seriously romantic: too wild to tame by tessa bailey

the second book in the romancing the clarksons series, too wild to tame picks up the siblings' road trip just after they've left rita behind in hurley, new mexico. their next stop is iowa, where aaron plans to somehow get his political career back on track.

it took me a while to get through too hot to handle, but i did end up breezing through too wild to tame. i think it's probably because i liked the leads just a little bit more. aaron is kind of a jerk, but he's got this soft gooey core and you can't help but feel for him because he's the guy who everyone else shut out. so of course he has his guard up. of course he keeps people at arm's length. and then he meets grace pendelton. the daughter of the man who's acceptance is key for aaron's plans.

meeting grace in the unlikeliest of circumstances--her air of fragility draws aaron's attention, but her strength of spirit captivates him. once they meet, they can't keep away from each other. the chemistry between aaron and grace is so hot. like too hot to handle there is plenty of baggage these characters are carrying. but it felt less overwhelming in this story, i think because both aaron and grace had such a strong sense of self whereas both jasper and rita were so lost that it didn't feel like they even knew what they wanted until the very end. but it's pretty clear that aaron and grace are it for each other. and yes, there are obstacles, real and imagined. but for the most part they fall head over heels for each other and being together heals the holes in their souls.

it was also nice to see belmont and aaron's relationship improve in this book. you could see there was so much love between these two characters and so much hurt. having that pain ease, it freed up the characters, but i also think it helped free the story. the deeper story this series is telling is about family and the bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood. so yes, this is a sexy love story. but it's also an emotional story about how family can be the ones to break your heart and help you put it back together. i definitely want to keep reading this series, if only to get to the last book and finally see how belmont and sage get together. it's a slow burn with those two. i kind of love it.

**too wild to tame will publish on september 6, 2016. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/forever/grand central publishing in exchange for my honest review.