Wild In Minnesota deserves both thumbs up; all five stars and the top of the list of recommendations to readers who love a solid love story based in the good ol’ “Land of 10,000 Lakes”. Yes, we know there’s way more than 10,000 and Minnesota deserves the credit for EVERY. SINGLE. ONE.

I grew up in Minnesota, ‘up north’, Big Pine Lake, off ‘Old Hwy 10’ , about four-ish hours from Minneapolis. Of course I’m going to jump on any opportunity to read all the books that are based back home. The title “Wild In Minnesota” meant a guaranteed read from me. Add in some forced proximity, city girl in a small town, snowy-icy weather, a travel nurse and hockey player and a brothers best friend trope? Count me in.

She’s the sister of the Groom, a travel Nurse. He’s a pro hockey player who loves the ladies...and the liquor. Until SHE comes around. She changes everything, rightfully so. They shouldn’t date because he’s best friends with her brother. She makes him pancakes, he takes care of her when she needs it most.

The big day of the wedding is coming soon. What’s next?

Mary Lee Painter has her name on the top of my TBR list. Wild In Minnesota gave me a feeling of home, friendship, longing and the desire to love and to be loved. To show you still have a great love to give.

Wild in Minnesota totally surprised me with how much heart and humor it packed! Fern is such a relatable heroine—torn between family duties and her own messy feelings. When she meets Gabe, the NHL player with a rough-around-the-edges charm, sparks fly in the most unexpected (and hilarious) ways—especially that chaotic kitchen scene! Their “weekend pass” deal feels refreshingly real and fun, and the story strikes a nice balance between swoony romance and moments that actually made me laugh out loud. I loved the Minnesota cabin vibes and the little twists that kept me hooked, especially when things got a bit intense with the missing bride. If you want a light, feel-good read with some sporty charm and playful banter, this one’s a win. Definitely adding it to my “comfort read” list!

Yelling "Don't move, or I'll kill you" isn't the friendliest way to welcome someone into their own home. But that was the first thing Fern said to Gabe when she saw him enter the cabin. In her defense, Fern was alone, making preparations for her cousin's wedding, and she didn't know that Gabe (her brother's best friend) was the owner of the cabin where she was staying. Thinking that he could be a serial killer, she got in self-defense mode, or more like attack mode—poor Gabe.
After one of the least romantic meet-cutes ever (but still unforgettable), and having overcome the awkwardness of their first encounter, they started to get along. Although 'get along' would be an understatement, sparks flew almost instantly. Gabe feels like a weight is lifted off his shoulders when he's with Fern, and things haven't been like that since he lost his wife. Fern is at ease with Gabe. She's amazed at how he can become a real-life superhero and at the feeling of familiarity between them.
Under the excuse that their chemistry was just a temporary thing, they thought that they could have a weekend pass until their friends arrived for the pre-wedding activities. But nothing is ever that simple. The attraction was still there when Fern's overprotective brother and the rest of the guests got to the cabin. Fern and Gabe realize that they want more than a weekend pass; they just can't get enough of each other.
As feelings between them begin to grow, problems arise. Is Gabe simply fascinated by Fern because of some superficial similarities to his late wife? Or are they destined to have "an all-access pass forever, and ever, and ever"? Will Gabe end up losing his best friend?

Fern Ethel is such a funny character; she has an endearing awkwardness, whether it's in an interaction with someone or inside her thoughts. She's competitive, adventurous, and fearless.
Although Gabe appears to be a playboy who only wants to have fun with no strings attached, deep down, he carries insecurities and unresolved issues from his past. Gabe is a loyal friend with a heart of gold, and he's always there for the people he cares about.
If you're into gleefully chaotic romantic comedies, you'll like Wild in Minnesota. It was a fun and light read.

Thank you to BookBuzz, NetGalley, and the author for the digital copy of Wild in Minnesota in exchange for my honest review.

I got Wild in Minnesota as an ARC, and I’m seriously so glad I did—this book wrecked me in the best way. It had all the emotional chaos, steamy tension, and laugh-out-loud moments I love in a good romance.

Fern is this sarcastic, no-BS nurse who’s been through it, and Gabe is her brother’s best friend—a widower still trying to heal. They get stuck together as maid of honor and best man, and you already know the forced proximity leads to tension, heat, and a whole lot of feelings.

