Book Reviews/ October 21, 2023October 22, 2023

Reckless by Elsie Silver Book Review

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Blurb

Theo Silva. Rowdy bull rider. Notorious ladies’ man. Scorching hot trouble wrapped up in a drool-worthy package.

And he’s looking at me like I might be his next meal.

But I’m almost free of my toxic marriage and have sworn off men entirely. So all I see when I look back is temptation served up with a heaping side of heartbreak.

The man is hard to trust—and even harder to resist.

Make that impossible. Because Theo is persistent. And no matter how hard I try to freeze him out, he melts my icy exterior and pulls apart all my defenses.

Over a drink in a small town bar, I blurt out my deepest, darkest secrets. Then I spend the singular hottest night of my life with him.

He worships my body. He makes me blush. I come alive beneath his hands.

Then I tell him to forget it ever happened. I want simple, and with him it all feels complicated.

It was supposed to be a one-time thing.

A secret.

But that little plus sign is going to make this secret impossible to keep.

Sensitive Content

Here is the potentially sensitive content I observed while reading this book:

Abandonment
Alcohol
Death of a parent
Divorce
Emotional Abuse
Infertility
Injury
Miscarriage (off-page)
Pregnancy
Profanity
Stalking
Toxic Relationship
Vomit

Ratings

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There are possible **SPOILERS** beyond this point!

Overall Rating

3/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Reckless was not the book for me. I really disliked Winter. I did not like her behavior or her personality. I did not find she was redeemed from book one and I could not understand why these characters dealt with her bad attitude. She threw herself a pity party to anyone who would listen and I felt bad for each of those characters who listened, not her. I get that her childhood was not affectionate and she has some unresolved abandonment issues with that but she’s an adult now, MY AGE! You make your own choices as an adult on how to behave and she chose to be rude to everyone and then wondered why people thought she was rude and cold. She was less cold as the book went on but I still didn’t like her at the end.

Theo is the only reason I continued reading. He was perfect. I liked the reformed playboy trope here. All the sweet moments with him and his daughter made me want more kids! I love how he defended and supported Winter, even though I seriously questioned his judgment. He showed, instead of just told, Winter who he wanted to be for her and Vivi.

Also, there was more vomit in this story. Not a single Chestnut Springs book has come to pass without it. I just find it… strange… that it’s always present. At least she let her characters use a condom in this one, though it obviously didn’t work.

Would I recommend this book? Read it, if you want. I’m in the minority with my dislike of this one. Theo’s a great book boyfriend and it is quite spicy. I didn’t feel as though the spice made up for my dislike of Winter. Though I didn’t like Winter, I did enjoy the supporting cast quite a bit. I wouldn’t recommend this as a standalone though.

Spice Rating

3/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️

There is multiple open door scenes in this book.

Genre & Tropes

Genre

Sports Romance

Tropes

He falls first
Grumpy x Sunshine
Accidental pregnancy

Favorite Quotes

“Because the very last thing I need in my life is someone who makes me feel like there’s not enough oxygen in my lungs when I’ve only just caught my breath.”

“Winter. I’d have properly fucked you in the back room of that gas station if you’d asked me.”

“I’m going to ruin you tonight.”

“I can’t wait to see how fucking pretty you look when you come with my name on your lips.”

“Watch your fucking tone when you’re talking to the mother of my child.”

“I wanted to be the type of guy who could land you for more than one night.”

“I’m done being patient, Tink. I’m coming for what I want. Right now.”

“Just sit back and enjoy the ride. Stop overthinking it. Plus, my face is the ride.”

“No one has ever made me feel so good. Like I don’t need changing or fixing. Like I don’t need saving. Everything is so rushed with us sometimes. I just want to savor you for a minute.”

What even is that emoji? It always looks like a dick to the forehead to me.

“Te vivo, baby girl.”

“That night we were reckless.” His voice cracks. “But god, I’d be reckless with you over and over again if it means ending up here.”