Reckless
Lauren Roberts, 2024
A hunted girl hides in a chimney while the boy she once knew searches the room below. Romantasy tension, sharp dialogue, and a world split by power. The air is tense and close, with sharp exchanges and a current of tenderness running under the danger.
Feels like tenderness and serenity. About power, faith and freedom.
Who it’s for
You may like it if you enjoy romantasy built on hiding, old familiarity, and power imbalances that keep every conversation edged. It is the second book in a series, so starting here may leave some history and loyalties under-explained.
Why read it
Pick it up for the charged push and pull between two people who remember each other, and for a fantasy world where power decides who gets to be safe.
A page from the book
The voice below sounds like the boy you knew, until it doesn't.
“I imagine you pictured my face when you threw that knife.” His voice is quiet, considering, sounding far more like the boy I knew. Memories of him flood my mind, managing to make my heart race. “Isn’t that right, Paedyn?” And there it is. The edge is back in the Enforcer’s voice, erasing Kai and leaving a commander. Lauren Roberts.Powerless, the first book in Roberts's series, began as a self-published BookTok favourite before a traditional publishing deal.
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Questions readers ask
- Is Reckless for me?
- You may like it if you enjoy romantasy built on hiding, old familiarity, and power imbalances that keep every conversation edged. It is the second book in a series, so starting here may leave some history and loyalties under-explained.
- What is Reckless like?
- The air is tense and close, with sharp exchanges and a current of tenderness running under the danger. Feels like tenderness and serenity. About power, faith and freedom.
- What should I read after Reckless?
- If you liked Reckless, try Serpent & Dove (Shelby Mahurin), Insurgent (Veronica Roth) and The Cruel Prince (Holly Black).
A taste of the feed
A vow whispered against a neck instead of spoken in a church.
He trailed his fingers down my arm in slow, torturous strokes. My head fell back on his shoulder, my eyes fluttering closed, as his lips continued to move against my neck. “‘Where you go, I will go. Where you stay, I will stay.
Serpent & Dove · Shelby Mahurin
What crying is for, if not for lubricating the eyes.
I read somewhere, once, that crying defies scientific explanation. Tears are only meant to lubricate the eyes. There is no real reason for tear glands to overproduce tears at the behest of emotion. I think we cry to release the animal parts of us without losing our humanity. Because inside me is a beast that snarls and growls, and strains toward freedom, toward Tobias, and above all, toward life. And as hard as I try, I cannot kill it. So I sob into my hands instead.
Insurgent · Veronica Roth
The loneliness of getting exactly what you wanted.
I have lied and I have betrayed and I have triumphed. If only there was someone to congratulate me.
The Cruel Prince · Holly Black
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