Reckless Heart

Second Chance Romance Series, Book 2

By: Jane Suen

Narrated by: Devon Grace, Troy Duran

Length: 3 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

She broke his heart right before prom. They haven’t kept in touch since. Until a matchmaking friend brings them back together…

Brad left his hometown right after graduation, unable to stay knowing Mary had chosen his friend Jim before he could confess his feelings to her. Since then, he’s worked hard growing and building his construction business. He thought the past was behind him. Now, he’s back in town for her sister’s wedding, and he just wants to make it through the weekend without a fresh dose of heartache.

On the heels of her break-up with her ex, Mary is ready to embrace her own sexy independence. What better way than with her grade-school crush? Gone is the lanky, shy Brad she knew in school, replaced by a gorgeous, confident man... who seems hesitant to get to know her again.

Thanks to their matchmaking friend, they’re forced to face the painful misunderstandings from their teenage years. Will the secret crushes they once had give them the second chance at romance they both crave?

©2022 Jane Suen (P)2023 Jane Suen

Sweet second chance love story

This story revolves around Mary and Brad. Childhood friends who grew up together and had crushes on each other but both too shy to do anything about them. Thanks to some misunderstanding and a mistake on Marys part they go their separate ways. Till a mutual friend decides to play matchmaker after a wedding they both attend 10 yrs later. The story is of them trying to put the past behind them and work twords the future they both want now.

Devon Grace and Troy Duran did a wonderful job bringing these 2 characters to life as the narrators of this story.

I was given a copy of this book to listen to and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Reckless Heart

This was definitely a slow burn . Second chances I can definitely see that as the two characters did indeed like each other in the past . They were able to reconnect through friends and events they would throw. The narrators did a good job bringing these two to life .

Introspective, sweet, angsty, nostalgic second chance

Devon Grace and Troy Duran narrate Jane Suen's Reckless Heart in dual POV, Reckless Heart is a small-town, second chance romance in which Brad and Mary, former childhood friends and classmates, reconnect as adults when Brad is in town for Mary's sister's wedding. They lost touch after high school because Mary broke his heart right before prom. They're drawn together again by a matchmaking friend.

Suen drew me into this story with her vivid description and deft characterization of her complex, fallible, relatable, and messy characters. She tells Brad and Mary's story alternating between the present and flashbacks to the past, mostly in the characters thoughts and memories. Suen develops their relationship through sweet, sexy, funny, emotional, and intimate interactions filled with longing, awareness, and barely repressed emotiions threatening to spill over.

Narrators Grace and Duran sound older than I would expect for their ages, especially Brad. But as the novel progresses and Brad and Mary spent more time together their narration seemed to soften.
Their narration provided distinct voices for the characters, using cadence, tone, pacing, to capture the characters' emotions and states of mind.

I love friends-to-lovers romances, especially when love is perceived unrequited as here, All the pining, yearning, and things unspoken that between them is overwhelming. Weighed against Brad' anger and bitterness, still, the way it's resolved was unsatisfying to me. The novel is so short, I think some other scenes could have been sacrificed instead of proper resolution for the issues between them. It made the really sweet, romantic ending hard for me to enjoy because I was frustrated and disappointed.

Nevertheless, Reckless Heart is an introspective, sweet, angsty, sexy, funny, and, nostalgic audio listen for second chance, small town, secret crush, closed-door romance fans.

Brad and Mary

Listening to Reckless Heart definitely fits the second chance and slow-burn romance troupes.

At some points, I thought it was slow and repetitive.

Brad and Mary both had crushes with each other when they were in school. But, life kept them apart.

Mary with a relationship with their friend, Jim, broke Brad's heart. Brad with his leaving for the city for college and a new job.

When they met again after Mary left her relationship at another friend's wedding.

And one of their friends decided that they were perfect for each other. Which makes you learn everything that had happened ten years prior and what has happened since.

Troy and Devon played the parts of Brad and Mary well and I thought that they both had very soothing voices and would listen to other audiobooks they read.

I would read or listen to Jane's books again.

Loved it!

This was my first listen/read of Jane's and I adored this second chance story of Brad and Mary.
When Mary chose Jim as her beau it had crushed Brad and instead of confessing his feelings for her he up and left town, heartbroken.
Years later Brad returns because of his sister's wedding and old feelings come rushing back. What he doesnt expect is for Mary to be single or even interested in him.
This is a sweet second chance romance with feels. The narration - was amazing, beautiful voices both soothing and also deep and ric. It was an easy story to listen to and follow.