Sports romance, age-gap trope, follow your passions
Plot:
Mom and ultimate perfectionist, Simone Warner, lets her inhibitions go for one night of wild sex with pro tennis star and all-around ladies man, Alex Wilde. But what happens when Simone decides to quit her high-power CEO job to follow her dream of coaching tennis and her first assignment happens to be the assistant coach of her one-night stand? Can Simone and Alex fight their attraction for the sake of their careers or will the pull between them and meddling family members prove too much?
Review:
As a huge fan of sports romances, The Wilde Card popped out at me right away and I was so excited to dive into it. Truthfully, I was having a hard time figuring out the rating for this one, but overall, it was a likable book. It was a sweet, lighthearted read, but it did feel like it was missing something. So let's get into it:
Let’s start with the positive! I absolutely loved the double meaning of the title - not only is pro-tennis star Alex’s last name Wilde, but he is also a wild card in his sport. Alex’s character was a solid guy - he oozed support for the heroine, Simone, as she figured out who she was and blossomed through the book.
After her divorce, Simone decided to shake her life up and follow her passions which led to her working at her brother-in-law’s tennis center and as Alex’s coach. She came to life as the book progressed and I loved seeing her feisty side when her protectiveness and competitiveness came out. Her persistence and commitment to turning her life into something she’s proud of was inspiring.
At the start, Alex and Simone’s characters seemed stiff and I wasn’t feeling the chemistry between them, but about a quarter of the way in their banter grew and filled the book with a sweet warmth. By far the sweetest part of the book though was Alex’s relationship with Simone’s daughter, Tallulah. That little 8-year-old was all spunk, smarts, and tons of fun. Like Tallulah, the other supporting characters (Simone’s sister Amalie, brother-in-law Julian, and boss Paul) were just as joyful. The relationship between Paul and Julian made me laugh out loud more than once.
Now on to the flip side...
Simone’s ex played significantly into the main conflict of the book and while I wanted to like him as a villain, he felt too two-dimensional at points. He came into the story only to kickstart the drama and it made it hard to see why Simone had even married him originally.
I mentioned earlier the lacking chemistry between Simone and Alex. And while it was there, especially the physical attraction, it felt like that spark was missing. Because of the missing chemistry, Alex’s switch from ladies man to all-in on one woman felt a little forced and too insta-love for my personal taste.
My biggest disappointment though was the climax of Simone and Alex’s conflict. As to not spoil anything, all I’ll say is it felt like there was all that build-up for the climax to just plateau. I loved the lead-up and idea of it, but ultimately it felt unrealistic and flat.
With all of that said, I truly enjoyed this book. It was a quick, heartwarming read, and King’s writing was suburb!
Thank you NetGally and City Owl Press for making this book available to read in exchange for an honest review!
Rating:
3.5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