Reckless Passion

Reckless #2

by Amanda Young

Beau Bradbury has it all. He's good looking, owns a lucrative business, and has an endless supply of hunks vying for his attention. His uptight personal assistant shouldn't rate a bleep on his radar, but there's just something about Adam that Beau can't resist.

One night of drunken passion leads to nearly a year of secret trysts during office hours. Adam keeps his private life confidential, while Beau pretends to want nothing more than a good time. It's a good arrangement, until a simple phone call ruins the status quo and makes Beau green with envy.

Frustrated that Adam might be seeing someone else, Beau tries to put his attraction to the younger man behind him. However, all that changes with the introduction of Adam's son. Instantly smitten with the sweet little boy, Beau is all the more driven to claim Adam for his own. All he has to do is convince his wary lover to open his heart and trust that there's more to Beau than his playboy persona suggests.

Genres: M M Romance, Contemporary, Romance, BDSM, Erotica, Gay, Contemporary Romance

143 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 3, 2009

About the author

A bestselling author of erotic romance, Amanda Young penned her first romance at eighteen. That novel was promptly deleted before it could traumatize innocent readers. After several years of honing her craft, Amanda went on to receive her first publishing contract in 2006.

A vivid imagination and a passion for all the things that go bump in the night has led Amanda to create provocative stories that push boundaries and dare readers to expand their comfort zones. Since she tends to write whatever strikes her fancy, her novels fall into many different subgenres. Among her available titles you’ll find contemporary and paranormal settings, gay and straight themes alike.

Amanda Young lives in Virginia with her husband, daughter, and two pampered pooches. When she’s not writing, she can usually be found chasing after a mischievous toddler or daydreaming about the characters in her next book. She loves to hear from her readers, and can be found on Facebook and Twitter. Her website, www.amandayoung.org, is where you can find up-to-date information on all of Amanda’s current and upcoming releases.

Reviews

[Katrina Passick Lumsden · Rating 2 out of 5]

Between inferences that sexual enjoyment is slutty, an Italian restaurant named La Famiglia (There Family?), considering happy tears silly, and phrases like "intimate persuasion" and "Molotov cocktail of fear", this book did not endear itself to me.

[Dina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and straight to the point: I like Ms. Young's writing style, loved Adam, didn't care much for Beau. The book description says, "All Beau has to do is convince his wary lover Adam to open his heart and trust that there’s more to Beau than his playboy persona suggests." Well, Adam was convinced but I wasn't... Beau was certainly in lust with Adam, but in love? Sorry, I didn't buy it.

[Erotic Horizon · Rating 4 out of 5]

When business man Beau Bradbury finds his mind straying from the job at hand – that is running is nightclub business – he ends up not thinking of the mundane, but of his newest assistant, Adam Winger.

Beau is attracted to everything about Adam, from his mannerism to the little nuances that Adam has about himself. Beau however is not looking for anything permanent all he wants is to sample the goods while making sure he does not end up losing a damn good assistant because of it.

Things goes better than even Beau would have imagined – because he goes right from a fantasy to the real thing all in the space of an afternoon and he still have his assistant at the end of it. Yet Beau is still not satisfied.

As much has Adam loves his job there is something about his boss that he just cannot resist. With passions running high Adam is definately surprised that their first afternoon delight has lasted so long – all of a year, and yet he was literally at the same place that he was a year ago when it comes to how close he had gotten to Beau.

Beau is not the most important part of Adam’s life however and that person must always take first priority in Adam life – no matter how much he loves his job. When a personal matter has Adam hightailing it home and does not make an appearance for a day or three Beau gets concern and goes calling- what he find is not only a surprise but a rather pleasant one at that.

With a change of heart of how he wants his relationship to go with Adam – he has to find a way to get Adam to realize that they have a chance at a good thing. Fate steps in and plays an unfair hand to one of these guys, but it was just the advantage one needed to make his move.

RECKLESS PASSION is the third book in the Reckless series and I am having only sweet thoughts about this one. Beau from the previous two books in the series was more of a hard ass than the more laid back beau that I got in this book.

