loved it

I have read all of the books in this series and truly love them all. I would definitely recommend this entire series.

Jordan’s early life was hell. He experienced horrible abuse and abandonment but survived and grew up to become a rock star – literally. He and his “brothers,” the boys from the group home he lived in, created Preload, a heavy metal band that hit it big. From the outside Jordan looks like he has everything that anyone could want but inside he’s constantly in turmoil. He doesn’t believe that he is someone that can be loved and he certainly doesn’t know how to do romantic love. When out walking one night Jordan sees Aleksandra rehearsing and he becomes completely enthralled.

Aleksandra aka Lexi is also someone that looks like she’s got it made – from the outside. She has done very well for herself in the National Ballet of Canada but it’s never enough for her father who was once a dancer himself. He’s constantly telling her that she’s fat or not good enough and pushes her to her limits. She would love to dance in some of the contemporary pieces the company does but her father will only let her do the classics. She feels she owes him because of the sacrifices he’s made but his verbal abuse hurts.

When Jordan and Lexi meet it’s scary for both of them but each pushes through their issues in order to be together. The question is, will their issues push their way to the front and eventually pull them apart?

I was so excited when I saw that Scarlett Cole had started a series that told us the stories of the men of Preload. While reading the Second Circle series I was completely intrigued by these men and their strength. Jordan’s book was a great start to hopefully what will be a wonderful series.

Jordan is an amazing man. He survived his horrible childhood and has worked through a lot of his issues over the years. The one that he can’t deal with is his brothers leaving him. He knows that they all live together because of him but he can’t find it in him to care until he meets Lexi. He finally starts to realize that he can’t continue living as he has in the past because he needs to be strong for not only himself and his brothers but for Lexi as well. I loved how he worked things out in his own brain, with his brothers and with Lexi. He was smart enough to know that he couldn’t do the same things and expect a different outcome. Yes, sometimes he was overwhelmed but for the most part he had the strength to push through so that they could be together.

Lexi had a decent childhood but what she saw as her father’s discipline amounted to physical and verbal abuse. She was 26 years-old, had a wonderful job, owned her own home and paid her own bills but she was still under the thumb of her father. It took a lot to break free from him and Jordan helped her with that. I hated that it had to be such a caustic break with her father, and I wish that we could have gotten more closure with that issue, but it was still well done. Her father was a complete bastard so I was just happy she was away from him.

Of course we got to catch up with Dred and Pixie in this book, and Dred’s daughter, Petal. (The Purest Hook) I loved seeing where they were in their lives (approx..) 9 months after their story took place. We didn’t get too too much info about the other guys in the band except for Elliot who is a bit of a pyro from what I understand. His book should definitely be interesting.

Overall I enjoyed the book tremendously. Despite all the issues that the H/h had, and some of the darker things they spoke about, there really wasn’t too much angst between them. Yes, they had to work through stuff but hey, that’s what I call a normal relationship. I loved that they communicated in order to make things right. The book was a great and one I definitely recommend.

Rating: 4 out of 5

This will post as a guest review on The Book Binge.
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ARC received for review

Great book, but I was expecting a lot more angst and drama and for Jordan to fight falling in love. He walked off the deep end after only one glimpse. Lexi was perfect for him. Her personal issue was the perfect problem to cause Jordan issues. I felt like the problems with her dad were unfinished. Loved seeing the rest of the band. Elliott's story is up next, and we have no idea what his personal hang-up is.

Ok so I LOVED the Second Circle series so much and I have been anxiously waiting for the Preload series. Jordan's book did not disappoint! I loved it. He is such a beautiful, broken soul and Lexi is his perfect salvation. This book was wonderful, as expected with Scarlett Cole. Her writing is magic! Can't wait for more Preload!!
* l received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.