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rlbooks8 's review for:
Reckless at Heart
by Zoe York
I both liked this book and felt kind of meh in places. The H and h were relatable and interesting with the life changes they were facing. The H thought he was entering the empty nest phase and then his teenage daughter ends up pregnant and he's shell-shocked to be facing grandfatherhood, as well as feeling a lot of complicated emotions that she and the baby will be staying with him still. He'd been a teenage father and had to raise his younger brothers so there was a strong sense that he didn't have as much opportunity to focus on himself in his younger years (he's in his late 30s). Add in that he's a first responder and I appreciated his responsibility-driven nature, while also understanding how he had been looking forward to getting to be a little selfish. The h moved to a new town and found that her focus was shifting as her biological clock was putting a bit of pressure on her, though her changes were far less dramatic than the H's. She's a midwife and in her early 30s and had a cool level of composure and a well of compassion that I found appealing in an FMC, especially in contrast to how gruff the H was at first. This is a small town romance with lots of side character interaction and a relationship-focused story.
Written in third person, dual POV. No ow/om drama and neither were virgins (I don't remember specifics on how long it'd been for H but it had been a long time and h mentions that she hadn't been with anyone since she moved to town).
There's an immediate level of attraction between the H and h, in spite of the h being the daughter's midwife. Due to feeling the inappropriateness of said attraction, the H does not come across the best at first, but he eventually shows what a decent guy he is and the h ends up with quite the crush. Both resist those feelings, though there are a couple of chemistry-laden moments of tension building, until the daughter is discharged as a patient and then passions explode in a big way. Lots of steamy times, some cute dating, and even mid-day makeout sessions. They made a sweet couple. But they're a couple with diametrically opposed future plans, one wanting a family of their own and the other over that phase. I did not like how the author handled this and the way it built up with them falling deeper with each other while also having the mindset that they could have what they wanted for now. Of course a reckoning is coming and it led to a third act breakup that was very painful.
I did enjoy the side characters, esp the H's daughter, who at times was very young and other times showed deep maturity. The daughter, her son, and her boyfriend are side characters in another book by this author under a different pen name (The Playing Game) and I had been intrigued by their story in that book, so getting their start was lovely, even if it was full of challenges for the teen parents. The H also has a boisterous group of brothers and the h has some delightful friends. Some texting conversations between the main characters and the main characters and side characters added a nice touch. The H also had some tension with his brothers because he worried about all of them, the same way he worried about his daughter.
Ultimately in order for there to be a HEA, you know that one of the main characters is going to have to compromise, based on the conflict. The realization process for that character felt not totally natural but the explanation behind it did make a sort of sense. The making up and getting back together then comes very quickly, as does the HEA. I did think the holiday scenes were very cute esp the exchange of gifts. The epilogue is a few months into the future and mentions their wedding, honeymoon, and some extra funniness with his brothers via text (with a bit of a lead-in for the next book apparently). I wouldn't reread this book personally, but I did like it and it made for a nice palette cleanser from the mountains of world building from the book that I read before this one.
Written in third person, dual POV. No ow/om drama and neither were virgins (I don't remember specifics on how long it'd been for H but it had been a long time and h mentions that she hadn't been with anyone since she moved to town).
There's an immediate level of attraction between the H and h, in spite of the h being the daughter's midwife. Due to feeling the inappropriateness of said attraction, the H does not come across the best at first, but he eventually shows what a decent guy he is and the h ends up with quite the crush. Both resist those feelings, though there are a couple of chemistry-laden moments of tension building, until the daughter is discharged as a patient and then passions explode in a big way. Lots of steamy times, some cute dating, and even mid-day makeout sessions. They made a sweet couple. But they're a couple with diametrically opposed future plans, one wanting a family of their own and the other over that phase. I did not like how the author handled this and the way it built up with them falling deeper with each other while also having the mindset that they could have what they wanted for now. Of course a reckoning is coming and it led to a third act breakup that was very painful.
I did enjoy the side characters, esp the H's daughter, who at times was very young and other times showed deep maturity. The daughter, her son, and her boyfriend are side characters in another book by this author under a different pen name (The Playing Game) and I had been intrigued by their story in that book, so getting their start was lovely, even if it was full of challenges for the teen parents. The H also has a boisterous group of brothers and the h has some delightful friends. Some texting conversations between the main characters and the main characters and side characters added a nice touch. The H also had some tension with his brothers because he worried about all of them, the same way he worried about his daughter.
Ultimately in order for there to be a HEA, you know that one of the main characters is going to have to compromise, based on the conflict. The realization process for that character felt not totally natural but the explanation behind it did make a sort of sense. The making up and getting back together then comes very quickly, as does the HEA. I did think the holiday scenes were very cute esp the exchange of gifts. The epilogue is a few months into the future and mentions their wedding, honeymoon, and some extra funniness with his brothers via text (with a bit of a lead-in for the next book apparently). I wouldn't reread this book personally, but I did like it and it made for a nice palette cleanser from the mountains of world building from the book that I read before this one.