River Wild by Samantha Towle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A new town. A new identity. Pregnant and alone. 
And far away from a past that can never find me. 

River Wild.
Moody. Sullen. A-hole.
And my new neighbor.

I have no interest in befriending River. And he definitely doesn’t want to be befriended by me.

Then, he helps me rescue an abandoned dog. And, that day, I see something in his eyes that reflects back in my own. Sadness. Pain. Loneliness.

I know all of those things well.

An unwanted and unexpected friendship that somehow works. Then, without warning, it turns into something more.

River and I both have our secrets, and that’s okay. Because I understand him. And he understands me.

For the first time in my life, I have something I never thought I would have—happiness.

But happiness isn’t forever. Not for people like me.

Especially not when my past is waiting just around the corner, ready to come and take it all away.

River Wild

Two damaged people become friends and fall in love.

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙💚❤️💜
Steam: 🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📙📘
World building: 🌏🌍🌏🌎
Character development: ☹️☺️😒😍🥰
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Dual Narration

The heroine: Carrie Ford – she is young, pregnant and recently ran from her abusive husband Neil, who was a police officer who won a medal of valor. She once tried to call the cops, but they wouldn’t do anything. Neil isn’t just a cop, he is a dirty cop. He keeps his dirty money in a safe at home that he doesn’t think Carrie knows about. She stole the money, moved to Texas, changed her name and is starting a whole new life.

The Hero: River Wild – he grew up in an abusive household. His stepfather was a policeman and when his mother wasn’t around, he always hurt River and made him do things he didn’t want to do. He threatened to put River in jail and hurt his mom if River told her. Until one day when River can’t take it anymore and uses his stepfather’s gun against him.

The Story: Carrie lives in the small house next door to the big house with a pool where River lives, he is a loner who has been bullied and isolated from most of the town since he was a young boy, and his mother went to prison for killing his stepfather. He is a prickly jerk and ignores her at first, but gradually they get to know each other since they are neighbors and circumstances keep throwing them together.

I loved how Carrie and River slowly get to know each other and become best friends. They have so much in common and both of them have been through hell in their lives. They are both damaged and they help each other heal. The story was great, and Carrie’s pregnancy progresses slowly throughout the story. I wish this one was longer. Other than that, I really liked this book.

“I know that look. I used to see it in my own eyes every time I could bear to look in the mirror. I still see it now.
Like your soul is empty. Hollow.
The anger and pain and hurt have swallowed you up completely, and there’s nothing left but emptiness.
He’s felt pain. He knows what it’s like.
He’s like me.”

This audiobook was told in dual points of view via dual narration. It was narrated by Savannah Peachwood and Sebastian York. These are two of the best narrators for romance. Savannah has a soft, feminine voice and Sebastian has a deep, gravelly voice. They are both great at doing multiple voices for different characters and I really enjoyed listening to them.

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