Wild Heart (Zebra Debut) [Paperback]

Ella, who spent her younger years at an orphanage, is hired as a governess for Leo Roberts. Now, don't get confused - Leo is a fully grown man, and his problem isn't that he doesn't know his lessons. He needs help behaving in polite English society. When Leo was young, he witnessed his parents murder in India. For years, he lived on his own in the jungle, having to perform horrendous things to stay alive. Now he is back in England, determined to find his parent's killers. His grandfather wants him to take over his estate and duties, and Leo is there just to go through the motions. But Leo is a very broken, tortured soul. He rarely speaks to anyone and often has violent temper tantrums and outbursts of anger.

When Ella meets him, she is overwhelmed with his feelings of anger and desperation. Ella is an empath, she can feel human and animal emotion. With the promise of freedom in six months if she can make it that long with Leo, she is determined to get through to him. Soon, her calming influence takes hold, and Leo starts realize he may have an ally and someone he can trust. With that, an attraction develops and together they try to untangle the web of lies and bring closure to Leo's tortuous past.

Wild Heart has one of my favorite types of heroes - the broken, tortured man. Leo is very damaged. When I first started the book I mentioned to a friend that I hope he stays tortured throughout most of the book - and he does. Not that I like to see a hero suffer, but Leo is so broken to begin with, I didn't want an overnight miracle. Lori Brighton makes Leo work in this book. He starts barely able to suppress his anger enough to talk, and by the end there is a very believable love story between him and Ella.

It works so well because Ella has no other life to return to at first. She forces herself to six months with Leo, and then she can be on her own. Yet, she soon sees a different side of Leo. He is still quick to anger, and hides behind a mask, but once she gets a quick glimpse of the real him, she knows he is something to work for. For Leo's part, many times he plays the arrogant ass, full well knowing it gets under Ella's skin. He is no dummy, and knows how to play her. But foremost on his mind is finding his parents murderer and that rage is what drives him in this story. The mystery plays a big role in this book and I liked the twists and turns it takes. There are a few times Ella puts herself in danger for silly reasons, but for the most part, I liked how Leo and Ella work together.

Wild Heart is billed as a paranormal romance, yet the paranormal aspect in very light and in my opinion is weak and I think this book would have been just as good, maybe better, if the paranormal is taken out. Her ability factors into the plot and mystery of the book, but for most of the story I forgot she had this ability.

Wild Heart has a very intense, lustful romantic feel. Terrific tension builds throughout this story, and Leo brings his wild, dark life into the bedroom as well. I really enjoyed this one and hope to read more from Lori Brighton.

Ella Finch hasn't had much in life, so being plucked out of the orphanage by Lady Buckley wasn't exactly a salvation, but it allowed her a semblance of a comfortable life as a governess. However, now Ella is being sent off by Lady Buckley to become the governess to Leo Roberts, the grandson of a powerful lord, but in this case it is a grown man, not a child. Leo spent his formative years in India, which in the eyes of society makes him seem uncultivated rather than exotic. He appears to be intractable and wild in unpredictable ways, plus he seems to strike a spark deep within her that she's unable to control. Still, the more that Ella gets to know Leo, the surer she is that Leo is not as mad as the world thinks, but that he is haunted by the ghost of his past that will not rest until he finds the truth.

Lori Brighton takes a unique path in her debut novel Wild Heart where she skillfully weaves traditional romance elements with the mysticism that India represents and a murder mystery. Ella is an interesting character as she has secrets of her own and even though she risks herself, she never gives up her faith in Leo. Leo is a man surrounded by mystery, contradiction, and lots of danger, while seemingly not trusting those he should - his family. However, as the plot progresses the romance moves at a fast clip, while leaving the mystery and mysticism lagging behind, which are, after all, the novel's allure outside of the romance aspect. I look forward to reading further contributions by Lori Brighton as I believe she will make her mark in the historical genre as she defines and refines her own writing style. Get yourself Wild Heart for an unusual read that will keep you turning the pages!