What starts as just a fling turns into something way deeper.

The chemistry? So good.
The banter? Hilarious.
And the emotional stuff? Hits hard.

It touches on cancer, grief, alcoholism—all heavy topics—but it does it with so much honesty and heart.

Bottom line: This book had me laughing, tearing up, and completely hooked. Five stars. Would 100% reread and feel all the feelings again.

Huge thank you to Mary Lee Painter, NetGalley, and Melange Satin Romance for the e-ARC.

#NetGalley #MaryLeePainter #WildInMinnesota #MelangeSatinRomance #eARCreview

⭐ | 2/5
🌶️ | 1/5



as a minnesota resident for ~7 years + a minnesota wild fan + a lover of all things midwest, i was so excited about this one!

fern is a sassy + spunky fmc, and the backstory of gabe truly pulled at my heartstrings. i will admit, it did take me a few chapters before i really connected with the story, and i would have liked to have seen more fluidity + depth in terms of the development of the plot. i’m also not a huge fan of the miscommunication trope, and the prose of the story did feel like information overload (showing > telling, in my opinion).

if you are a fan of sports romance, forced prioximity + stories featuring identity development, this might be for you — it just wasn’t my favorite. thank you to net galley + satin romance for the ARC!

This one was a little too weird for me. It’s marketed as a romance, but somehow I ended up reading about the main character being chased at gunpoint through the Minnesota wilderness by drug dealers? I kept thinking, uh… what am I reading right now?

The whole plot just felt way too far-fetched to take seriously, and it pulled me out of the story more than once. I was hoping for something sweet or emotional, and instead it turned into a strange action-thriller-romance hybrid that didn’t quite work.

Definitely not what I expected, and not one I’d recommend.

It had good bones and foundation but in the end there were so many moving parts kinda of fell apart for me.

Wild in Minnesota was, unfortunately, a disappointment. The blurb and the opening chapters were genuinely promising - hilarious, engaging, and full of potential. But after that strong start, the story took a steep downhill turn.

The writing felt stiff and unnatural, and the frequent use of slang and hashtags came off as forced and cringeworthy rather than fun or relatable. What really tested my patience, though, was the nonstop miscommunication between characters. The lack of real conversations made the relationships feel frustrating rather than compelling - I found myself yelling at the book more than once.

To make things worse, there was a random burst of dramatic action that felt wildly out of place. A pizza guy getting held up at gunpoint, the main characters just happening to stumble across him, getting shot at, calling the police, and the culprits magically getting arrested - only for none of it to be mentioned again? It felt thrown in for shock value, not story progression.

It’s a shame, because I love hockey romances and the main couple could have worked with better development and pacing. Sadly, this book just wasn’t it for me.

This was a fun, chaotic story that had me laughing right from the first chapter. You will definitely be in for a wild ride with this one, from kitchen brawls and wild chases, to wedding madness. The chemistry between Fern and Gabe is there, but chaos just seems to keep following them around! So there is definitely and action packed romance between these two.

I didn't review on Goodreads or anywhere else and I won't because I don't negative review books publicly. I think it's rude and unnecessary.

This book had great potential. I liked the idea of it, but there was simply too much going on and each twist/situation thrown in felt like too much and "not again"

I forced myself to finish it but likely should have skipped it.

So much is going on in this story, the two main characters, Griffin, who is now a football star, and Ruby, the shy librarian, would not be a perfect couple, but they work. It also helps that they lived next door to one another while growing up, and they were able to work out some of those past issues. Griffin is also dealing with issues with his brother, who has stopped playing and has become a coach. He still feels less than because of past issues with his brother and those days in college. A good story about forgiveness and finally finding someone.

Enjoyable, lighthearted read. But it felt like a lot of other stuff went on so that we didn’t focus as much in the two main characters therefore their chemistry was a bit lacking. Would still try other novels from this author though.