I was a little thrown by that to be honest but once I saw that this was just a side of Beau that I was just never exposed to I was good to carry on. Beau love men, from the first few scenes it feels like he thinks of nothing else except getting a hot hunky guy into his bed, even his exercise regime is geared towards this. The only down side to all that for Beau is get rid of the guy the next morning or even the same night if truth be told.

Beau knows the fact that he is rich is the biggest calling card for most of his hook ups – he knows nothing about Adam however to make that judgment, he only knows he wants him and needs to get into his pants.

I like Adam from the moment I met him, even the fact that he gave it up so easily to Beau did not change my mind about how great a guy he is. His character is wonderfully developed and done in such a way that it feels personal – so I struggled with him, I wanted the best for him – but more than anything else I wanted him to have a little fun.

Beau and Adam together are fast and furious, their lust was all about spontaneity and I was so all about that…

With Beau’s nephew, Cory making an appearance and the business of the club being introduce I got to see where Cory was at with his love life as well as how plans were going for the growth of the club.

Amanda Young is a really difficult author for me to review – I have actually read most of her books and have reviewed quite a few of them, I stopped awhile ago because she is an author that just gets it right for me and sometimes that hard to put into word.

In RECKLESS PASSION she has a wonderful playful side to her characters and she does not try to reinvent the wheel with her plot, she developed on what’s already known and she tosses in some hotter than hell smut and some realistic scenario.

I absolutely enjoyed this series and RECKLESS PASSION was a wonderful third book to this series.

[Ami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awwww, the third story from the Reckless series is just so, so sweet!!! I always feel that Beau has some kind of interest in his personal assistant, Adam ... from the first time I read their quick scene on book #1: "Reckless Seduction". In this story, Amanda Young quickly opens with a bang, where Beau and Adam go at it. What follows is actually a very sweet story on how Beau realizes he wants his relationship with Adam to mean so much more, that he is in love with him.

Added to the mix is Adam's four your old son that steals Beau's heart just like his father does. He just needs to convince Adam about that. Adam, on the other hand, feels the same way, but his economy condition makes him unable to trust Beau whole-heartedly, for fear that it's all just a fantasy and that he will have to face bitter reality someday. It's not just his heart that is on the line but also his son.

I enjoy the story very much. I swear, the love declaration from Beau is just one of the sweetest that I have ever read in Amanda Young's stories -- or any m/m romance stories for that matter

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Beau in this one, it showed that he can be vulnerable and uncertain when he's in love too. And I loved that it took him forever to figure out what anyone could see from the beginning, that he absolutely loves Adam Winger. And Adam and his son were adorabel together. Heavy sigh, my favorite of the three so far.

[Charly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leans just a bit toward mushy/dramatic for my taste

Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.

Rating: 6/10

PROS:
- I was intrigued by the characters and their situation, not least because they’re so different yet so closely associated with each other.
- The two guys and Adam’s son make up a sweet little family.

CONS:
- The men have a very hard time communicating, which is frustrating as a reader. One will start a conversation and go only half as far as he needs to, and then assume that because the other man didn’t understand where he was going, everything is doomed. The whole thing smacked of artificial drama to me on more than one occasion.
- At the very beginning of this story, at location 122, Beau “ha[s] no intention of acting on his desire to” sleep with Adam; then 5 pages later, he’s making a move. That sort of inconsistency makes me distrust writing, particularly when it happens so early on in a story. And there are multiple instances like this, when it seemed to me like the writer was saying something just because it sounded good, and not because it actually made a lot of sense within the context of the rest of the story.
- I really don’t like reading phonetic spellings of childspeak.

Overall comments: I’m not a fan of made-up drama, which this leans toward just a bit here and there in my opinion. That said, I did enjoy the romance itself, which isn’t very realistic given Beau’s wealth and Adam’s near-poverty… but it’s a cute fantasy.

[Jenn (not Lily) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 stars...it's not bad. The sex was ok, the characters were a little one-dimensional, and the plot is sort of boring, but I can get over that. The problem has arrived now that I'm thinking about the characters here and the characters from the previous book. My problem is math...

