I so love those Preload boys!
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Lennon Reborn
Preload #4
by Scarlett Cole
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: May 1, 2018
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press SWERVE
Format: Digital and Paperback
Blurb:
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 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?
Buy Now: Amazon US | Amazon UK | B&N | iBooks | Chapters Indigo
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Excerpt:
“Will you tell me about the band? Dred said you were brothers? You told me about Adam. But Dred, Elliott, the others.”
Lennon swallowed hard. He should have expected the question at some point. “Nik’s the oldest. He’s the glue that kept us together as a family. Our social worker, Maisey, always said that seeing as biological families don’t get to choose their families yet somehow make it work, so should we. And Nik’s past . . . well, I guess he took it to heart and became the patriarch. Dred is the brains of the band, and the one most passionate about our music and careers.”
Lennon swallowed hard, hoping to avoid a hint of emotion in his words. “Elliott is the mom of the group. Maisey says he has a way with broken kids. Guess Jordan and I would agree with that. Jordan is the soul.”
“So what are you?” she asked, letting go of his hand and rolling close so she was on her side, her head on his shoulder.
“The annoying little brother,” he said. Georgia smacked him playfully across the stomach. He automatically went for her hand to hold it against him but couldn’t reach. Fuck.
“I don’t believe it for a second,” she said as she gripped his chin and turned him to face her. “They’re expressing too much love and concern for someone who is simply an annoying little brother. You did let them know you are okay, right?”
“I did. Wanna check my phone?” he asked, then sighed heavily. “I’m sorry, Gia. I have this habit . . . of pushing people away.”
“Why?” Georgia asked, moving to her knees in front of him.
He couldn’t help but look up at her.
“You are lucky that people worry about you, Lennon. They love you, like genuinely, with their whole hearts. If anything happened to me, my father would care only about the implications for his neurosurgery legacy and who I would leave this place to in my will.”
The words bounced around in his brain. He wanted to ignore them, wanted to let them fall into the cracks between the two of them, but he couldn’t. Because they came from her, he felt compelled to hear them. And because he was listening, like actually paying attention to every word that fell from those pretty lips of hers, he heard the hurt. Heard the loss behind the boldly spoken statement.
She was lost, like him.
“I’m going to hire a physical therapist to start coming to the condo every day and a personal trainer to kick my ass into gear,” he said suddenly. Perhaps if he jump-started his own life, she’d copy him and jump-start her own. “But I’m only going to do it if you agree to make some changes in yours.”
“Lennon,” she said, those pretty eyes studying his intently, “you have to do this for yourself, not because of me.”
“I know,” he replied. “But what’s wrong with a little motivation between friends? You need to stop more often, let more into your life than being a superstar neurosurgeon. I know you thrive on it, I know you love it. Happiness can come from so many different places, I think we both need to learn that. And I don’t want you to do it for me. Don’t you want it for yourself?”
Georgia sighed. “I do,” she whispered, the weight of those two simple words hitting him squarely in the chest. Because in another life, in another time, he could imagine her saying them to him in a completely different setting.
Copyright © 2018 Scarlett Cole
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Review:
I hate to say it (and I think it was because of all the build-up I saw around this book’s release) but I didn’t find Lennon Reborn to be THAT heart-wrenching. I felt for the guy so very much and I was so happy to finally find out why he is the way he is … but I kinda was waiting for even more of an emotional punch. Don’t get me wrong, there are a TON of feels here and I relished every one, but they didn’t grab hold of my heart and squeeze like I expected them to.
The opening is definitely nerve-wracking and when you find out exactly how much it costs Lennon you can’t help but get choked up. He’s done a good job of hiding his troubles behind the jerk mask he wears, but life has not been kind to this man (I cannot imagine how he managed to survive his childhood) and the only thing that kept him together was his music and his band mates … now he’s losing one of those and his deepest fear is that he’ll lose it all. Lucky for him, he has his own savior in Dr. Georgia Starr.
Georgia usually deals with pediatric patients but when she’s right there at Lennon’s accident she does everything she can to help. When she finds herself thinking about Lennon afterward, it doesn’t take her long before she finds herself in his room. And the hurt she senses in him (and their obvious attraction) has her going out of her way to get him back on his feet. She’s just not fully aware of what that is going to mean for them both.
I loved these two together. Lennon is struggling but he senses something in Georgia, something that speaks to his damaged side. While he’s given himself up as a lost cause, he thinks that she needs someone to help her get more out of life and he’s decided to help her. As for Georgia, she’s not going to let Lennon wallow. Her blunt, up-front personality is so refreshing and it definitely keeps him on his toes, making him think about more than what he’s lost (not just today but always).
Together Lennon and Georgia manage to work through their demons and figure out a way to enjoy life again. Steamy, sexy, and full of all sorts of emotions, Lennon Reborn is another wonderful entry into a fabulous series about men dealing with their pasts and the women who love them enough to help them through it.
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Author Info:
The tattoo across my right hip says it all really. A Life Less Ordinary. Inked by the amazingly talented Luke Wessman at the Wooster Street Social Club (a.k.a. New York Ink). Why is it important? Well, it sums up my view on life. That we should all aspire to live a life that is less boring, less predictable. Be bold, and do something amazing. I’ve made some crazy choices. I’ve been a car maker, a consultant, and even a senior executive at a large retailer running strategy. Born in England, spent time in the U.S. and Japan, before ending up in Canada were I met my own, personal hero – all six and a half feet of him. Both of us are scorpios! Yeah, I know! Should have checked the astrological signs earlier, but somehow it works for us. We have two amazing kids, who I either could never part with or could easily be convinced to sell on e-bay.
I’ve wanted to be a writer for a really long time. Check through my office cupboards or my computer and you’ll find half written stories and character descriptions everywhere. Now I’m getting the chance to follow that dream.
Connect with Scarlett: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
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Giveaway:
Enter to win the Complete Preload Signed Paperback Series eBooks!
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b050ef29515/
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