How far will you go to save a relationship—to save the one you love? Alex Wilde is from Texas but is currently working in Botswana as an ICU pediatric doctor. Becoming Wilde by HK Jacobs is book two in the Alex Wilde Series and flows directly and quite smoothly from book one, Wilde Type, broadcasting the triumphs and foibles of the main characters as they navigate their social lives and careers on the global stage. Alex Wilde and Ian Devall reach the end of book one on a note of reconciliation after hitting a few bumps in their relationship, but they are definitely thrust back together in Becoming Wilde. Alex’s heart is firmly entrenched in healing children in an underserved country, and Ian’s billionaire father has been grooming his son to take over the family business in London. Ian undeniably found his match in Alex at a bar in Botswana at the beginning of book one, sidelining his playboy ways and slowly exploring some philanthropic waters. But can Alex banish the shadow cast by her abusive father and finally believe Ian’s love is real and everlasting?

Becoming Wilde resumes the titillating relationship between Alex and Ian, two people destined for love, despite their contrasting backgrounds, very different career paths, and internal struggles. The passion between the two continues to bloom hot and heavy across the chapters, adding plenty of seductive spice to this sweet courtship. As a bit of caution for readers who prefer their romance on the lighter and less provocative side, several scenes are quite steamy but stop short of becoming too graphic.

Becoming Wilde takes the reader on an international journey, from Africa and Britain to Texas and Mongolia, with the main characters embracing the jet setting lifestyle at a moment’s notice. Money never seems to be too much of an object for anyone, even though Alex is not considered rich, but this overall lavishness, while somewhat farfetched at times, does give the story an almost fairy tale quality. Becoming Wilde, however, is not all about intimacy, flirtation, and an endless supply of booze. This story is awash with plenty of danger and drama, and as the plot progresses toward an incredible ending, everything in both Alex’s and Ian’s life perilously shifts, projecting their relationship onto an even higher level of commitment and determination.

Book one, Wilde Type set the scene and paraded the characters across the pages for the reader to get acquainted. Becoming Wilde picks up the pace, evoking laughter and tears and displaying the true meaning of friendship. It shows the value of building bridges along life’s way because the people you meet may show up again someday when you need them the most. Jacobs demonstrates extraordinary skill at constructing a unique plot that goes beyond a superficial romance and then populating it with memorable characters that will cause the reader to regret reaching the last page. Fortunately, the final lines of Becoming Wilde set the jaw-dropping stage for book three, with the author refusing to hint at a sequel and instead pushing the reader right up to the edge of that cliff and ready for the next book.

For both Alex and Ian in this series, true love is an alluring pearl they must pry from life’s steely jaws. Hanging onto that love will test their mettle and desire to make it work at all costs, never giving up hope that their life together is meant to be.