This book was just fantastic! As if I need to love Kai even more. Just a wonderful character! How even are we going to be left with an ending like that though? Counting down the days to Fearless! 

I wanted to carry on with this series because this series has been all over the book community and trusting Booktok hits can either be hit or miss and this one was a hit.  

This book has two points of view. The first is Paedyn Grey, and she has survived the purging trials, but she has killed the King and people now know was born as an Ordinary. She has also kickstarted a Resistance through the kingdom of Ilya. She is on the run from the one person she had wanted to run to. She is determined to be free from Ilya and away from Kai and Kitt, but will she be able to stay one foot in front of Kai. The second point of view is Kai Azer, and he is now official Ilya’s enforcer, loyal to his brother Kitt, the new King. He has vowed to find Paedyn and bring her to justice. As long as he can keep his feelings in check for her because once he finds her, she will be sentenced to death. Across the deadly Scorches, and deep into the hostile city of Dor, Kai purses the one person he wishes he didn’t have to. But in a city with Elites, the balance between the hunter and hunted shifts – and the battle between duty and desire is deadly.  

This book was brilliantly written, and I enjoyed this book. I loved the characters – Kai and Paedyn were hilarious separately and together and how they were avoiding each other but then they didn’t want to avoid each other and wanted to be around each other. Paedyn could kick my ass and I would thank her for it. I love how blunt she was and how she didn’t give a shit who she was talking to. I loved her being in disgust as Shadow and yet she was kicking the ass of grown-ass men. Kai was still a golden retriever, and you knew he wasn’t going to kill Paedyn no matter what and how jealous he was getting over random ass strangers flirting with Paedyn. That man still needs to learn to hide his emotions better as he was a complete open book. The whole “let’s pretend” was so adorable but you could tell that Kai wasn’t pretending.  

My only issue was it was all still a bit predictable, just like the Maze Runner and the Scorch. The different being that WCKD was Kitt and that they didn’t want to kill her because they had other plans where Paedyn was just like if you are going to kill me, kill me quickly.  

The ending was cruel again and now I have to wait until NEXT YEAR for the next book. I hope Kitt doesn’t become cruel even though he was betrayed because it will just hurt my heart. Even though we could see glimpses of his cruelness hopefully he ends up standing up with Paedyn and fixing everything in time.  

I don't even know where to start.

The ending was one of the most shocking things I've ever read, and this man over here is definitely going to need to give one of the best excuses for doing what he did, or else I am just going to be forever confused.

Kai and Paedyn were adorable. I loved everything that happened between them, and them trying to create a line (a very blurry one might I add) between hate and, could I say love, was honestly kind of comical. 

Four/fifths of the book were definitely focused on the Pae and Kai's relationship and them being together, rather than anything really happening with the Resistance. To be honest, that's totally fine with me, because I don't really care about the whole resistance thing in any books, and I'm definitely here more for the romance, but I can see how it can make it seem like nothing really important happened—you probably could miss this book and go straight on to the third, but the romance is too good so that's definitely not recommended.

Overall, I loved the book and the romance was super fun to read, and definitely gave me butterflies at times.

It was a fast paced easy read and I enjoyed seeng the characters develop. Particularly the development of the relationship between Pae and Kai. 

Felt a lot like it was setting up for the 3rd book. Introducing character briefly then loosing them. I hope they are resolved and come back in the 3rd book. 

That ending?! LAUREN WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME?!

Powerless left Paedyn and Kai in a pretty precarious place and I had no idea what to expect of their “reunion,” whether that be a sweet or bitter one. 

Of course there’s no easy way to move past something you see as a betrayal, especially when that betrayal is killing your father (crazy that this applies to both parties, right? 🤪). Fortunately, our H & h are stuck in very close proximity over the course of this story and are even forced to share a bed…. so naturally they fall victim to that pull that’s always been so strong between them. 

We got a third POV this time around with Kit, which added an interesting aspect. We learn a few things about him and get a glimpse of his thoughts, which really set up the ending really well even though as a reader I had no idea was true until it was over. 

And listen… I love Kit too but a love triangle was the last thing I was expecting out of this trilogy. I need the last installment, like… now because I am stressed. 

Kai Azer is and remains one of my favorite book boys of all time. He better get anything and everything he wants out of life. 😩

Now for some more waiting… 

Favorite quotes:

“I want her to burn for me, even if it means with hatred.”

“You cannot be nothing when you are everything to someone else.”

“I think I would fall on my sword if it meant you mourned me.”

“Be my undoing.”

“She’s unbearable, really. But not in the way that makes it any easier to look away.”

“Plagues. Pretty boy. Pretty words.”

Tropes:
Love to Hate to Love (it’s messy okay)
Forced Proximity
One-Bed

Spice: 🌶️

Reckless sees Paedyn (FMC) on the run, a price on her head, and Kai (MMC) pursuing her, tasked with bringing her back to the new King (his brother).
The book started with lots of description, but once the characters began speaking again, I was completely hooked and finished this in a couple of days. So much action, emotion, tension, and confusion. The enemies-to-lovers trope from Powerless 'resets' in Reckless for obvious reasons (if you've read Powerless), and I loved that the misunderstandings were not drawn out for ages (personally not a fan of the long-drawn-out-misunderstanding trope). Now I really need that third book. Clearly Lauren Roberts is masterful at her cliffhanger endings because I did not see that coming. I did feel that within the first 100ish pages, Reckless lacked the interactions and dialogue that fuelled the momentum of Powerless, which gave it a slow start, but once you get past that, it's an addictive read. 
Reckless is ideal for romantasy lovers who enjoy the enemies-to-lovers trope (and who have already read Powerless).