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4.3 AVERAGE
4.3 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I clearly have a thing for love stories that happen over many years.
I was not a big fan of the first part with Marcus hitting on Seb without wanting him. It bothered me that it meant nothing to him but a lot to Seb. And then it was like only a sexual relationship between them. But at some point it became much more and I started to like the book a lot.
I felt their pain, the long distance problems, the darkness in Marcus... Everything.
I was moved by their story and their struggles.
It's one of the couples I'll remember for a long time. They went on a roller coaster ride and I was there with them.
Spoilers:
I see some readers had problems with the sister, but not me. I understand why Seb kept her a secret. She wasn't that bad either.
Seb made the right decision in London. The separation was obviously necessary. It was the first time I expected and even wanted the MC to break up.
They were made for each other. The fact that they couldn't be with anyone else when they were apart was so sweet. I liked Marcus a lot and the pill part made me sad.
The epilogue was maybe too much though. And the solution they found for their separation could have been used earlier, but I was there with my stupid smile, reading every word and so happy for them.
End of spoilers.
I like how Jax Calder often includes scientific facts in her books. She really is one of my favorite authors.
Not everyone will like this book, but it did for me and I'm glad I read Marcus and Seb's story. I know I'll read it again in the future.
I was not a big fan of the first part with Marcus hitting on Seb without wanting him. It bothered me that it meant nothing to him but a lot to Seb. And then it was like only a sexual relationship between them. But at some point it became much more and I started to like the book a lot.
I felt their pain, the long distance problems, the darkness in Marcus... Everything.
I was moved by their story and their struggles.
It's one of the couples I'll remember for a long time. They went on a roller coaster ride and I was there with them.
Spoilers:
I see some readers had problems with the sister, but not me. I understand why Seb kept her a secret. She wasn't that bad either.
Seb made the right decision in London. The separation was obviously necessary. It was the first time I expected and even wanted the MC to break up.
They were made for each other. The fact that they couldn't be with anyone else when they were apart was so sweet. I liked Marcus a lot and the pill part made me sad.
The epilogue was maybe too much though. And the solution they found for their separation could have been used earlier, but I was there with my stupid smile, reading every word and so happy for them.
End of spoilers.
I like how Jax Calder often includes scientific facts in her books. She really is one of my favorite authors.
Not everyone will like this book, but it did for me and I'm glad I read Marcus and Seb's story. I know I'll read it again in the future.
This book contains a lot of things that I typically dislike in books, but it all came together here to work really well. This book contains not just a third act breakup, but a bonus second act breakup too! and it also has a MC who becomes famous and a somewhat unequal power balance in the relationship . But this story is just so believable, between a MC who is very flawed, and another MC who just truly loves him despite a lot of difficulties. In the end I believed their HEA, and it felt like the struggles they went through were necessary in order for both of them to get to a place where they could be happy and successful in the relationship. I think the difference between this and most third act breakups is that this one felt absolutely necessary and best for both MCs at that time. There was actual, believable personal growth shown by both MCs, something that I don't always see in romance novels where the HEAs come a bit more easily.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It wasn't exactly what I was expecting (even though I didn't think I was expecting anything in particular -- hmm.) Mainly, I was surprised at how long we spent with these characters in their university years. It's just over a third of the book, and I spent the whole time on tenterhooks, waiting for what we know must come, but we don't know exactly when or exactly how.
Calder takes big swings with her books, and more often than not, they pay off. (At least, for me they do.) This is a book about fame and its costs, but is also about New Zealand's ecology and saving endangered birds . . . go figure?
I don't want to say too much, not that there's much that can be truly spoiled. While we don't get a shock twist like in the previous book, we do get to map both Marcus's and Seb's emotional journeys. Much like with the travel in the book, they have both logged frequent flyer miles and run the gamut tempermentally. And however anxious they may make us, we can expect a safe landing (though there might be some worrying turbulence along the way.)
Many thanks to GRR for providing a copy for review.
Calder takes big swings with her books, and more often than not, they pay off. (At least, for me they do.) This is a book about fame and its costs, but is also about New Zealand's ecology and saving endangered birds . . . go figure?
I don't want to say too much, not that there's much that can be truly spoiled. While we don't get a shock twist like in the previous book, we do get to map both Marcus's and Seb's emotional journeys. Much like with the travel in the book, they have both logged frequent flyer miles and run the gamut tempermentally. And however anxious they may make us, we can expect a safe landing (though there might be some worrying turbulence along the way.)
