FOUR swoon-worthy never before published, standalone stories. HEAs guaranteed. You’ve done what’s expected. You’ve stayed in the “good girl” lane. How’s that working for you? If you have a chance at falling in love . . . Will you take matters into your hands? Kiss a stranger with wild abandon? Throw caution to the wind along with your clothes? Don’t think about the consequences. Dive into the … clothes?
Don’t think about the consequences.
Dive into the forbidden, the off-limits.
Be fearless.
Be wild.
Be unpredictable.
Be reckless.
***Each novella in the Reckless anthology is an never before published, standalone story by Mika Jolie, Kylie Stewart, P M Carson, and Sharla Lovelace.
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4 Stars
Reckless is a fantastic Anthology of stories from four brilliant authors. Each author brings their own style and adds their own flavour to the collection, making for superb reading. The authors may all be different, but their styles and stories do complement one another, too. All the author’s have used the same inspiration as the basis for their stories- which is taking chances, doing the unexpected, throwing caution to the wind, and being Reckless when in pursuit of love and happiness- we get to follow along as they explore this notion.
The Anthology contains:
-Layla’s Chance By: Mika Jolie
-Dirty Martinis By: P.M Carson
-Into the Deep By: Kylie Stewart
-The Spy Who Kissed Me By: Sharla Lovelace
Ms. Jolie and Ms. Stewart are authors whose work I am quite familiar with- but Ms. Carson and Ms. Lovelace are new-to-me- so reading this anthology has not only given me stories from two authors I already love, but introduced me to two others who I will be adding to my TBR and reading more of in the future.
Each story was well written and engaging, keeping me entertained from beginning to end. I highly recommend this anthology, you really should dive in right now, you really won’t be disappointed!
Thank you to all the contributing authors!
Layla’s Chance
What a wonderful short romance! Layla is a successful 40 year old lawyer who was just passed over for a promotion given to someone younger. Needing to escape, she flies to Martha’s Vineyard. Here she encounters Chance, a 27 year old rock star. The sparks fly and they spend a blissful 2 days together. But several potential issues to their having a committed relationship stand in their way. Layla does much soul searching and realizes she needs to take a chance in Chance. Hot, steamy, great read!
Dirty martinis
Rachel and Drew are two highly motivated career oriented people with no time for personal relationships, only sexual hookups. They meet each other online and continue an online sexual encounter. Eventually they meet in person and their love and career plans go out the window. Rachel holds fast to her career plan though and after going through success and tragedy realizes that success means nothing without someone with whom to share it. Great story.
Into the deep
Gemma has returned home after a short, failed marriage. She looks at a house owned by much older Grayson. Sparks fly between the two but Grayson’s past and Gemma’s sister come between them. Can they overcome their age difference and families and make this relationship work? Great short read with lots of steamy romance.
The spy who kissed me
Ava is a lawyer who has thrown her whole life into her work to the exclusion of family and friends. Believing she is due for a promotion, she instead is sent to personally deliver paperwork to a client by air. She runs into Dominic, who is ex-CIA, trying to trap the man responsible for his brother’s death. The paperwork she is to deliver entangles her with Dominic and a run for their lives. It is a quick read with intrigue and lots of passion!
Loved this anthology of short romance stories. Quick and easy. Perfect for a lazy afternoon. I enjoyed the quick stories. Each author provided an enjoyable tale with relatable characters. This anthology is one that will be enjoyed by most romance readers.
This is a collection of short stories by four great authors. These are a collection of stories about strong, confident women who are willing to take big risks with their choices. Four women and all four looking to make a change in their lives. How much change are they ready for when the unexpected steps into their lives. Each story is different and I highly recommend reading all of them. You won’t regret picking up this book!
Reckless: A Steamy Contemporary Romance Anthology
By: by Mika Jolie, Kylie Stewart, P.M. Carson, Sharla Lovelace
5 out of 5 stars
The anthology Reckless is a collection of 4 stories that I loved reading. They each have characters that I enjoyed reading about. I found myself turning pages to see how everything works out. Some of the characters are not lucky when in a relationship, some have been badly hurt so they feel they are broken, and some believe that what they are having is just a fling. No matter the case, when they meet the attraction that they feel for each other, is off the charts and undeniable. I love how each author makes you feel the emotions that each couple is feeling. My emotions went up and down just like theirs did. These characters have a passion and desire for each other. Will these characters open their hearts up to each other and take a chance at love no matter how reckless it may seem? Read these stories to find out. These stories also have some very steamy scenes that will make the temperature in the room rise. There are scenes where the characters act and I want to shout out to them asking why they did what they did. There are other moments that warmed my heart. This is an anthology that I would recommend for anyone who loves the romance genre.
This is a compilation of four totally different hot stories in one book. What more could you ask for? Each one is completely different from the others. It’s not your normal romance novel. But it’s totally enjoyable and just a little naughty at times and completely swoon worthy. It was a buffet of goodness. Each story could stand totally on their own and was not repetitious of the others.
Laylas Chance by Mika Jolie captivated me it was an older woman, younger man story and in no way did you feel skeevy reading it. It was romantic, tasteful and swoony. I loved every moment of this story. It took away stigmas and highlighted true emotions. It could’ve been a full length novel and I would’ve been ecstatic. I must say though this story read like a full book. I didn’t feel slighted in anyway. This was my first read by this author and I will definitely be reading more.
All the stories were of equal caliber for reading. Dirty Martinis was online dating story. Get ready for all the feels with this one.
Into the Deep was older man, younger woman story. The heroine is extremely mature and there is a really good story. The background for both their lives is extremely interesting and plausible.
The Spy Who Kissed Me kind of speaks for itself. It’s a romantic thriller. It doesn’t disappoint.
I hope you enjoy this read I certainly did!
Do you dip your toe in the water before diving right in?
That’s exactly what this set is all about. It’ll give you an insight into the wonderful books that these four amazing authors bring to our hot and sweaty hands.
And after reading these books, you’re hands will be hot and sweaty!
A great way to find new authors that you will love I’m sure.
A Very Delightful and Enjoyable Read!
Reckless Anthology is a collection of four enjoyable, fun, and dazzling standalone novellas never before published. I can’t remember the last time I read an anthology that it was entirely delightful and enjoyable.
Each novella is swoon-worthy, captivating, entertaining and truly exciting. They’re well-written, and remember, is a variaty of 4 amazing themes in the romance genre by 4 talented authors, that in all honesty, most of them were new to me, but not anymore. I’m looking forward from more of they amazing stories!!
All in all, I really enjoyed this anthology and highly recommend that you give it a try!!
Be Bold and Fearless!
Layla’s Chance by Mika Jolie – 5 stars
Layla and Chance sizzle with chemistry and passion. Their love story is fun, flirty, and fast paced. I adored these characters and was enthralled by their bond. There is heat and heart and a HEA. I wanted more!
Dirty Martinis by PM Carson- 4 stars
This story surprised me. It is sexy, dirty and I loved it! Drew and Rachel are strong, bold, and intoxicating. The passion between them ignites right out the gate and never lets up. They bring the heat, but also a tremendous amount of tenderness and heart. A beautiful love story.
I absolutely loved this anthology!! Each of the stories have the reckless theme and some other similarities but have individual story lines with very different characters and circumstances. I found myself reading late into the night because I just couldn’t put it down. I fell in love with the characters, especially those in The Spy Who Kissed Me. I would love to see more of them!!
Recklessly Amazing! All 4 stories were great, I loved the characters, their stories, all of it
This anthology was interesting. Each author and book had a risk and reckless about it. Reckless with your heart or your life.
Each story had different characters, and stories. But all had that one element. And it worked really well.
They all end up being romantic stories.
