I’m usually a sucker for road romances. There’s just something about the journey-as-bonding-experience that really draws me into a story. While Stacey Kayne’s debut definitely shows promise, inartful moments lessened its appeal. She definitely has her strengths, but there are still some rough edges to wear down.

Skylar Daines is on her own after the death of her father. Before he died, he told her to take the deed to property in Wyoming and find his business partner, Chance Morgan. Skylar sets out with her young brother, determined to do what is necessary to finally get them a home since, after years spent on the trail with her father, Skylar longs for a real home to call her own.

When Skylar reaches the town where she thinks she will find Chance, she finds herself suddenly married to the man against her will. Even worse, she learns she has found and married Tucker Morgan rather than Chance. Neither Tucker nor Skylar is particularly amused by this turn of events, and they resolve to annull the marriage. There’s just one hitch – Tucker claims the land to which she holds the deed. Skylar will endure much, but she is determined to have a home.

Skylar finds herself on a journey with Tucker headed for Wyoming. Along the way, they learn a lot about each other that makes them respect one another. There is also a deep attraction and, as the journey continues, this only grows. While there are many improbable events in this book (the wedding being one of them), the growth of their and Tucker’s relationship is one of the bright spots. Both seem to mature over the course of the book, and that is satisfying for the reader.

On the down side, the many perils of Skylar and Tucker’s journey could have used a little more explanation. It is obvious there is a villain, but the author needed to show readers more of the backstory in order to make the plot more effective (note to Harlequin: bigger print and fewer words was maybe not the best way to go in your books – it leads to problems like this). I enjoyed the book, but it lacked a certain richness, a certain quality that lets a reader know that they are reading something truly memorable.

At its best Mustang Wild is fun, but it does drag in places and the story really needed to be fleshed out a little more. It’s still slightly better than average, but just not a book I can recommend. However, this author has several other Harlequin Historicals planned and, perhaps with experience, she can realize the promise shown in the best parts of this one.