So, Beau is 33. Adam is 21. OK, all good. Cody, Beau's nephew who he raised, is 19. Beau took Cody in when his parents were killed -- Cody was 5. If Cody is 14 years younger than Beau, then Beau was 19 years old. Not that it's not possible for someone to raise their family at that age, but I doubt Beau was independently wealthy at 19, and there's no way he owned a kink club at that age. Would it have been so difficult to have made Beau 43? Hell, even if he were now 38, that would have meant that he took Cody in when he himself was 24, which would have made a little more sense.

I guess what I'm saying is this: if authors specifically write the ages of their characters, they should make sure that the math works. Or I'm saying that all math is evil. Yeah, maybe I'm going with that last one.

[Elithanathile · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm stunned by all the ratings that are higher than 2 stars, and even that is stretching it. I'd list all the things I didn't like, but I think the list would be waaaaaay shorter if I just listed what I did like. What did I like, you ask? I like that this book is over!! The general douchbaggery and shameless slut-shaming were too much for me to stomach. Life is too short to waste it on bad books and MCs that annoy the hell out of you!! 'Nuff said!

[Marcella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I once again enjoyed this next book in the Reckless series. I really liked Cody's uncle Beau, and was happy to see that this book was about him. I did notice that this book was significantly larger than the other books. To me, it still wasn't enough.

Beau hired an assistant, Adam, whom he has a major attraction to. Apparently, his assistant feels the same way. They have a great chemistry and I truly enjoyed their story.

I really enjoyed the background information the author gave us about Adam, who surprisingly, has a son named Johnny.

The building relationship between Beau and Adam was so enjoyable to read. Even though Beau is a wealthy man, he is very understanding and down to earth. I admired his character a great deal. And when Adam went through some tough times, Beau helped him out with no questions asked or expectations.

I just loved everything about this book and look forward to the next.

[Betryal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was undecided on how to rate this one but settled with a 4 star. I found the story very direct and cut to the chase if that's makes any sense at all. There wasn't much interaction between little Johnny and Beau which I would have liked to have read about but mostly geared between Beau and Cody. I would describe it as predictable. Don't get me wrong I've liked all Amanda Young's book to date, but I felt something was missing for me in this one. Just a little something extra needed for me, but still a good read all around. That's what happens when you like action too much LOL

[Nichole (DirrtyH) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't believe I didn't think I wanted to read this book! I really enjoyed the previous two books in this series about Cody and Dante, but never really fell in love with the character of Beau so I thought I wanted to skip this one to get to Milo's book. But I was a good girl and read this one and I'm really glad I did. It was just the kind of story I was looking for and what I'm used to getting from Amanda - light and romantic.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beau is older and wiser and falling head over heels for his younger assistant. Everything is good until Adam gets a call that makes Beau ask a lot of questions. Beau rises to the challenge and is there for his man! Beau and Adam are characters that were in the first two books and it was great to have the books go into their lives a bit. If you enjoyed the first two, then you will enjoy this one as well. Happy Reading!

[Ms. Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This read for me was nice, safe, and a little on the tame side. I kept waiting for the passion to explode. Don't get me wrong it was a good read. Having a child in a relationship is a big issue and I think Amanda handled it very well. I just think I read this one at the wrong time.

[Ro · Rating 3 out of 5]

edit: On re-read didn't work as much for me.
Beau can be an overbearing butt head sometimes but he's a good guy. Johnny needs that even more than Adam. Very sweet

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

very sweet love story

[blub · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a steamy novel about Beau, gentlemen’s club owner, and his personal assistant, Adam. Beau isn’t described as the most likable of characters and comes off as a arrogant wealthy man who cares about staying fit and not tolerating an ounce of fat on his body. He decides to confront Adan about being sexually appealing, giving flirtatious glances, and makes his move on Adam. Adam caves and accepts Beau’s advances and good steamy times ensue.

After their steamy, mind-blowing encounter, Adam admits that Beau was his first. Beau feels the same but plays the scene off as a mistake so they go their own separate ways as if it never happened. At a dinner party at Beau’s mansion, Beau makes his moves on Adam again and Adam, being so in love with Beau, drops to his knees in lusty bliss. The scene is interrupted by an emergency phone call about Adam’s son Johnny.

The entry of Johnny gives this story personality and actually saves this novel. Prior to this, it was an overly cliché novel of a wealthy arrogant man taking advantage of a spineless young man who melts at his owner’s feet and a hot sex scene – respect not necessary. After getting Johnny back from the hospital, Beau offers for Adam to bring his son to work with him to avoid having to quit his job as Beau’s personal assistant. They make mutual confessions to each other and seem to actually start their real loving relationship. Beau’s arrogance and selfish needs cause a fight and they separate for the evening in a cloud of anger and regret.

Adam’s apartment building burns down and Adam goes to Beau as his first line of support. Beau is supporting, warmly takes them in and redeems himself as he sets their relationship back on track from their fight. Beau has now realized that he would do whatever needed to convince Adam they were meant to be together. Honest conversation results and steamy happy ending is established! The character development is evident from silence with unpalatable cliché characters to open characters with relatable feelings, open communication and a sense of mutual respect.

An ARC was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

[VVivacious · Rating 2 out of 5]

A ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords Review. This review can also be found here.

2.5 Stars

Beau Bradbury is having an office fling with his personal assistant, Adam Winger and he is convinced it is just a fling with no-strings-attached sex, but when one phone call to Adam has Beau getting jealous of the person on the other end, he knows for sure that nothing is quite as casual as he thought before.

When the person on the other end turns out to be Adam’s son, Beau gets himself more invested in the Winger family than ever before. Beau wants to take the leap into an actual relationship but before that he has to convince Adam that their relationship is worth the risk.

This book didn’t get a rise out of me one way or the other. I agreed to read this book after I read an excerpt for this book which was so hot it was practically sizzling but as it turns out, that description is only true for the prologue after which the book runs out of fizz fast.

I think the first book was much better in comparison to this at least it had some redeeming qualities to it.

The thing I least liked about this book was the fact that most of this book seems to take place in Adam’s head, a majority of this book comprises of Adam’s thoughts, his insecurities and his pessimism and that really puts a damper on things. On top of that hardly anything actually happens in this book, most of this book is internal dialogue and it is the characters’ feelings, more than any actual plot that is the driving force behind this book. While that might work with some characters these two characters were just not interesting enough to hold up this book. There is Beau but you learn woefully little about him during the course of this book, in fact I think the first book did much more for his character than this one does.

One of Adam’s defining traits in the book is his pessimism and his paranoia. These were two qualities that manifest themselves later in the book in fact the pessimism is one quality that seems to conjure itself up from nowhere because the Adam at the beginning of the book is insecure but at no point did I think that he was pessimistic.

All in all this book is only good as far as the prologue after which it is at the most an okay read, you will get through it easily but it doesn’t challenge you in any way.

Cover Art by Kaylea Ehm. I liked the cover.

[JenCW · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet story with little angst and a touch of a Cinderella.

Adam has been working for rich and successful Beau for about a month when things heat up for them both. Fast forward months later, and they are still sleeping together. One day Adam gets a phone call that causes Beau to rethink their relationship.

I loved Adam and his son. He's a young, single father, trying to do the best he can for his son. Beau had to grow on me. Their initial hookup was awkward because of the way Beau handled things, but clearly they have something special as they continue with their secret relationship. Beau was so smooth and charming to others, but yet couldn't seem to be that way around Adam. Beau, while older and having raised his nephew as his own, sometimes seemed to forget what having a young child meant to a single parent. His attempts to bring Adam and his son into his home were clumsy at best. I wanted to slap Beau upside the head a few times for thinking Adam was flighty. I really wanted the confident Beau to show up and be direct, which he does when it really mattered. I was so happy to see Beau tell Adam how he really felt and see them make their relationship stronger.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. I am looking forward to reading the rest of this series.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Reckless Passion. Beau is a successful businessman. He isn't looking for love but love finds him anyway. Adam is a young man trying to figure out his life. He has secrets that are bound to be discovered. The men don't realize that the more time they spent together means that they are getting to know each other and fall in love.

