I love the Reckless Hearts series, and I've been waiting not-so-patiently for Gavin's book since the beginning! Of course I love Gavin. I have since Book 1, because there was something so special about him right off the bat. But McKenna is the real star of RECKLESSLY EVER AFTER.
McKenna is emotionally messy. Being in her head is like being on a roller coaster--you ride the highs and the lows with her as she navigates her relationship with Gavin. But instead of the usual, put-together heroine who is there to save the hero, like in most romance novels with a broody hot dude like Gav, Heather Van Fleet wrote Kenna as a real person with her own issues.
She has a history with her family as well as with men that she doesn't quite want to face. She is unsure of whether or not she wants to pursue Gavin and the challenges that pop up in the story. She feels, she emotes, she makes mistakes, and she has regrets. (Gee, sound like anyone you know? How about EVERYONE I know?!!) She also loves fiercely, once she's on the right track.
McKenna Brewer is the heroine that romance has been waiting for. Heroines don't have to be perfect, they don't have to follow a formula, and they don't have to have everything in order. When love hits, it hits, and sometimes things are messy when that happens--even with a hottie like Gavin St. James. Her imperfections, confusion, and fears are what make Kenna a breath of fresh air as far as heroines on my romance shelf go. Through it all, Gavin is respectful, sexy, broody, and loyal--remaining true to all the things I've loved about him since RECKLESS HEARTS and THE RIGHT KIND OF RECKLESS.
Besides McKenna, I loved how Ms. Van Fleet weaved Gavin and Kenna's story into the other characters' stories, and that epilogue... sigh... let's just say I may have shed a few tears as I reminisced about these three men and the baby girl they raise. I thoroughly enjoyed each couple's journey to their happily ever after and spending more time with them in RECKLESSLY EVER AFTER. Maybe because Ms. Van Fleet writes a sexy romance like no other author I've read, with scenes that manage to be just as hot as emotional, just as physical as mental. I can't wait to see what she does next.
This is the final book in the Reckless Hearts series, but don't think for one second that I'm not going to beg Ms. Van Fleet to write more in this world (maybe Hanna needs a story, or a "twenty-years later" novella with sweet Chloe as the heroine). I highly recommend this series for fans of steamy contemporary romance.