Title: Wild Reckless
Series: Standalone
Author: Ginger Scott
Release Date: March 17, 2015
Rating: 4.5 stars
Cliffhanger: Yes
Kensington Worth had a vision for her senior year. It involved her best friends, her posh private school in downtown Chicago and time alone with her piano until her audition was perfected, a guaranteed ticket into the best music programs in the world.
Instead, a nightmare took over.
It didn’t happen all at once, but her life unraveled quickly—a tiny thread that evil somehow kept pulling until everything precious was taken from her. She was suddenly living miles away from her old life, trapped in an existence she didn’t choose—one determined to destroy her from the inside, leaving only hate and anger behind. It didn’t help that her neighbor, the one whose eyes held danger, was enjoying every second of her fall.
Owen Harper was trouble, his heart wild and his past the kind that’s spoken about in whispers. And somehow, his path was always intertwined with Kensington’s, every interaction crushing her, ruining her hope for any future better than her now. Sometimes, though, what everyone warns is trouble, is exactly what the heart needs. Owen Harper was consumed with darkness, and it held onto his soul for years. When Kensington looked at him, she saw a boy who’d gotten good at taking others down when they threatened his carefully balanced life. But the more she looked, the more she saw other things too—good things…things to admire.
After reading and enjoying Ginger Scott's
Falling Series, a wonderfully written New Adult series, I decided to give her new release a try regardless of the fact that I'm not the biggest fan of the Young Adult sub-genre. High School is not a place I care to revisit, especially when the characters make me want to bash them over the head with their immaturity. I find that my patience for characters' childish behavior has dwindled over the years. But I was definitely willing to make an exception for this author. I took the leap thinking that I'd be getting more of Ginger's fun and frothy reads with a little angst thrown in.
Boy was I wrong.Kensington (Kens) has just moved from Chicago to a small town and the adjustment is not an easy one for her. She misses her friends, her music teacher, and she's not ready to settle in the middle of nowhere. She's a piano prodigy and though her father doesn't allow her to explore the jazz and blues she loves, she lives and breathes playing-it fills every part of her.
She soon discovers she has a boy living next door that is nothing like any stereotypical boy-next-door you've ever seen. He's the school basketball star and resident manwhore. He's also more than a little scary. He presents this emotionless shell and takes pleasure in making her angry. So why does she have this fascination with him that won't quit? She despises him and gravitates to him all at the same time. He's downright nasty towards her, and
I hated him. I guarantee you will too.
This is a guy who cheats death, who actually seeks it out so he can laugh at that fine line-crossing it from time to time just to prove he can, other times, erasing it completely.The prologue introduces you to the one day that changed the course of his life forever. It made a coldness seep into his eyes and a desire to taunt death in the face. And when Kens dares to challenge him and prod the sleeping beast, she has no idea what he's capable of. He sees a crack in her existence, and he shatters everything without a second thought.
The only time I've seen Owen smile was when he was teasing me-and when he delivered the news that ruined my world.
Now she's lost. And maybe they're lost together for a while. Because being near Kens is finally bringing some light into his dark world. And being near Owen is changing her into someone she doesn't recognize.
All they could do was grasp onto each other and hold tight, because if there's one thing that he's learned, is that all the wrongs in his life will not allow him a shred of happiness. Seriously, the weight that's on this boy's shoulders is painful to see.
His past. His present. His future.
He's speeding towards implosion. The only question, is when?
...I'm afraid I'm losing myself to danger-the worst kind, the kind that rules your heart. I'm falling for Owen Harper, and I'm afraid he's going to die.
After loathing Owen with a passion, getting a peek into the emotion that he's capable of with Kens you want to hate him but you just can't anymore. The way he slowly opens up to her and lets her see into his reality makes you hurt for him. And they had such an intensity between them at times, it was heart pounding.
Owen's eyes are closed, and his forehead is resting on mine, his thumbs still gently caressing my cheeks. "I..." he says, his breath stuttering, his lips quivering, his body relaxing into me. His head falls heavier into mine, and I can actually feel his entire body shaking.
With themes like suicide, mental illness, and addiction, it's no wonder I was a little shell shocked at the gravity that pulls you into these pages. And this book? Be prepared for a twist that you will not see coming. It's hard to surprise me anymore, but when the bomb dropped on Kens, I give the author props, because I was shocked.
If I had to come up with a similar reading experience, I would go with Shay Savage. If you're not familiar with her books, they're deeply emotional. Typically with a hero that is completely contemptible that you will absolutely hate at first glance. And that's what you get in Wild Reckless.
This book made me feel so many things, not all of them pretty. But I really think this is my favorite book from Ginger. It's a raw and powerful book about two young people who crash into each other and and their struggle for absolution and hope. It's not perfect, there were a few things that stopped me from giving the full five stars, but those are my own personal issues. I won't let that sway you in deciding to pick up this book. Maybe you'll love it, maybe you'll hate it, but this book will make you feel.
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