Review: Good (But Heart-Breaking) Follow-Up
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 13, 2013
*PLEASE DO NOT READ MY REVIEW IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE 1ST BOOK OR IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO READ SOME SPOILERS*I had read 10 Days of Perfect and fell in love with it despite how it ended.  Luckily, I had finished it on the day the 2nd book had debuted so I rushed to get this follow-up.  It picks up a few days after the McCarthy fight incident with the blackmailers.  In the aftermath of Ember finding out about Bo and the blackmailers, she breaks up with Bo, because of "trust" issues.  Despite the break-up, both Ember and Bo agree to remain "friends" in order to continue a professional relationship for DROP.  Of course, ex-es being "friends" makes life awkward for everyone else involved who all want Ember and Bo to get through their issues.  We are also introduced to some new characters (CJ and Regan) and we get more of Adrian (Ember's college boyfriend), Rae (Bo's little sister) and Ansley (Bo's ex-girlfriend).For a majority of the book, Ember struggles with her reasons for why she doesn't want to be with Bo while finding comfort and ease with her old-but-kinda-new relationship with Adrian.  Because of Ember's reliance on Adrian, her friendship with Monica is strained at times and her selfish choices really made me want to slap the snot out of her.  While all their friends know that Bo and Ember belong together, both of them do end up making questionable, heart-breaking decisions which ultimately affect the outcome of their relationship in a good way.  I appreciate how Mrs. Randall handled Bo and Ember especially after an unexpected tragedy that ends up affecting everyone.  This book reminds us all that sometimes you have to accept yourself, better yourself, and love yourself before you can even love another.Here are my reasons to why I gave Reckless Abandon FOUR Stars:Plot: B; I am not a fan of boy-girl-boy love triangles, because I know someone ends up getting hurt in the process and it's hard to write one character out when the girl has to choose. But for this particular book, I can understand why Mrs. Randall added the conflict as it focuses on Ember's fears from the past.  My only complaint is that I wish Ember hadn't hurt Adrian by stringing him along and using him physically so quickly after her intense relationship with Bo.  It really ticked me off that she made such brash decisions when it came to Adrian, because it felt "easy".  But overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the plot Mrs. Randall presented to us readers.Character Development and Chemistry: A+;  The chemistry and character development really sucks you in!  When you can almost feel how strong and electric the chemistry is between Ember and Bo, you KNOW they are meant to be.  Although I did not agree with Ember and Bo's choices nor did I enjoy Ember's selfishness at times, I have to say that the character development was wonderfully written.  Ember's issues with her parents, her upbringing, and her fears make her more human and you're able to relate to her, but you're also sympathetic towards Bo who has dealt with the loss of his parents, taking care of Rae, and now heartbroken over Ember.  I liked that I was able to read about both at their most vulnerable in Reckless Abandon as opposed to 10 Days of Perfect.  In the first book, we were treated to their love story yet we also had to endure their heartbreak and downfall in this follow-up.  From start to finish, we (as the readers) get to see Ember and Bo in different aspects and emotions that attribute to their overall characters and that makes Reckless Abandon worth reading.Secondary Characters: A; I love all the secondary characters (with the exception of one)--Monica, Rae, Josh, Regan, Adrian, Ansley and Ember's hippie parents (Ashby and Raven).  There's not much to say, but I particularly love how supportive and loyal Monica is to Ember, but also tells her like it is.  She is the kind of best friend everyone deserves to have, because she isn't afraid to voice her opinions.  Rae is a breath of fresh air--she has that larger-than-life personality that bounces off the pages as you get a glimpse of her throughout the book.  Despite her past drug use, you can really grasp how far Rae has come along and how she continues to fight her past.  Josh is a bit more tame in this book, but I love him with Monica.  He really is one of the good guys.  Regan is an Irish hottie who plays the fiddle.  He joins the group as one of the musicians for Josh's house band and easily fits in with everyone especially as Rae's new love interest.  I really didn't want to like Adrian, but you can't help but feel sorry for him.  Your heart goes out to him, because he tries so hard to be everything to Ember yet he knows she still harbors feelings for Bo.  I hope we get to read more about him, though, because I felt that he was a good guy, just not the one for Ember.  Then you have Ansley, the ex-girlfriend, who never goes away.  I suppose her character was needed to add unnecessary drama, but you do get more of her in this book.  Last, but not least, Ember's parents, Ashby and Raven are great.  Though we don't get to read much about them in Reckless Abandon, I love their appearance near the end of the book.  I read there may be a novella about them so I'll be on the look out.Grammar/Editing: B; The editing wasn't bad, but I did find quite a bit of words that were stuck to one another.  Despite the errors, I was able to overlook them and enjoy the book.  I didn't allow it to drastically affect my rating or review, though.Conclusion: A;  Without giving away the ending, I will say that I am happy with how the book concluded.  If there were to be a follow-up, I hope it would be to update us on all the characters.  Overall, Reckless Abandon had the right mix of drama, heartache, and emotional roller coaster of a plot that will have you feeling elated, red-eyed, and relieved by the end.Thank you, Mrs. Randall for treating us to another November Blue novel.  I look forward to seeing and reading more from you!