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Growing up the daughter of notorious treasure hunter and absentee father Duke Wilder left Lily without much patience for the profession...or much money in the bank. But Lily is resourceful, and now uses Duke's coveted hand-drawn maps to guide tourists on fake treasure hunts through the red rock canyons of Utah. It pays the bills but doesn't leave enough to fulfill her dream of buying back the beloved ranch her father sold years ago, and definitely not enough to deal with the sight of the man she once loved walking back into her life with a motley crew of friends ready to hit the trails. Frankly, Lily would like to take him out into the wilderness and leave him there.
Leo Grady knew mirages were a thing in the desert, but they'd barely left civilization when the silhouette of his greatest regret comes into focus in the flickering light of the campfire. Ready to leave the past behind him, Leo wants nothing more than to reconnect with his first and only love. Unfortunately, Lily Wilder is all business, drawing a clear line in the sand: it's never going to happen.
But when the trip goes horribly and hilariously wrong, the group wonders if maybe the legend of the hidden treasure wasn't a gimmick after all. There's a chance to right the wrongs—of Duke's past and their own—but only if Leo and Lily can confront their history and work together. Alone under the stars in the isolated and dangerous mazes of the Canyonlands, Leo and Lily must decide whether they'll risk their lives and hearts on the treasure hunt of a lifetime.
This page-turning adventure full of second chances, complicated relationships, and the breathtaking beauty of the American Southwest will take you on one wild ride.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
May 17, 2022 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781797140063
- File size: 272616 KB
- Duration: 09:27:56
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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March 7, 2022
The bestselling author duo of Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, writing as Lauren (The Unhoneymooners), returns with an unexpectedly dramatic contemporary romance. Lily Wilder was just 19 when she fell for Leo Grady, a college boy working on her father’s Wyoming ranch for the summer. Then came the terrible week when Leo abandoned her and her notorious treasure hunter father abruptly sold the ranch that Lily loved. Ten years later, Lily has rebuilt her life, using her late father’s notes and reputation to create a tourist expedition company leading city slickers on fake treasure hunts through the Utah wilderness. The business is barely breaking even when Leo turns up with three friends for a guys’ weekend, shocking them both. Despite long-held feeling of betrayal on both sides, their old chemistry is strong as ever, and when the treasure hunt they’re on turns out to be all too real, it will take Leo’s puzzle solving skills and Lily’s knowledge of the terrain to find the booty—but they’re not the only ones searching. The tone veers from lighthearted rom-com to high octane romantic suspense as the danger ramps up and Lauren packs the plot with quirky characters, vivid scenery, and sizzling sexual tension. This tense, poignant romance is another sure hit for Lauren. Agent: Holly Root, Root Agency. -
August 1, 2022
The pseudonymous writing duo behind The Soulmate Equation successfully veer off the beaten path with this entertaining romantic adventure. Voiced by Patti Murin and Jon Root, Lily and Leo are a young couple who meet and fall in love one summer when Leo is working as a ranch hand. A family emergency has him rushing back home to New York, and they never speak again. Fast-forward 10 years, Murin gives Lily a well-earned feisty voice while Root performs Leo with a quiet and sensitive demeanor. Both narrators hint at the passion still simmering just below the surface when Lily unexpectedly becomes Leo's wilderness tour guide. Murin and Root will keep listeners glued to their headphones with their fast-paced performances in this unconventional romance filled with gun fights, car chases, and treasure hunts. Both narrators are also perfectly in sync with the secondary voices: Nicole's twangy and take-no-prisoners attitude; Terry's smug and creepy energy; Walt's innocent and anxious nature; and Brad's loud and outgoing characterization. VERDICT Filled with twists, turns, and puzzles, this is more action-packed than a usual second-chance romance but is still a must-have for collections.--Emily Pykare
Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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