A review by bribreez
Reckless by Elsie Silver

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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

5.0

5⭐️/ 4🌶️

BABY I’M HOME! Yet again, back in the world of the small town cozy world of Chestnut Springs with my favorite characters and new ones such as, Theo and Winter. Not going to lie, before this book was even published and I had just finished, “Flawless”, I wasn’t sure about Winter. Thankfully, little by little with Elsie’s amazing story she was able to craft a redemption arc for Winter and show that Winter wasn’t the “evil sister” I saw from the first book. Finally getting to dive in deep into both Winter and Theo’s storyline was fantastic! With trope such as, small town, secret baby, found family, he’s a bull rider, she’s a doctor, and more! (Sigh) Elsie Silver continued to capture my attention, and from the beginning I immediately fell in love with this book! 

Winter Hamilton was use to being known as an ice queen or basically the opposite compared to her sister, Summer. With high expectations from her mother and toxic relationship with her husband, Winter had finally had enough. For the first time in forever, Winter decided to let loose, have some fun, and what do you know?… Theo Silva happened to be the man for that specific job. Seeing Winter in this new light especially with her drinking and basically opening up a bit about herself to Theo gave me the opportunity to see just what exactly she was dealing with. Not to mention, I got to see a lighter, flirty side to Winter when she was with Theo. Winter dealt with a lot of pressure so, I could understand some of what she was going through and how that affected her. 

Theo was an outgoing man, always the life of the party, and quite the ladies man. Before this book, Theo was usually in the background, hanging out with Rhett in the bull riding circuit, and he seemed like a lovable and flirtatious man. Now, seeing Theo in his own story, I got to dig a little deeper as to who Theo really was, but also the things he struggled with. The fact that Theo’s womanizing ways have become the butt of every joke involving him finally got to Theo that he didn’t want to be known as the man who slept around or was known for only that. 

Though they're meant as a joke, his words sting. They're also the nudge I need to get motivated, because I want my mentor's respect. I don't want to be the butt end of a joke or seen as the child who never grows up. I want to chase my dreams and prove to myself I can do the things I set my mind to.

I could see Theo wanted to change people’s perception of him and in order to do that, he wanted to focus more on his training and making his way to the top in the arena. 

Once the little misunderstanding/ minor miscommunication was cleared up, seeing Theo and Winter together with their precious daughter, Vivienne was the perfect picture of a beautiful family. Although, with there still being lingering feelings building between Theo and Winter and the added sexual tension, there was lots of things happening in their co-parenting. Theo was a natural when it came to being a dad, he was so attentive and involved when it came to Vivi and offering any support/ help to Winter. Initially, Winter thought Theo wanted nothing to do with her and their daughter, but that wasn’t the case so, to see Theo being the perfect dad to Vivi had Winter feeling some type of way towards Theo… feeling like she was witnessing the most wholesome yet highly attractive thing Theo could do, which was caring for their daughter. 

Elsie Silver has ONCE AGAIN RAISING MY HUGH EXPECTATIONS! Gosh, if Theo Silva was real, I’d HAPPILY MARRY HIM! This story truly showcased how much of a wonderful man Theo was. From doing the bare minimum to cleaning Winter’s entire house, taking care of Vivi so Winter can rest and have time for herself, and more, Theo won my heart over and over again through this book! Winter was so use to doing things on her own that to have Theo step in and help was widely surprising for her. Theo was the perfect daddy to little Vivi and while I’m not much of a baby person, seeing how Theo was with his daughter constantly had me melting on the floor and loving him so much! Theo may have once been a womanizer, but he put that behind in the past and was wholly focused on his beautiful baby girl and the woman who had captivated his attention since day one, Winter. 

This story truly showcased both the strength and vulnerabilities of Winter and Theo. Theo made changes in his life not only for the betterment of his bull riding career, but also to be the kind of man he thought was worthy of Winter. Throughout the story, it also showed all the facets of Winter, she wasn’t what I originally thought like I had in the first book. If there was one other person besides Summer, and Sloane knowing who Winter really was, it was Theo.

"I think people mistake you being in a bad mood when vou're just overwhelmed. I think you needed to lie here for a few minutes with no one needing you. I think you're overstimulated and even the best of us require some time to collect ourselves."

The way Elsie wrote Winter’s perspective and experiences of being a new mom in this book made me see Winter in a new light, but also have a great appreciation and respect for all that she did for her daughter, and just doing the best she could with the world she grew up in. Winter needs a round of applause of being a super mom, and to all the beautiful mamas out there, know that you are loved, admired, and the ultimate superheroes!

Ahem…CLEAN UP ONE AISLE ONE! GIRL! THEO SILVA WAS ON ANOTHER LEVEL OMG! Elsie Silver has created some of the best male characters I’ve read, and Theo Silva obviously being among the top tier that had my heart racing! I knew Theo had a way of capturing Winter’s attention, but add in his FLITHY DIRTY TALKING WAYS AND LORD HAVE MERCY! I WAS STRAIGHT UP BLUSHING, DROPPING MY JAW, AND SCREAMING AT THE PURE SEX APPEAL FROM THAT MAN! WOO! Theo consistently made sure to tell Winter how much he adored her both verbally and physically, and oh boy was it BURNING HOT CENTRAL TO WATCH IT ALL UNFOLD! I’m forever going to think back to that specific scene during Summer and Rhett’s wedding reception because…WOW! Chef’s kisses a million times for Theo Silva, the bull rider extraordinaire and A plus for the mouth on him! 

THIS WAS A PHENOMENAL BOOK! MY GOODNESS! I WAS UNABLE TO STOP READING BECAUSE OF WINTER AND THEO’S WONDERFUL ROMANCE! The snarky, fun, and sassy banter between Theo and Winter was fantastic! Getting to dig deep in both Winter and Theo’s story was spectacular and quite honestly I felt a deep appreciation and love for our lovely mama, Winter. Winter faced many struggles of being a new mom, and while she didn’t always feel confident in herself, she slowly but surely was able to see all that she was capable of, as well as being the best mama to Vivi. Theo, my darling Brazilian bull rider, he was the epitome of sexy, thoughtful, cheerful, and a wonderful daddy! Theo’s story was also amazing to read about, and see that even through all his smiles, not everything was perfect. Lord have mercy, the amount of times I dropped my jaw to the floor at those spicy scenes! WOO! DOWN RIGHT HAD MY HEART RATE GOING SKY HIGH! The romance was heartfelt, beautiful, and a testament to how far Theo and Winter came to finding they’re happily ever after. There were so many times I was legitimately screaming for joy and simultaneously swooning at the things I read!

"That night we were reckless." His voice cracks. "But god, I'd be reckless with you over and over again if it means ending up here."

 (Sigh) this story was so satisfying and I cannot stress how much I loved it! I gotta say, out of all the Chestnut springs books, I feel like Winter and Theo have taken over the mantle of being number one for me! 

The ending and epilogue were fantastic! I was overjoyed for Winter and Theo, seeing them passionately in love, and of course well on their way to more enjoy more happiness in their future.