Overall Rating: ★★★★.5
Synopsis
I’ve become an expert at avoiding things that could hurt me—which means I will figure out how to stay away from Marco Leone.
Seventeen-year-old Frankie Devereux would do anything to forget the past. Haunted by the memory of her boyfriend’s death, she lives her life by one dangerous rule: Nothing matters. At least, that’s what Frankie tells herself after a reckless mistake forces her to leave her privileged life in the Heights to move in with her dad—an undercover cop. She transfers to a public high school in the Downs, where fistfights don’t faze anyone and illegal street racing is more popular than football.
Marco Leone is the fastest street racer in the Downs. Tough, sexy, and hypnotic, he makes it impossible for Frankie to ignore him—and how he makes her feel. But the risks Marco takes for his family could have devastating consequences for them both. When Frankie discovers his secret, she has to make a choice. Will she let the pain of the past determine her future? Or will she risk what little she has left to follow her heart?
What We Liked
The way that the characters came off the page and you felt as though they were someone that you know. Also, the way that it incorporated one of our favorite things – fast cars.
- Marco – Bad boys are complicated. Like everyone in life they have a past and sometimes we don’t understand what it is. But Marco’s life is complicated and he’s doing everything that he can to protect his sister and his life. That’s admirable.
- Frankie – She’s a complicated character with a life that is supposed to be perfect. But she’s not perfect and has lived through more than most of us do in a lifetime. Again – we’re seeing that we never really know what someone is going through.
- The Fast Cars – Love fast cars. Now, do I want to be in one – NO. But I love watching them in things like The Fast and The Furious franchise. So the element of fast cars was a big draw to me.
What We Didn’t Like
It’s not that I didn’t like it – but I became attached to the people in the story, so I wanted to know more back story.
WTF Moments
I can’t tell you this, because it would be a spoiler. But the murder in this book… wow.
Overall Thoughts
What an interesting story with so much complexity. Garcia is new to the romance genre, but she packs quite an eloquent emotional punch. I would have liked to see Frankie and Marco’s relationship have more of the slow burn, but over all with Kami’s writing style – it worked the way it is. I also would have loved to have learned more about Cruz – who is the best friend that you always want to have. Her confidence made her steal every scene that she was in.
The Lovely Reckless is available now.
