I agree... each new turn I can't wait to see what's waiting for me to be recruited in my new provinces.
The indie strength 7 and only heavy infantry/cavalry and archers has made expanding more difficult than I'm accustomed to. That may be part of your troubles, jimbojones, rather than the mod itself.
The Wild Ettin site is actually a CBM bug IIRC. Quite liking this mod, every turn feels like Christmas morning.
I too enjoy coming across some unexpected new recruits. Although I would be interested in knowing how many provinces people have come across without any special sites, should I feel disheartened that I've found 5 already?