Choosing to love does not mean sacrificing something important to make the relationship work. If the love is true, it will find a way to fit perfectly among life’s other choices and make room for new beginnings.

“There was always something hopeful about the sunrise. It represented the victory of making it through a disastrous night with no casualties and the promise of healing that a new day might bring.”

In H.K. Jacobs’s debut novel, Wilde Type, Dr. Alex Wilde is from a small Texas town and in the final months of her Fellowship. As part of her Fellowship research project, Alex is in Gaborone, Botswana, to help establish a pediatric ICU, in addition to applying for grants and writing articles for publication. On the cusp of turning 30, Alex is riding high on her educational success and is looking forward to a bright future, wherever in the world that may take her. But can she make room for love?

With such a busy schedule and a hidden past that has left deep scars, Alex has neither the time nor the inclination for romance. What she does have time for is her Canadian friend and colleague Roxanne Clarke, an obstetrician who is outgoing and flashy and determined to help Alex find true love. Ian Devall lives in London, is drop-dead gorgeous, and is the heir to the Devall mining fortune and the newly appointed chair at the Devall Foundation. How fortunate that he just happens to be at the same bar in Botswana on the same night as Alex and Rox.

H.K. Jacobs has created a refreshingly original cast of characters that are worth getting to know; however, they do consume copious amounts of alcohol during non-work hours. Understandable, given their high-level of professional responsibilities and stress, but it may seem a bit too excessive for some readers. The antagonist is not necessarily a person in this jaunty romance but instead is Alex’s internal struggles and inability to let go of the past and allow a man to thaw her heart.

Wilde Type is a well-crafted love story built on a solid foundation of true friendships and an enviable yet exhausting work ethic. The characters are physically attractive and affluent beyond belief, but most are emotionally broken or unstable to some degree, lowering them to a more believable level of imperfection. Amidst the world of emergency pediatric care, the author parcels out the attraction and sweet relationship building between Alex and Ian, providing a steady pace, an emotionally charged tone, and deep characterization, all of which launch this romance onto a more literary stage.

As book one in the Alex Wilde series, Wild Type is an amazing start to what promises to be the next favorite for many readers.  Along with romance and drama, the story also has plenty of adventurous substance that goes beyond physical attraction and dives into Alex’s complex life as an international emergency pediatric care physician.  

Wilde Type is an exceptionally polished first novel that transcends the typical romantic trope of passion blazing across the chapters. This fiction is a full package of international romance, medical thriller, and melodrama, offering a little something for almost any reader. As the soft tread of romance picks up, the language and level of intimacy do not become naughty or gratuitous. The author instead delivers intriguing description, a substantial plot, and excellent characterization to engage the reader and build excitement for the next book in the series. If you are looking for a romance that also has layers of intrepid excitement and tension, then Wilde Type needs to land on your to-read lineup.