Dirty, Reckless Love

Impossible to stop reading. This is the first phrase I think of when I remember Dirty, Reckless Love.

Even for those who have not read the previous books of the series, it is possible to perfectly follow the story of Ellie, the ex-shop seller of an art gallery, trapped in a complicated plot of intrigue involving her boyfriend Colton, his best friend Levi Jackson and her future father-in-law, Nelson.

The facts are told in three parts: before, during and after the incident of the prologue and the reunion of Ellie with Levi, who brings revelations to both. Ellie needs to rebuild and rediscover the pieces of her life in the small town of Jackson Harbor. A life that she no longer recognizes but at the same time longs and fears to know.

Burglaries, robberies, forgery, disappearances, violence, drug addictions and gambling appear not necessarily in that order. The plot has a thriller, narrated non-linearly, that unfolds in the right rhythm to catch the reader’s attention, as it accompanies Ellie’s journey in assembling this puzzle. And it almost makes you forget you’re reading a novel.

Each chapter is a discovery. Totally different from the previous book, which gets to be a bit monotonous in some parts, Ellie’s trajectory is dramatic and electrifying. Like a motocross circuit. A twist with amazing revelations and a final, fair, romantic and fun. As every good book should have.

I absolutely loved Dirty, Reckless Love by Lexi Ryan, the third book in The Boys of Jackson Harbor. I have read other books by Lexi Ryan and have thoroughly enjoyed all of them. I absolutely loved this book. I loved the characters and the cold Michigan setting. I could not put it down and I loved every page. Each book in the series keeps getting better and better and I have truly loved each book. Lexi Ryan has once again provided her readers with amazing characters. I love all the characters in Dirty, Reckless Love, they feel like family! Who doesn’t love hot sexy men, strong, passionate females, and big loving families, who always support one another? Lexi Ryan continues to deliver all that and so much more. Once again Lexi Ryan has given her readers another amazing book. Dirty, Reckless Love is filled with all the heartbreaking and heartwarming moments and surprise plot twists, that I have come to love and expect in a Lexi Ryan love story, I especially loved the poignant and bittersweet moments that filled this page turner. She has once again proven that she is an incredible storyteller. I really enjoy how the story is told in the first perspective from the main characters. I love getting into the minds of the characters to know what they are really thinking and feeling. Dirty, Reckless Love is the story of Ellie Courdrey, realtor and Levi Jackson, motor cross racer. Ellie is badly beaten in her home, the police are assuming that her fiancé, Colton McKinley perpetrator of the attack. Colton and his father, Nelson are both currently missing. The story is told in both current day (after the attack) and two months ago (before the attack). The attack has left Ellie with retrograde amnesia, where she does not remember any of the events leading up to the attack. Ellie also suffers a miscarriage as a result of the attack. Ellie heads home to a small town in Indiana to recover from her injuries. Levi and Teagan go to visit with Ellie, but her mother sends them away. Ellie drops by a local bar where Levi is drinking. Ellie decides to trust Levi and explains about her amnesia. Ellie returns to Jackson Harbor and with the help of Levi and her girlfriends begins to remember the events leading up her attack. The more time Ellie and Levi spend together, the more secrets they share, and closer they get, but Ellie does not want to start anything with Levi until she knows what really happened to her. I loved the story, I kept trying to figure out who was behind Ellie’s attack, and was truly surprised when his identity was revealed. A surprise plot twist. I loved Ellie and Levi’s love story and all the plot twists. I loved all the details of Ellie’s amnesia. Dirty, Reckless Love was so perfectly written. I love how all the women in the book are best friends and support each other. I love how Ellie and Levi work out all their issues and are working toward their happily ever after. My favorite part are the epilogues and how that wrap up all the details of the happily ever after. I loved the book; I am so excited for the other books in the series. Dirty, Reckless Love is a beautifully written second chance love story and I loved every moment. Highly recommend this beautifully written story.

All of Lexi Ryan’s books are terrific, but this one was exceptional!

4.5 Stars!!!!

Lexi Ryan always builds these small little towns full of such amazing characters that I just can’t help getting caught up in her books. This installment of the Jackson Harbor Series was no different. Levi and Ellie were such an enjoyable couple even with the circumstances that kept them apart.

With her past still missing from her memory Ellie is caught between the past and the present. Unsure of what and who is responsible for the attack that took her memory and who she should trust or fear. One thing is for sure, Levi is a constant in her memory and her present and she feels safe in his arms.

The story is told in both past and present tense to help the reader understand how Ellie has gotten to this crossroad in her life. Trying to understand her relationship with Colton and sort out her feelings for Levi.

