The story a Fern and Gabe. It starts as a weekend fling in Minnesota, but will it lead to more? I liked how it was told from both points of view.

I love a smal town romance with brother's best friend and found family tropes and this delivered! I cannot wait to read more of Mary Lee Painter's work :)

Thanks to NetGalley and Melange Satin Romance for the eARC.

Very minor spoilers.


Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was a fun quick read. I laughed out loud more than once (llamas - embrace the absurdity and use it more 😁). And the banter between the MCs was excellent.

There is a bizarre event early in the book (Ch 3) that made absolutely no sense and seemed from an entirely different book. I almost DNFed at that point. (I mean, the llamas come out of that incident, but they could have been brought in some other way).

The FMC’s brother was just a giant red flag. I get wanting to defend your sister from a guy you think is inappropriate. And brother’s best friend is my fave romance trope. But this one went too far.

Brothers best friend trope!? sign me up! I had so much fun with this story and the spice was sooooooo good! There was a little bit of a miscommunication trope in there too, which isn't my favorite, but it did help further the story so it made sense. I'd love for there to be another book in the same world but about Brandon, I bet that would be so fun! Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for my digital ARC!!

As a Minnesotan, reading a romance set in Minnesota would be fun. Wild in Minnesota is a cute, very contemporary romance. I found it to be charming and a fun read with enjoyable characters.
Things I disliked about the book were that it was almost too contemporary, and many things in the details of the book are not relatable to many potential readers. I found the flow choppy and the dialogue too much like a TV script. The book was made up of similes and made-up slang. Overall, the book and writing style were cute but immature. If looking for a fast contemporary romance and you were born after 1990, you will probably be a good fit for this book.

Thank you, NetGalley, Melange Satin Romance, and Mary Lee Painter, for the opportunity to read this digital ARC for my honest review.

i..... did not have fun with this one.

i didn't vibe with the characters or with the writing and, most of the time, i was mostly pissed off.

i'm not a fan of the whole telling vs showing, as it completely pulled me out of the book, and it felt like i was just an external observer instead of being able to immerse myself in what i was reading.

the dialogue suffered, too. it felt choppy and unnatural in a poor attempt to be relatable, and it fell flat. it also didn't help sell the supposed chemistry between the main characters.

Do you like cabins? Do you like secrets? Do you like spice? Then you NEED to read Wild in Minnesota by Mary Lee Painter. This book was so immersive and cozy you felt like you were in the story!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

This book was a wild indeed! As a Minnesota girl who loves cozy romcoms, I was excited to read about a MN Wild player MMC and a sweet cabin setting!

I wanted to like this book more, but I has a hard time believing in this relationship. The relationship is built on insta-lust, and lots of their physical relationship is off page. The writing and references felt juvenile rather than relatable: I didn't enjoy the main characters calling other people "pussies" or the abbreviations in the writing such as "WTF", and "BTW". And for a book about a pro hockey player, there was very little hockey in this book.

I do think the characters themselves were interesting and had potential. The strongest parts of this book were when Fern and Gabe were together.

If you're looking for a cozy romance set in Minnesota, this may be the book for you. While I had a good time, I ultimately would have enjoyed this more if the main characters had a deeper connection.

After reading a run of gory horror stories, I needed something.....not gory.....and I picked a winner!!! Fern needs a change; she's had nothing but bad luck lately, and being the maid of honor in someone else's wedding seems to emphasize the point. When Gabe barges into her cabin unannounced, at least it's exciting. This was an entertaining story that kept expectations high and maintained an overall light tone. Even when Fern runs away to lick her wounds, she's learned some things about herself. I was looking for a different, less dark book, but I found a new author to add to my following list.

Wild in Minnesota by Mary Lee Painter • ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Read: 6/14-6/23 2025

✨ Review ✨

Thank you so much Satin Romance and NetGalley for this ARC!!

Happy release day!! Congratulations on releasing your second book! If you love 2000s rom-com’s, you’ll love this. I’m in a mood where I just want to be secluded near a small town and this fits the ticket. It’s giving all of the small town romance x brother’s best friend/best friend’s sister x found family tropes and many laughs along the way.

I can’t wait to read more of your work!!

P.S. It’s very ironic how close this book is lined up with my life location/event wise right now. (1) I’m on a vacation right now (hence this review being posted at night instead of this morning like I would have liked - I’m sorry) headed up to Wisconsin for my niece’s (2) wedding, although it’s actually being held in (3) Cottage Grove, Minnesota, which is in the same area that this books takes place. The niece that is getting married is named (4) Madison, the same name as the female lead in Mary Lee’s first book, The Fork in the Road, and I have a nephew named (5) Gabe, the same name as the male lead in this book.

Releases June 23, 2025
Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/0So7Lel

I enjoyed reading Wild in Minnesota by Mary Lee Painter. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

The book had an interesting premise and a promising setting, but it didn’t quite deliver. The story felt flat at times, and there were a few noticeable mistakes. Characters and storyline both lacked depth, and it didn’t spark the connection I was expecting. It was not terrible, but not great either.

Lot's of Spice and a brothers best friend romance, if those two things interest you, this book may be for you! Personally there was not enough plot to keep me interested but it was a good palate cleanser between some heavier fantasy books. 2.5 stars rounded up!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for this arc and opportunity!! This book was a really fun read and definitely far from boring. As much as it was interesting, there was a lot going on with the plot especially in the beginning. The writing was alright, it was easy to follow and know what was happening. I just felt it was a lot of information at once.

With Fern and Gabe, it was insta-love/lust with forced proximity between an NHL player (barely any correlation to the plot) and a surgical nurse. I didn’t really like that but as the story went on, they were cute together. I really liked Gabe, he was cute and so caring for her. Fern was kinda relatable and overall very entertaining to read about. They were both so so lovable!

Overall I would definitely recommend this for anyone who’s a fan of insta-love, forced proximity, best friend’s sister. It’s messy but soo fun and enjoyable to read!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️/5

I loved this one! It was such a cute story with amazing characters! I was hooked from the very beginning and I loved every page! I giggled so much and I didn’t want to put it down

I had high hopes for this novel, based on the synopsis but unfortunately it seemed to lose it footing about the third chapter and it never really found it again.

Thank you to NetGalley and BookBuz for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5⭐️ &🌶️

This book follows Fern, who returns to her hometown to serve as maid of honor in her cousin’s wedding. There, she crosses paths with Gabe, NFL-level star, player and her brother’s best friend. When Fern arrives at a cabin to help with some last-minute wedding prep, she unexpectedly runs into Gabe, and their instant chemistry leads to a spontaneous “one weekend only” arrangement. But as the weekend unfolds, it becomes clear that their connection runs deeper. Still, unresolved issues from their past and Fern’s protective brother, make turning their fling into a real relationship anything but simple.

This book has an exciting premise with some fun tropes—insta-love, brother’s best friend, and forced proximity— that I LOVE. Fern and Gabe’s relationship kicks off with immediate intensity, which sets a fast pace for the story.

The beginning dives straight into the action with some bold plot choices (like the car chase), which, while unexpected, definitely grab attention. It did take me a little while to settle into the story and connect with the characters, but once Fern and Gabe started interacting more, the emotional stakes began to build.

The foundation for Fern and Gabe’s relationship had great potential, and I would have loved to see their connection develop more gradually with added tension and deeper emotional beats. Including more scenes with Fern’s brother could have added an interesting dynamic and helped highlight the conflict in a more layered way.

Overall, the story moves quickly, which makes for a fast and engaging read, but I found myself wishing for more character backstory and quieter, emotional moments to really flesh out the romance. Flashbacks to Fern and Gabe’s past experiences would have added depth and made their love story even more compelling. That said, readers who love fast-paced romance with high-stakes emotions might really enjoy the read.

This was my very first ARC, and I was so excited to dive in, the blurb completely drew me in! While the story didn’t fully click with me and I found parts of it challenging to get through, I appreciated the opportunity to read it early and can see how it will appeal to readers who enjoy this style of romance.

From the first scene that Fern and Gabe meet there is chemistry. I was hooked from page one and love how their story has so many turns to it. As a North Dakota girl, the weather and hockey Instantly connected me to the story as well.

The pacing of the story was a little off for me, in the first few scenes there was the fight at the cabin, which I loved and it hooked me right away. But then the bar scene, getting chased by criminals (the llamas showing up throughout the story and never explaining it to anyone) and the major accident they didn't really tell anyone about. It was alot to absorb.

I know this was an advanced copy so I do hope all of the typos were correct, the one that stuck out to me the most was NFL instead of NHL - he's an NHL player so that is huge.

I did enjoy the storyline, just very heavy in some parts.

I read this exactly like a 2000’s rom-com was playing in my mind. I didn’t mind the back and forth and drama of the temporary playboy hockey player and his best friend’s sister but I felt like I was left in a little cliffhanger. I know they ended up together butttttt what does that mean for her travel job? And do all his past ladies finally stop showing up to his place?! I felt the last page was very rushed. The ending could’ve used some more time - she just kind of appeared and they didn’t even talk about the kiss between her and her male bff. Minus the quick ending, I couldn’t put this book down. It was cute and had all the feels. I would recommend it! Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the ARC!

This book was honestly so much at once…like romcom meets soap opera meets action flick. And while I was totally down for the setup (girl alone in a cabin accidentally fights a hot NHL player in her kitchen?? yes pls), the pacing and tone sometimes felt like they couldn’t decide what they wanted to be?

Fern was a relatable mess, trying to move on from her past, overthinking everything, and accidentally catching feelings during what was supposed to be a no-strings weekend. And her inner monologue had me laughing a few times, but it also got a little repetitive. Gabe was giving protective golden retriever energy, and I liked that he wasn’t just some cocky athlete stereotype, he actually cared and communicated, which was refreshing.

The wedding party chaos was fun but insane. I mean, we’re talking bar fights, a high-speed chase, and a whole missing bride situation like ?? ma’am what genre are we in again?? Some of the drama felt a little out of pocket, like things were escalating just for the sake of drama. I also felt like the ending tried to do a lot and wrapped up too quickly for everything that went down.

If you’re into messy characters with baggage, hockey boy romances, and chaotic small-town family energy, this could still be a fun weekend read. Just go in expecting drama and not a super deep emotional arc.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this ARC