A review by kfriend
Reckless Refuge by Catherine Cowles
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.