C2’s review of One Reckless Summer (Destiny Series, Book 1) by Toni Blake
Contemporary Romance published by Avon 26 May 09
One Reckless Summer is the first book in the Destiny series. I read the second book first (I hate going out of order but Ms. Blake was new to me), but I must say that they stand alone very, very well – probably the best of any series books I’ve ever read.
Jenny Tolliver has always been a good girl – well-behaved, polite, got
good grades, followed the rules…her father is Chief of Police, for
crying out loud – but being good hasn’t worked out all that well for
her, as things happen.
Jenny has come home to Destiny after catching her husband Terrance making out with a student teacher. In a classroom. Apparently they had been involved for a while because Jenny wasn’t passionate enough for him, she was just so good…too good.
After the divorce, Jenny decides she wants to re-evaluate her life. She
went along with a lot of things because Terrance thought it would be
best for them, but now she can do what she wants. Now she has come
back to the lake house she grew up in to heal and decide what happens
next.
One night when she needs space to think, Jenny (an amateur
astronomer) paddles across the lake to a favorite star-gazing hill. No big
deal since the family that owns the land left Destiny ages ago…or so
everyone thinks. As Jenny is climbing the hill, she bumps into Mick
Brody.
She remembers him from when they were younger – the bad boy a
good girl like her would never associate with. When Mick tells her she
is trespassing and to run along “like a good girl,” it is the last straw.
An argument turns into a very steamy encounter in the woods. I’ll admit
I thought about ticks and mosquitoes but they didn’t.
I must say that the good girl/bad boy romance is a favorite of mine,
faithful reader, and this book follows that plot line very nicely. In
fact, the bad boy is even more forbidden because he isn’t supposed to be
in town at all and, if anyone finds out, he could be in very serious
trouble. And not a made up bit of drama trouble – although the
circumstances of the setup are unlikely in real life, the fallout
would be very real trouble.
Watching Jenny and Mick deal with their relationship and the relationships they have with others over the course of the book feelsreal. They aren’t perfect people – not even good girl Jenny – but they try to do the best they can. I enjoyed this book very much – more thanthe second in the series even, because the hero and heroine are more likeable.
If you are in the mood for a touching, steamy read, you should
totally check this one out.
Grade: B+
Summary:
It’s tough to play it cool on a sultry summer night . . .
The perfect daughter. The perfect prom queen. The perfect wife. Jenny Tolliver’s been the good girl all her life, and it’s gotten her nowhere. Now that her marriage has been busted up by her cheating ex, she’s decided it’s time to regroup and rediscover herself. This summer she’s headed back to her hometown of Destiny, Ohio, to the very lakeshore cottage where she grew up, to figure out what life holds in store for her next.
She never dreamed the answer would be Mick Brody, Destiny’s #1 hellraiser. He comes from the wrong side of the tracks (or in his case, the lake), and he’s landed in hot water more times than he can count. He’s exactly the kind of guy Jenny’s always kept her distance from . . . but soon the good girl and the bad boy are caught in a raw heat that’s out of control. Too bad Mick’s got a secret that threatens to tear them apart and ruin Jenny’s perfectly, passionately reckless summer . . .
Other books in this series:
