Series: Mason Family, #3
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐💫
Steam: 🔥🔥
Release Date: April 26th, 2021
Add to Goodreads | Amazon.in (Available on KU)
That’s not what you want to hear when you’re staring into the sea-green eyes of the hottest man you’ve ever seen. Yet I suppose it’s a fair question, considering I’m an uninvited stranger standing in Boone Mason’s kitchen.
If you think that’s bad—just wait. It gets worse.
This charming and wealthy playboy, who can’t pay his bills on time or find his way to the grocery store (but we all have flaws, right?), is sweet. Confident. Playful. He’s almost perfect. And, to make matters worse …
He’s smitten with me.
I know what you’re thinking. You’re rolling your eyes. You’re assuming this is some opposites attract situation—or that maybe we can be friends who turn into something more.
How can this be a bad thing?
Well, it’s simple. I’m not the kind of girl you fall in love with. Just to be sure, the universe reminds me of that in an unforgettable, in-your-face kind of way.
I might have broken into Boone’s house, but I won’t let him break my heart. I won’t break his either. There’s too much on the line to be that reckless.
I absolutely adore the Mason family and every time we get a new book featuring one of them, my heart soars. In the last two books in the series – Restraint and Reputation, as well as Larissa’s book (The Relationship Pact), I fell in love with Boone.
He’s the unassuming brother, the one who is smart and sexy and doesn’t flaunt it. He just likes living a simple and uncomplicated life. Like his brothers, he’s lucky to have money and the means to live a good life and he doesn’t take it for granted. And when you see him in his own book, you actually start to love Boone even more. And then there’s Jaxi, who is an enigma, but a temptation nonetheless. She’s fire and softness and sex appeal and adorableness all wrapped in one. Jaxi is basically Boone’s kryptonite. They have the most hilarious and banter-filled meet cute which changes both their lives, obviously. But things are just getting started for them.
Everything that can go wrong for Jaxi goes wrong, her life is a mess and she’s been tossed around so much that she’s starting to just go with the flow instead of trying to wrap her head around why she’s going through all of this. Jaxi is a tough nut, though, and I loved that about her. She’s not one to sit back and let things just steamroll her, but at the same time, she just wants a break and a chance to catch her breath. And it’s no surprise that Boone is drawn to her, because she fits into his world perfectly.
While I enjoyed Jaxi and Boone’s banter, I didn’t really feel a connection to their relationship. I loved the two characters individually and as friends, but the relationship just felt like it didn’t work. Sure, there are a lot of things that set their relationship in motion and things beyond their control start happening, and yet, it felt rushed. Boone’s a good guy and he’s generous, kind and living his best life. Jaxi obviously doesn’t trust that entirely and it’s this underlying tension between them throughout the book. Which then comes to a head and everything explodes. The lack of communication between the two of them really did bother me, even if it all got sorted out, that break weighs on Jaxi’s lack of trust and it makes a mess of everything.
As always, the family scenes are the best. The brothers have the most entertaining relationship, but it also makes me curious about the two brothers we haven’t gotten books for yet. And then there’s Siggy Mason, the matriarch of the family, who is truly the best character ever. The Mason family is the kind of family you wished you were neighbours with, people you wished you knew personally and had in your life through the good and the bad times.
Adriana Locke’s brand of contemporary romance is totally my thing. She writes interesting and relatable characters, dealing with complicated and heart wrenching issues and struggles, but she also adds her own magic with family love, humour, banter and incredible writing. Reckless is a good addition to the Mason family series and I look forward to seeing how things go for Oliver!
Thanks to Adriana Locke and Social Butterfly PR for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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