This book is actually the most amazing thing ever! I couldn’t get enough of it! I’ve said it once, and I will say it again, men written by the Painter women are the best men to ever grace the page of a book.
This book is the story of how Fern may or may not have punched the most lovely guy Gabe, in a misunderstanding, then made up, then another misunderstanding, then made up, then another, but you get the point.
This book was soooo amazing! It was hard truth, it was heartbreaking, and it was all encompassing. Gabe though, the man you are. And Fern, I felt bad for her poor soul but was glad Gabe always made up for it. I highly recommend this book. Thank you Mary Lee Painter for the ARC for exchange of my honest review!

I was actually looking forward to reading this book but it was archived before I got to read it 😭
Thank you Netgalley for the e arc.
The story really did seem promising, but read there is quite a lot of spice in it so maybe not for me.

Thank you to Netgalley or this book. I was quite excited as a Midwesterner to read a book set in Minnesota and I enjoyed the local flair of this book. There were definitely parts of this book that I enjoyed, but overall the writing style was not my favorite and I felt like the story had some unnecessary drama that wasn't really needed for the story.

Wild in Minnesota by Mary Lee Painter is a light and entertaining romance that follows a group of friends and family in the lead-up to a wedding—complete with mountains, mayhem, and more than a few surprises. While the cast is filled with hockey players and hockey-adjacent folks, this is not a traditional sports romance. Instead, it leans more into themes of identity, family roles, and personal growth, all wrapped in classic rom-com hijinks.

The plot centers on fake dating, a brother’s best friend dynamic, and the chaos that can only come from being stuck in close quarters during wedding prep. While the story took a few more turns than I expected (and sometimes more than felt necessary), it was still an enjoyable, fast-paced read with plenty of charm.

This may not have been my favorite romance of 2025, but if you enjoy small-town wedding settings, cozy friend/family ensembles, and a touch of emotional exploration with your tropes, Wild in Minnesota is worth the read.

#NetGalley #wildinminnesota #realtorreads #booktok #bookstagram #books #booklover #book #bookrecommendations #bookish #bookstagrammer #bookworm #reading #bookreview #bookaddict #booknerd #booksbooksbooks #readersofinstagram #bookcommunity #romancebooks #bookblogger #romance #read #bookshelf #bibliophile #reader #fantasy #bookrecs #kindleunlimited #booksofinstagram #bookclub #bookphotography #booklovers

Wild in Minnesota is a rom-com about a hockey player and a traveling nurse. It's a cute romance that would be better if the characters were more likable. It seemed like the author tried to put too many different genres in one book-it's a romance with some action adventure. Overall, if you want to pick up something fast to read by the pool this might be the right book for you.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for my ARC of this book.

A cute, easy read about small town romance and a romantic fling. Didn’t love this book, the writing style wasn’t for me however it was a funny easy read perfect for summer, not much depth. Didn’t love all the characters.
Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book, all opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you Netgalley and to Melange Satin Romance for providing me with this amazing ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

I love me a small town Romance which definitely drew me to this book! Brother's best friend trope? Always a win for me! The atmosphere was so cozy and I definitely felt immersed. The insta love trope however isn't for me. But overall I did enjoy it.

Wild in Minnesota is the second novel by Mary Lee Painter. This is a story revolving around members of the Minnesota Wild hockey team and the ladies in their lives. Fern Novotny, sister of hockey player Dave Novotny, has planned a few extra days before the rest of the wedding party for their cousin Tawnee and fellow player Ed’s bachelor/bachelorette weekend at player Gabe Wolkowsky’s lake retreat. In the few days Fern has she plans to get the extra maid of honor tasks completed before everyone arrives.

Surprised by an intruder while working late at night, Fern isn’t going down without a fight and gets in a few good ones before the mace she grabbed is turned in her eyes. It isn’t until this point that she discovers that maybe she is the intruder since it is Gabe’s home she’s in. In the days to come, Fern is in store for adventures she’d never imagined as Gabe introduces her to local establishments, dangerous outings, and ultimately saves her life. Once everyone arrives, however, things between Fern and Gabe aren’t so smooth. Between concealing the attraction they feel and dealing with the Fern’s jealousy and Gabe’s backstory, the story evolves through many ups and downs.

This is an interesting story with a broad cast of characters. For me it alternates between a well told tale and too much drama. On several occasions the issue of making assumptions instead of having discussions happens, both adding to and detracting from the overall story. That said, I did find this to be an interesting story which brought up many topics not usually tackled. It is a good read for those interested in books of this genre.