One Reckless Summer
(Destiny #1)
by Toni Blake
7 reasons why I loved ONE RECKLESS SUMMER
1. Well, for one, there’s hot wild woods sex. Yeah, figured that would catch your attention. If you know Toni Blake, then you know that she always writes under the penname of Lacey Alexander, so it’s really no wonder that some of that sexy writing would translate into her contemporary romances. ONE RECKLESS SUMMER is on the slightly sexier side where the sex scenes are abundant and absolutely scorching. At first, I thought their first romp was slightly unbelievable, but at the same time the book is called ONE RECKLESS SUMMER and the heroine is doing things that she never thought she was capable of doing.
2. I loved Jenny. The heroine of this book is at a tough spot in her life. She goes to Destiny, Ohio to escape her past. A recent divorce has her swallowing a bitter pill, especially when her ex-husband reveals that he cheated on her because their sex was boring. That hurts. I love stories that show great character development. Blake presented readers with a great heroine who has some serious growing to do, yet the leaps and bounds Jenny makes in this book doesn’t seem forced. I loved that by that the end of the book, you feel as if a lot was accomplished yet it seemed believable.
3. The hero, Mick Brody is interesting because he isn’t your typical tortured hero. He has a secret, yes, and that really pulls the readers in but though this book has some dark times, it does not feel too heavy on the heart. Mick’s secret that is later revealed in the book broke my heart completely. I loved that Blake was able to create different layers to Mick’s character while not making him simply the brooding prototype we often see in romance. It was refreshing to have Mick become burdened with life’s problems, but not have him too dark where readers only sympathize with him instead of loving him for him.
4. This reason is probably one of the major reasons why I loved this book. It’s the conflict that arises that causes Jenny and Mick to test their relationship. Oftentimes, I find that creating conflict in contemporary romances is harder because there’s no external forces like murders or big explosions to create conflict that is so easy in other genres. It’s really about putting the hero and heroine together to make things work. What Blake does is very interesting. She manages to create a conflict between the hero and heroine that really pertains to their characters. When Jenny finds out about Mick’s big secret, she is at a crossroads. She can either tell someone else about it or she can keep her lips shut. This plays in very nicely with Jenny’s sense of right and wrong, which is played up nicely throughout the book. As I read, I was very curious to see what Jenny would do and how Blake would solve this mess she created. In the end, I loved Jenny’s decision and Blake really turned this unique conflict into something I’ll remember because I haven’t seen this contemporary romance for some time.
5. Blake weaves in romantic notions all throughout this book that it had me swooning so many places. My favorite one is the emphasis on astrology and Jenny’s love for the stars. I loved the way Blake was able to connect Jenny’s passion for astrology into the book. The notion of looking up at the stars and then seeing the vast universe makes you feel small and in turn, makes your big problems seem miniscule in comparison. When Jenny shared her passion with Mick, I felt a break-through. The fact that Mick embraced it was even more swoon-worthy. Despite dealing with the problems they are facing, Blake creates very precious moments between the two that are just as memorable as the conflict.
6. This book made me cry. I will admit it. It made me cry a lot. The stuff Mick goes through is hard and it touches your heart when you read it. I loved that Blake was able to incorporate so much heart into her books. It just seems to add more to an already great story.
7. Last but certainly not least is the fact that Blake put a bookstore in this book called Under the Covers. How could I have not known about this earlier?! I may be totally biased, but I like the name and it only makes me smile whenever I see it mentioned in the books :)
ONE RECKLESS SUMMER both broke my heart and delighted me. I am very much looking forward to reading the rest of the summer. I loved this book, and if you give it a shot, maybe you will too.
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