WILD RECKLESS (The Harper Boys Duet #1) by GINGER SCOTT

‘Just then, I realize, he’s not really wild at all. He’s heartbroken. And maybe I don’t hate him as much as I thought.’

The prologue for Wild Reckless is told in young Owen Hartley’s pov about a day he will never forget and what a way to draw us into a story!  It was unbelievably sad and just about broke our hearts. What a tragic, gut wrenching introduction it was, and from that moment on we were emotionally and inexplicably drawn to this young boy who had our hearts instantaneously.

‘Owen isn’t falling apart; he was never together.’

Moving to the present, Owen has become quite the troubled, defensive, and somewhat rebellious young man, yet we could forgive him anything considering the events that shaped his life and how much he’d already wormed his way into our hearts.

“I think I need you to love me, because that’s literally all I’ve got.”

The present story is told entirely in Kensington’s (Kensi) pov as we follow her reluctantly starting a new life in Woodstock, and a new school. Kensi is a gifted musician but mostly bends to please her father and what his wishes are for her future.

Kensi meets her neighbour Owen, who delights in antagonising and taunting her, making Kensi’s move even more of a misery. However, Kensi is drawn to Owen after hearing stories of his past and his reckless and thrill seeking ways.

‘I’m starting a war with a guy who doesn’t lose – a guy who doesn’t play by the rules.’

As hairline cracks start to appear in Owen’s façade, Kensi is overcome with a determination to discover what lies beneath the troubled Owen, wanting to separate the truth from the gossip that plagues Owen and his family.

‘I want to know all about Owen Harper and his life and his past and those rumors. I want his story.’

Owen was so resigned, at times so defeated and so accepting of his life that discovering the burden this young man carried, the selflessness and the responsibility he shouldered was heartbreaking. We felt his pain and sorrow deeply.

Ginger Scott created two soulful and endearing characters in Kensi and Owen. We felt everything. Their struggles, their confusion and pain as they seek to find their place.  This story brought to life the beauty, the conflict, the confusion, the hurt – all the complexities of first love between a beautiful and vulnerable young man and the tenacious wonderful girl who refused to give up on him.

‘Since the moment my eyes met Owen Harper’s, he has owned me, terrified me, consumed me…’

Wild Reckless deals with some hard-hitting and sensitive subjects and the author herself admits this story only scratches the surface of the daily struggles people in these situations face, the effect on the family and friends. All of which makes this story emotional, gritty unforgettable, and moving yet also uplifting.

“It’s because the Harper brothers have wild hearts.”

There are scenes of intimacy that are handled so beautifully we couldn’t help but clutch our hearts as we felt every moment of connection and emotion in these scenes. In some respects this makes this story an older YA.

‘Owen Harper shot me through the heart that day he pointed his finger at me and pulled the trigger. I fell for him then, and I’ve been falling every day since. All I wanted was for him to catch me.’

Wild Reckless was both charming and heartbreaking. It’s a story of friendship, love, loss and finding your place. This was a superbly written story and one told with love, sensitivity and a foreboding that pours off the pages. This is only our second book by Ginger Scott and she’s already become a firm favourite of ours. Don’t miss this one!