November 26, 2024
Reckless by Lauren Roberts
The basics
Title: Reckless
Author: Lauren Roberts
Series: Powerless #2
- Powerless (2023) - Reckless (2024) - Fearless (2025)
Add it: Goodreads
Goodreads Summary:
After surviving the Purging Trials, Ordinary-born Paedyn Gray has killed the King, and kickstarted a Resistance throughout the land. Now she’s running from the one person she had wanted to run to. Kai Azer is now Ilya’s Enforcer, loyal to his brother Kitt, the new King. He has vowed to find Paedyn and bring her to justice. Across the deadly Scorches, and deep into the hostile city of Dor, Kai pursues the one person he wishes he didn’t have to. But in a city without Elites, the balance between the hunter and hunted shifts – and the battle between duty and desire is deadly.
Here is a spoiler summary of what happened in Reckless by Lauren Roberts to help refresh your memory before you read the sequel. If you need help remembering what happened in Powerless then you’re in the right place.
This recap was written and submitted by Kayla Ball. Thank you!
What happened in Reckless?
- Paedyn returns to her childhood home and recalls the end events of Powerless; she finds her father’s journal under the floorboards of the house; she’s planning on crossing The Scorches to Dor, where only ordinaries exist
- Kai shows up to the house with an entourage, looking for Pae; he doesn’t find her in the house (even though she’s there); he sets her house on fire; Pae appears and Kai throws a knife at her
- Kai returns to the palace and talks to Kitt; Kitt is a lot like his father and less like a brother now; Kitt has doubts that Kai will bring Pae back (tbh, Kai is unsure too because he’s so down bad for Pae)
- Kitt and Kai finally address the fact they both have feelings for Pae; it’s not a conducive conversation because they lie to each other and say their feelings died when Pae killed their father; Kai assures Kitt he’ll bring Pae back alive
- Pae travels through The Scorches for days (sis is struggle-bussing)
- Kai and his gang are in The Scorches, searching for Pae; they’re about half a day from reaching the city of Dor; Kai thinks of Pae often and wonders if he even cares that she killed his father, since she’s all he thinks about
- Pae is delirious in the desert—she’s talking to animals and the sand. She doesn’t know if she’s been there for 5 or 6 days. She can see a city in the distance, but doesn’t know if it’s Tandeau or Dor. She struggles to keep going, and sees a figure before she passes out
- Pae wakes up to someone carrying her, and she assumes it’s Kai. She realizes it’s a guard from the city after breaking his wrist to get out of his hold. They’re walking into Dor, and the guard thinks Pae looks familiar; he speculates she’s the king killer and attacks her, since she’s worth a lot of money. Pae outsmarts him, and the guard explains Dor and Tandeau know about the bounty on Pae’s head (she’s kind of screwed); she’s worth twenty thousand silvers, dead or alive. The guard overpowers her, and she kills him
- Kai finds the dead guard and knows Pae killed him by the way he was stabbed in the heart. Kai worries if she’s hurt since she didn’t hide the body. Kai brings the body to the city and asks around about Pae
- Pae’s been surviving by stealing food, mostly from a merchant named Francis. They’ve built a rapport.
- Pae joins an underground fighting ring to earn money; she goes by a new name, Shadow
- Kai runs into Abigail (the girl he spared in the beginning of Powerless) after she tries to steal from him. Kai asks her if she’s seen Pae; she replies she doesn’t know anything and she’s on her way to a fighting match; she takes Kai with her
- Pae’s the new favorite in the fighting ring; the ringleader, Rafael, offers to set her up as a nightly fighter; Kai interrupts them to ask if she’s up for another round
- Kitt’s surprised by his own cruelty since becoming King; he resents his father. He thinks of Pae often
- Kai introduces himself as “Flame” (because wherever there is flame, there is shadow and I’m cryingggg)
- Pae runs and Kai chases her. She’s got a knife against his neck (ah, memories). She proposes a deal: they’ll fight and if she wins, Kai lets her go; if he wins, Pae goes willingly. They argue AND KISS (screaming, crying, throwing up). Kai takes the deal
- They fight, Pae almost kills him (but can’t do it eeeeee), and he rips off the scarf covering her hair color. The crowd erupts into pandemonium. Kai announces he’s taking Pae, since he’s the enforcer (“she’s mine” AHHHHH)
- Kai and Pae start traveling back to Ilia, bickering like a married couple. They argue over killing each other’s fathers (Kai now realizes he killed Pae’s father); Kai’s entourage finds him, Pae runs, and Kai sets off on another chase though he quickly catches up to her. They stay in the city at an inn since they’re both injured
- There’s only one bed oh noooooo ;D
- Kai helps Pae with her leg wound and they have a little heart-to-heart; he explains how he didn’t know about her father, nor did he know he’d be killing anyone that day; Kai doesn’t sleep in the bed (Lauren Roberts, you TEASE)
- Kitt has a meeting with his cousin; he’s mentally struggling
- Kai and Pae travel through the desert; when they stop for the evening, they talk about Ilia’s history and the plague. They sleep next to each other :3
- The camp gets ambushed a couple hours later by Lenny, Finn, and Lena. They explain what’s been going on with Kitt and the kingdom. They travel to Dor (with Kai as their prisoner lmao) and meet Lenny’s mother at a refuge. There, a bunch of people live, and they’re the biproduct of Elites procreating with Ordinaries (they’re called Mixes)
- The plan is to bargain Kai for Pae’s freedom. Later, Pae has a panic attack and Kai calms her through it (I’m screaming crying throwing up)
- Rafael shows up and takes both Kai and Pae prisoners. They escape, but quickly come to a stop in a tunnel that begins to fill with water. They realize they’re probably going to die, and tell each other they don’t regret the kiss or what’s been between them, and they kiss again. They both embrace death until Pae finds a sliver of light in the ceiling of the tunnel. She claws her way out and Kai assists her, but he almost drown. Pae dives back in and saves him, despite not knowing how to swim.
- They have another heart-to-heart about death and dying. They ask each other what their preferred method of dying is: Kai tries not to think about it and Pae would prefer to be stabbed in the chest, so she can feel connected to those she loves one last time. They almost kiss again, but he uses the deception to clamp a chain around her ankle and another piece onto him. Pae takes this as a betrayal while Kai’s inner monologue explains he has to complete his mission because his life is not his own; another reason why he can’t allow himself to love her.
- Kai and Pae break into an inn to spend the night (hehehe they’re chained together now). They each take a bath while the other stays behind the door; more bantering and arguing about the sleeping situation. THEY SPOON
- The new plan is to get back to Ilia via the Sanctuary of Souls (bandit-infested area) instead of the Scorches.
- Kitt is concerned because Kai hasn’t been back in two weeks. He wonders if Kai and Pae ran away together. He wonders if Kai is disobeying orders because Kai lacks respect for him and his position. Kitt writes a letter to Kai and one to Pae
- Kai and Pae hide in a gambling pub; they fake being a couple to blend in and there’s HEAVY flirting. The people chasing them enter the pub and Kai and Pae manage to fool them. Kai subtly accuses Pae of enjoying herself sitting on his lap and she deflects. They win some money and leave the pub. They talk about Kai’s sister.
- Kai and Pae make their way to the Sanctuary of Souls. They rest for the night (oh the flirting, yearning, and longingggg). Kai grows more worried about what’s going to happen to Pae when they get back to Ilia. Pae helps Kai with a wound he sustained when they stole a horse to get to the SOS.
- Kitt tries to subtly convince everyone in his castle that he’s not crazy, as they like to gossip about. He talks to Gale and she sympathizes with him, about the difficulty of losing his father and having to be a king. Kitt expresses his worry about Kai and Pae to Gale. Gale assures him Kai will bring Pae back
- Kai and Pae continue to bond, AND THEY KISS AGAIN ALJFKAJSDKLJ in a pool while in the SOS. It’s mutual and they’re not fighting their feelings anymore THIS IS THE KISS WE’VE BEEN WAITING FORRRR
- Kai and Pae read her father’s journal. They figure out that the king knew Ordinaries don’t weaken Elites’ powers and instead has been killing them for the sole purpose of not producing with Elites. The king had been paying people who knew this information to keep it quiet. Kai feels incredibly guilty for carrying out orders in the past. The journal entry talks about her dad wanting to start The Resistance.
- The journal describes Pae’s dad’s life in meeting her mom, Alice. Her dad writes that Alice and the baby died in childbirth and some time later, a baby girl was left on his doorstep. Pae now realizes that her parents aren’t her parents. Pae is distraught and Kai comforts her (“You cannot be nothing when you’re everything to someone else” brb dying). Kai decides to show the journal to Kitt, hoping he’ll listen. Pae and Kai acknowledge their feelingsssss. Later, Kai is shot with an arrow by bandits and Pae kills them all
- Kai and Pae argue about what they should/shouldn’t be and how Kai’s mission is increasingly difficult because he’s in love with her (SQUEEEEEEE). Pae returns his feelings whole heartedly and he decides to let her go (to Isrem). Pae refuses to run, especially without him. THEN Kitt’s men find them, so Kai and Pae agree to play along to fool the imperials coming to get them
- Everyone returns to Ilia, and the book ends with Kitt asking for Pae’s hand in marriage
That’s what happened in Reckless! Check out our recap list for more recaps. If you can’t find what you need, you can request a recap from us!
