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Regency Trilogy #2
Reckless
From elite London society to the golden sands of Egypt . . . and the sacred places of her heart . . .
When Kat Adair plunges into the waves to rescue a drowning man, it is just the beginning of an odyssey that will sweep the fisherman's daughter into danger and desire. Convinced she is in love with the man she saved, Egyptologist David Turnberry, she feigns amnesia, thus enabling her to linger among the highborn. Hunter MacDonald, rugged archaeologist, is wise to her little charade -- and determined to protect his best friend.
Undaunted, Kat stows away on the ship carrying David and Hunter's expedition party to the land of the pharaoh. Scandal ensues, and Hunter vows the only way to curtail this confounding woman's schemes is to marry her. Inevitably, in the sultry heat of the desert, passions ignite. But as the secrets of the ancient tombs are revealed, terrible danger unfolds, and Kat must trust the one man willing to risk everything to save her from doom.
When Kat Adair plunges into the waves to rescue a drowning man, it is just the beginning of an odyssey that will sweep the fisherman's daughter into danger and desire. Convinced she is in love with the man she saved, Egyptologist David Turnberry, she feigns amnesia, thus enabling her to linger among the highborn. Hunter MacDonald, rugged archaeologist, is wise to her little charade -- and determined to protect his best friend.
Undaunted, Kat stows away on the ship carrying David and Hunter's expedition party to the land of the pharaoh. Scandal ensues, and Hunter vows the only way to curtail this confounding woman's schemes is to marry her. Inevitably, in the sultry heat of the desert, passions ignite. But as the secrets of the ancient tombs are revealed, terrible danger unfolds, and Kat must trust the one man willing to risk everything to save her from doom.
379 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 20, 2005
27 people are currently reading
544 people want to read
About the author
Shannon Drake
52 books570 followersHeather Graham Pozzessere
aka Heather Graham, Shannon Drake
Heather Graham was born on March 15, 1953 and grew up in Dade County, Florida, and attended the University of South Florida at Tampa, majoring in theater arts and touring Europe and parts of Asia and Africa as part of her studies. After college, she acted in dinner theaters, modeled, waitressed, and tended bar. She married Hershey Dennis Possezzere, and after the birth of her third child, she was determined to devote her efforts to her writing: her dream. She sold her first book in 1982.
Today, this author's success is reflected not just by reader response and the over 20 million copies of her books in print, but in many other ways. In addition to being a New York Times bestselling author, Heather has received numerous awards for her novels, including over 20 trade awards from magazines such as Romantic Times and Affaire de Coeur, bestseller awards from B. Dalton, Waldenbooks, and BookRak, and several Reviewers' Choice and People's Choice awards.
Heather has appeared on Entertainment Tonight, Romantically Speaking, a TV talk show that aired nationwide on the Romance Classics cable channel, and CBS Sunday News. She has been quoted in People and USA Today, been profiled in The Nation, and featured in Good Housekeeping. Her books have been selections for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild. She has been published across the world in more than 15 languages and has published over 70 titles, including anthologies and short stories.
Now, she had five children. Somehow, this prolific author manages to juggle it all - family, career, and marriage - while reaching a level of success to which few can aspire.
aka Heather Graham, Shannon Drake
Heather Graham was born on March 15, 1953 and grew up in Dade County, Florida, and attended the University of South Florida at Tampa, majoring in theater arts and touring Europe and parts of Asia and Africa as part of her studies. After college, she acted in dinner theaters, modeled, waitressed, and tended bar. She married Hershey Dennis Possezzere, and after the birth of her third child, she was determined to devote her efforts to her writing: her dream. She sold her first book in 1982.
Today, this author's success is reflected not just by reader response and the over 20 million copies of her books in print, but in many other ways. In addition to being a New York Times bestselling author, Heather has received numerous awards for her novels, including over 20 trade awards from magazines such as Romantic Times and Affaire de Coeur, bestseller awards from B. Dalton, Waldenbooks, and BookRak, and several Reviewers' Choice and People's Choice awards.
Heather has appeared on Entertainment Tonight, Romantically Speaking, a TV talk show that aired nationwide on the Romance Classics cable channel, and CBS Sunday News. She has been quoted in People and USA Today, been profiled in The Nation, and featured in Good Housekeeping. Her books have been selections for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild. She has been published across the world in more than 15 languages and has published over 70 titles, including anthologies and short stories.
Now, she had five children. Somehow, this prolific author manages to juggle it all - family, career, and marriage - while reaching a level of success to which few can aspire.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
February 16, 2009
It took me awhile to figure out what time period this book took place in, since it seemed a bizarre amalgamation of past and present. When I finally got it narrowed down to turn of the century (late 1890s), the reading went much smoother, because suddenly it had a setting. Drake has clearly done a lot of research on the time period and the places the characters visit, but when no definitive clues are dropped until the reader is well into the story, it doesn't actually serve to deepen the setting, it's just very confusing.
Hunter was an interesting character, strong and intelligent, and I probably would have liked the book a whole lot more if the story had followed him more than Kat. Kat annoyed me to no end. The other characters went on about how smart she was, what a quick study, but she kept doing one stupid thing after another. She's the type of heroine who thinks it's a good idea to rush off by herself to confront the hoard of bad guys without bothering to tell anyone where she's going, and then when she's inevitably captured and having her life threatened, she sits and thinks "oh well, they'll come for me." The only thing remotely intelligent she did was learn to translate Egyptian hieroglyphs into English in one afternoon. Fluently. I'm thinking this doesn't qualify her as a smart person, though. She's more of a savant.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle makes a rather gratuitous appearance, presumably to highlight the mystery portions of the book. In truth, the plot had potential and kept me turning pages despite wanting to bash Kat over the head with something blunt and heavy, but the ending aimed for something too large and just wound up feeling overblown. Some of that might have to do with Kat's insistence on plunging headfirst into danger when it wasn't necessary, but considering there was only one character in the entire book who is introduced as unlikeable, it's hardly a surprise when the villain is finally revealed.
The prose suited the tone of the book, and the dialogue was appropriate to the time period. I briefly touched on the attention to detail before, but it bears mentioning again that Drake clearly knows how to enrich the world she's created without forcing lengthy descriptive passages in there. In all honesty, this book would likely have scored much higher if Kat hadn't been quite so -ahem- reckless. As it stands, I would have called the book Bull-headed Idiot, but I suppose it might not have sold quite as well that way.
Hunter was an interesting character, strong and intelligent, and I probably would have liked the book a whole lot more if the story had followed him more than Kat. Kat annoyed me to no end. The other characters went on about how smart she was, what a quick study, but she kept doing one stupid thing after another. She's the type of heroine who thinks it's a good idea to rush off by herself to confront the hoard of bad guys without bothering to tell anyone where she's going, and then when she's inevitably captured and having her life threatened, she sits and thinks "oh well, they'll come for me." The only thing remotely intelligent she did was learn to translate Egyptian hieroglyphs into English in one afternoon. Fluently. I'm thinking this doesn't qualify her as a smart person, though. She's more of a savant.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle makes a rather gratuitous appearance, presumably to highlight the mystery portions of the book. In truth, the plot had potential and kept me turning pages despite wanting to bash Kat over the head with something blunt and heavy, but the ending aimed for something too large and just wound up feeling overblown. Some of that might have to do with Kat's insistence on plunging headfirst into danger when it wasn't necessary, but considering there was only one character in the entire book who is introduced as unlikeable, it's hardly a surprise when the villain is finally revealed.
The prose suited the tone of the book, and the dialogue was appropriate to the time period. I briefly touched on the attention to detail before, but it bears mentioning again that Drake clearly knows how to enrich the world she's created without forcing lengthy descriptive passages in there. In all honesty, this book would likely have scored much higher if Kat hadn't been quite so -ahem- reckless. As it stands, I would have called the book Bull-headed Idiot, but I suppose it might not have sold quite as well that way.
June 19, 2015
Gostei... gostei... e gostei... Uma excelente descoberta esta autora... ^_^
July 30, 2017
This was... better than the first book in this series. But not by much. And the synopsis on the back is extremerly misleading. Like, it was so bad I kept reading the back just to make sure I hadn't picked up the wrong book on accident (it happens, I have a LOT of mass market paperbacks on my nightstand). I actually liked Hunter, but he was NOTHING like his character in the first book. I understand that over a year characters grow and change... but idk. I just didn't enjoy the inconsistencies. I did love all of the danger. The scene where she finally admitted she loved him was SO DUMB, though.
March 21, 2018
It is a little bit better than I expected. I thought it will be more silly and annoying. And I was positively surprise there is no paranormal theme in this story. Don't get me wrong, I like a bit of paranormal but if you read some books by Heather Graham then it becomes a bit predictable.
The characters are okay. Hunter describes Kat as young, naive and brave, sometimes even reckless and I think it perfectly depicts her. Again, it surprised me that she isn't as annoying as I thought she would be, still though. I have no feelings toward Hunter, he is an average hero.
The story is acceptable. It isn't really grabbing or well-developed but it isn't totally asinine. The ending is a bit too rough and early, and the solution is lacking in some connections and explanations in my opinion.
Otherwise, it is a passable read. I'm giving it 2.5 star.
The characters are okay. Hunter describes Kat as young, naive and brave, sometimes even reckless and I think it perfectly depicts her. Again, it surprised me that she isn't as annoying as I thought she would be, still though. I have no feelings toward Hunter, he is an average hero.
The story is acceptable. It isn't really grabbing or well-developed but it isn't totally asinine. The ending is a bit too rough and early, and the solution is lacking in some connections and explanations in my opinion.
Otherwise, it is a passable read. I'm giving it 2.5 star.
December 5, 2014
More mystery/adventure than romance but very good.
January 23, 2019
A slow start but overall a good read.
November 18, 2020
In the beginning this book was so f***ing stupid. Kat was one of the most stupidest heroine I ever "met". But after they were married the story became better.
July 2, 2017
I wasn't expecting much from this when I first picked it up, honestly thought it would be a light historical romance that had equal odds of being good or bad. To my glee I actually really enjoyed this although I will say they took forever just to get to Egypt and their 'main adventure'. As a result the events of the dig and the ending felt a bit choppy and rushed to me making the pacing my only complaint. However, I loved the concept/characters and will definitely look into the rest of the series.
February 22, 2018
When Kat Adair sees a man fall over the side of the boat he's on with his friends and sees that they are not jumping in to rescue him she knows that she herself must dive into the water to save this man, For she has Convinced herself that she is in love with the man, Egyptologist David Turnberry, so she feigns amnesia, thus enabling her to linger among the highborn. but Hunter MacDonald, rugged archaeologist, is wise to her little charade. Means he is attracted to Kat he finds a reason for her to come to Egypt as his assistant for her to see that she's not really in love with David just thinks she id. but as scandal ensues, and Hunter vows the only way to keep Kat there with him is to marry her. in the sultry heat of the desert, passions ignite. "As the secrets of the ancient tombs are revealed, terrible danger unfolds, and Kat must trust the one man willing to risk everything to save her from doom." but will she trust her heart.
November 20, 2021
La primera parte se me hizo un relleno, como que la escritora realizó primero la trama del viaje y luego el antes de partir. Estuve a punto de abandonar la lectura, pero cuando emprenden el viaje se nota la emoción de la escritora, así que continué.
A Kat la detesté dos veces, ¿cómo diablos defiende a quienes casi abusan de ella?
A Kat la detesté dos veces, ¿cómo diablos defiende a quienes casi abusan de ella?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 29, 2025
I liked this one even better than the first one.
Romance, adventure, mystery, and two protagonists that clash and send sparks flying.
I loved how the heroine was so headstrong, so passionate, so ready to do anything to win over the man she loves.
And the hero is determined to prove to her that her dream man is not who he seems...
If you liked the Mummy movie, you'll love this book!
Romance, adventure, mystery, and two protagonists that clash and send sparks flying.
I loved how the heroine was so headstrong, so passionate, so ready to do anything to win over the man she loves.
And the hero is determined to prove to her that her dream man is not who he seems...
If you liked the Mummy movie, you'll love this book!
December 29, 2025
This was one of the best love stories I've read in a long time. What a wonderful find! I got it for $2 at Goodwill and honestly it kept me hooked! I devoured all 345 pages in less than 24 hours. I couldn't put it down. SO GOOD!
March 19, 2024
Well plotted drama
January 16, 2025
Love how she brings back characters from her other books to incorporate them into the current book as friends or family.
October 22, 2023
Fun...romance with a bit of mystery.
November 5, 2015
There are times in life that we desire something or someone to the point that logic and loved one's advice is silenced by our obsession. In time, we wake up to the fact that it is useless or hurtful to keep in our life, but even so, it is hurtful to let go a comfortable obsession. I guess that explains why there are so many sociology majors and only two that eventually get a job in the field.
I liked this story a lot.
We get only strong women in this story, starting with our main character, Miss Kat Adair but everyone has depth and strength, even if at times stupidity and one obvious case of the evil. I liked Camille which was obviously a tough smart lady, but Eliza (Kat's older sister) was astute, loving which staying strong to support her more extroverted father and sister in their public artistic endeavors. So Kat saves the very cute (but too stupid to live) David Turnberry from drowning, and then saving him a few times more when David was seriously terrible.
Hunter MacDonald is everything that is great in a hero, but more then a little bossy. The Kat and Hunter (Celebrity smash-up name as ...Kunther? HuntKat? KatHunt?) were a cute couple although I serious doubt that they would have been able to be alone as much as they do in this story if it was real historical life.
The Egypt parts were fun, although it was too crazy inaccurate to think that Kat could start translating hieroglyphs when she only knows English and some French... how can she decipher anything with out a profound understanding of at least Coptic?! or other native Egyptian dialects and/or ancient Greek? So the archaeological nerd came out at that piece of nonsense. Although the rest of the book was a fun good read.
I will be buying more books from this author because her voice is filled with strong women dealing with different roles in life, sister, friend, lover, wife and daughter.
379 pages and bought used at the library sale
4 stars
I liked this story a lot.
We get only strong women in this story, starting with our main character, Miss Kat Adair but everyone has depth and strength, even if at times stupidity and one obvious case of the evil. I liked Camille which was obviously a tough smart lady, but Eliza (Kat's older sister) was astute, loving which staying strong to support her more extroverted father and sister in their public artistic endeavors. So Kat saves the very cute (but too stupid to live) David Turnberry from drowning, and then saving him a few times more when David was seriously terrible.
Hunter MacDonald is everything that is great in a hero, but more then a little bossy. The Kat and Hunter (Celebrity smash-up name as ...Kunther? HuntKat? KatHunt?) were a cute couple although I serious doubt that they would have been able to be alone as much as they do in this story if it was real historical life.
The Egypt parts were fun, although it was too crazy inaccurate to think that Kat could start translating hieroglyphs when she only knows English and some French... how can she decipher anything with out a profound understanding of at least Coptic?! or other native Egyptian dialects and/or ancient Greek? So the archaeological nerd came out at that piece of nonsense. Although the rest of the book was a fun good read.
I will be buying more books from this author because her voice is filled with strong women dealing with different roles in life, sister, friend, lover, wife and daughter.
379 pages and bought used at the library sale
4 stars
May 9, 2019
3 e 1/2
«Quello che dovete fare per venire a capo di questo mistero è eliminare l’impossibile. Ciò che resta, per quanto improbabile, sarà la verità.»
Come nel primo della serie, anche in questo secondo ho apprezzato tutta l'ambientazione egiziana (e stavolta nell'ultima parte si va davvero in Egitto! *ç*) e la parte gialla, anche se forse il colpevole non era poi così difficile! ;D La cosa che non mi ha convinto e mi ha fatto levare mezzo punto è stata la parte romance: mentre Hunter è un'eroe convincente e affascinante tanto quanto il suo amico Brian, Kat è una protagonista un po' insipida XD Insomma, per gran parte del libro è infatuata di un nobile perdigiorno e nonostante abbia accanto un vero uomo, che le fa provare la passione e riesce a sorprenderla e sfidarla, continua imperterrita a inchiodarsi le proverbiali fette di salame sugli occhi XD Il suo cambio di rotta dall'uno all'altro non è stato reso appieno, l'autrice poteva gestirlo meglio secondo me perchè quando alla fine arriva la confessione ho avuto l'impressione di essermi persa qualcosa...ma davvero lo ha amato "dalla prima volta che l'ha visto"? XD Io non me ne sono proprio accorta ahahah! XD
«Quello che dovete fare per venire a capo di questo mistero è eliminare l’impossibile. Ciò che resta, per quanto improbabile, sarà la verità.»
