4.25 stars

Emotionally sophisticated, The Wolf and the Wildflower manages to squeeze everything out of its bonkers premise—a romance between a duke acclimating back to society after surviving in the wilderness for over a decade, and a scholarly woman who has been living as a man for her entire life. Stacy Reid paved a very relatable journey for both societal 'outcasts', who gradually became each other's emotional support, as they battled through personal trauma and insecurity. In many ways the emotion-first narrative reminds me of A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall, which people should consider picking up if they enjoyed this title.

It isn't quite a 5-stars for me as I felt many potential plot elements were teased but never fully utilized (such as the ordeal with the heroine's parents, and the ending... I was hoping for something a little more bold and outrageous, but it turned out to be very safe), and the novel's tendency to rush through key plot points, whereas the steamy scenes went on for pages and constant (they are beautifully written). Still, overall I was hooked and devoured this in mere days, and even with some shortcomings, there remained many memorable snippets (I never expect constantly smelling people can be presented as sexy...)

***Ravished by Romance Book Club | August 2023 Selection***