Review for "The Reckless One" by Connie Brockway

"Make love to me," she whispered.
"Love. Dear God. Yes, he wanted to make love to her, to love her, to give her some of the physical pleasure he knew this act could bring and in doing so find for himself that deeper something he suddenly had cause to believe existed.
"You have the most beautiful hands," she said. "I want to know what artistry they might work on my flesh."
His clasp on her chin became a caress. "You don't want this. It isn't going to lead to some blessed union, Favor," he rasped out. "I have nothing. Nothing at all to offer you."
"You have your name," she suggested in a whisper as fearful as it was hesitant. "Dammit, don't you think I want to feel you under me, around me?" he ground out. "I want to drink your cries, I want to make you scream with pleasure. I want to take you. Now. Here...." (from page 285)

Wow....I think I need a drink, or better yet, a man like Raine Merrick! Surprisingly, I really enjoyed this book, and not only for the steamy parts! It takes place in one of my favourite historical settings, Scotland in the mid 1700's. Raine Merrick is a "political prisoner" in France, a place where he has come to realize that his father is is not going to ransom him, and that he will die in this hell. He has one chance and one chance only for survival....escape. But the Gods have smiled on Raine, the handsome, well-built Englishman with honey-coloured eyes and raven-black hair. A mysterious woman helps him gain his freedom, but then betrays him with her lies. Raine decides to return to his father's castle on McClairen's Isle in search of a treasure, a treasure he knows of from his Scottish mother. Surprisingly, it is not treasure that he finds, but the same woman who helped him escape the prison. But she is in disguise....why? Will she lie to him again? And why did he care? Why was he attracted to this woman, with her unique beauty and strong convictions? There was something about her, something in her past that connected them to each other, a past that would ultimately affect their future together.

I liked this book for its original storyline. Most historicals set in this time period deal with the war between Scotland and England. Connie Brockway deals more with the idea of the destructive nature of greed. Yet within this moral she intertwines a love affair that transcends cultural barriers. There is a definite connection between Raine and Favor and I liked the fact that he didn't succumb to his manly urges.... for although he was once wild and reckless, Raine grew up to be an honourable man, one who finally found out what it meant to be in love. If you are looking for a quick, summer read or a story that will make your heart soar, this is the book for you.