CLP Blog Tour: Reckless Abandon

Welcome to my stop on the Reckless Abandon CLP Blog Tour! I was really touched when author Jenn Flynn-Shon asked Samantha to make sure I was on this tour (I reviewed her debut novel Ripple the Twine awhile back - read the review here.) The synopsis of her new novella sounded intriguing so I thought I'd give it a shot. I'm really glad I did because it gave me a great dose of suspense and romance.

Here's the synopsis:

How far would you go for love? Young Adult fiction Author, Shaw McLeary, returns from Whole Foods to discover her husband, Danny, is gone. So is their stash of cash, his clothes, passport, and her wedding rings. He took off in a hurry and left her behind. While trying to piece it all together Shaw witnesses a cop’s murder in her home. Determined not to become the next victim, she flees. She fears dirty cops are involved in Danny’s disappearance. There's only one person she can trust to help her - JJ Anderson, Private Investigator. Also, her ex-fiancé.
A retired Phoenix cop turned PI, Shaw hopes JJ will be inclined to take her case. Despite his resentment for how their relationship ended, he agrees to help her track down leads on Danny. They chase the clues from Phoenix to Manhattan to upstate New York. In such close quarters Shaw finds it difficult to maintain a professional distance from her first real love. Then what happens if she finds Danny? Can she still love a man who abandoned her or is she too drawn to fixing her past mistake to let go of JJ again?

Sounds pretty exciting, right? I'm not one to normally read mystery stories but there was something about this one that grabbed me. It was a really quick read which makes it great for a one sitting read. I think that's what helped me get really into the book as I was easily able to finish it in one evening. This allowed me to really get into the story and become even more invested in the characters. I felt like I was riding right alongside Shaw and JJ as they tried to figure out what was going on and where Danny was.

The only negative feeling I had with this book was due to some lingering questions. JJ tries to come clean to Shaw about something about their past and I don't recall ever finding out what that was. I also felt like some of the motives of certain characters needed to be clearer and that there needed to be less people involved in the...erm...issue. I think with a novella, the less characters, the better.

What I really liked about this story was the past that Shaw and JJ shared. It added a great element to the already suspenseful storyline. I found myself conflicted (in a good way...if that even makes sense...) because I really wanted Shaw and JJ to end up back together but I recognized that she was still married and we had no idea what was going on with her husband. Shaw was a great character to root for and I found myself hoping for a happy ending for her.

Reckless Abandon was a really enjoyable read for me. I think Jenn Flynn-Shon has grown as an author and I can't wait to read what she comes out with next. Mystery and romance lovers alike would find this novella interesting as it has a nice mix of both genres. Stay tuned later in the week for a really interesting guest post from Jenn herself!

Happy reading :)