Reckless Attraction

Reckless Attraction by Kathleen Haley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I can see why it works for readers who like dark, intense romance. Tess and Fraser have a lot of chemistry, and the story certainly doesn't suffer from a lack of things happening. There’s romance, secrets, crime, the art heist, family drama, threats and eventually a rescue plot, so the pace keeps moving.

The psychology is interesting, although not always comfortable. Fraser is deliberately written as controlling, possessive and morally questionable, and his character development comes from gradually realizing that Tess matters more to him than his career and reputation. That part actually worked for me: when Tess is kidnapped, his priorities completely change, and he openly recognizes how selfish and cold he's been.

But the spice is absolutely not 3/5. 😂 This is very explicit dark romance—I'd put it around 5/5. There is a lot of BDSM/possessive sexual content, and some of Fraser's behaviour crosses into territory I found genuinely uncomfortable rather than simply sexy. The ending also contains a particularly serious consent issue involving contraception that I definitely didn't love.
The writing is very readable and fast, with plenty of banter and some genuinely funny moments. The English is British/Scottish English, with Scottish vocabulary and dialect such as aye, wee, bairn, ken and mibbe. That's not incorrect English—it's clearly part of the setting and character voice.

My notes:
❤️ Fraser is fascinating psychologically, even when I really didn't like his choices.
⚡ There is a LOT happening, which definitely suits me.
🕵️ The crime/suspense side gave the romance more substance.
😬 Some of the possessiveness and consent issues were a definite minus for me.

Verdict: 3/5 for me. I enjoyed the fast pace, suspense and complicated characters, but the extreme spice and darker relationship dynamics make it a poor match for my personal taste. If the spice were toned down considerably, I'd probably enjoy this story much more.