Wild Ride (Whiskey River Road, #5), by Kelly Moore

Publication: October 29, 2020

wild ride About:

He’s a tough cowboy. She’s a wild ride and the daughter of his family’s enemy. Will they let passion win out, or will it tear them to pieces?

Noah was raised apart from his family. Now, he’s trying to fit in with the Calhouns. But fitting in isn’t always easy when you’ve been a loner. A roll in the hay with a gorgeous woman fits his lifestyle. Falling in love was never in his plans.

Molly Granger’s lived a hard, dedicated life to her father. A man she loathes but has pledged her loyalty to—at least by all appearances. Her only focus has been revenge, even at the cost of her own life. Her goal is thrown off-kilter the day she meets Noah in a bar.

The connection between Molly and Noah is raw and intense, but neither one wants to admit their attraction. A wedge forms between them when Noah finds out her father is enemy number one.

Trapped between desire and vengeance, will they find a middle ground?

My Review

I’m so excited to review the next installment in the Whiskey River Road series, Wild Ride! In earlier books we’ve gotten to know a little bit about the newest Calhoun siblings, Noah and Jane. In Wild Ride, prepare to get a much closer look into Noah, his sister Jane, their relationship with the other Calhouns, and of course – the instant chemistry with Molly Granger. Noah is trying to find his place in the family, having fun, and living his life. Molly appears to be all business, cold, and the exact opposite of Noah, except for the little detail of having off-the-charts chemistry from the first time they see each other. Once they figure out who the other is, there’s an ongoing battle knowing they should steer clear of one another, but also not being able to keep their hands off one another.

If you love crazy and intense chemistry right off the bat, then prepare yourself for Noah and Molly. There has been no lack of steamy moments in this series, but Noah and Molly are on fire! Anyway, Wild Ride showed me so much more about Noah, as well as, his sister Jane and how they are trying more and more to find their place in the Calhoun family. Noah is laid back and easy-going while also being a hard worker. He’s finding his way as far as being a rancher and is ready to get himself better settled on the ranch. When everyone realizes that they have to battle Granger over land, again, Noah steps up and is just protective over the family and the land as any of the other Calhouns. But the main issue, Molly is with the enemy.

Now, onto Molly. All of the female characters in this series have been strong, independent, and often hilarious women. Molly is definitely one of the more complex though, and I love her! This woman suffered a horrible trauma growing up and at first appears to be insanely loyal to her sleazy father. But not long into the novel, we realize that she has been carefully plotting revenge against him for years. She’s had one goal forever, but after meeting Noah a softer side slowly starts to appear. Like Jane, Molly’s character has many layers and it was an absolute joy watching each of those layers be peeled back to reveal who she really is.

And you know what? I think she became one of my favorite characters of this entire series.

I have so much praise for this book that I could spend hours typing away about it. It has the sexy, fun, playfulness that each of the installments have in this series. There is serious conflict both externally with the Calhouns fighting Granger and internally with several characters struggling with difficult choices to make. Tension builds over and over in this story, but there is also that fabulous humor that we have come to love with this family. And for those that loved the last book and getting a better look into Wyatt, prepare yourself for both sweet and heart-wrenching moments with him and Margret (Kleenex alert).

Wild Ride is a must-read for fans of western romance. It’s about family, protecting what is ours, love, and surviving whatever life throws our way. You will feel tense, you will cry, you will laugh, and most likely have to fan yourself a time or two. Overall, you will not be able to put this down. I am once again amazed and in awe of Kelly Moore. Her ability to create and bring to life masterful characters and stories within multiple genres is like nothing I have ever seen. My only negative thought after reading this is, “what happens after every character gets their story?” I absolutely do not want this incredible series to end.

This is above and beyond a 5-star read, however, if you haven’t yet started this series, make sure you start at the beginning to get the full story of each of the characters.

*Thanks to Kelly Moore for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Pre-Order Wild Ride on Amazon!

Missed the start of this series? Check out my reviews for books 1-4!

Coming Home (Whiskey River Road, #1)

A cowboy. An empty altar. Coming home is complicated.

What stopped me from walking down the aisle to the perfect man? My stupid rebel heart, that’s what.

I loved Boone Methany with everything I had, but I wanted more than just the ranch I grew up on and training horses for the rest of my life. Leaving him on our wedding day wasn’t something I planned on. Neither was coming back to my family ranch after seven years in the military just to eat a heaping helping of crow.

I thought I was prepared to see him again. What I wasn’t ready for, was him being engaged.

Coming home is about to get mighty complicated.

Stolen Hearts (Whiskey River Road, #2)

A thief and a single father don’t bode well. She’s snarky, and sexy which can only lead to two broken hearts.

It was a day like any other on the ranch.

Hard work and no play makes for a cranky cowboy. Needing a night out on the town left me sneaking in my father’s house like a teenage boy. That was my first mistake of the day.

The second was playing hero to a damsel in distress that turned out to be no damsel at all but a sexy, snarky woman who took me by surprise.

How you ask?

I’d been a ladies man. That is until I became a father. My rebel days were gone. A six-year-old sassy daughter changed all of that for me. I didn’t need the complicated messy kind of love stuff. My hands were full.

A mission into town to handle a family issue would make my life more muddled. The day I met the woman who would steal my heart.

A thief. A woman on the run. A woman with one too many secrets. A woman whom I had to save because if I didn’t, I feared she disappear and take two hearts with her. I wasn’t prepared for the danger she was in and the decision I’d have to make. She’d hate me for sure.

I definitely wasn’t prepared for her to leave.

Three Words (Whiskey River Road #3)

Wild at heart. One hot cowboy. A heap of trouble.

What stopped me from saying the three words Ian wanted to hear? My stubbornness that protected my heart, that’s what.

A handsome cowboy with a hot body and a sense of humor to boot, Ian Daughtry was everything a woman could ask for. He was downright pretty to look at. The day he left my world spun out of control. It changed me inside. I was no longer the sweet, innocent girl. Instead, I became the wild child desperate to feel anything but love.

Now he’s back, slipped into town unbeknownst to me. My family knew but didn’t want to tell me, afraid it would rip me apart.

I have a news flash for him. I don’t care how hot he is, he ain’t gettin’ me back. This woman has done fine on her own. But boy howdy… just seeing him he sent me in a tailspin. One that might get me in a heap of trouble.

Kentucky Rain (Whiskey River Road, #4)

A law-abiding man, breaking all the rules and dodging love. I’ll either run her off or give her my heart.

I threw in my hat, giving up my job as a lawyer to become the one thing I swore I never would…a cowboy. I’ve lived on my father’s ranch my entire life, but never learned how to be a rancher’s son. Instead, I was urged to become an attorney by my father, who doesn’t live by the letter of the law.

Now, I’m left picking up the pieces of my life, trying to figure out who I am, and what I want. Trouble is brewing for me, I can feel it in my bones, especially when my friends-with-benefits relationship with Margret starts to feel like something more than I have to give. She deserves a better man than me.

My plan is to keep her at arm’s length. Her plan is to pull me in closer