REVIEW: One Reckless Summer by Toni Blake

Title: One Reckless Summer
Author: Toni Blake
Format: paperback, 370 pages
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Goodreads Swap
Published: June 2009 by Avon

It's tough to play it cool on a sultry summer night . . .

The perfect daughter. The perfect prom queen. The perfect wife. Jenny Tolliver's been the good girl all her life, and it's gotten her nowhere. Now that her marriage has been busted up by her cheating ex, she's decided it's time to regroup and rediscover herself. This summer she's headed back to her hometown of Destiny, Ohio, to the very lakeshore cottage where she grew up, to figure out what life holds in store for her next.

She never dreamed the answer would be Mick Brody, Destiny's #1 hell raiser. He comes from the wrong side of the tracks (or in his case, the lake), and he's landed in hot water more times than he can count. He's exactly the kind of guy Jenny's always kept her distance from . . . but soon the good girl and the bad boy are caught in a raw heat that's out of control. Too bad Mick's got a secret that threatens to tear them apart and ruin Jenny's perfectly, passionately reckless summer...

Why I Read this Book: I had just put down a book that I couldn’t get through. Before that I had read a book that was just okay. I needed something really good to read to get me out of the reading slump I was in and luckily One Reckless Summer hit the spot. I enjoy reading contemporary romance and when I read the blurb for One Reckless Summer, it sounded like it would be a great good girl falls in love with a bad boy romance. And that, it was. 

What I Liked: One Reckless Summer is the first book in the Destiny series. Told in 3rd person narrative, it doesn’t feel overly personal but you do get insight on the characters' thoughts. I enjoyed reading about Jenny and Mick, plus there were some secondary characters that I would like to read more about.

There is a strong attraction, more than just sex, between Jenny and Mick. Jenny’s been labeled a good girl all her life, a label she wants to shed. She runs into Mick (literally), the town’s bad boy, and he is just the guy who can help her get rid of that good girl image. He is the forbidden bad boy; everything about him screams bad.  He isn’t suppose to be in town, yet here he is, and he’s keeping one helluva secret. A secret that will have severe consequences should anyone, particularly Jenny’s father, the Chief of Police, finds out.

The love scenes were well-written and there were lots of them! And boy, were they were sizzling! The scene in the woods was intense and risqué (in more ways than one). I gasped and found myself holding my breathe at times when I read that scene. Then I re-read that scene (and re-read it again for a third time). The passion between Jenny and Mick is there right from the start. The hottest scene in this book was the first encounter between the hero and heroine since Jenny has returned to Destiny. Jenny canoes across the lake just outside her house to get a good spot for star gazing and literally runs into someone, unbeknownst to her at the time that it was Mick, who informs her that she’s on private property and tells her to leave. Tired of being the good girl, Jenny stands her ground and puts up a fight.

He bent down, his breath warm on her ear. “Listen, sweetheart,” he said, voice low and menacing, “you don’t want to mess with me, okay? Now turn your pretty little ass around and get back to your side of the lake while you still can.”

She sucked in her breath, raided her gaze – frightened but bold. “Or what?” she whispered, the words coming out far softer than planned. She remained in his grasp, their faces but an inch apart.

Mick didn’t answer – or maybe his answer was what he did next.

The prologue served its purpose by setting up the tone for our main characters. It takes the reader back 15 years, to the one interaction that occurred between Jenny and Mick during their teenage years. There was also an epilogue, which I need in most romance stories. I love finding out how our main characters are doing further on down the line. Knowing that the characters still have their HEA later on down the road gives me the closure I need. The author also included quotes at the beginning of each chapter, which tied in well with each corresponding chapter. Here are two of my favorites:

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.

-Buddha

Captain, I do not believe you realize the gravity of your situation.

-Mr. Spock

What I Didn’t Like: I only wish I had read One Reckless Summer sooner. It sat on my bookshelf for almost a year before I decided to pick it up and read it. I hadn’t read anything by Toni Blake before and I feel like I’ve been missing out! I’ve already read the 2nd book in this series, Sugar Creek (review to come), and I’m anxious to get my hands on the 3rd book, Whisper Falls, which just released last month.

Overall Impression: Full of passion, acceptance, succumbing to inner desires and secrets you’re dying to discover, One Reckless Summer is a quick, fun read. It’s an exciting romance story that will have you swooning once you get to the end (I know I did). If you love small town romance stories, this series is for you. And if you enjoy a good good girl/bad boy romance, this book is definitely for you.

 

The Book Vixen’s Rating: