mooncricketjp's review against another edition
4.0
Loved it!
Just keep getting more and more into this authors books. I love this series and the characters and this one was no different even though we met a lot of new people.
Just keep getting more and more into this authors books. I love this series and the characters and this one was no different even though we met a lot of new people.
alexabyers's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Brody and Shay
Shay moved to a little island off the coast of Seattle when her life flipped upside down one night. Her little brother Michael killed her parents and then attempted to kill her. He’s been in lockup since but she knew he was afraid of water so where better to make a new life than on an island.
Brody is an artist from New York who has been dealing with sick people recreating his pieces on real people. He needs some piece and quiet and yo get away from the city so he buys the island, only a caretaker comes with the property but he wasn’t expecting Shay.
Shay moved to a little island off the coast of Seattle when her life flipped upside down one night. Her little brother Michael killed her parents and then attempted to kill her. He’s been in lockup since but she knew he was afraid of water so where better to make a new life than on an island.
Brody is an artist from New York who has been dealing with sick people recreating his pieces on real people. He needs some piece and quiet and yo get away from the city so he buys the island, only a caretaker comes with the property but he wasn’t expecting Shay.
kfriend's review against another edition
5.0
Sweepingly romantic, grippingly suspenseful, and emotionally affecting, Reckless Refuge is a beautifully heartfelt story about the restorative power of love and healing. From the first page to the last, I was enchanted by the perfect combination of swoony romance and captivating mystery. And, most certainly my favorite yet in the Wrecked series.
What a beautiful and captivating story - a story about the light, innocent, and purity of true love cast against a backdrop laden with the shadows of two innocent characters’ past and the dark depravity that has both touched and tormented both of their hearts. A contrast both beautiful and powerful- dark and light, tragedy and rebirth, peace and violence, freedom and captivity, unfiltered love and undiluted hate. Shay and Brody’s story gave me ALL of the feels- they both gently but irrevocably crawled into my heart. I found myself slowing down just to revel in the beauty of these characters and their journey- pushing myself to really revel in the immersive magic of a Catherine Cowles story.
I adore Shay and Brody- ADORE them. Like so many of CC’s story, we have two characters who find beauty as they work through their pain- a love blooms out of the pits of despair and trauma. While from very different walks of life and with Shay being considerably younger than Brody, these two characters share the desire for anonymity and peace- their need to hide from parts of their past and present that plague them. Their chemistry is gentle, but powerful- they have a profound emotional intimacy that sings from every page. There is a tenderness in the way they connect- like two souls recognizing their missing peace. The subtle depth, the quiet strength of their coupling is really touching- both healing to them as characters but also restorative to me as a human- a palpable and stunning reminder how elegant, how sweet love can be. And Brody- OH MY LORD THIS MAN. Swoon. Just swoon. And Shay is refreshingly endearing and so sincere. Both of them have such captivating character journeys- facing their demons and healing because of their love.
This has even darker elements than past stories- the suspense perfectly woven and paced with the romantic progression. One never outshining the other- all in perfect and peaceful symphony while creating a storm of emotions. And, sprinkled throughout, we have the Wrecked series characters to further enrich this story- this little island family that shows up for each other in ways big and small. And here, well, this crew has a big impact- and I loved how CC pulled them in. And the finale was shocking and mesmerizing.
What I love most about this series, and CC’s writing in general, is how tenderly she weaves in messages about living and loving. Here we have two characters hiding from their pasts, which results in them hiding themselves, shutting down parts of themselves. Until they see hope and freedom in each other. And what a beautiful thing. Their story is an empathetic and sincere push to always find the path to living fully and freely- even in the face of incredible adversity. A story that reminds us that truly living is perhaps our best, and only, true refuge.
What a beautiful and captivating story - a story about the light, innocent, and purity of true love cast against a backdrop laden with the shadows of two innocent characters’ past and the dark depravity that has both touched and tormented both of their hearts. A contrast both beautiful and powerful- dark and light, tragedy and rebirth, peace and violence, freedom and captivity, unfiltered love and undiluted hate. Shay and Brody’s story gave me ALL of the feels- they both gently but irrevocably crawled into my heart. I found myself slowing down just to revel in the beauty of these characters and their journey- pushing myself to really revel in the immersive magic of a Catherine Cowles story.
I adore Shay and Brody- ADORE them. Like so many of CC’s story, we have two characters who find beauty as they work through their pain- a love blooms out of the pits of despair and trauma. While from very different walks of life and with Shay being considerably younger than Brody, these two characters share the desire for anonymity and peace- their need to hide from parts of their past and present that plague them. Their chemistry is gentle, but powerful- they have a profound emotional intimacy that sings from every page. There is a tenderness in the way they connect- like two souls recognizing their missing peace. The subtle depth, the quiet strength of their coupling is really touching- both healing to them as characters but also restorative to me as a human- a palpable and stunning reminder how elegant, how sweet love can be. And Brody- OH MY LORD THIS MAN. Swoon. Just swoon. And Shay is refreshingly endearing and so sincere. Both of them have such captivating character journeys- facing their demons and healing because of their love.
This has even darker elements than past stories- the suspense perfectly woven and paced with the romantic progression. One never outshining the other- all in perfect and peaceful symphony while creating a storm of emotions. And, sprinkled throughout, we have the Wrecked series characters to further enrich this story- this little island family that shows up for each other in ways big and small. And here, well, this crew has a big impact- and I loved how CC pulled them in. And the finale was shocking and mesmerizing.