Come nel primo della serie, anche in questo secondo ho apprezzato tutta l'ambientazione egiziana (e stavolta nell'ultima parte si va davvero in Egitto! *ç*) e la parte gialla, anche se forse il colpevole non era poi così difficile! ;D La cosa che non mi ha convinto e mi ha fatto levare mezzo punto è stata la parte romance: mentre Hunter è un'eroe convincente e affascinante tanto quanto il suo amico Brian, Kat è una protagonista un po' insipida XD Insomma, per gran parte del libro è infatuata di un nobile perdigiorno e nonostante abbia accanto un vero uomo, che le fa provare la passione e riesce a sorprenderla e sfidarla, continua imperterrita a inchiodarsi le proverbiali fette di salame sugli occhi XD Il suo cambio di rotta dall'uno all'altro non è stato reso appieno, l'autrice poteva gestirlo meglio secondo me perchè quando alla fine arriva la confessione ho avuto l'impressione di essermi persa qualcosa...ma davvero lo ha amato "dalla prima volta che l'ha visto"? XD Io non me ne sono proprio accorta ahahah! XD
July 3, 2017
This is such an amazing book!! I bought this new back in 2005 because Ms. Drake is one of my favorite authors, but the summary on the back cover did not entice me very much, so on my to be read shelf it went! Now, as I am slowly making my way through that said shelf, I picked this up again. I can’t believe I have waited so long to read this! This was such a good book! I’m defiantly going to keep it, and probably re-read it again sometime. Sadly, I did not know that this book was a sequel to “Wicked.” So, I have started to read that one now. However, if you are a historical romance fan or a fan of Ms. Drake/Ms. Graham then you need to read this book! It is full of mystery, intrigue, passion, and adventure! The hero and heroine in this book have great chemistry and dialog! This book is set during the Victorian Era, and starts out in London, and they eventually venture to Egypt for an expedition. However, if you are looking for a book that’s main setting is Egypt then this is not the book for you. Only the last 100 pages or so take place in Egypt.
August 21, 2009
the follow up to wicked... i liked this better than the first book, in the first book Camille passes over Hunter for Brian Carlyle and gets her happily ever after... in the second book Hunter finally gets his happy ending with Kat while they are parading around the deserts of Egypt looking for lost treasure... i love that Hunter gets his happy ending i was sad for him to loose out in the first book and i'm glad the story continued i loved the setting at the Egyptian dig looking for lost tombs totally diffrent!!! Wicked
November 17, 2009
The follow up to wicked... I liked this better than the first book, in the first book Camille passes over Hunter for Brian Carlyle and gets her happily ever after... in this second book Hunter finally gets his happy ending with Kat while they are parading around the deserts of Egypt looking for lost treasure... I love that Hunter gets his happy ending I was sad for him to loose out in the first book and I'm glad the story continued I loved the setting at the Egyptian dig looking for lost tombs totally diffrent!!!
April 19, 2011
I had a hard time getting into this book. Did not bond with the main character until half way through. The story was quite interesting. Kat is the daughter of an artist who saves the life of a young man who she has been totally infatuated with for ever. Turns out he is not quite the man she had thought. I like the time period of the book, 1890s and it is set in London, then they all go off to Egypt to do a dig. I like the evil would-be stepmother. Added an interesting flavor to the tale.
June 8, 2016
I really had trouble finishing this book. It just didn't hold my attention. It was slow to start, didn't really get going until the second half of the book. The characters were pretty one dimensional. Not particularly believable.
Nothing special about this authors writing style. It's very simplistic.
Nothing special about this authors writing style. It's very simplistic.
December 1, 2010
Another fanastic book from Shannon Drake. The only thing that threw me, was the heroine learning to read heiroglyphics in an afternoon without an instructor. There were a small miraculous conveniences that appeared in the story, but they did not detract from the wonderful story, plot or romance. Good stuff here, for those who like historical/regency romances with a little bit of spice.
February 8, 2013
I enjoyed the dialogue between the MCs and felt the hero, Hunter, was much more likeable in this story than when he was mentioned in the previous novel, 'Wicked.' And while the heroine, Kat, could be stubborn and opinionated, she wasn't overbearing. The mystery also seemed more realistic and there was just enough intrigue to keep me hooked and reading!
June 7, 2008
This again was a nice effort from Shannon Drake. Seemed to have the right amounts of romance and mystery. I don't know if I liked as much as Wicked but h/h weren't a strong enough pair for me. But by themselves they were.
July 24, 2009
Late 1800's commoner Kat saves her "beloved from a distance" David and pretends to be engaged to another man to travel to Egypt to be with him. A little mystery added in with a little romance. The mystery is rather predictable (as is the romance).
August 11, 2011
This is not your average romance, i think it has a bit more adventure than average. the love story was cute but i gave it only 4.5 stars mostly b/c nobody names their daughter Kat in that era, and i didnt like how she was exceeeeedingly good at EVERYTHING (swimming, drawing, reading texts, memory)
March 28, 2015
I accidentally read this out of order - this is book 2 of the trilogy, and I'm currently reading book 1, _Wicked_. Reckless was a pretty good read. Not my usual fare, but I enjoyed it enough to go on with 1 & 3.
August 10, 2008
I loved this book! My passion for historical romance novels and Egypt ALL IN ONE!!!!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews