Review: Another "Must Read"!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 15, 2014
I devour Westerns, cowboys and just about anything Lisa Mondello writes so choosing to read “Wild Dakota Heart” was pretty much a no brainer. Let me preface by saying I’ve read  . . . and loved . . . ALL the titles in the Dakota Hearts series. Did that make my expectations higher for "Wild Dakota Heart"? Perhaps … but only because Lisa has yet to disappoint me. And she still hasn't."Wild Dakota Heart" is one more example of how this talented author has perfected the contemporary western romance for short novel addicts like myself. Let’s start with the opening line.Ten years of doing right didn’t erase one moment of stupid in the course of a man’s life.That sentence just resonated with me. Funny, witty and on target. But that's part of what makes Lisa’s novels so addictive . . . her characters are realistic and her stories sizzle.So far, the Dakota Hearts series has used Rudolph, South Dakota as their geographical North Star, and featured men from the McKinnon family, all alpha males. Reading about this group of hunky men is like opening a box of fine chocolates . . . each one is delicious in its own way and offers a very unique flavor.So back to the story. After serving 8 years as a Navy Seal, Ethan McKinnon decides to return home and start over. He would like to repair the relationship with his best friend’s kid sister, Maddie Newton and hopes repairing her brother Denny's motorcycle might lead to a reconcilliation. But Maddie holds him responsible for Denny's death years earlier. She wants nothing to do with Ethan.  Like all McKinnon men, however, Ethan can’t . . . or won’t take NO for an answer, and uses Denny's last wishes of taking the bike to Sturgis as emotional blackmail.The sexual chemistry between these two is undeniable and unavoidable. It takes a bit of doing to overcome the grief and regret on both sides, and once the unraveling begins, it creates a few more issues to be resolved. All part of the wonderful angst that Lisa Mondello threads so effortlessly into each of her novels."Wild Dakota Heart" is a must read for fans of The Dakota Hearts series. If this is your first sample of the passionate McKinnon men, then you're sure to love the rest of these short, spicy, delectable novels.