Kristie J’s review of Redeeming Elliott (Preload, Book 2) by Scarlett Cole
Contemporary Romance published by Swerve 29 Aug 17
I so enjoyed – in fact, more than enjoyed if that’s possible – the first book in this series, Jordan Reclaimed, that I was very keen on reading this one. The series is about a successful heavy metal band, Preload, whose home base is Toronto, ON Canada. They all grew up in the system and became best of friends and even brothers in a group home. Music was their escape.
Right from that alone I’m excited, because I live close to Toronto and it’s obvious the author is familiar with the city too. I recognize streets and areas and even stores, so it makes the book seem even that more real. Elliott Dawson is the hero of this book. It opens not long after Jordan Reclaimed ends. There are only two of the group living in their home now and Elliott is planning on buying them all out. But, in the meantime, he and fellow bandmate Nikan are living together. Nikan asks if Elliott would be willing to make a hospital visit with him to visit a young fan of the group. While he has his issues with hospitals, Elliott is a really good guy and agrees. While he’s there he notices another young patient, fourteen-year-old Daniel, a burn victim. Daniel has suffered pretty bad burns when he set his home on fire. They say like recognizes like, and Elliott can tell right away that he an Daniel both suffer from the same issue, an unnatural love of fire.
Elliott has worked years to overcome attraction to fire and his need to set them. Elliott became a pyromaniac when he was young, in a way to deal with the trauma of his childhood, and he can sense in Daniel the same thing and he wants to help him through it. It also doesn’t hurt that Elliott is strongly attracted to Daniel’s mother, Kendalee Walker.
Kendalee is attracted to Elliott too. I mean, he’s very good looking and he is good to her son, who’s a big fan of Preload. But there are SO many reasons she can’t get involved with him. She’s older than him by a few years. She was shattered when her husband left her for a younger woman and cleaned out their joint bank account. She has her son and his ongoing issues to deal with. She is homeless since Daniel burned down their home. She spends all her time at either the hospital or her part-time cashier’s job at No Frills – of note here, I was a part-time cashier at a grocery store for nine years and I often shop at No Frills myself. Her ex meets Elliott and is turned off right away. Elliott is a long-haired rocker whom Daniel worships and refuses to have anything to do with his father.
So any kind of relationship is almost impossible. But now that Elliott has taken an interest in Daniel, he runs into Kendalee more often and the more often he runs into her, the more he wants to help her and just plain wants her. But the closer he gets to both her and Daniel, the more his own issues begin taking over as he identifies with Daniel. As Daniel begins to confess to Elliott the abuse he has suffered, the harder it is for Elliott, but he knows this is all leading to healing for Daniel, so he’s undone in whatever he does.
This is another most excellent book in this series. While I preferred Jordan Reclaimed just a tad more, it was that I found Jordan extraordinary and special. It doesn’t take away from this book at all. Elliott is such a wonderful hero, so tortured, so loyal, so honorable, so everything that makes for great hero material.
Kendalee is also very well written. She has had so much thrown at her in such a short amount of time and she deals with it so well and remains strong and such a good mother. I love it when I adore both hero and heroine.
The secondary characters are also amazing. Daniel is so damaged, and I love seeing the other members of the band. It’s clear by the end who is going to be matched up in the next book and I can hardly wait for that one. I’ve already pre-ordered it. I highly recommend this book. I think it could be a stand-alone, but it is worth it to read the first book if only to get insight into the tight bond these friends and brothers have.
Grade: A
Summary:
Elliott “Pyro” Dawson burns up the lead guitar like a legend. But the nickname Pyro isn’t just a clever play on words. It’s much darker. A past he’s fought like hell to overcome.
Grocery store cashier Kendalee Walker is at her wits end and homeless. She’s watched her fourteen-year-old son, Daniel, go so far off the rails, he can no longer see the tracks.
When the two are brought together, attraction flares, but the life of a badass rockstar couldn’t be more different than that of a struggling mom. Can Elliott find the family he never had with the sexy woman and her son, or will he fall back on dangerous habits?
No excerpt available.
Other books in this series:
