I loved him before I knew what the word meant. From skinned knees to first dates and everything in between. But he was never mine to love. I settled for friendship, even though I always wanted more. That was before. Before he ripped my world apart and didn’t bother sticking around to help me pick up the pieces. I knit every last shred back together all on my own. And I’ve all but forgotten his …
And I’ve all but forgotten his name.
Now, he’s back, and everything is torn apart once more.
But he’s not the only one doing the tearing this time.
And there might be no stopping the person who has it out for us both.
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Whoa – that was such a rollercoaster, and I don’t want to get off. Violet, Ford and Isabelle are the terrible trio, where one is you’ll usually find the others. But one night changes everything and Isabelle’s world comes crashing down. Ten years later, Ford’s back and Bell (as she is now called) is no longer “Trouble” as he used to call her, but a stunningly sexy woman working in his family’s bar and restaurant. But with the hate and animosity oozing from Bell, Ford needs to find out what he did and how he can fix it. As Bell and Ford get closer, it becomes clear that someone is not happy about Ford being back and his closeness to Bell, and as things escalate, no one is safe. All I can say is I Love, Love, Love this book and Ms. Cowles has done it again – can’t wait for Kenna and Crosby next.
Let me start with this book deserves more than five stars! Catherine just keeps getting better with each book she writes! I loved this so much! I was instantly hooked and didnt want to put the book down. This book has something for everyone. Suspense, humor….you will get all the feels while reading this one! I cannot wait for the next!
Received an arc for an honest review
I say it every time, but her books just keep getting better. Catherine is such an excellent storyteller. She is able to engage her readers and make them feel as though they are in the book. The angst of trying to figure out what was going to happen next kept me reading into the wee hours of the morning to finish. I was experiencing the highs, lows and everything in between, right along with Bell and Ford. They are absolutely adorable and my new favorite couple of hers. There was the perfect amount of romance, humor and suspense to keep me swiping page after page. Phenomenal book!!!
4.5 Stars
What an amazing beginning to a brand new series by Catherine! I love a good second chance romance and this story delivered on all points. As soon as I read the prologue I was hooked, I knew I wouldn’t be able to put this book down until I reached the end.
Isabelle “Bell” was sixteen when tragedy struck, and her life was turned upside down. The one thing that Bell needed most was her best friend. But since he was hurting too, he left and never looked back. Now, more than a decade later Bell is still living on Anchor Island and working at the bar and restaurant the Hardy’s own. They’ve become more of a family than hers ever was. Bell’s life is looking up, but all that changes once Ford storms back to town.
Ford Hardy left Anchor Island when he was eighteen. The pain and memories after a tragedy were too much for him to handle. The guilt of what happened and of him leaving Bell eats at him. He’s made his life a success by owning and running his own bars, but he’s always felt like something was missing. After years of staying away from his hometown, he’s forced to return, but with his return comes consequences.
Bell and Ford once had an unbreakable friendship, but that changed once Ford left. Now with his return they must see if that friendship can be saved. There are many obstacles to overcome and trust to be earned, but it’s unmistakable that the connection that Bell and Ford once had is still there. And once Bell and Ford get to know each other again, those missing pieces that were lost are put back together.
Reckless Memories gave me all the feels. It was filled with mystery, suspense, second chances, love, and above all, hope. This beautiful romance struck my heart and my emotions. Catherine did an incredible job at weaving a story with heartbreak, letting go of the past, and learning to forgive and heal. I can’t wait for more of this addicting new series.
Whew. This one was an emotional doozy. It is not often that a novel actually brings me to tears, but this one did exactly that, a few times. I just couldn’t handle the emotional roller coaster this book was page after page. I managed though and it was amazing and absolutely worth it.
This book is the first book in a new series from Catherine and if you love a good CR that pulls at your heart and has a fantastic plot line, then this book is for you.
A tragic accident rips this small town apart and the lives of these two characters. Throw them back together years later and watch the story unfold. These two have so much baggage it needs its own moving truck to trail behind them. Watching them deal wit hit wile also confronting what is currently in front of them was amazing.
I loved getting to meet a whole new crew in this world and get an idea of who else is going to get a story because I am completely here for it. I feel for this crew HARD and am obsessed with who is getting a story next.
Emotional and riveting, this is a novel that keeps you hooked page after page with complex characters and a plot that thickens the more ages you turn. Go buy it. Get hooked too.
Woah this is an emotional one, but I loved it. Friends to lovers does not adequately describe Ford and Bell’s relationship. I could tell from the very beginning that the two were so much more than friends. You could tell it was just something special, but one tragedy and eleven years have come between them. Your heart will break for both of these characters but don’t worry it doesn’t stay that way.
I am so glad this is the start of a new series because there are so many characters that I have fallen in love with and Kenna and Caelyn, Hunter and Crosby and even sheriff Parker Raines. I cannot wait to get my hands on more from Anchor and am super excited that Kenna and Crosby are next.
**I did receive a free advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest review**
I have not been disappointed by a Catherine Cowles book yet and I don’t think it’s ever going to happen. Like the other books she’s written, Reckless Memories hits you with the feels. It is so good!
Isabelle “Bell” didn’t want to live in anyone’s shadow or be superficial like her mother. She wanted to forge her own path and be her own person. Ford Hardy was the one that truly saw her but he wasn’t hers. First love is the hardest to get over. You’ll be taken on a journey of devastation, hurt, healing and love. Just to add more interest, there is a bit of suspense as well that wraps up the story nicely. The epilogue in Reckless Memories was great and an amusing segue into the next book featuring one of Bell’s BFFs, Kenna. I cannot wait for this one! This is a voluntary review of an advance reader copy.
** spoiler alert ** This book pulled at ALL of my heart strings. I couldn’t help, but feel for Bell when it came to everyone’s expectations and the pressure she was under. I didn’t blame her when she had her walls up, BUT to see her blossom and accept the love and help from those around her was a beautiful thing. Ford tore me up with his guilt because I could understand his thinking, but to see him open up and accept the accident for what it was, was truly heartwarming. I loved how he went after what he felt and wanted and wasn’t going to back down. Great read and cannot wait for more in this series!
Childhood Friends Romance | Mystery | Suspense
WOW! I can’t remember the last time I read a book in one sitting but this with one I had no choice! I was consumed in this story and as desperate for answers as the characters were. Catherine Cowles brings her A game with this new novel and readers are going to be ferociously reading this one! I cannot wait for the next one!
Reckless Memories is a childhood friends romance with all the emotion. This book started strong and broke my heart into a million pieces. No matter though I had to continue because I needed to know what happened with Ford and his old friend Bell. Ford left town 11 years ago after an accident that shattered everyone’s world and hasn’t come home to Anchor since. But when his family needs his help with the bar, they own he makes a choice that will forever change his path in life.
Bell is doing everything she can to stay afloat. But memories of her sister and old friend continue to haunt her. No matter how hard she tried these pesky memories always seem to get in the way and when Ford comes BACK it’s even worse. Unfortunately, he’s not the kind of man she can stay away from. But someone may have other plans and it could ruin not only the new life she’s built herself, but her chance at future happiness…
Catherine Cowles slayed this book! There is truly no better way for me to describe it than that. This is a story of overcoming grief, letting go of past haunts, and learning to live again. As I mentioned, there is some mystery y thrown into the mix and I gasped when things were revealed, but it’s also a sweet story and filled with beauty! I highly recommend it to fellow readers! It’s a new favorite of mine.
This is a very emotional story. It starts out with Bell being labeled the problem child by her parents and always being compared to her “perfect” sister Violet. I could not help wanting to do something to help her but her story just gets worse.
Ford on the other hand appears to be the perfect guy. Friend of Bell and in a relationship with Violet. Again circumstances interfere and make his life much more complicated.