What I love most about this series, and CC’s writing in general, is how tenderly she weaves in messages about living and loving. Here we have two characters hiding from their pasts, which results in them hiding themselves, shutting down parts of themselves. Until they see hope and freedom in each other. And what a beautiful thing. Their story is an empathetic and sincere push to always find the path to living fully and freely- even in the face of incredible adversity. A story that reminds us that truly living is perhaps our best, and only, true refuge.
kfriend's review against another edition
5.0
Sweepingly romantic, grippingly suspenseful, and emotionally affecting, Reckless Refuge is a beautifully heartfelt story about the restorative power of love and healing. From the first page to the last, I was enchanted by the perfect combination of swoony romance and captivating mystery. And, most certainly my favorite yet in the Wrecked series.
What a beautiful and captivating story - a story about the light, innocent, and purity of true love cast against a backdrop laden with the shadows of two innocent characters’ past and the dark depravity that has both touched and tormented both of their hearts. A contrast both beautiful and powerful- dark and light, tragedy and rebirth, peace and violence, freedom and captivity, unfiltered love and undiluted hate. Shay and Brody’s story gave me ALL of the feels- they both gently but irrevocably crawled into my heart. I found myself slowing down just to revel in the beauty of these characters and their journey- pushing myself to really revel in the immersive magic of a Catherine Cowles story.
I adore Shay and Brody- ADORE them. Like so many of CC’s story, we have two characters who find beauty as they work through their pain- a love blooms out of the pits of despair and trauma. While from very different walks of life and with Shay being considerably younger than Brody, these two characters share the desire for anonymity and peace- their need to hide from parts of their past and present that plague them. Their chemistry is gentle, but powerful- they have a profound emotional intimacy that sings from every page. There is a tenderness in the way they connect- like two souls recognizing their missing peace. The subtle depth, the quiet strength of their coupling is really touching- both healing to them as characters but also restorative to me as a human- a palpable and stunning reminder how elegant, how sweet love can be. And Brody- OH MY LORD THIS MAN. Swoon. Just swoon. And Shay is refreshingly endearing and so sincere. Both of them have such captivating character journeys- facing their demons and healing because of their love.
This has even darker elements than past stories- the suspense perfectly woven and paced with the romantic progression. One never outshining the other- all in perfect and peaceful symphony while creating a storm of emotions. And, sprinkled throughout, we have the Wrecked series characters to further enrich this story- this little island family that shows up for each other in ways big and small. And here, well, this crew has a big impact- and I loved how CC pulled them in. And the finale was shocking and mesmerizing.
What I love most about this series, and CC’s writing in general, is how tenderly she weaves in messages about living and loving. Here we have two characters hiding from their pasts, which results in them hiding themselves, shutting down parts of themselves. Until they see hope and freedom in each other. And what a beautiful thing. Their story is an empathetic and sincere push to always find the path to living fully and freely- even in the face of incredible adversity. A story that reminds us that truly living is perhaps our best, and only, true refuge.
What a beautiful and captivating story - a story about the light, innocent, and purity of true love cast against a backdrop laden with the shadows of two innocent characters’ past and the dark depravity that has both touched and tormented both of their hearts. A contrast both beautiful and powerful- dark and light, tragedy and rebirth, peace and violence, freedom and captivity, unfiltered love and undiluted hate. Shay and Brody’s story gave me ALL of the feels- they both gently but irrevocably crawled into my heart. I found myself slowing down just to revel in the beauty of these characters and their journey- pushing myself to really revel in the immersive magic of a Catherine Cowles story.
I adore Shay and Brody- ADORE them. Like so many of CC’s story, we have two characters who find beauty as they work through their pain- a love blooms out of the pits of despair and trauma. While from very different walks of life and with Shay being considerably younger than Brody, these two characters share the desire for anonymity and peace- their need to hide from parts of their past and present that plague them. Their chemistry is gentle, but powerful- they have a profound emotional intimacy that sings from every page. There is a tenderness in the way they connect- like two souls recognizing their missing peace. The subtle depth, the quiet strength of their coupling is really touching- both healing to them as characters but also restorative to me as a human- a palpable and stunning reminder how elegant, how sweet love can be. And Brody- OH MY LORD THIS MAN. Swoon. Just swoon. And Shay is refreshingly endearing and so sincere. Both of them have such captivating character journeys- facing their demons and healing because of their love.
This has even darker elements than past stories- the suspense perfectly woven and paced with the romantic progression. One never outshining the other- all in perfect and peaceful symphony while creating a storm of emotions. And, sprinkled throughout, we have the Wrecked series characters to further enrich this story- this little island family that shows up for each other in ways big and small. And here, well, this crew has a big impact- and I loved how CC pulled them in. And the finale was shocking and mesmerizing.
What I love most about this series, and CC’s writing in general, is how tenderly she weaves in messages about living and loving. Here we have two characters hiding from their pasts, which results in them hiding themselves, shutting down parts of themselves. Until they see hope and freedom in each other. And what a beautiful thing. Their story is an empathetic and sincere push to always find the path to living fully and freely- even in the face of incredible adversity. A story that reminds us that truly living is perhaps our best, and only, true refuge.
bookish_noa's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
reader_trish's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
smdundore's review against another edition
4.0
I'm really enjoying this series! But there's one thing that's bothering me with this author. She uses the phrase "in a flash" waaayyyy too much! And it's in every book of hers. I'm surprised an editor hasn't caught it yet. Other than that, these stories are great!