Lucy on the Wild Side by Kerry Rea (The Wedding Ringer) is a charming Ohio-set romance, perfect for fans of Kerry Winfrey or Christina Lauren. When Lucy Rourke was a girl, her mom abandoned her for a Hollywood career. Lucy coped with her mother's absence by bonding with Zuri, a gorilla at the Columbus Zoo, and obsessing about Dr. Charlotte Kimber, famous for working with wild Rwandan gorillas.
Fast forward 20 years, and Lucy is a junior keeper working with primates at the Columbus Zoo. Astonishingly, Dr. Kimber's son--Kai Bridges, a famous Crocodile Hunter-esque television host--chooses the zoo to film the next season of his show. Lucy is thrilled to meet the son of her idol--until he turns out to be rude and dictatorial. And, what's worse, as shooting for the new season begins, Kai insists that Lucy must be on camera. Lucy really prefers to stay in the background with her beloved gorillas, but she also wants to be promoted to senior keeper. Can she, all at once, navigate her appalling stage fright; Kai, the handsome jerk; and her mother's reappearance in her life?
Lucy on the Wild Side, sweet and sexy, showcases a woman afraid to ask for more from life. But slowly Lucy comes to realize she deserves love and that Kai just might be the person to offer it. Full of hilariously disgusting animal facts, Lucy's delightful clumsiness and a full cast of amusing zookeepers, Lucy on the Wild Side is sure to appeal to romance fans and animal lovers alike. --Jessica Howard, freelance book reviewer