So I'm going to be honest about how I discovered this book: I was scrolling through audiobook recommendations at 10:47 PM while hiding in my bathroom because all three kids were finally asleep and I was NOT going back out there to risk waking anyone. Someone in a Facebook group described it as "ranch romance meets sex club" and I thought, well, that's not something you hear every day in Wyoming.
Here's the thing about Wicked Fall - it's the literary equivalent of eating chocolate cake in your car. You know exactly what you're getting, you're not pretending it's salad, and it's deeply satisfying in a way you don't need to explain to anyone.
A Billionaire Rancher Who Runs a Sex Club at the Base of the Tetons. Sure.
Look, the premise is bonkers. Woolf Jennings (yes, that's his name, and yes, I had to pause and process that) is a cattle-and-oil empire CEO who also operates a private kink club called The Wicked Horse in Wyoming. The setup sounds like someone threw darts at a romance trope board - billionaire! Rancher! Secret sex club! Virgin heroine he once rejected! - and just said "all of them."
But Sawyer Bennett commits to it with zero apology, and honestly? That confidence carries the whole thing. Callie Hayes coming back to town and basically walking right into Woolf's orbit after he turned her down years ago - there's a real tension there that goes beyond the spicy stuff. She's rebuilding her life, he's compartmentalizing his into tidy little boxes (respectable rancher by day, club owner by night), and watching those boxes get smashed is genuinely fun. I got that same slow-burn satisfaction from Out of the Dark, where the emotional walls come down in layers too - though the vibe is considerably less Wyoming and considerably more brooding.
At 8 hours and 15 minutes, this is a perfect week-long listen. I knocked it out in about five days of drop-off drives and one very productive nap time. The pacing doesn't drag - Bennett moves from setup to steam pretty efficiently, which I appreciate because I don't have time for three hours of "will they or won't they" when the book description already told me they absolutely will.
Lee Samuels' Voice Did Things To Me and I'm Not Sorry
Dual narration here, with Kirsten Leigh handling Callie's chapters and Lee Samuels doing Woolf's POV. And listen - Lee Samuels reading Woolf's internal monologue about losing control over his carefully structured emotional walls? That low, gravelly delivery hit different while I was sitting in my minivan in the garage at 3:15 PM pretending the engine needed to "cool down" for an extra twenty minutes.
Kirsten Leigh gives Callie the right mix of determination and vulnerability without making her sound like a pushover. When Callie's inner voice shifts from nervous to bold - especially in the club scenes - Leigh adjusts her tone just enough that you feel the character growing into herself.
Now, I've seen some people say the male narrator was bad, and I genuinely don't get it. Was it flawless prestige drama narration? No. But for this genre, for this character, the voice worked. It's warm and commanding and a little rough around the edges - which is literally Woolf. My one small gripe: the secondary characters don't get much vocal distinction from either narrator. Everyone who isn't Callie or Woolf kind of sounds the same, which got slightly confusing during group scenes at the club.
The Spice Level Is "Hide Your Phone Screen"
Content warning that should surprise no one given the premise: this is explicit. Very. The Wicked Horse club scenes are detailed and frequent. If you're listening in the car with your kids - DO NOT. I repeat, do not. I almost made this mistake when I forgot to switch to the Disney playlist before Lucas got in. Narrowly avoided a very awkward conversation with a five-year-old.
The sex scenes work because they're tied to emotional progression, though. Woolf watching Callie push her own boundaries while he's simultaneously terrified of catching feelings - that dynamic gives the physical stuff actual stakes. It's not just spice for spice's sake. Bennett uses the club setting to force both characters to be honest about what they want in a way that regular dating scenes couldn't.
That said, if you need your romance on the sweeter side, this isn't it. Know thyself.
Who's Going to Love This (And Who Should Keep Scrolling)
If you like your contemporary romance with a hefty dose of steam, an alpha hero who's actually wrestling with real emotional walls (not just being performatively broody), and a heroine who doesn't need rescuing - grab this. It survived 47 pauses and still made sense, which for a romance with this many moving parts is genuinely impressive.
Skip it if: explicit content isn't your thing, you need deep character development in your supporting cast, or you can't get past a hero named Woolf. (I barely could, but I managed.)
Car Time Approved, Just Not With Tiny Passengers
Satisfying ending - exactly what I needed after a week where Sophie discovered how to open the refrigerator and Lucas announced he doesn't believe in pants. Not groundbreaking, but sometimes you don't need groundbreaking. Sometimes you need a hot rancher with a secret sex club and a happy ending you can see coming from chapter two. I finished this during nap time. High praise.
My book club will love this. If I ever have time for book club again.
