Reckless Hearts

Even fans of the aggressive, impulsive energy of damaged alpha men, hate-to-love story arcs, and romances centered on the exploits of postmilitary buddies may be turned off by the flip-flop of risk aversion and entitlement around women’s bodies in Van Fleet’s (A Long Time Coming) series starter. Former Marine Collin Montgomery, struggling to raise his late girlfriend’s infant daughter despite the help of his two best friends (both ex-servicemen), is distressed to find that the competent nanny his sister has recommended is Addison Booker, the hot woman who rejected his attentions at a bar. Addison is equally unhappy to learn that her last-ditch job opportunity involves working for the sexy but boundary-ignoring Collin. The three ex-military buddies trade fun, natural banter, but their incompetence when confronted with caring for a baby is unrealistic, and the parallels between Collin’s protective possessiveness of his daughter and his romantic interest in Addison are downright creepy. Awkwardly presented backstories of family heartbreak fail to add character depth while damping the sexual tension. Agent: Stacey Donaghy, Donaghy Literary. (Feb.)