Title: Consent to Love by Abby Wood
Wild Pleasures Book 2
Publisher: Carina Press
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic, Romance
Length: 44,000 words
Book Rating: B
Review Copy Obtained from Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
Twenty-four-year-old small-town girl Ana Reynold serves beer at the local bar, tries to keep her beater car running, and dreams of a better life as a painter. If she can learn to make a decent steak, she might get promoted to cook–and earn enough for her real heart’s desire. Right now, that doesn’t include romance.
But when she meets a tall, dark and sexy Native American man named Kane, Ana can’t take her eyes off him–or stop thinking about him. But she’d better. Everyone knows the proud Lakota who raises horses wants nothing to do with a townie barmaid who’ll bring shame to his people.
Except Kane can’t get Ana off his mind. He proposes a red-hot weekend in bed, a no-strings affair to end Monday morning. Yet once Kane brings the outsider onto Lakota land, everything changes…
44,000 words
The Review:
Consent to Love by Abby Wood is a fast-paced erotic romance that has a surprising amount of depth. A sex-filled weekend is just not enough for Ana Reynold and Lakota Kane. Will their love be enough to keep Ana and Kane together? Or will their differences tear them apart?
Consent to Love is a little slow for about the first quarter of the book with Ana and Kane appearing to lack much substance or real depth. But when their relationship becomes more emotional than sexual, their story really takes off and both Ana and Kane’s characters undergo a tremendous amount of growth.
Ana and Kane carry the emotional baggage from their respective past disastrous relationships. In the beginning, Ana lacks self-confidence both personally and professionally. On the surface, Kane appears self-assured and secure with his life on the reservation, but as their relationship progresses from casual to serious his self-doubts begin to affect how he handles different situations with Ana. Much to my surprise and delight, it is Ana who gains the self-assurance to step outside of her comfort zone and once she does, she gains a better perspective on herself, Kane and their relationship.
There are a couple of subplots to Consent to Love that provide added interest and conflict to the story. Ms. Wood beautifully demonstrates a positive view of life on the reservation through Kane’s pride in his heritage and strong ties to the land. She also does not underplay the prejudices facing Native Americans or the difficulties that Kane and Ana face as a couple.
Despite some of the more serious undertones of the story, Consent to Love is a light read that is angst free. Through Ana and Kane Abby Wood shows how finding the right person to love can enhance your life and provide you with the strength and courage to make your dreams come true. A charming novella that is well worth reading.
Although Consent to Love is the second installment of the Wild Pleasures series, it can be read as a standalone story.
