Rosemary Rogers doesn't balk at describing some very uncomfortable aspects of a hate crime, and whilst the heroine has more than adequate cause for her anger, it is somewhat confusing as to why she decides to redirect it to the new title-holder, whom she also happens to fall in love with. Colter, the new lord Northington, is a likeable man, and it's frustrating to the reader that Celia seems to have little concern for his feelings and continually clumps him with the rest of his not-so-honorable family. There is an interesting political subplot involving civil unrest which keeps the plot tension high, and Rogers did an excellent job at redeeming her somewhat wavering heroine towards the end of the story with some acts of courage given a female character that are often overlooked in romance novels. A Reckless Encounter is an fun read in terms of interesting setting, high paced adventure, and highly charged erotic encounters with a captivating mix of passion and obvious emotional ties between the characters - you'll not be disappointed by characters who lust yet hate each other in this story, despite the plotting that could have allowed for it. Rogers succeeded in making three dimensional characters with their own agendas who obviously share real feelings, which smoothed over some of the rough parts of the plotting.