-year-old man: adorable!

One of my favourite parts of a standalone series is that while each book focuses on a new couple (while continuing the main plot), you get to see your favourite couples from the perspective of others and kind of “catch up” on their lives. I have to say that Dare and Haven are still seriously freaking cute. I also found it awesome how supportive Haven and Cora are of each other–even after finding their significant others, they never forget that they are sisters to each other. They have both been through hell but have come out stronger with the help of the Raven MC.

As a note, you should be warned that Cora’s past could be a trigger for some people. Please see the Possible Triggers tab for details.

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