Reckless Abandon by Jeannine Colette
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Our lips entwine, melding together like branches of a hundred year old tree and my entire body melts into his embrace.”

Reckless Abandon is a perfect mix of emotion, romance, drama, and spice. I read Colette’s Pure Abandon and really liked it. However, I have to say Reckless Abandon was even better!

Emma Paige has experienced a lot of tragic loss in her life. While on vacation with her sister in Capri, however, things seem to turn around for her. She meets Alexander Asher, and the two connect on an emotional and physical level. A few major events lead to the destruction of their connection, however, and Emma decides to leave Asher in her past. Thanks to fate and some relentless assistants, Emma and Asher re-enter each others’ lives in New York City. As the two try to overcome emotional hurdles and issues, they come together. There are plenty of twists and surprises, however, in the plot. Just when I thought everything was going to wrap up neatly, there was always another surprise. This kept me wanting to read more, and I really enjoyed the plot. Sometimes in this genre, plot takes a backseat to character development. Colette, however, expertly crafted both character development and plot to create a story that will resonate with you long after you close the book.

I liked Alexander Asher’s character in Pure Abandon, but I wasn’t absolutely obsessed with him. He had a Christian Grey, alpha male feel, which isn’t really my thing. In this book, however, I got to see a much softer side of him. I really, truly liked him better in Reckless Abandon. He still felt like the same character from Pure Abandon, but just more mature and likable. I would like to think that is because Emma Paige brings out better qualities in him. There are still “selfish,” alpha tendencies to him at times, but I found them much more forgivable in this book.

I also loved Colette’s writing style again. She has a very descriptive, emotional style that pulls you in from page one. She has a lot of relatable references and always gives her characters just enough quirkiness to make them memorable. I also liked how there were some spicy scenes, but they were still tastefully done. I felt like they perfectly complemented the development of the storyline and relationship. Emma and Asher’s relationship, thus, was a perfect balance of emotion and passion. It never felt out of balance.

Overall, I really enjoyed Reckless Abandon. It had so many great things about it. The setting, the storyline, the characters—they were all memorable and enjoyable. I will definitely be looking for more work by this talented author!


View all my reviews