I loved Levi. No surprise there since Lexi Ryan has crafted some pretty amazing Jackson brothers already. Levi was super sweet, sexy, protective and loyal. Maybe loyal to a fault but you could tell that his feelings for Ellie were strong and true. Being forced to watch Ellie in a relationship with his best friend, Levi does his best to keep his feelings under wraps. But when an opportunity presents itself he takes it only to find himself alone again. Helping Ellie get her life back in Jackson Harbor puts him right back in the line of fire, hoping this time she won’t walk away.

I was pulling for Ellie and Levi to admit to themselves that there was more there than just friendship. Waiting for Ellie to decide that she deserved more that what she had with Colton. But she was so used to fixing Colton and his mistakes that it was a hard habit for her to break. You could feel the connection between Ellie and Levi simmering between them. I enjoyed the inner turmoil both of them experienced while in close quarters. Temptation becoming seemingly harder to resist.

The story being told in both past and present lends to the unraveling of the underlying story. The level of suspense maintained keeping you engaged in the story and what the outcome would be for all parties involved. This is the 3rd installment of the Jackson Brothers series an just as enjoyable as the two previous books. I would recommend reading the series from the beginning to get the best understanding of these characters and the family dynamic involved.

Levi instantly felt a connection with Ellie, but that was before he found out she was his best friend’s girl. Fast forward a few years and Ellie doesn’t remember much about the past three years. Ellie was attacked, but isn’t sure by who. Everybody thinks it was Colton, her boyfriend, but she just doesn’t know. Ellie remembers nothing about her life in town.

I wasn’t sure how this book would go seeing how Ellie didn’t remember much. The author was smart by choosing by writing the book in the past and present. I was able to really understand more of how things went down. And because of the book being told from both Ellie and Levi’s POV I got the whole story.

From the start I was really hoping that Ellie would end up with Levi. I loved his character from the start. Even though he seemed like a toufh guy and maybe a bit macho, he was actually really sweet and protective of the people he loves. Ellie isn’t sure what to believe in the beginning, but it’s clear she feels a connection. A hint that she could feel safe. After losing as much as she did, it must have been hard.

During the story, I never really guessed who was behind her attack. The suspects were a bit too obvious, so I knew I was missing something. It says a lot when an author has me guessing and I don’t know who did it halfway through the book. I am very satisfied with how this book ended.

While I loved the characters, love story and mystery in this book, it felt like something was missing. I think because it’s told between the past and the present, and Ellie’s memory loss, the romance wasn’t as strong. I didn’t really swoon in this book and that is something I like in a romance book. I would’ve liked more about Colton and Ellie and Levi and Ellie. I think that was put a bit in the background because of the mystery.

What I love with series like this though, is that we see characters from previous books. I hate saying goodbye to characters I love, so it’s nice when we get a glimpse of their future.

5+ STAR Review by Jodi for Ruby Red Romance Review

Love isn’t a strong enough word for how I feel about this book and in honesty, I’m not sure there is a word. So I guess, love is it. I loved every single second of this book. The twists, the turns, the truths, the lies, and the sex was so much more than I was expecting. I don’t know what I wanted for this book, but my expectations were blown out of the water. Lexi Ryan is a favorite of mine, party because she’s from my home state and partly because she’s an amazing author.

Everything about this book made me fall. I loved Ellie. She is one of the strongest heroines I have read in a long time. I feel like a say that a lot lately, but the truth is, Ellie is it for me. She’s brave, strong, courageous, and easy to love. I’ve not read a character with as much heart as her in a while. Ellie had just want I was looking for and needed all at the same time. Levi, god, this man deserves a medal for being an amazing friend and stand up guy. He is a true hero in my book. I loved him from the very beginning. And it was great watching him become the person he is in this book. He’s amazing and so caring. We can’t talk about Ellie and Levi without Colton. God, I wanted so much for Colton. I still do. I’m praying we get more from him in the future. He deserves the world. I can’t say enough wonderful things about these amazing characters. And I can’t wait for the next story.

Lexi Ryan hit a home run with this book. I’ve told you how much I love this book, now find out for yourself.

A great story with relatable characters. Loved the suspense…

I love reading a romance that I can picture in my head as a movie or TV series. Dirty, Reckless Love reminded me of an entire season of one of my favorite shows, HTGAWM, and I absolutely loved it! This is an emotional romance with a deadly mystery involved and the suspense had me glued to my seat, reading nonstop all the way to the HEA end. The writing was amazing, going from the present and past and back again; told in dual POV, all to resolve a mystery that had me guessing right up until it was resolved. This story is chockful of secrets and yes, there’s a triangle involved; so beware those of you who have qualms about this subject and don’t like reading stories that involve cheating. Just know you’ll be missing out on a great story!

This is the third book in The Boys of Jackson Harbor I’ve read and, so far, it’s my favorite. I say so far because there are many more Jacksons in the family I want to read about! Do yourselves a favor and read them in order, book two has a little insight on Levi, Ellie and the McKinley family.

