Reckless Heat (A Matt & Evie Prequel): Hostile Operations Team® - Strike Team 1

***4.5 out of 5 stars*** I am a huge fan of the Hostile Operations Team series and adored Matt and Evie's story in book 1. I absolutely love that we got a chance to see them as teenagers in Reckless Heat. Reckless Heat is a novella length story and a super fast read. I guess since Matt and Evie were the first couple in the Hostile Operations Team series, they have an extra special place in my heart. I love a friends to lovers story and when you add in a reunion story, you have me from page one. Reckless Heat is Matt and Evie's story from the last few weeks they spend together before he heads off to West Point. I love that Evie and Matt where best friends from the time they were pretty young. I also absolutely loved that Evie had a crush on Matt and although he did know it, he really didn't want to do anything to possibly mess up their friendship. However, what teenage boy is going to turn down a teenage girl, even when it's his very best friend in the world? Honestly I though Matt was super sweet with Evie and I knew he didn't want to hurt her, but being a teenage guy, he just messed up once the deed was actually done. Of course Evie totally looked like she had been in the backseat with Matt and he was a total tool to brag to all his friends. Reckless Heat made me think of a high school keg party on the weekend and watching your best friend's drama play out before everyone. My heart broke for both Evie and Matt since neither really knew how to fix the situation. Reckless Heat was a super fast read for me. I loved the story came from alternating points of view and it is in first person point of view for those readers who aren't huge fans of first person point of view. I have no trouble with it and though it especially worked well with this story. I felt like I got new insight into Matt and Evie's relationship by seeing them together when they were teenagers.

They are best friends even though Matt Girard is the guy everyone wants and Evie Baker comes from the wrong side of the tracks but now it’s time for Matt to see the woman she’s blossomed into instead of the tomboy in this riveting prequel to HOT Pursuit. This story is a bit different from the HOT team stories but this story is something special. I was completely captivated by Evie’s first love romance as she sets out to take her and Matt’s relationship to the next level and while the story is a first love romance that adds a lot of depth to Matt and Evie’s characters because it provides insight into the past that caused all the emotional turbulence in their future romance. I am quite partial to lagniappe and this story is my favorite kind because it adds to the book that I’ve read and because I was so captivated by their past and of course me being me, I had to go read HOT Pursuit again.

Enjoyed finding out Matt and Evie's past, how it all began... Really hope there are more books in the Hostile series as I have enjoyed reading each and every book and would definitely recommend it!!! :-)