Review: Wild Card by Staci Hart

Wild Card

Staci Hart

Published April 5, 2024

The hot baseball player I’m forced to stay with for my best friend’s wedding is off limits.

Remy Winfield has more muscles than manners, and he’s on a mission to get me into bed by way of the filthiest mouth I’ve ever wanted to kiss. He doesn’t care about my long time crush or my certainty that we’re finally about to happen.

Remy's sure I’ll break first and kiss him, and he’ll tease me to the limit to make sure I do. I might be a Lady, but I can still play his dirty little game. It’s perfectly safe, totally harmless.

Until I fall for him.

Suddenly, Mr. Long-Time Crush doesn’t matter at all.

And my best friend can never know. -  from Goodreads

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Jessa is in Tennessee for her best friend Cass' wedding.  She thinks it's her opportunity to finally make something happen with her friend Henry, who is the best man in the wedding, but she doesn't count on a mix-up which has her rooming with Cass' cousin, Remy, a super sexy baseball player.  While Cass expressly forbids the two from hooking up, it doesn't stop them from fake dating to make Henry jealous - but then they both catch feelings.  With Jessa heading back to England after the wedding, where will that leave her and Remy?

After a bit of a break, Staci Hart is back with a brand-new romance that will satisfy all her fans.  While there are certain Staci Hart elements, this book also feels different from her previous stories, and I was all in!  Jessa and Remy are total opposites - she's a high society British lady, while he's a small-town athlete.  But from the moment they meet, there's a spark that Jessa can't ignore, even though she's there for Henry.  Their sexual tension is off the charts, and their flirtatious banter is perfection.  This book is much steamier than her previous offerings; I am the first to point out if a story has too many sex scenes that take away from the story, but that isn't the case here.  Yes, there are a lot of steamy scenes, but to me they only served to show how much chemistry Remy and Jessa had and how into each other they were.  

Staci's books are always filled with great writing, but this one had a lightness to it that I appreciated.  Even as Jessa and Remy (and the other characters) face some tough issues, the vibe felt fun, with some moments of true humor.  There's small-town shenanigans, wedding prep, and plenty of sweet and sexy moments.  And, Staci sets up the next book in the series in an unexpected way!

4 stars