The story did have a couple of flaws. Adam thinks about his past and feels that Beau wouldn't want him if he found out about Adam's past. When the past is revealed, it was a non-issue. The other part that bugged me was that Beau hires Adam to work for him, in his home, and doesn't do a background check. That really bugged me. I overlooked those issues because I had really wanted to read Beau's story and the relationship between the two men seemed pretty realistic to me.

I would recommend this story to anyone that likes a nice M/M love story. If you like Amanda Young's writing, you'll like this story.

Quotes:
Adam was thankful Beau approved, because the navy suit was the only one he owned. "I'm glad you like it." loc 280

Although no one would ever describe him as a spring chicken, he certainly wasn't old either. At thirty-three, he still felt you. loc 406

received a copy for review

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book from the author.

This is a the third in a series so you see reappearing characters. You wouldn't have needed to read the other two books first but it would have increased your enjoyment some.

Beau owns Casbah, a men's club, and Adam is his personal assistant. He assists with more than office work ;). When Beau discovers Adam has a son, things become more complicated for the two of them in their working and personal relationship. Since Beau raised his nephew he isn't a stranger to having a little boy around. The question is, will his dad want to stay?

I wish we knew more about the characters... how did Adam come to be hired by Beau in the first place, how did Beau get into the line of work he was in? Plus I wish there was an epilogue looking into the future a few years...to answer the question of other children...

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having met Beau in Reckless Behaviour (included in Reckless Seduction) it's nice to see his story develop and find him fall for Adam, a younger man who originally begins only as a night of drunken passion. Beau and Adam can't really fight the developing attraction and even with the unexpected introduction of Adam's son, this adds fuel to an already passionate relationship. The only question is whether this will make them stronger or pull them apart.

Only downside to the end of this fast-paced is that we don't see what happens in the future for these two. My only hope is that in the next book we may get a glimpse into what lies ahead for Beau and Adam.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book

[Denise GremoryKohta · Rating 5 out of 5]

A true Cinderellasque romance. Adam is a single young father of Four year old Johnny. He is struggling to take care of them both while working for Beau. Adam thinks that Beau is the epitome of what men should strive to be. Rich, successful, and extremely gorgeous, Beau thinks Adam is the most beautiful guy he has ever scene. I love how the story flowed. Even with the doubts and confusion it stayed smooth and connected. I have been given the privilege and opportunity to receive an advanced reader copy and am voluntarily leaving an honest review. I look forward to reading many more books by Amanda Young.

[avid reader 1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a nice, quick read. The characters are sympathetic and their personalities are easily understood. With few words, the author puts us in the mind space of both Beau and Adam.
The secondary characters are well placed and supportive of the story line.
The passion is strong and hot and the HEA is satisfying.
All in all a sweet and spicy offering.
I will read more from this author.

I am voluntarily reviewing the advance reader copy I received from the author.

[Gwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beau the gorgeous boss and Adam the sweet assistant. In Reckless seduction Uncle Beau seemed so old but he's only in his 30s. He derserves love. He wants his young assistant and he always gets what he wants. But this time he gets more than he bargained for. Lovely sequel and hot and passion all over. You can't help but fall for this couple and cheer for them to finally be together and stay together. Another hit in this series.

[Missy Clifton · Rating 3 out of 5]

The spark between Beau and Adam...I didn't feel it. Adam has worked for Beau for the past year and yet they know almost nothing about each other. How?! There was lots of lust on Beau's part and that was all I felt from him. I don't know... after reading this book it just left me feeling - meh - about it.

[kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Bea and Adam's story. I loved seeing how their relationship evolved from convenience to a loving partnership. Great read.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reckless Passion is a wonderful follow up to the first two books.
I love Adam and Beau together. It is so touching and sweet

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed in this. Beau was a huge douche. Adam was a doormat.

[Kaila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

So much amazing
Love it still much. This series and the characters and the writing and i loved it all.amazing

[Zane Kage · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars