Wildcat by Rebecca Jenshak

Every time I think I’ve decided on a favorite couple of Jenshak’s, she goes and writes another book where I completely fall in love with the characters and their story. Sweet, sexy, and charming, Wildcat is my new favorite sports romance of the year.

Wildcat features Leo Lohan, the hunky but intelligent professional hockey player, and Scarlett, the spunky and super likable budding photographer coming off a heartbreak. They meet one night at a bar on campus where Scarlett is working and Leo is at after his class with a couple of his college buddies. The two instantly hit it off, and they spend the night getting to know each other but at the same time Leo never tells her his profession. By the time morning comes, they both seem smitten, but then Leo decides to not contact Scarlett for a week after only sending her a brief text. Fast forward to the preseason get together at the coach’s house, and Leo and Scarlett meet again. Turns out Scarlett is the coach’s daughter, and Leo gets found out. She’s hurt he didn’t text or call her in all that time and because he never told her what he did for a living. Leo decides that won’t stop him from getting her to like him back as much as he likes her, and from there we get to see how they move forward. This is a story about two characters with such great chemistry but also with some issues they need to work through.

I feel like every time I read a new book by this author I have the same reaction, which is that I absolutely love the characters! Leo is not at all the typical jock. He’s smart, affable, and has a good head on his shoulders. I cannot express enough how much I enjoy that he’s actually smart. That’s something that Jenshak does with a lot of her male characters, and I genuinely like it. She doesn’t just stop at the stereotypes and seems to really try to work out the kind of people they are that forms the basis of them as characters. It’s quite refreshing to see characters who are athletes that are multidimensional. Then there’s Scarlett, and her sass coupled with her realistically created character flaws make her a seriously relatable heroine. She’s not just some sweet, naïve woman that meets a guy. She’s got personality and hopes and dreams but some baggage, too. I like how authentic her character seemed.

The development of this story from the characters having one night together to everything that happens afterward is done well. I never felt as though there was a lull, and their relationship was paced well. And the conflicts in their relationship are well done, too. At one point in the story, they face some trouble, but it’s not what I was expecting. I feel like I can normally figure out what’s going to happen in a book, but this one threw me off a little in a really good way.

Wildcat is hands down a must-read sports romance. It’s got all the parts that make a book difficult to put down, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the rest of the series.