With interference from Bell’s parents and the small town’s opinion Ford goes off to college and then to Los Angeles. He doesn’t return home for years because he doesn’t want to face his past. Again events interfere with his life and he returns home only to face everything.
In the time he has been away plenty has changed for Bell and when he returns things are not the same between them.
This author has a way of twisting stories to make them hook me and not let go until the end. There is so many different emotions throughout this story. There are so many secondary characters that I wanted to know where their stories would take them. There also is a touch of mystery which is sort of a “really” thing. I would recommend this author and this story. I have read a few of her other stories and they held my attention all the way through. I usually get book hangover from her books wishing there was more. This is a great start to a new series and I can’t wait to read about Kenna and Crosby. They have personalities that should be entertaining.
From the moment I met Ford in Further to Fall, I knew I would love him hard. Catherine granted my wishes is giving me a new series that starts off with the first guy I feel for from the beginning… FORD!!
I’m still processing this book. It’s heavy and full of so many emotions. That’s the one thing you can count on with one of Catherine’s books. She leaves you so full of emotions, high and lows, which makes it so hard to put the book down.
Reckless Memories is a friends-to-lovers, second-chance romance in which the words paint a picture so vivid, it’s hard to describe. You feel the tension, you feel the joy and the town plays just as big of a character in the book as the people. Reading this book was like smooth poetry.
I can’t wait for more from Catherine!
WOW, another beautiful masterpiece by the incredible Catherine Cowles!!
I am so in love with Ford and Bell, their story is full of friendship, love, tragedy, forgiveness and perseverance. Ford, Bell and Violet, Belle’s sister, were the best friend trio everyone wants to have growing up. The three were always together and understood each other in ways nobody else could understand. When tragedy strikes, the trio is severed in unimaginable and heartbreaking ways. Lives are forever changed and devastated and those affected, cope the best way they know how.
When circumstances bring Bell and Ford back together many years later, it’s very clear their connection is just as strong as it always was and even stronger as adults. Watching their story unfold as they heal and forgive was beautiful and so raw. There was a surprise twist in this book that I won’t ruin in this review; but I have to say the what, who and why, I didn’t see coming! I loved the mystery in it!
I couldn’t be happier with this story and I can’t wait for the rest of this series.
“So often, we didn’t realize that the rarest and most beautiful gifts were already in our possession.”
This book was perfection since the cover was revealed!
I loved every single page of it!
It was emotional in every possible way! It destroyed me and put me back together with its turns! All the feels for this book!
I have loved Catherine’s writing since her first book. I called dibs on Austin, and then she comes and gives us Ford! I will take them both though!
Ford and Bells have a beautiful connection, they understand each other in a unique way. Their relationship was absolutely perfect!
And the rest of the gang… I need all their stories, please! Can’t wait for the next book in the series
I could not put this book down for a sec! It’s without a doubt my favorite book this year!
Catherine Cowles always delivers! New characters, new location… with everything we love from Catherine: small town, close community, essential secondary characters, a bit of suspense, and a love that is all-consuming. Bell and Ford’s story is one that is painful and difficult to navigate, but both (eventually) figure out that the struggle is worth the reward. Especially when the outcome produces a love like theirs. Cowles sucks you in from the beginning and doesn’t let you go until the end (well, sort of, because here I am still thinking about these characters). I highly recommend Reckless Memories… along with every other book by this spectacular author!
I enjoyed this book. There is a small town romance sweetness to the book, which is also paired with a bit of suspense (like the other books in this world). We really get to see the impact of a trauma over a decade ago and how it manifests in the present. I did enjoy the dialogue between Belle and Ford and the dialogue between the other characters. While I enjoyed the push and pull of the guilt, anger, and sadness, I sometimes felt like it was a bit repetitive.
This story starts 10 years ago and moves quickly to the present where Ford is asked to come back home to help the family business after avoiding it for the last 10 years. When he arrives, he realizes that the one person he was trying to avoid was the one who kept his family’s business afloat.
Catherine cowles books never cease to amaze me. She has a way of writing that is just so beautiful and draws you in. I started reading this book and did not put it down until I was finished, it was so mesmerising.
ever since further to fall I have wanted a book about Ford but I did not expect his story to be so heartbreaking. this book will tear your heart apart, pull on your heart strings before putting you back together again. Ford has completely smashed his way to the top of my favourite list and I can’t see him ever leaving there. bell is also one of my favourite girls from any book I have ever read. I don’t want to say much about the storyline and give any of it away but it is the perfect mix of romance and mystery that I have come to love in Catherine’s books.
I never thought anything could possibly top Sutter lake series but this book is without doubt Catherine’s best so far. Every book gets better and better and I cannot wait for the next book in the series. also have an inkling of the characters for the next 2 books and hope I’m correct.
I wish I could give this story more than 5stars, 5 does not seem adequate enough for it.
This was a beautiful story about missed chances and healing past wounds. Ford and Bell experienced a tragic loss that effected both of them deeply leaving scars both physically and mentally. There was a twist of suspense and mystery as we have seen in previous Catherine Cowles books that we love. While this is a complete stand-alone, we did meet Ford in Further to Fall. This world and the cast of secondary characters was amazing and I cannot wait for more stories from this series!
Oh wow. What an emotional journey this is! Ms Cowles is known for her amazing stories but she’s exceptional at putting you through the emotional wringer too! From the first page to the last your heart hurts for these characters. Even tho by the end it’s smiling the pain lingers with you for days after. I couldn’t write this review straight away I had to recover first! That said the book has some amazing moments that make you smile as well. It’s just the depth of emotion that this book evokes that makes it so memorable. You’ll fall in love with these new characters, well we met Ford in Ms Cowles first ever book Further To Fall. But this is his story and wow did he hide his past well before. When Ford comes home after being away for years his best friend Bell is devastated but with time, happy to see him. But someone else had other ideas. What follows is a tale of intrigue, drama and suspense with a heavy dose of heartbreak. This is well written and I couldn’t put it down. A great book I highly recommend. Cannot wait for the next book!
This book hit me in so many ways. The connection between these two is beyond magical, and not in a fairytale sort of way, just in the way that you can feel their connection and feel the invisible bonds that tie them together.
Ford and Isabelle have had a connection through so many years and I adored seeing how it was defined in the beginning. The words in this book pull you in and you can’t help but become immersed in this story of loss and love. How this story unfolds, how the all the characters are intricately wound within in each other keeps you engaged and makes you feel like you are there, right there, with them.
This story is so hard to do a review on because it is so good, it took my breath away and I am still trying to find my words.
One other portion that I love regarding the setting of this book is it is set around the islands that I currently live on. How Catherine Cowles describes everything is so vivid and accurate, it only added on to how involved I felt with this book. This is her absolute best writing to date.
It’s finally here! The man we have all been waiting for, asking for, begging for. Ford has finally got his own book!
We first meet Ford in Further To Fall, but you do not need to read that before reading this.
Reckless Memories is the start of a brand new series from Cowles, and get your tissues ready because she did not hold back!
Right from the start, had me crying my eyes out!
In true Catherine Cowles styles, there is a good old fashioned scooby doo mystery. And once again that little twist catches me by surprise! I thought I was being clever this time, finally wise to her shocking revelations, thought I had it all solved and figured out. Obviously I was wrong! She pulled the rug out from underneath me again, the clever minx!
Since this is the start of a new series, Cowles introduces us to all the key players in this beautiful island town, makes us fall in love with some of them and got us hating others, while also building this slow burn romance between our Ford and his Bell. With their easy banter and life-long bond it’s easy for us to route for this pair to get together. But can they work through their past? Will guilt carry more weight that love? And just what is that twist? You will have to read it to find out!
Amazing book. Her best work yet!