Wild Card

North Ridge Series, Book 1

By: Karina Halle

Narrated by: Alexander Cendese, Alexandra Shawnee

Length: 8 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

Rough, raw, and rugged.

As the man in charge at Ravenswood Ranch, Shane Nelson has never been afraid to get his hands dirty. His sculpted physique isn't the product of a gym, but of years of hard labor under a relentless sun. His straightforward, alpha tendencies come from a man who knows what he wants and goes after it - and what he wants is Rachel Waters. He's never stopped wanting her.

They were childhood best friends, then teenage lovers who evolved into soulmates. But on one fateful night, Shane made a grave mistake, breaking both their hearts in the process. Now, after six years, Rachel is back in the small, wild mountain town of North Ridge, British Columbia.

Ready to face her past. Ready to face Shane. Ready to face his dark secret. But is a second-chance at a one true love in the cards? Or will their wild hearts be broken once again?

©2017 Karina Halle (P)2018 Tantor

Critic reviews

"I'm a sucker for second-chance romances, and Karina Halle had me eating out of her hand. Wild Card gripped my heart and had me head over heels in love! A must read for those who believe in what was meant to be." (A.L. Jackson, New York Times best-selling author)

Too bad!!

I had a very difficult time getting involved in this book. The performers were awful this story needs to have a female voice that has feelings in the reading and different intonations when using it on different characters ....

I Loved it!

I love this series! The writing was amazing and narration brought this story to life. This let's you believe for a little while that a 2ed chance love story. Well worth the listen and re-listen.

The female narrator breathing is distracting

The story is amazing, and I love the male narrator, Alexander, he’s amazing. I really love this series, but the female editor’s breathing needs to be edited out. She’s good it’s just the Huh! After almost every sentence that is horrible.

Shane is a good book boyfriend

This is a second chance story with an honest-to-goodness hero. Cute and a little angsty; the heroine needed to get a clue sometimes.

Canadian Cowboy love

I read this book before I listened to it. Wild Card is a great second chance romance between two childhood friends. I really felt the love between the two characters. Shane was a serious rancher working at the family farm. He lived a rugged, country lifestyle with his family. Rachel was a young career woman living in Toronto with a checkered past. Admittedly, she created a new life for herself far away in a big city that wasn't exactly making her happy. Shane and Rachel were childhood sweethearts. They were forced to breakup because of unfortunate circumstances. The reunite because of other unfortunate circumstance and Shane admits that he never stopped loving Rachel. He then goes on to mend what was broken between them.

I think that the audiobook fell short because of the narrators. I felt as though they didn't fit the characters in the book. Shane seemed so serious and quiet and Alexander Cendese had more of a playful tone. Where as Alexandra Shawnee was more serious She seemed older than the mid twenty-something Rachel. I also thought their imitation of male/ female characeters were a bit odd. It seemed like a disconnect between the story I read and the story I heard (based on the delivery)

Ultimately I liked Wild Card but I'd skip the audiobook and just read this one.

It could have been better.

I don't understand why the women in these second chance love stories always have to be the ones to forgive and forget.
The man hurts them in such deep ways. And yet it's the women who have to suck it up and play nice.

Here is Rachel coming back to help her sick mother, to a town who all knows how the man she loved dumped her and broke her heart. They all seem to think that she should be over it and basically force her to endure the company of the man she wants nothing to do with. And of course she doesn't stand up for herself because she should be the bigger person.

No. Just no. Have some self preservation and don't let people walk all over you. This story was weak, and disappointing.

Make narration was wrong

I will start with one thing I liked about the story. It is common to assume that people who have been sexually abused are damaged and it becomes their whole identity. I like that this story made the character more then just her trauma. However I don’t like that that the story glazed over it a bit too nonchalantly.
I also highly disliked the male narrator’s female voice. It sounded like a cartoon character. He needs some training.
This story was free with my subscription and I liked other Karina Halle stories so it was not a sacrifice to get it but not sure I would have found it worth a credit. I thought the motivations of the characters were believable though and the spice was good.

Good All Around

The story was good and easy to follow. Enough drama without too much todo about nothing. Surprisingly Steamy when this sweet cowboys turns it up. Ill continue listening to this series.

Fantastic!

I loved this so much. It's such a sensitive and real life story and the narrators were top notch! I found myself really drawn in and listened to it in two days. Bring on the next!

Save your points!

The plot and storyline were very good, and up to a point, I reallly enjoyed this book. However, after Shane & Rachel start talking again, the quality goes straight downhill. VERY graphic sexual descriptions, and the last several chapters contain innumerable dropping of the "f" bomb - by both characters. The narration by Alexander Cendese was decent, but I didn't care for Alexandra Shawnee's performance at all.