“I’ll earn the life we planned together.”

When Ellie Courdrey woke up from a medically induced coma, she couldn’t remember the last three years of her life, in Jackson Harbor. Retrograde amnesia was the cause, probably due to the beating she received in her home that left her for dead; the doctors think she’ll eventually begin to recall her memory and those lost years. She was told by the police and medical staff she had suffered a miscarriage, too. Ellie’s fiancé, Colton McKinley, was wanted by the police; he was the prime suspect and hadn’t been seen since. Her mother’s been keeping everyone from her past away from Ellie but if she wants to know what happened, she knows she’ll have to go back to Jackson Harbor and find out for herself.

“I’d become invisible to him, but you always saw me. From the beginning.”

Levi Jackson has loved Ellie for as long as he can remember; probably from the first night he met Colton’s new girlfriend. Colton was his best friend, and there was a time Levi was his partner in crime; both literally and figuratively. Now that Ellie’s back in town, Levi’s going to make sure whoever wanted her dead doesn’t finish the job. And to try to get her back, now that Colon’s out of the picture.

“I never stopped loving you. Even when you told me to. Even when you chose him.”

Gawd, these two! I loved them and wanted them to desperately realize it was always supposed to be just the two of them! For so long Levi stood by, supporting Ellie and Colton, until he just couldn’t anymore.

“My kryptonite. My undoing. My every exception.”

If you’ve been reading this series, you know a little bit about Levi and his secret love for his best friends girlfriend. You also know Ellie just finds out she is pregnant with Colton’s baby. I could not wait for this story and to see what happens. Colton and Ellie seem to have a perfect relationship. What happens when secrets are revealed? Will their relationship survive? Will Ellie ever know how Levi feels about her?

If you love the Jackson Harbor boys, get ready for a whole new level of love! Dirty Reckless Love will literally WRECK your heart and obliterate it. Ms. Ryan shatters your heart but will slowly mend it back together. This story is full of angst, twists and turns and heartache. The angst just might kill you especially when you are trying to figure out who hurt Ellie, the past to present sections will leave you in a heap on the floor trying to figure out what the hell is happening. 5 intense stars!

Are you ready for a wild ride? Because honey, this story has more forks in the road than all the towns across the United States. Okay. That was an exaggeration. But I kid you not, I was on the edge of my seat trying to predict was was going to happen next THE ENTIRE BOOK. And I was wrong about my predictions. A LOT.

Story Line: Ellie is our heroine. She wakes up from a coma with a whole heck of a lot to process. The worst part? She doesn’t remember the last 3 years of her life. Which is kind of important because she was engaged and doesn’t remember hardly anyone in her life. Talk about a monkey wrench. Thankfully bit by bit, she pieces together what happened. And oh mama, her life the past 3 years? A total doozy. Then there’s Colton. They fiance. Who is no where to be found. Who was also an addict. YEAH. That’s fun. And how can we forget Levi? Oh Levi. I just want to snuggle you all night long. Forget about Ellie. I’ll give you all the lovin’ you need. I realize he’s fictional, but give me a moment. This man was seriously amazing. He’s a little bad, a lot naughty and a heck of a lot sweet. That’s the recipe for a book boyfriend if I’ve ever heard one.

Interaction: Ellie and Colton and Ellie and Levi communicate very differently. Ellie is very nurturing with Colton. She almost mothers him, but since he’s super hot and great in bed, she thinks she’s found her forever. Ish. Right? They way Ellie and Levi interact with each other? Now that’s how a power couple acts. He’s the strong one, but he lets her do her thing too. He never smothers her or prevents her from growing and expanding her horizons. Any scene in this book where Ellie and Levi are together was a guarantee for some angst, some stolen looks and a whole lot of passion. Loved it.

Laundry: I’m going to be perfectly honest with you here folks. The laundry was not my favorite part of the book. Gasp. I know. The story line and the twists? Sorry, but those were too good to top. But Levi and his perfectness was a close second. I loved how these two were perfectly in sync and how they got so carried away with one another. Their sexual chemistry was insane. You will have to wait a hot second for the good stuff, but seriously, that chill pill will totally be worth it.

Depth: It’s impossible for me to go into the depth of this book without giving anything away. Ellie has some secrets. And when they come to surface they are jaw dropping. Colton. Oh boy. This guy is the bad boy we love to love and partially hate. And his dirty laundry? At first, you will literally hate him. Loathe his existance. Then, when you think there’s no possible way you could ever like his character again? He does something that makes you say, dang it. Fine, you’re okay. I’m not kidding when I say my heart feels winded after reading this incredible story. I held my breath, I got mad at set my Kindle down for break, I swooned. This story had it all. It was the best in every way.