Sabella
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

"A Paranormal Historical Romance"(with a mystery thrown in)! If that doesn't catch your attention, read on! When Lori asked me if I would be interested in reviewing her debut book, Wild Heart, I was very interested and intrigued. When she mentioned that it had paranormal aspects weaved throughout, I was excited and without hesitation answered a very firm "Yes!!". So onto my little Blackberry went Wild Heart and off my imagination flew on wings of days gone by.

Years ago, Historical Romance was a genre that I constantly read. Those covers of the ravishingly handsome men grasping the elegant and desire-ridden females where ones that graced my nightstand, coffee table and was seen held within my grasp on several occasions. After a time, I moved onto a broader range of genres including suspense, paranormal, non-fiction, and many more. Swimming in the literary sea of books, it has been a while since I have read much in the way of Historical Romance. There has been one here and there, but nothing such as Wild Heart. This story caught me from the very beginning; the paranormal and mystery aspects reeled me in for the long nights and the fact that my Blackberry never wanted to leave my hands (or rather I never wanted it to leave mine, so that I could continue my adventure within the story).

Ms. Brighton introduces readers to Ella Finch, a very timid, yet ambitious and strong-minded woman. Ella grew up in an orphanage with a very strict and unkind overseer. It is when she is hired as governess, for what she believes to be a young boy, that she escapes the confines of her current inhabitants and travels to a regal castle. It is not long until she learns that there is no young boy to be governess to, but rather a very viral and, at first glance, wild man. Ella is not sure what to think when she meets the stubborn Leo, she only knows that there is some kind of strange connection between the two.

Leo Roberts is a man who has come home after years of hiding and learning the art of self-preservation. As a young boy, Leo's parents were killed, brutally, within in the jungle, while he went to get help. It is Leo's one goal to avenge his parents' murderers by finding them and claiming justice. However, his grandfather has other ideas and wants Leo to become Earl and take his place. Thus, Ella is hired to "tame" Leo and make him "good enough" for society.

All of her life, Ella has had to deal with a special power that she beholds. It is the power to connect with animals, know their feelings and tame them with her mind and thoughts. This is a power that she has felt she has had to hide and one that is evil. What will Leo think if he knew the true Ella? What would Ella think if she knew that Leo's main goal and plan was to hunt his parents' killers down? As sparks fly between the two, tension builds and lives begin to hang in the balance. Will Leo and Ella be able to fully trust one another and allow their hearts to soar, or with death find them before it is too late?

Wild Heart is such an enormously pleasurable read. The romance between Leo and Ella is pulsating and pure, sensuously seductive from the start and never lets up - even as they try to deny it. In all honesty, there was just something about this story that grabbed me and held strong. I absolutely adored the characters of Leo and Ella. Ms. Brighton does a phenomenal job bringing their characters and personalities to life and really making the reader care for them. The mystery aspect keeps the reader in utter suspense, not wanting to leave the story until the scenes are fully played out. There are also a few excellent twists and turns that will bring a bit of surprise to the reader.

In addition to a great story, I wanted to also mention that I found Lori Brighton's writing style to be wonderfully done and incredibly flowing. I wanted to share a couple of passages that I highlighted while reading that I particularly enjoyed:

"Ella choked on a sob and dared to open her eyes. Gray dawn's boney fingers crept through the cracks in the drapes, warning of daylights imminent arrival. Nothing else remained... no bodies lying in pools of blood, no men fighting, merely a richly furnished room. Her head ached with exhaustion. No wild animal had provided her with such painful memories. Only a human could store such grief, such horror...horror that frightened her as much as it tore at her gut."

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"Ridiculous, yet lovely. Her body floated as if she danced on clouds and only Leo's solid presence anchored her to earth. She closed her eyes and allowed him to sweep heracross the floor. He pulled her closer, yet she didn't protest, didn't even bother to open her eyes, but merely took in the feel of his form."

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I really enjoyed Wild Heart and can't wait to read more by Lori Brighton (there is a sequel to Wild Hearts coming up!!)!! I urge everyone to grab a copy of this book and truly lose themselves within its words!

I have an interview coming up with Lori and also a way to win 1 of 3 copies of this awesome book! So please be one the lookout for those!

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