A review by read_on_reader
Reckless Lies by Nikki J. Summers

4.0

Zak’s story is one packed full of emotions that will shatter your heart and bring you to your knees with how real his pain feels. The things Zak endures while trying to heal physically took a brutal toll on him and his mentality. It was a long and hard road to get where he is now, and it cost him his peace of mind and sense of belonging. He cuts himself off from the world to hide in the shadows afraid to step into the light.

Fear of being treated differently he essentially has become a recluse, until his friends really badger him enough to show up for important things, like Finn’s wedding. The wedding where things start to change for Zak when Morgan slowly starts to seep into his world. When these two come together Zak slowly starts to see himself changing, but is it enough to let all his walls crumble down? My heart broke so many times when he showed us his pain and the way he saw himself because there is so much more to him.

Yes, this is mostly about Zak because everyone deserves to dive into his story and fall in love with him without spoilers, but also because he stole my heart and carried this book for me. Morgan wasn’t a bad character; she was a lot to take in sometimes. She was in your face not taking no for an answer kind of person (but not the fun Adam kind of way), which isn't bad every now and then, but way too often she pushed boundaries too many times and too far that it made me angry for Zak (I grew very protective of him). I know she was just trying to get him out of his shell, but it also seemed like she had a hidden agenda to trap him into needing her because she liked him for so long and she was looking for forgiveness rather than love (that's just me and how I felt with her at times). It was hard for me to relate to her and when her secrets came out, not going to lie, I felt like Brandon, not a fan. I felt the reasons behind them were weak and just that, an excuse of she didn't know better. If Zak hadn’t been head over heels in love with her, I probably would have hated her.

Overall, this story is incredibly steamy, like off all the charts hot, but it was the emotions of finding beauty in the pain and overcoming such hardships to step into the light that made me fall in love.