This story was so beautiful and heartbreaking all in one. Shay is a caretaker of a secluded island and she loves it that way because it keeps her safe from the darkness that haunts her. She has experienced terrible trauma by someone that was supposed to love her and be there for her, yet all this person did was commit horrible acts against others. Shay keeps to herself just to keeps others seeing that trauma in her eyes and to benefit them from a darkness that could pose as a threat. So, when Brody decides to leave the city for seclusion and buys her island, she wants to stay hidden away, do her job, and live her life the way she has been for years. What Shat doesn’t know is that Brody carries the same trauma and darkness in him, and they have more in common than they realize. Fighting attraction to Brody, Shay thinks by keeping everyone at arm’s length she is protecting them and herself but what she is really doing is not living her life, she’s hiding. This attraction is too much for them to fight and they both realize that they need the other, they bring out the best in each other, and learn to fight together. This contentment that Shay finds is fragile, and she is afraid that she won’t be able to live the life Brody wants, but what she doesn’t see is he is willing to give it all up just to be with her. Can they come out of the haunted pasts and hold each other’s hands through the through the tough times or will the walls Shay has built stay firmly in place shoving everyone away? There is still someone haunting them and the suspension of who, why, and will they had me on the edge of my seat. A hauntingly beautiful book about letting others in and learning how to love and live life again. ( )

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.

Book Evaluation:
Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️
World Building:🌎🌎🌎🌎
Cover:📔📔📔📔
Hero: 🦸🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻.5
Heroine:🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️
Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥🔥
Relationship Building: 💒💒💒💒.5
Heart & Feels:💞💞💞💞.5
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂
Page Turner Level:📖📖📖📖.5
Ending:🧧🧧🧧🧧
Overall View: ✨✨✨✨.5

First Impressions
Reckless Refuge is the fourth installment in the “Wrecked” series and in this one we have such a different pairing then I was expecting but it completely delivered in ways which I wasn’t quite expecting. I think what really worked for me on this on here, was all the relationship building aspects that we get while also the plot being so well built up throughout the story. Reckless Refuge is a story of discovering one’s own strength, learning to let go and embrace the present. It’s a tale of unforgettable connection, of true unconditional love that extends beyond expectations and devotion to those you love the most. In embracing one’s talents and standing on your own. Reckless Refuge is guarantee to dig through reservations and setbacks and deliver flawlessly from beginning to end.

First Line
It Burned. Everywhere and nowhere. Slices in my skin that made it feel as if hot lava had been poured into my flesh.

The Main Protagonists
The Hero: Brody
Brody is a creator, he indulges in the art form and uses his art to express himself. He is famous in his field but craves more in his life than artistic indulgences. He is a protector when its needed and while he has money of his own, its money self made.
The Heroine: Shay
Shay is on the run from an enemy whom she can’t predict. Her parents were murdered by her own brother who is a psychopath and she lives on the edge waiting for him to find her and knows its only a matter of time. But Brody gives her breath of true living.

Summary
In Reckless Refuge, we have a story that brings together the two most unlikely souls to meet but when they do, they will fight to keep each other. Our hero, Brody, is a self made, artist who is looking for some peace and a refuge from the storm of betrayal of his own. He settles on a quiet island on the Oregon coast. His caretaker, Shay, is quiet and strong. She is hiding many scars and he is determined to dig deep into those scars and find the true woman she hides beneath her tough exterior. Shay has only known pain and hiding, of always living in the shadows. She loves life and creating in her gardens, and she prefers her solitude until she meets Brody. Brody is a man that is willing to shelter her from the storm and provide a safe haven for Shay to truly dismantle the shield she uses, and be who she was born to be. But there is an enemy on the horizon, seeking to destroy them both…

What I Loved
Reckless Refuge is a story that has all the creative flair that we are used to seeing with Catherine Cowles. I have yet to read a book from her that I haven’t gobbled up and the same holds true for Reckless Refuge. I absolutely couldn’t seem to get enough of these two. There is such a deep connection that they have together. And I really enjoyed that the inner conflict between them is very minimal. I do love outer conflict in a relationship, and this author just handles it so so well. I am always amazed by how much I fall in love with her style of capture the essence of the characters she embodies within her stories and delivering such depth and relatability within it.
This is a story that is guaranteed to tear through the emotions of the reader. Don’t expect anything light or tame when it comes to Catherine Cowles. I also really loved the strong sense of community that we get within this story. We see such a lovely supporting cast and some favorites of the series that enter into this one here that I completely adored. I truly became so endeared by each of these and their interactions with Brody and Shay.

The relationship that forms between Brody and Shay is just so brilliant. Brody is a take charge type of individual. He doesn’t back down from conflict if he can help it. I love what a multi dimensional character he turns out to be in here. I also became so intrigued with how he reacted to Shay. Shay on the surface is a bit prickly but when you take away what she is hiding from and how many parts of herself she has had to hide, you see her vulnerabilities that she tries to hide from everyone because she can’t afford any weakness. She was terrorized by her brother who is a true psychopath, also second to her brother and her parents always doing whatever they could to pacify him and work with him but in the end, he killed them mercilessly and almost did the same to her. She still lives with the scars and mutilations on her body. But Brody accepts her for who she is and only encourages her to shine. The way he is able to give her the space of trust and peace and let her shed that protective skin and embrace her true talents was so endearing. We definitely see the struggle but we also see her drive and passion that he is able to bring out in her. There is such a sweet level of trust that forms between them that is so heartfelt and leaves you with a smile.
The plot of the story is one that will definitely keep you on your toes. And there are multiple plot lines and its interesting how she built these up and combined them in such a way that you don’t expect certain developments. She really keeps you on the edge because we see how they are individually built throughout the story, and the intrigue and mystery that is behind them and the way that our characters react to the conflict that they are faced with. Its quite a curious way in which Cowles is able to add some depth and great complexity to the actions involving our villains that become the focus point of the story.

What I Struggled With
To be honest, as I read this one a couple of days, I don’t quite remember what issues I had with this one. I think the only element is there was a plot line with Brody and his PR, and the conflict there just didn’t feel as resolved as I would have preferred it to be. And also in the third conflict there was also a bit of a small plot hole dealing with the cyber friend of Shay. We never really figure out what happened with her. Its possible I missed it, but it was never covered on what happened there or how the brother was able to trick the heroine in the manner in which he used.

Overall View
Reckless Refuge is a poignant and invigorating romance that will delve into the challenging and difficult and have you daring these characters to embrace the best parts of themselves and embracing the love they discover in each other….truly a win of a romance!

Favorite Quote(s)
“My music is for me. I don’t need praise.” Her words hit me, each one a blow to the chest. That was exactly it. The thing I needed to get back. To create for no one but myself.

“I’ve always said that my art is a glance into the darkness. I think you have to face it. In others. In yourself. It’s when you push it down, ignore it, that it swallows you whole.”

Something told me that if I let myself fall, Brody James could make me feel more alive than I ever had before.

“Not one thing about you is ugly. The only thing those scars prove is that you can walk through fire and survive. I can’t think of anything more beautiful than that.”

“I love you. Your strength and empathy. Your determination and fire. The way you see things in me no one ever has. I know it’s soon, but hiding the truth doesn’t feel right either. I’ve been holding onto those words for weeks, and I need you to know they’re yours.”

Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense
Character Types: Caretaker, Gardener, Prickly Heroine, Artist, Scarred Heroine
Themes: Small Town, Coastal, Danger, MC on the run, Secrets
Tropes:Forced Proximity, Boss and Employee

Book Perspective
Duo POV

Recommendation For Reading Order
You can read these as standalones if needed, but for the secondary character connections, recommend reading in order.

Steam/Spice Explanations

Simmering cup of tea---soft warm touches and light intimacy
Warmin' by the fire- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments.
Steamin' up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.
Blazing fire to the building-The prime focus is the sex scenes, scorching hot, and could burn one. Less focus on the emotional intimacy to the relationship. ( )