Kerry Rea

Lucy on the Wild Side

Lucy Rourke has been working at the Columbus Zoo long enough that she is hoping to be promoted from junior primate keeper to senior, but her discomfort speaking to large groups may hold her back, especially when Kai Bridges and his wildlife television show makes plans to film through the summer, using Lucy's relationship with her gorilla troop as the focus of the series.  Lucy's first few encounters with Kai leave her believing that the summer is going to be a disaster, but the more she learns about him and his relationship with his famous mother, primatologist, Dr. Charlotte Kimber, the more she starts to believe that the summer might just be successful after all.

Lucy on the Wild Side is the second novel I've read by Kerry Rae.  Just like Rae's first novel, The Wedding Ringer, this one is also more women's fiction than romance, but there is a strong romantic component to this book.  Lucy's relationship with Kai is sweet and fun as they learn to understand each other.  Their habit of reciting obscure facts about wildlife is especially fresh and enjoyable.  Lucy's unhappy relationship with her half sister and her mother is also explored as Lucy expands her world to include others outside of the gorillas at the zoo and her small circle of friends.  Overall, Lucy on the Wild Side is an entertaining novel with some very emotional moments.

Lynn Braden

Lucy Rourke has been working at the Columbus Zoo long enough that she is hoping to be promoted from junior primate keeper to senior, but her discomfort speaking to large groups may hold her back, especially when Kai Bridges and his wildlife television show makes plans to film through the summer, using Lucy's relationship with her gorilla troop as the focus of the series.  Lucy's first few encounters with Kai leave her believing that the summer is going to be a disaster, but the more she learns about him and his relationship with his famous mother, primatologist, Dr. Charlotte Kimber, the more she starts to believe that the summer might just be successful after all.

Lucy on the Wild Side is the second novel I've read by Kerry Rae.  Just like Rae's first novel, The Wedding Ringer, this one is also more women's fiction than romance, but there is a strong romantic component to this book.  Lucy's relationship with Kai is sweet and fun as they learn to understand each other.  Their habit of reciting obscure facts about wildlife is especially fresh and enjoyable.  Lucy's unhappy relationship with her half sister and her mother is also explored as Lucy expands her world to include others outside of the gorillas at the zoo and her small circle of friends.  Overall, Lucy on the Wild Side is an entertaining novel with some very emotional moments.

A charming and wildly funny new romantic comedy by Kerry Rea, author of The Wedding Ringer. Lucy Rourke has two great loves in her life: the gorilla troop she cares for as a primatologist and the laundry list of reality TV shows she watches to escape the fact that her actual love life doesn’t exist. And like a reality contestant gunning for the final rose, Lucy’s laser-focused on one thing: getting promoted to head keeper. So when a wildlife docuseries hosted by hotshot TV personality Kai Bridges chooses her zoo as its summer filming location, she sees an opportunity to showcase her beloved gorillas to the world and land a starring role in her department. When Kai and his film crew arrive, however, it's obvious to Lucy that Kai cares more about sky-high ratings than the gorillas, and he considers her a camera-averse know-it-all whose wardrobe consists entirely of khaki. But she’s surprised to discover there’s more to him than his rugged good looks and cheesy catchphrases...and that maybe a promotion isn’t the only thing she wants. But when secrets from their pasts threaten to complicate everything, Lucy discovers that happiness and success aren’t the same thing—and that finding joy just might mean getting a little wild.

I've never read anything by Rea before, but after reading this, I'll pick up anything she comes out with. I had such a fun time with this. Lucy was unlike any main character I've read before. I loved how passionate she was about her career and working with the gorillas at the zoo. It was so special to see the bond she had with them. I also liked how she was more content with having a career over becoming a mom since usually there's always a baby thrown into the storylines. I enjoyed her relationship with Kai and how they would trade the most absurd animal facts. They started rocky but developed a solid, sweet relationship by the end. It was frustrating since Lucy had so many walls and defenses up, but I understand her reasoning. Another highlight of this was the zoo itself. It was cool seeing a glimpse at how zoos work and what it's like being a zookeeper. You could tell Rea did a lot of research into it. Overall, I thought this was super enjoyable.

Lucy on the Wild Side

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