Kristie J’s review of Lennon Reborn (Preload, Book 4) by Scarlett Cole
Contemporary Romance published by Swerve 1 May 18
And now we come, sadly, to the final book of this amazing series about the heavy metal band Preload. They started with The Purest Hook, which was actually part of a different series, and then carried on as their own series with Jordan Reclaimed. I am SO going to miss these guys, though I can go back and ‘see’ them again in rereads, but it won’t be quite the same.
Lennon McCartney – yep, he knows – is the youngest band member and the jerk of the group. Throughout the series, he’s been the one to say stupid and crass things and he hasn’t fully engaged with the other four. But despite this, the others still consider him their brother and the drummer, a very vital part of the group. But every so often in previous books, Ms. Cole would drop just the smallest of hints that who we were seeing wasn’t the real Lennon, so anticipation for his story has been building. By now he’s the only one who hasn’t found a love interest and it’s not long into the story when we find out why.
Lennon had such a sad and traumatic childhood that he doesn’t understand the concept of love, and, as a result of being completely ignored by this young teenage mother, he is unable to really connect with anyone, which explains why he isn’t as close to his ‘brothers.’ He also constantly expects them to reject him, so he self-sabotages himself. He’s always been more of a loner, but with all his band members finding the love of their lives, he’s even more isolated and envy has crept in.
And his mind never gives him a rest. It’s constantly racing, telling he’s no good, everyone will leave him and he’ll be all alone. It’s heartbreaking reading his inner dialogue thoughts. The only thing that really gives him any real happiness is his drumming.
This is where his head’s at when his whole life is turned upside down. The band is involved in a bus crash and Lennon is hurt in a life-altering way. Dr. Georgia Starr is a legendary neurosurgeon who happens to see the crash and she jumps into action trying to save the victims. When it’s Lennon’s turn, he pleads with her to just let him go. But from the moment she touches him, there is an almost electric current between them and Georgia knows she will do whatever it takes to heal Lennon of his demons.
Georgia has her own battles to deal with. She’s the only girl in her misogynistic family, and despite her incredible talent as a doctor, her father and brothers are constantly judging and belittling her, even though she’s the best neurosurgeon in the family. Added to that is the fact her father and brothers resent her since her beloved grandfather left the apartment building she lives in to her and no one else. So both of these people are struggling.
I don’t think I have enough words to say how much I enjoyed this book and, indeed, this whole series. The reader can feel the pain Lennon went through in his childhood and how it’s affected his entire life. Even the good things are tainted with his self-doubt and low self-esteem. Although it takes him a while to let Georgia know the particulars, she still sees he is in a great deal of pain and tries to help and reassure Lennon that she is there for him.
Lennon, in turn, wants to show Georgia that there is more to life than just work. While he is really impressed with her talents as a doctor, he wants to see her life more balanced. They are really the exact person the other needs and both need the other. They are simply wonderful.
This isn’t meant as a criticism, as much as a wish though. The other books in the series take place in Toronto, a city I know, while not that well, still well enough to know many of the locations the author mentions. Lennon Reborn, however, takes place mainly in NYC. This is the city Georgia works in and close to the accident. Lennon has had to stay behind to recuperate and sent the rest of his ‘brothers’ home to Toronto and their families, even though he does need them. This is just another example of his tendency for self-sabotage. But Georgia keeps him holding on. It was real nice to almost have ties to the setting.
I also wish there were a few more scenes between the band members, Dred, Jordan, Elliot, Nic, and Lennon. The bond between these five is one of the real gems of this series. But, again, there aren’t as many as Lennon is off by himself for the majority of this book.
The third wish is some kind of feedback on their music. As the members find love, their pain is directed into heavy metal and as they each find happiness, some of them want to change the tenor of their music. It would have been nice to have an epilogue to the epilogue to see how the Preload change of direction fared. But other than those wishes, this book is simply a wonderful read about overcoming hardship and tragedy.
Jordan Reclaimed is my favourite book of all of them, but this one is a very close second, and the whole Preload series gets huge kudos and recommendations from me. As I said at the beginning, I’m really going to miss these guys.
Grade: A
Summary:
Lennon McCartney is not a broken man. Because being broken implies being whole once. When a horrific accident deprives him of the one thing he loves—his talent as a fierce and explosive drummer—Lennon is left with a life chained by an abusive mother, by crushing guilt over a tragic past. A life he doesn’t want.
Dr. Georgia Starr is a legend. She’s one of the most successful neurosurgeons in the world, coming from a long-line of respected New York doctors. Her life is built around solving complex medical cases in order to bring relief and hope to sick children. But the one problem she can’t solve is how to live her life. How to be shake loose the burden of being her elitist, arrogant father’s daughter. How to be free.
Can a man who despises his life and a woman who desperately needs to live find the answers, and love, with each other?
No excerpt available.
Other books in this series:
