When We Were Reckless by Emery Rose is now available! You will LOVE this standalone in the Lost Stars series! Don't miss this age gap, brother's best friend, unrequited romance!
In When We Were Reckless we meet Quinn and Jesse. Quinn is 18 years old, and has just graduated high school. It is her dream to go to school in California, and that is going to happen at the end of the summer. But, can her family convince her to stay in town? They think it is what would be best for Quinn. Quinn's real reason for wanting to go to California is Jesse. He's her brother's best friend, and she's been in love with him since she was 5. They even had a wedding. Meanwhile Jesse has recently returned to town, is now single, and has announced that he is retiring from Motocross. No one knows the truth as to why though, and he is keeping it quiet. His friends have managed to convince him to 1) help out at the brewery/restaurant this summer, and 2) try to convince Quinn to stay in town. Jesse would never admit it to his friend, but he is attracted to Quinn. One night Quinn manages to convince Jesse that they could just have a summer fling with no strings, and at the end of it all just walk away from each other. Of course this fling will have to be in secret, as it would cause issues between the friends. All is going as planned until everything changes.
At the beginning of When We Were Reckless I wasn't certain what I was getting myself into. Yes, I knew a little, but at the same time it wasn't enough. As I continued on with the story, I found myself getting attached to Jesse and Quinn. From their past, to everything Quinn revealed to Jesse, to the secrets Jesse revealed as well, to how their "relationship" began. I was all in. The storyline with Quinn's parents was a bit odd for me, and I didn't understand how that all tied into the main story. Even now, looking back, I'm not 100% certain that parts of that side story were necessary. What it did reveal though was that the parents had no clue what Quinn was doing, or who she was spending time with, or even her motivations for attending school in California. When the big moment happened with Jesse and Quinn happened, I gasped. All I could think was that their story was going to be similar to the relationship in Dirt Queen, and I wasn't going to be okay. (still not over that book) That moment for Jesse and Quinn though was a turning point. Not only were Jesse's feelings brought to light for him, we could also see Quinn trying to guard herself. Then the moment came where the family became aware of what was happening, and there was a lot of hurt people. How this story ended though was just so dang good! Jesse's grand gesture, and Quinn's response was wonderful. These two walked away with the HEA they deserved.
I loved Quinn and Jesse. I loved the setting. Jesse's house sounds AMAZING. I loved the story. Just all of it. It was so good, and the book was hard to put down. Definitely recommend When We Were Reckless.
Thank you for taking time to read my thoughts,
Laura