Many thanks to GRR for providing a copy for review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse
Moderate: Child death, Suicide, Abandonment
challenging
emotional
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent
Minor: Suicide
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Will be drafting a full review once my tears have stopped flowing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Animal death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicide, Death of parent
These two!! Oh My gosh it was such a wonderful book. I couldn't put it down!
Y'all the realness of this relationship that started so you and carried them through there late twenties. The importance of therapy and how someone else can't fix you but they can make you want to work on yourself.
It was such a great story
Y'all the realness of this relationship that started so you and carried them through there late twenties. The importance of therapy and how someone else can't fix you but they can make you want to work on yourself.
It was such a great story
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I would like to thank GRR for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
Ok wooooow this was fkin marvelous! I loved every single sentence of this gorgeous, emotional story that squeezed my heart into oblivion and took me on the wildest love journey! Seb's was superb characterization. It didn't matter if he was 18 or late 30s, because he was fully seated in his character, empowered in every decision he made, and wholly unique and wonderfully himself throughout the entire narrative.
Seb's work and dedication to the conservation efforts surrounding the New Zealand fairy tern/tara iti, an endangered indigenous breeding bird, was the purest, most purposeful thing i'd read in a long while. His passion was completely charming, and i loved that Marcus found him just as precious when Seb was finally able to string two words together when talking to his ultimate crush!
And Marcus' journey was just as compelling. His navigating his relationship with his best friend, Saskia, while hiding his feelings for her little brother was some energy that had me in a chokehold stg. Not to mention his own personal trauma that he had to work through WHILE being the biggest Hollywood heartthrob who was constantly in the public eye. The depth and complexity to these characters was honestly astonishing, because they showed up! And i can happily declare that this stunning, heart smushing, brilliant book has made me a fan of Jax Calder FOR LIFE!
I'm so happy i had picked up Book 1 in this series a while ago, which features Tim and Jamie's story. And when i tell you that watching their romance unfold (from Seb's pov) made me feral for the tea on their love story, receive that!
I cannot WAIT to dive more into this amazing series, because Reckless Hearts was top tier emotional intensity, strong characterization, and a plot that delivered the most dynamic and delicious tension in 400 pages! And also because i live for weeping hysterically for characters who feel real, when they find the most enduring, heartwarming, true love, happily ever after! lbr who doesn't?! This was fantastic! Loved it!
Ok wooooow this was fkin marvelous! I loved every single sentence of this gorgeous, emotional story that squeezed my heart into oblivion and took me on the wildest love journey! Seb's was superb characterization. It didn't matter if he was 18 or late 30s, because he was fully seated in his character, empowered in every decision he made, and wholly unique and wonderfully himself throughout the entire narrative.
Seb's work and dedication to the conservation efforts surrounding the New Zealand fairy tern/tara iti, an endangered indigenous breeding bird, was the purest, most purposeful thing i'd read in a long while. His passion was completely charming, and i loved that Marcus found him just as precious when Seb was finally able to string two words together when talking to his ultimate crush!
And Marcus' journey was just as compelling. His navigating his relationship with his best friend, Saskia, while hiding his feelings for her little brother was some energy that had me in a chokehold stg. Not to mention his own personal trauma that he had to work through WHILE being the biggest Hollywood heartthrob who was constantly in the public eye. The depth and complexity to these characters was honestly astonishing, because they showed up! And i can happily declare that this stunning, heart smushing, brilliant book has made me a fan of Jax Calder FOR LIFE!
I'm so happy i had picked up Book 1 in this series a while ago, which features Tim and Jamie's story. And when i tell you that watching their romance unfold (from Seb's pov) made me feral for the tea on their love story, receive that!
I cannot WAIT to dive more into this amazing series, because Reckless Hearts was top tier emotional intensity, strong characterization, and a plot that delivered the most dynamic and delicious tension in 400 pages! And also because i live for weeping hysterically for characters who feel real, when they find the most enduring, heartwarming, true love, happily ever after! lbr who doesn't?! This was fantastic! Loved it!
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The only reason I am not giving it a 5 is i felt it dragged a little too much at the end, but otherwise I loved it.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes