Wild Card

Wild Card (2025) is a contemporary romance by #1 New York Times bestselling author Elsie Silver. The novel is the fourth and final installment in the Rose Hill series, which belongs to a larger interconnected universe of books set in western Canada, including the popular Chestnut Springs and Gold Rush Ranch series. The story follows the second-chance romance between Bash, a guarded aerial firefighter, and Gwen, an optimistic yoga instructor, whose initial fateful meeting is derailed when Bash types her number incorrectly into his phone. Grounded in the real-world context of British Columbia, the narrative incorporates the high-stakes danger of wildland firefighting and engages with contemporary social discussions around body positivity and weight stigma. Wild Card explores themes such as The Value of Chosen Family, Healing Past Wounds to Build a Future, and Asserting Agency in the Face of Chance.

This guide refers to the 2025 Bloom Books edition.

Content Warning: The source material and this guide feature depictions of emotional abuse, illness, sexual content, and cursing.

Plot Summary

Sebastian “Bash” Rousseau, a 39-year-old aerial firefighter, is stranded and irritable at the Vancouver airport after a difficult week. He overhears a woman talking cheerfully on her phone, describing the snowstorm as “cozy.” When all flights are canceled, an angry passenger berates a customer service agent, and Bash steps in to defend the worker. Finding no hotel rooms, Bash takes the last table at an airport bar, where the woman whose phone conversation he overheard invites herself to join him. Over margaritas, they get to know each other. He learns that her name is Gwen and that she is a 27-year-old yoga instructor. She teases Bash about his grumpy demeanor. She discusses the body shaming and patronizing attitudes she faces in her career, and he offers his support. Gwen then leads Bash on an adventure through the deserted airport, culminating in a race on a moving walkway. During their race, Bash reveals the source of his bad mood: He has just met his 24-year-old son, Tripp Coleman, an NHL star, for the first time, as Tripp’s mother had kept his existence a secret. As their night ends, Bash asks for Gwen’s number. They part ways, each hoping to see the other again.

Bash texts Gwen’s number upon landing and, after receiving no reply for two weeks, tries again. When he still receives no reply, he assumes Gwen has ghosted him. Over the next eight months, he lets the connection go, focusing on his friendships with his bowling teammates, Weston “West” Belmont and “Crazy” Clyde Gibbons, and building a tentative relationship with Tripp. Eight months after their airport encounter, Bash attends Tripp’s 25th birthday party. After an awkward exchange with Tripp’s cold mother, Cecilia, Tripp introduces Bash to his girlfriend, Gwen Dawson. Shocked and hurt, Bash pretends not to know her. Gwen retreats to a powder room, where Bash follows and accuses her of playing a “sick joke” (62) by ignoring him to date his son. They argue until Bash shows her the texts on his phone, and they discover that he entered her number incorrectly. Devastated by the misunderstanding, Bash punches a hole in a wall in frustration, then leaves the party. Disgusted by Tripp’s behavior and his lies about Bash, Gwen breaks up with him and tries unsuccessfully to find Bash at the airport.

Four months later, Gwen accepts a one-year contract to run a yoga studio in Rose Hill, Bash’s hometown. She befriends the partners of Bash’s friends but has a tense reunion with Bash at the local bar, where he flees upon seeing her. Bash’s teammate, Clyde Gibbons, an eccentric older man, begins taking private yoga lessons with Gwen, revealing that he is in kidney failure. Gwen tailors her lessons to accommodate his physical limitations. As they form a close bond, Bash starts dropping Clyde off for his lessons, leading to minimal, awkward interactions with Gwen. As Clyde’s health worsens, Bash gets tested and is confirmed as a match for a kidney donation. After the successful transplant, Clyde schemes to bring Bash and Gwen together by hiring Gwen as his live-in aide during his recovery at Bash’s house. Bash reluctantly agrees to let Gwen move in for two months.

Gwen and Clyde move into Bash’s home, where Bash establishes a strict “roommates” boundary. One night, a drunk Bash plays strip poker with Gwen, but they are interrupted by Clyde before things escalate. Later, Gwen spies on Bash masturbating to the thought of her and accidentally stumbles into his room. The next morning, their charged confrontation is cut short by Tripp’s unannounced arrival. Tripp confesses to Bash that he still wants to win Gwen back, which deeply troubles Bash. That night, Bash lashes out at Gwen, leading to an argument that culminates in a passionate kiss. Bash pulls away, citing his relationship with Tripp as a line he cannot cross. Feeling rejected, Gwen accepts a job offer in Costa Rica.

The next day is Gwen’s birthday. Tripp arrives with expensive gifts to win her back, but Gwen refuses him. Annoyed by Tripp’s persistence, Bash kicks him out of the house. To make up for it, Bash takes Gwen flying in his private plane. In the cockpit after landing, they give in to their passion and have sex for the first time, agreeing to pursue a relationship. That evening, Bash hosts a surprise party for Gwen. Tripp returns to apologize but grows suspicious after Clyde points out a hickey on Bash’s neck. During the party, Bash and Gwen have sex again in his closet and on his balcony. Bash runs into Tripp on his way downstairs, and Tripp is now certain they are together. The next day, after Bash is called away to fight a bushfire, Tripp confronts Gwen at the yoga studio. The argument reveals that Cecilia lied to Tripp his entire life, telling him Bash was a “deadbeat” (57) father. Devastated for his son but unwilling to give up Gwen, Bash chooses her. Tripp leaves in anger.

While Bash is away, a wildfire spreads toward Rose Hill. Worried about Clyde’s sentimental possessions, Gwen impulsively drives to his evacuated mountain home and becomes trapped by the flames. Clyde, realizing she is missing, calls a frantic Bash. Flying his air tanker, Bash breaks protocol to search for her. He finds her at Clyde’s property, which she managed to save with sprinklers, and coordinates a rescue. At the fire blockade, they have an emotional reunion and declare their love for each other. Gwen reveals she turned down the Costa Rica job to stay with him. Tripp, who has been helping with evacuations, witnesses their reunion. He later approaches them, gives them his blessing, and expresses a desire to build a relationship with Bash.

One year later, Bash and Gwen are in a committed relationship, and he has built a private yoga studio for her on his property. Two years later, they are married and expecting their first child, a daughter.