Monday, October 26, 2009

Recent Read

One Reckless Summer by Toni Blake

Why this one: I was really taken with her last book, Letters to a Secret Lover and it was a furshure that I'd be reading this one. I've been checking ever since it came out for it to appear on the shelves at Chapters - and finally - it did.

Steam Level: There was Ice Cube sex in it - that should tell you it was plenty steamy!!

Author Website Blurb:

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 …

My Thoughts: As much as I loved Letters to a Secret Lover, I loved this one even more!! One of my favourite story lines has always been heroine/hero knew each other years ago and heroine is a 'good' girl and hero is a 'bad' boy from the wrong side of the tracks - or in this case - the wrong side of the lake. And this one only underscores that storyline love.

Jenny Tolliver was always a 'good' girl. She was the daughter of the widowed chief of police of Destiny Ohio, Walter Tolliver and never put as much as a toe out of place. But she is tired of her good girl self when she catches her husband cheating on her with her very own teaching assistant. So she ditches her husband, ditches her job in the 'big' city and heads back to the small town she grew up in. She's still a 'good' girl but things are about to change when she runs into the hero Mick Brody, one of the 'no good' Brody boys. She didn't know him very well, but does vividly remember an encounter she had with him when she was 16.

Things heat up between them Very Fast when she visits his side of the lake to better star gaze and unexpectedly runs into him and he demands she leave. He threatens her with his very self, but instead of leaving, she answers his challenge and thus follows the first of many steamy encounters between the two of them.

What starts off as raw lust though, slowly develops into love as each fills a need in the other. Jenny has been left feeling lacking as a sexy woman after her husbands cheating and her own 'good' girl upbringing. Mick is going through a very difficult and dark time and Jenny is his oasis.

I really enjoyed everything about this book, the small town feel, the friendship between Jenny and her best friend Sue Ann, the father/daughter relationship and ESPECIALLY the relationship between Jenny and Mick. I thought Jenny was a great heroine - someone I'd love to call friend.

And then there is Mick. Wow!! He just broke my heart. Without giving spoilers, I so identified with what he was going through and I totally 'got' why he was so drawn to Jenny. He had made a lot of mistakes in his life, but was trying to change his ways when he is called back into a very gray time. And man, is he sex on a stick!! I raced through this book and I know it's going to be one I read and reread again. This one I have no qualms about recommending - at all! It's funny in places and sad in others and came oh so close to making me cry. It has a poignancy to it and I always love a book that has that.

Grade: 5 out of 5


17 comments:

orannia said...

Oh, this sounds lovely Kristie! I've only read one Toni Blake book - In Your Wildest Dreams - which I just adored. It dealt with a certain subject that isn't often covered in romance novels (and that I could relate too :) and I loved it! I obviously need to 'suggest' One Rckless Summer to my local library ASAP :)

Anonymous said...

Oh, I LOVE Toni Blake's tales. She is my favorite contemp author, hands down. She rocks. I'm so glad you loved this story, Kristie.

Jill D. said...

I have two of Toni Blake's books sitting on my TBR shelf. I have Letters to a Secret Lover, which I picked up because of your review and Tempt Me Tonight. I don't have this one, but I have heard good things about it. She is going to be at RT, so I definitely have to read her before then. I better get hopping!

Tracy said...

I really liked this book. Not as much as her Letters to a Secret Lover but still really good. I like Toni Blake's work - she just adds that wonderful homey feel to them along with great romance and good sex. :)

btw - I've been trying to reach you. Can you please email me at redneyrae AT ca DOT rr DOT com? Thanks!

novelnelle said...

Great review Kristie. I'm going to have to swing by Chapters on my way home and pick this up (my husband will be thrilled). It's been ages since a contemporary romance has piqued my interest.

Thanks.

Mary G said...

Hi Kristie
Ditto, I totally loved thia book & went & bought a buch more. She also writes hot stuff as Lacey Alexander so we have quite a backlist to pick from.

Cindy W said...

So glad you loved this one! I did too! Can't wait until the next in the series in Summer of 2010!

nath said...

Hmmm, i'll need to pick up this one again!! Thanks for the review, Kristie :D

Kwana said...

Wow! 5 out of 5. Thanks for the review.

Kristie (J) said...

Orannia: oh you do indeed!! This is a great one. And I have In Your Wildest Dreams but I haven't read it yet. I'll have to track it down!!

Barbara: I have a few of her books now but only the two of them read. But if the others are as good, I have some excellent reading ahead of me :-)

Jill: I noticed that she will be there - so *g* yes you better get reading. And now you have one to get at RT - if you can wait that long after reading the ones you have. I also have Tempt me Tonight - but unread yet.

Tracy: I think the reason why this one touched me more then Letters to a Secret Lover is why Mick has come back. That part of the book really touched me on a personal level. And email coming your way.

Novelnelle - I hope it's in the Chapters in your neck of the woods. It took a while to make it to mine. But if it's there - then yes, yes, yes - get yourself a copy :-)

Mary - I'll have to look for her books under her other name now. And also do a search for her earlier books written under the Temptation line.

Cindy: Oh yes - I'll be looking forward to the next ones in this series too!!

Nath: Have you read it?? I know I'll be reading it again - very soon I think - next time I'm stuck for a book.

Kwana: Yep - it gets a fiver. It's one of those books that even days later I still can't really let go of.

JennJ said...

Ooo sounds like a great read!
And hon come on over to my place for a little surprise! ;) Hope you are having a great one!!! HUGS

Grain de Beaute said...

I just bought this book recently. This is the first book by Toni Blake that I will read and I'm very excited! ♥

Thanks for sharing your thoughts about this book.

Rowena said...

Hmmm, I wanted to read this book at first and I even started it but I put it back down and then I gave it to Holly. I'm thinking I have to go pick up another one since you liked it so well. Although, right now I'm in a historical mood but still, I'm going to keep my eye out for this book. Thanks for the lovely review!

ReneeW said...

You and I are on the same page! I loved this book too and especially Mick. It was a great summer read and I'd like to try more from Blake.

Kristie (J) said...

Jenn: *g* I often have a good one - yesterday for example I had about 4 of the case managers I work with all singing the theme song for Gilligan's Island.
And this is an EXCELLENT read.

Grain: Hello!! And may I say you just got yourself a great book!! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did - but I'm not worried. I loved both the Toni Blake books I have read so far.

Rowena: *g* well when the mood swings back to contemporaries (and I'm a mood reader to so I get it) DO this this one another chance!!!!!!

Renee: I couldn't find this one in the summer so it was a fall read for me - but it was also a great fall read *g*.

nath said...

Hey Kristie, no I haven't read it yet. But I will, eventually :D

Alyssa said...

I liked this one as well. Blake is becoming an author I look for.

The word capture I got was "smutdab." I do like books with a dab of smut in them. LOL.