I highly recommend this book. Wtmo
I’m going to review each novella in the Reckless anthology separately. The first novella is Layla’s Chance by Mika Jolie which I give 2*. I don’t like giving poor reviews but I do believe in being honest and in my opinion I felt that this novella dragged. It’s told almost completely from Layla’s first person POV. The story contains very little dialogue and is told mostly in Layla’s thoughts. She’s 40, upset that she didn’t get the promotion that went to a younger colleague so she has taken off from Chicago for a weekend in Martha’s Vineyard. She meets an attractive man and decides to have a fling. His name is Chance and she finds out later that he’s a 27 year old rock celebrity. As their two days wind down, Chance wants more and Layla is hesitant to go for it. There’s a lot to this story that I didn’t connect with namely who finds their soul mate and recognizes it after 48 hours? Also to any woman in their 40’s out there like me who has sons that are 27 (also my sons ages) do you really see them connecting with someone that is 40? So sorry this one didn’t work for me. Next…P.M. Carson’s Dirty Martinis. This story starts off as two high powered business people meet through a dating hook up site. Neither have the time or interest in more. Drew Canelli is meeting Rachel Daine for the first time and doesn’t think that it is possible for her to live up to his imagination. Rachel think the same and they are both so pleasantly surprised that their one night hook up turns into a weekend and then doesn’t stop. Why the 4*? Because of the something more! You get to know the backgrounds of both of these characters and what led them to a superficial lifestyle when they both really want more. The story is told from dual POV and is definitely steamy. Next…Into The Deep by Kylie Stewart. Right now this is my 5* favorite! It’s probably the trope because I love a good romance that is found when you least expect it and that’s what this is. Gemma is 28 and has returned to her hometown after her divorce. Her older sister Tara caught her husband with the best man just hours after the wedding and they weren’t playing cards! Gemma is looking for a home to start rebuilding her life and for her photography business. She is shown the house of her dreams that is being sold by the older man of her high school dreams! Grayson is 40 and has also went through an ugly divorce. Since then he has been sleeping with every single woman in sight. When they meet at a local event Gemma decides to have a night of fun with Grayson but what happens is that these two have a connection that could be so much more if the odds weren’t stacked against them. It’s told from dual POV and is steamy with a capital S! Last novella is The Spy Who Kissed Me by Sharla Lovelace. I really enjoyed this fast moving undercover spy caper. We have Ava James, workaholic lawyer that is planning on making partner, however she ends up getting a tray of coffee dumped on her and if her day couldn’t get any worse gets sent on an errand that normally is the job of an assistant to deliver her bosses package to Portland. What she doesn’t know is that her boss is a criminal under surveillance by rogue CIA operative Dominic who wants justice for his brother Mason’s death. As gritty as this sounds there”s still a lot of laughs and heat too! It’s written from dual POV and is a definite 4* novella. So all in all this was an enjoyable anthology even though I didn’t enjoy Mika Jolie’s work I still recommend this to romance fans.
This review is for Layla’s Chance book 1 in the Reckless Anthology.
This novella is set in Martha’s Vineyard and it’s Layla and Chance’s story, Layla a lawyer has escaped to the Vineyard after being professionally devasted on her birthday she needs some space she needs time to lick her wounds and work out where her life is going what she doesn’t expect is a chance meeting with a younger guy will not only turn her life around but it will also make her future very clear. Chance maybe younger than Layla but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know what he wants to him age is just a number but can he convince Layla that his philosophy to life is the best…..
This may have been a quick read but that doesn’t mean it’s not a page turner I was hooked from the first page. All of the authors in this anthology are new to me and I will time permitting make sure I read every other story purely because I enjoyed Layla’s Chance so much, it was nice to see love from an older woman’s perspective and I loved the characters as well as the storyline, looking forward to reading the rest of this anthology and more from Mika Jolie.
Layla’s Chance
Mika Jolie
Older woman, younger man
Famous musician
Decades old insecurities about being left
Instant attraction and chemistry
Societal stereotypes
They all come together to tell an amazing story of love, leaving, figuring out what is really important and going for it no matter what.
Dirty Martinis
P.M. Carson
Great story that hits every emotion.
Into the Deep
Kylie Stewart
Great story
Love Gemma and Grayson and how they bring out the best in each other even after the bad experiences they’ve both had.
Very steamy!!!! Loved it.
The Spy Who Kissed Me
Sharla Lovelace
Another first read for me by another great author. I’ll definitely be reading more of her stuff.
Ava has a “bad day” at work and kind of goes off the rails when she finds out the promotion she’s been working for has been given to a guy who doesn’t really deserve it. She just doesn’t realize the task she was in the middle of is going to put her life in danger.
That’s where Dominic comes in. He’s been watching and will do whatever it takes to keep her safe while working to take down the bad guys.
The chemistry is off the charts; the suspense and drama keeps the story gripping and intense.
In all honesty, I approach novellas with trepidation. I’m a lover of big books and can be hard to please in stories shorter than 200 pages. Imagine my surprise when I started reading the first of the four stories within this anthology and I was completely in love. Below are my quick reviews of the separate stories (not in order of appearance.)
Layla’s Chance by Mika Jolie: This was my first story by author Mika Jolie and afterwards I was scrambling to check out her back list. This was an older woman/younger man romance that was meaningful in its introspection, as well as achingly romantic. I was absolutely seduced by the realistic dialogue and sweetly written prose. Simply writing this review has brought me back into this couple’s world and longing for more stories like this. Overall, impressed and excited to discover more of this author’s work. A favorite in the anthology.
The Spy Who Kissed Me by Sharla Lovelace: Another fabulous story that leaned more towards the quirky and suspenseful side involving a lawyer and ex-CIA operative. I started reading and didn’t want to stop. Wonderful characters, swift pacing, some intense action, and a lot of fun and sexy times. Sharla Lovelace writes some wonderful full-length stories and I can’t imagine how she was able to reign in her creativity and keep this at a novella length. Regardless, I was captivated by this clever and quirky story. Another favorite in the anthology.
Into the Deep by Kylie Stewart: This was an older man/younger woman romance that kept me turning pages. A worthy inclusion to the anthology that drew me into the romance and connection between Gemma and Grayson. Maybe not my favorite, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Dirty Martinis by P.M. Carson: Unfortunately, this story just wasn’t for me in regards to writing style and story line. I’m sure many others will enjoy it. Since I didn’t complete the story, I won’t be rating it.
Layla’s Chance by Mika Jolie
With her dreams shattered, Layla heads for Martha’s Vineyard for something she never does. A vacation. Time to think and regroup. Not to mention celebrate her birthday. Alone. But a stranger may change all her plans.
Chance Santos is lead singer of the hottest band in the country right now. But the woman has him transfixed. Enchanted almost. And she has no idea who he is.
But the attraction is instantaneous and can’t be denied. Only she wants a one night stand. Something he can tell is out of her character. But after a weekend he wants more. Only her finding out who he is and his career choice makes that impossible for her. She is much older, not to mention scarred by her fathers choice of music over his family. Will they be able to overcome the obstacles and make a go of it?
Dirty Martinis by P.M. Carson
Drew must meet her. In person. He needs more than phone and computer. He needs more that the hot nights they spend playing at their fantasy. But Rachel is hesitant. And after they finally meet he doesn’t understand why. Never has he ever felt anything like that with anyone but her. But she won’t let him in and the deeper he falls the more she fights it.
Rachel can’t need him, won’t need him. With all the responsibility on her she can’t let him in. But how she wants to. She longs to lean on someone. After she is dear a devastating blow, she can’t get over it. And as she finds out, even in death her loved ones speak and bring her peace.
Into the Deep by Kylie Stewart
Gemma is alone and humiliated. Her husband, with is best friend/best man, at their wedding reception. She has no choice but to go home. And finding her dream home just mayead her to her fantasy. He was more than she could have asked for and all she never knew she wanted. Now if only her sister could see it.
Grayson Turner has longer for the chance to make up for his fathers misdeeds. And now he has the chance, if the town will let him. But tonight he can’t get Gemma out of his mind. Meeting her at his house was a surprise. And even more when he sees her at the bar. Now only a night with her will sate his desire for her. And it was more than even he could imagine. But with finding out who her damiy is he can only hope she will want to see him again, be with him again. And even though Gemma hasn’t known him long she knows he’s not his father. Can she help the town and her family see that he’s all they need, all that she needs?
The Spy Who Kissed Me by Sharla Lovelace
Ava’s dreams are shattered. She’s worked her whole life and for what, to be passed up yet again for the promotion she deserved?? Never again. And she’ll not be the little errand boy her boss seems to want her to be. She can’t be spontaneous, a risk taker, well she will show them all. And take her bosses file and head to another country. Nowhere they would even think. But the danger, and sexy traveler she didn’t expect.
Dominic never expected Ava to be thrown into the mix. Trying to bring down his brothers murderers is all he can think about but he won’t risk her. The only one to take the time to make his brother whole even if it was for 5 min a day. Now he has to follow and keep her safe. But he can’t fight the attraction for another minute. And she blows his mind. And his distraction with her almost cost her life. Now he must confess everything to her. All she has known has been based on lies. Her job, his brother even his presence there. But nothing will keep him from protecting her. Will he be able to make her see he’s more than just the spy who kissed her, he’s the man who loves her.
This book kept me on my toes! Reminded me so much of parts of my life and my current relationship! AMAZING! Read it in one day!
The Reckless anthology is a collection of steamy and romantic stories from four very talented romance authors: Mika Jolie, P.M. Carson, Kylie Stewart, and Sharla Lovelace.
The men are all sexy, including a rock star, a businessman who finds love on a dating app, a rugged silver fox with a dreamy voice, and a spy who saves the damsel in distress.
Layla’s Chance
Layla is an overworked lawyer who runs away to Martha’s Vineyard where she accidentally bumps into Chance, a hot rocker who only has eyes for her.
Dirty Martini’s
Drew was dared to try a dating app where he met Rachel, the woman of his dreams. Will she slow down long enough for the two of them to meet, or will their relationship remain in cyberspace?
Into The Deep
Gemma was house hunting when she met the owner, a sexy silver fox who was so handsome she almost stopped breathing. Will he offer to give her a private tour?
The Spy Who Kissed Me
Ava bumped into Dominic at the airport where she was leaving on an assignment for her boss. When her plans and destination suddenly change, Dominic follows her. But she is unaware that he has been following her all along.
I love this Anthology because the stories are magical, the characters are swoon-worthy, and it shows us that love is unexpected and always worth it All of the authors are new to me and I can’t wait to read more of their wonderful books.
Mika Jolie, Kylie Stewart, P.M. Carson and Sharla Lovelace came together to give readers the Reckless Anthology to bring readers original novellas. Mika and Kylie, I have read before and love them. P.M. Carson and Sharla Lovelace were new-to-me.
I loved Layla’s Chance by Mika Jolie. An older woman/younger man story. A woman looking to escape for a while finds more than she ever bargained for. A great short story with strong characters who shared a strong connection and chemistry.
Dirty Martinis by P.M. Carson gave us a story about two people who meet over a dating site and have been flirting by texting and video finally meet in person and the sparks fly!
Into the Deep by Kylie Stewart is a story about second chances and moving on. I loved Gemma Grayson so much. They had a strong connection and found more than either of them could have imagined.
The Spy Who Kissed Me by Sharla Lovelace was a story about a woman who was impulsive and somehow got herself in a whole lot of trouble. Could she trust Dominic? This was a nice surprise that was intriguing, and romantic.
Read and reviewed for Sultry Sirens Book Blog.
Happy reading!