OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Wild Flower" by Emily Cole.]

In The Wild Flower, the main character, Lily, prepares for a wild night with her lover, John, only to be dumped via text in a luxury hotel by her lover who also happens to be her Archaeology mentor. She has spent the last year as a junior research assistant, following him around to different conferences so that they can continue their love affair in secret away from his wife and their colleagues. With a broken heart, her mind berates her for being foolish enough to be the other woman, and she is convinced that she would be better off without a man in her life since she tends to be attracted to losers.

With a look around the luxury hotel room, she is saddened at the sight of the candles eagerly dancing and the champagne that is still on ice. Too upset to remove her newly purchased lingerie, she puts a dress over it to go down to the hotel bar to drink her emotions away. Shortly after ordering a martini, a handsome man is dismissed by a woman waiting at the bar. That man, Sam, proceeds to strike up a flirty conversation with Lily.

Lily is a completely believable and relatable character. Just about any woman who has been dumped without warning will be able to relate to the whirlwind of emotions and depression that is associated with it. Every unattached woman dreams of getting rid of the narcissist in their life and meeting a new man who cares about his woman more than himself. The plot line was a bit accelerated but that is common in a short story. It felt acceptable and at a natural but quick pace.

Inherently, none of the readers will like John because he is the evil ex, and I am not immune to that natural reaction. The pace was a bit quick, but anyone who enjoys flash fiction, short stories, and novellas will be accustomed to the fast pace story. It might be too fast for people who stick to traditional length novels. When entering the realm of romance/erotica, there are different expectations when it comes to morality in the writing. I personally don’t have issues with fictional characters having unprotected sexual relations because I know it is fiction, however, some readers may have issues with it.

After finishing The Wild Flower I would have to give it 4 out of 4 stars. The story is short as is expected with a short story, which is a major appeal when seeking out short stories. There are no long drawn out descriptive scenes or painful dialogue. The characters are well developed and so is the story line. There were a few places where grammar was correct, but I personally didn’t like the flow, but it was to such a small extent that it wouldn’t justify losing a star. I did appreciate that Emily Cole went through and had some great editing done, as that is often overlooked with short stories.

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The Wild Flower
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Like Alwhitbeck's review? Post a comment saying so!

Hey, Alwhitbeck. I think this is the first review I read by you, and let me tell you fellow OBC reviewer, it was a pleasure to read. I can't say I love novellas more than traditional length novels or the other way around, because I love reading books in general. The Wild Flower does sound that it's worth a look though, and if this novella is as polished as you say it is, then I would definitely read it. Emily Cole, congratulations on a 4 star review!

Thanks Leon Durham. It was my first review so I was a bit nervous about how I did. I will read just about any length, and read a lot of Flash Fiction, so a novella is great for me to read. Some people who try to read them dislike how short they are or how fast the story line progresses, and will leave a bad review, but I think they should stay away from novellas. It was what I like to call, short and sweet, so it was a pleasure. Thanks for reaffirming how I did on the review and how great Emily Cole did with writing and editing!

I'm sorry that it has taken me so long to visit this page and read the comments. Thank you for leaving a comment Leon Durham, the page was looking bare and lonely for a while there - it needed a morale boost. Also, thank you reviewer Alwhitbeck, you did fine job indeed! The review was thoughtful and honest with some useful feedback and I loved reading it

Awesome review! Thanks for the sincere and helpful review; the book sounds good.

Sounds like an easy and pleasurable read. I think the title itself is catchy and intriguing. Congratulations to Emily Cole for such a wonderful book.