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A Reckless Runaway

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Member Reviews

I was not certain with this story as the ‘heroine’ seemed extremely naïve. More so than normal for the age.
Now as for multiple births – well there is the story of the Russian woman who between 1725 and 1765 Mrs Vassilyev popped out 16 pairs of twins, seven sets of triplets and four sets of quadruplets, over 27 separate labours. The grand total: 69 children.
But, bearing in mind the dubious claim that she managed to survive all these births let alone produce so many multiple pregnancies, we know that in the UK in 2012, for instance, the chances of birthing twins stood at just 1.5% of pregnancies; triplets, a vanishingly small three ten-thousandths of a percent. And every multiple birth, even today, tends to end early with smaller babies – hence the need for incubators which of course were not available in the 18th century. The data that has been compiled from parish registers in the 1600-1900s, which are not completely accurate of course, tend to show that 25% of all live twin births result in at least one twin dying. And that there was a high percentage of stillbirths. And then maternal mortality of course.
So living triplets were indeed extremely rare in his time period.
The storyline was, apart from this one anomaly, fairly standard in following the trope. The ‘hero’ was a reformed villain – in this case rather more than just a gambler or a rake with money, but a real thief and the heroine was ‘silly’ in her ideas of what life was like outside of her pampered existence.
I did look into clams on the beach, as I was fairly sure that clams had shells and were round. I did however, discover that there were razor shelled clams which are long and slim, but again they have shells, I just wondered if the beach scene on the island meant that rather than tubular items she was pulling up the razor clams from in the sand by their long rooting ‘foot’, but they don’t leave air holes in the sand. The only tubular item with air holes are the worms that are used for fishing bait! Not human food at all. So this is an example of something happening in a story which leaves the reader confused. I do wish that authors were a little more careful with things that can be fact checked.

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Thanks to Netgalley, the Passionate Pen and Jess Michaels for an Advance Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I have to confess that I read the 1st and 3rd books in this series about the Shelley triplets before I read this, the second. The reason being that the heroine just didn’t appeal to me. Anne appeared reckless indeed in the first book and I thought I would not like her.
I am so glad I was wrong. Anne Shelley runs away from the prospect of a loveless marriage in search of adventure with an attractive and enigmatic man ... who promptly hands her off to his cousin! She finds herself stranded on a Scottish island with another man, this one even more attractive, who goes by the improbable name of Rook. And although she finds herself enjoying his company she must enlist his help to return home to her worried sisters.
Rook is tired of cleaning up his cousin Ellis’ mess but when he finds himself responsible for his cousin’s not-quite-betrothed he knows he can’t turn her away. In fact, no matter how much he wants her to stay, he will do anything to keep her safe and get her home to her loving family. And if they have to share a few rooms and (ahem) a few bed on the way, so much the better.
Lots of fun and romance ensues, which I am certain all readers of the genre will enjoy. A solid 4 stars.

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Anne Shelley is the wild one of her two sisters. She and Rook have that instant, love-hate relationship that I adore in a book. Anne wants to get out and experience life, but he feels it's his duty to protect her as her guardian making sparks fly between them! You can read it as a stand-alone, but I always recommend to read the earlier book in a set to know the full story. Looking forward to the 3rd book in the series! Jess Michaels never disappoints!

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Good romance book. Good plot. The only thing wad I wish the book was less predictable. Recommended reading.

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This is the second book in the The Shelley Sisters. If you have read the first book you will have already met Anne, whom this book centers around. Anne ran away and left a groom at the altar. In this story we get to see why she did this and with who she ran away with. I enjoyed this story but had a hard time liking Anne.
Thank you for the ARC. This is my honest review.

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I did not read book 1 of this series and this can be read alone. It seems books 1 and 2 happen during the same time. Reading this book made me want to read book 1 for sure!

So Anne Shelley is one of 3 triplets. Such an anomaly and never seen as her own true self, instead always seen as part of a set. She is engaged to the Earl of Harcourt but feels nothing for him. She knows she is being doomed to a lackluster life with someone she can never love. Instead, she chooses adventure and scandal and runs away with an exciting man. But nothing is as she thinks it will be when she finds herself taken instead to an island with his cousin and left there.

Rook wants nothing to do with his cousins games anymore. Hence the island, away from everyone. But he gets roped in once again and now is taking care of some pampered society miss until his cousin's return.

You should give this book a try if you like
-forced proximity
-road trip romance
-class differences (heroine is active in society, hero is a prostitutes son that grew up on the streets)
-steamy romance (I think there's at least 3 scenes)

I found this book a pleasant read. I liked the premise, it was a little different from what I usually read. I can't say I loved the heroine, Anne. She was okay but she bothered me a bit. The hero, Rook, I liked. I usually just adore those street heroes that come from nothing. The thing with this book that left me wanting was I felt the character development was a little sparse. Its there, they weren't completely 2 dimensional, but I felt like more time was spent in the bedroom and sexual feelings than other feelings between the couple. I wanted to know them both a little more, more of their backgrounds and feelings. This novel is on the sex focused side with multiple scenes (definitely not erotica, just more than average) and I rather wished more of the beginning time on the island was spent getting to know each other deeper. Still, a fun read and my first full length Jess Michaels. I would definitely try her again.

The end kind of dissolved into pure villain chaos, which I don't love. If you love a bit of a mystery and some stressful situations for the hero and heroine than you will like the ending more than me. It also sets up the next book, which left me curious about it. I am wondering how Rook and Anne really work out their happily ever after, so will hopefully see that in book 3 at some point.

I give 3.5 rounded to 4

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I had this from Netgalley in return for a review, so I haven't read the first book in the Shelley Sisters sequence. I confess there were times when I wanted to throw this against the wall because the heroine, Anne Shelley is, at times, too stupid to live, and the plot is unlikely, except, of course, the giveaway is in the title. She's reckless… in the extreme. She runs away with Ellis Maitland, a man she barely knows to get out of the arranged marriage (with an earl) that her father is forcing her in to. Ellis, a con man, hands her off to his cousin, Rook, who after years of criminality is trying to get out of the life. The obvious happens, of course.

There's not much sense of time or place. It reads like a Regency romance without the 'manners'. Of course, everything is fine in the end for a limited definition of fine because her love interest is – shall we say – unusual for a Regency hero. Yes, I enjoyed this, but I suspect it's not a book that will live long in my memory.

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I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

I've read this author before so was pleased to be able to read this - loved it
Great characters - loved the story

This is part of a series - can't wait for more

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I loved this book and the main characters.
Rook Maitland and Anne Shelley are well matched and strong characters. They both have regrets andantes have made poor decisions. After the mistakes they’ve made neither believes they deserve the future they both crave. Forgiving others is far more easy to then forgiving ones self.
This is a very good series and I can’t wait to read Juliana and Ellis’ story.

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I was super excited to read this book as I was hooked on the story from the first book.
I wanted to know what really happened to Anne when she ran away with the mysterious man to Gretna Green. We did learn a few details in book one but Anne's time with Rook had me intrigued. What really happened? Where were they? How did they get back to her family?
I really enjoyed both Rook and Anne. Them learning about each other as individuals and then being together and falling in love.
The ending? Now I can't wait for book 3!

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This is the second book in the series and readers should definitely read the first to understand what is going on. I loved Rook. He was such a great character from the beginning. I wasn't sure how I would feel about Anne because in the first book she seemed very self centered, however she was a great heroine. Now I can't wait until the third book to see how Michaels handles Ellis.

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A Reckless Runaway by Jess Michaels is a sexy treat. After reading Thomasina’s story in A Reluctant Bride, I was really excited to read Anne’s story.

Anne should have been happy, she had a fiancé, was about to live in a grand home with a titled man. But she longed for adventure, she and her fiancé didn’t really want to be together and she couldn’t imagine tying herself to him for the rest of her life. When Ellis Maitland approaches her, she is more than ready to be adventurous and reckless. So reckless that she ran away to Gretna Green with him.

Unfortunately, Ellis had no plans to marry her and instead puts her safe keeping with his cousin, Rook. Anne is at first furious with Ellis and wants nothing more to hide until he retrieves her, and they marry. Little by little she starts to realize that Ellis isn’t coming back and as she gets to know Rook, she falls a little more for him every day.

Rook wants Anne, a woman that has probably been seduced by his cousin. At the very least, she is in love with his cousin and wants to marry him. But when they are left alone, he gets to know the real Anne. The woman behind the social mask. A woman that he wants more and more.

Rook and Anne are perfect for each other. Their chemistry is explosive, and their love scenes are hot! They both leap off the pages as realistic characters. Such a good book. I can’t wait to read Julianna’s story next!

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I didn’t initially enjoy this book. I found Anne reckless and found it hard to like her with her running away with a man she didn’t know. However, as the story went on and Rook came into the picture, I started getting into the book more. I enjoyed Rook’s sense of honor even though he was essentially a criminal but had escaped that life. His dilemma between helping family and not agreeing with what his cousin was doing made him more likable in my opinion and he tried to be honorable where Anne was concerned even though she seemed willing to let all propriety go where he was concerned. Even though I found Anne’s character a little annoying and immature, Rook’s character redeemed her and made up for it.

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This is the second book in the Shelley sister trilogy. It follows the runaway bride Anne from the last book. She has run away with her bow but things don't turn out like she plans them to be. Anne thinks she is going to Scotland to elope with her lover but he takes her to his cousin Rook Maitland. Rook is a man that wants to live out his days in his island, dark gloomy and alone. When his cousin asked him for a favor he reluctantly agrees to take care for Anne for a few days. While on this island these two come to a realization that his cousin will never come back. Anne asked Rook to take her back to her family and he agree since he wants to be the good guys. But when a roadtrip and close proximity take over these two senses it gets hotter as hell. These two character are steamy and very sexy together. I can't wait to read the next book.

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Anne Shelley is one of the famed Shelley triplets. Ann is considered the wild of the sisters and her father has betrothed her to the Earl of Harcourt. Harcourt seems to be too boring for her tastes, there’s no love and no laughter in their relationship. Along comes handsome smooth Ellis Maitland who convinces Anne to run away with him to Gretna Green. Anne convinces her sister Thomasina to take her place for one night.
Rook Maitland is furious with his cousin Ellis. Ross knowns better than to agree to help Ellis "just one more time.” He know Ellis is up to something, but Ellis has always been there for him too. Rook picks up Ann and they go to his hidden island and wait for Ellis to come. Ann and Ross become friends and Ann starts to see what kind of men Rook and Ellis really are. She soon feels it’s imperative to return home to her family and rook agrees to take her back to England. Ross is desperate to keep Ann safe from Ellis latest scam that brings danger to them all, but hopefully they can solve the mystery before someone is killed. The two grow closer and romance blooms. A captivating story of romance, intrigue and mystery. An excellent story I loved and I voluntarily wrote a review.

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The Shelley Sisters: Book Two is just as delicious as the 1st in the series by Jess Michaels. What a good solid historical romance. I so enjoyed it!

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"Everyone is the hero of their own story."

A Reckless Runaway is the second book in the Shelley Sisters trilogy. I didn't read the first book so I don't think you have to to get into the story. This was a pleasantly surprise because the beginning of the story just sucks you in to the storyline immediately. However, it slowed down 60% into it and it put me in a slump and just skimmed through the book just to finish it because it somehow lost my interest. Aside from that, the sexual tension between Anne and Rook was wow!

One thing I have to say... there was a lot of brow arching and smirking on Rook part. I don't know but I imagined Rook as this broody/big man vibe but the author kept on making him "smirk teasingly" and "chuckles" that made a bit weird when I read it.

I received an eARC copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This has no impact on my review/thoughts.

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"She was just weeks away from her wedding and she should have been happy. But she wasn't. Not in the slightest. Panicked? Yes. On the edge of a breakdown? Always. But happy...not at all."
Anne Shelley, the eldest of triplets was set to marry a man her father had chosen. Fun loving, happy, sometime reckless Anne was to marry a man with no humor, never smiling and could not even tell her apart from her two sisters?
Runaway bride time! In a very reckless move, she met a gentlemen in the garden who seemed just as fun loving as her, Ellis Maitland. He charmed her and convinced her to run away with him. Oh yes, this girl was too trusting. So she took off in the night, supposedly going to Gretna Green to marry, but instead he took her to his cousin, Rook Mailand and left her with him on an island!
Rook knew he should not have agreed to the favor his cousin had asked of him but now he was stuck with Ann.
Rook know that whatever the scheme his cousin has cooked up will not be good, but as he and Anne spend time together he finds her delightful. He finally agrees to take her back home but on that journey it seems they might find happiness of their own? But where is Ellis and what is he doing?
After reading book 1 of this series, which happens parallel to this story, I could not wait to see what happened to our heroine! Unexpected attraction, a little danger and a love that is trying to develop take us to a great ending!

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Like It? Hate it? Love it? Why? After my less than enthusiastic reaction to book one in this series, I was cautious when I started A Reckless Runaway but I’m glad I did because I enjoyed Rook and Anne’s story much more than I thought I would!

Rook and Anne spent a lot of time in each other’s company, so much so that their romance really had a chance to grow and change them as individuals which I loved. There were so many quiet moments where these two were just talking and I think that’s what really made me believe in their feelings for each other. Anne had moments of being immature and naïve and when it came to her love for her sisters though. I felt she over did it with the “It’s all my fault that my sisters’ lives are ruined” act. But for the most part she showed a real growth in her character compared to the scenes she had in the first book. Rook was a real charmer once he let his guard down. I have a thing for growly, grouchy heroes with good hearts and that’s definitely Rook. He has a past that has given him regrets but at the same time it’s made him such a solid hero.

Aside from the romance there’s an element of danger and surprises at almost every corner. Rook’s cousin is up to his eyeballs in trouble and involved with a ruthless and dangerous man. Out of all the possible set ups for the final Shelly sister’s book, I wasn’t expecting what actually happened but I have to say I’m at the edge of my seat for Juliana’s book and the potential for some serious heat levels that it has. It also has one of my favorite tropes so yay!


Click It or Skip It? Click It. Rook and Anne’s romance won me over and the setup for the final book is too delicious to pass up.

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The 'Runaway' Shelly sister. The second act.

The Shelly Sisters. Triplets, so unusual an event that the sisters Thomasina, Juliana and Anne are seen more as sideshow entrants than young women in their own right.
Now we find the truth of Anne's leaving. Anne the wild child. She's been beguiled to run away from Jasper, the Earl of Harcourt, by a handsome stranger Ellis Maitland.
But closer to the truth is that Anne feels unseen by Harcourt, "somehow she’d always dreamed that the man she’d married would see her just for…for herself." And she sees Ellis as a viable alternative to the coldness of Harcourt.
Imagine her shock when Ellis hands her off to a brooding stranger, and she finds herself sequested on an island off the coast of Scotland with a man who is Ellis's cousin, Rook Maitland, or more formally Constatine.
Of course nothing is simple. Anne spends days waiting for the other shoe to drop, and then begins to find enchantment on the island whilst the enigma of Rook holds a tantalizing fascination. When Anne discovers that Ellis will not be returning she implores Rook, a man she's come to admire, to help her back to Harcourt's manor and her sisters.
The journey is trying and at times dangerous. Anne and Rook come closer to each other, although Rook manfully tries to withhold truths about himself from Anne. When Anne finally reaches her sisters, things become even more complicated. Ellis reappears. Harcourt and Rook have more to do with other than Harcourt realizes. That desperate business acquaintance of Harcourt's brother Solomon intent on finding a hidden 'treasure', becomes even more venal. And Juliana becomes entangled in a deadly game being played out between Ellis and his business partner, with Harcourt and Rook dragged along as they seek to protect the Shelly sisters.
A family story being told in three parts, this is the enticing second act.

A Victory Editing ARC via NetGalley

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