Review - Wildflower

Indie '25 - Lap Thirty-Two

It had felt good. And the good feeling wasn’t gone now that it was over.

That felt dangerously close to hope.

I went into Wildflower by Iris Trovao (AKA Emily S Hurricane) with an open mind, and even told the author that. I was worried that I wasn’t precisely the target audience for this novel, but soon found that my worries were unfounded as this novel surprised me at every turn and kept me flipping through page after page, hungry for the story.

And I promise I only giggled like a school boy a handful of times.

Fleeing to Eastern Canada, Liliana hopes to find sanctuary from an abusive past, but soon discovers that safety and anonymity present their own challenges. Forced to work under the table for meagre wages, problems like hunger and shelter soon rear their heads and she is forced to trust in the kindness of others to find the respite she needs.

Enter Izzy and Ambrose; best friends closer than brothers, gentle souls that wear their hearts on their sleeves. They run the Valley Street Hostel and provide hot meals and warm beds to any and all on a pay-what-you-can basis.

As Liliana weaves into their world, the trio becomes not only fast friends but also a much needed emotional support network for her—And it doesn’t hurt that the boys are easy on the eyes either.

Tensions build and build and build in this slow burn romance as old hurts are soothed, scars begin to heal, and emotional walls come down… But can this new, precious thing they’re cultivating with one another stand when Liliana’s past catches up with her?

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I admittedly don’t have a broad range of experience with romance novels, so when I picked up this contemporary ménage romance I was pleasantly surprised with how much it resonated with me. Not in a relationship sense, but the characters in this novel spend a lot of time helping one another through their trauma or trauma responses, gently and mindfully in a way that can only be cultivated through a lot of self-reflection, awareness, and determination. As a man who has wrestled with his own shitty past many times over, that softened me up and endeared me to the characters more than anything. Because that’s what Wildflower is really about above all: the characters.

Liliana is the star of the show. At the beginning we are introduced to her when she’s working as an exotic dancer, on the run from an abusive situation that is dolled out piece by piece over the course of the narrative—That bit was a really cool piece of writing, by the way. You only get a completely fleshed out view of who Liliana is as she puts herself back together piece by piece, getting the full view of what she has gone through by the end of novel, but at the start she feels so familiar when you first meet her that you don’t question what she’s done and what’s been done to her, taking her as she is. Her emotional walls are up and built strong, and she hides behind her natural charisma, but she’s really a jittery lady beneath the brave face she puts on for others. Never letting anyone close for fear of the past catching up with her and the dangers they would pose.

And yet, she finds herself vexed by the likes of best friends Ambrose and Izzy (honestly, who wouldn’t be?), but they’re not your typical male leads. I expected at least one of the MMCs to be a big tough manly man protector—Which was true, I suppose. Ambrose is a beefcake army brat who can take dish it and take it, but he’s also a big softy. A teddy bear, if you will. Until the arrival of Liliana, he’s mainly been protecting his petite best friend Izzy; a product of the foster system who has gone through the ringer and come out the other side with more than a few scars of his own, but also with compassion for others as he wishes better for them than what he had. That’s what really struck me about these two: their compassion. Their kindness is palpable, selfless, and offered without expectation of reciprocation. They have huge hearts, open arms, and help where they can while always being mindful of individual boundaries. From the safe haven of their hostel they see all kinds, welcoming everyone, and are naturally drawn to the vulnerable and masking Liliana when she steps into their lives.

Admittedly, going in I was dubious about an MFM romance. I’m usually not much for the Love Triangle trope but have never seen one penned quite like this (but again, I don’t have a huge romance back catalogue to go off of). Instead of any angsty will-they-won’t-they or who-will-she-pick drama, things between the main characters just melded. It worked, and it felt natural. Even the spicier bits were tastefully done; there was no fumbling around and playing “who’s in my mouth?”. Instead it was sweet, tender touches coupled with hot, steamy gasps between a triad of lovers that reminds you that sometimes you just have to ride the tricycle.

Plus, the sexy times led to my favourite line in the entire story:

“Fuck, you have a license for that thing?”

While this is undoubtedly a character-driven story, I was also pleasantly surprised by how many other hats it manages to wear. Romance obviously, but also a slice of life, a healing journey, a dramedy, a touch of erotica, and (in a shocking twist) a bit of a thriller as Liliana’s past starts to catch up with her in a violent clash with her new life. That last one was the real kicker, because that’s where the character-driven nature of the story turned into something more plot-driven. That switch is significant I think; the author cemented our relationship with the main cast, offering that slowly building tension before one hell of a release at the end. Expertly done and exhilarating in execution. But you’ll have to read the book to experience that yourself.

An experience. That’s a good descriptor for this novel. It hit me unexpectedly in the feels, the plot zipping along at a quick clip that makes the novel seem shorter than it is, and the character work is exquisite. You can tell the author put real time and care into their creation and knows her setting intimately to give it that real world feel that you want in a contemporary novel—It’s almost like she’s from Eastern Canada or something! Who knows ;)

Even if you don’t fancy yourself a romance reader, I highly recommend no one turns their nose up at Wildflower. Dive in, open your mind, feel the feels, dare to hope things will get better. You won’t regret it.

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Thirty-two for thirty-two! Enjoyed this Indie ‘25 review? Then buy a hard reading dump bear a coffee. It is the nectar of the gods after all and I’m trying to ascend over here.

Cheers!

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