Social Icons

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Jordan Reclaimed, Preload #1 by Scarlett Cole

A Review by Wendy
5 It Worked on So Many Levels Stars
* * * * * 
Spoiler Free
In 2016, I stumbled onto Second Circle Tattoos, a series by Scarlett Cole. From the beginning I was drawn into her vision. She wrote with a strong hand about issues which were not all soft, fuzzy and pretty. Her characters were multidimensional and that meant every single one that graced the page had purpose.

Which brings me to Jordan Reclaimed. This is the first entry to Preload, the series inspired by a heavy metal group introduced in Second Circle Tattoos. From the moment they made an appearance, readers just knew these guys deserved to have their stories told. You can start this without reading the previous series...However, being a huge fan of the prior series...If you are interested in having the first taste and backstory of the group...then I would seriously suggest reading The Purest Hook, as that is where we are introduced to the group and Jordan Steele.

To give you an idea of how all of these men are connected, we are told of their placements in the Canadian Foster and Group homes... leading up to their final group home which in many ways saved them. Each member of the group have their own heartbreaking story. There will be nods to them...but in this book, we are given the full understanding of who Jordan Steele is... and how he became this damaged man...

A man who fights his pain and demons to live another day.
A man who needs to know his band brothers are safe in order to rest his head at night...
A man who sees things are changing... and doesn't know if he will be able to hold on...

These boys who had nothing were brought together and influenced by two women who ran a group home... and angels shined on them because these women taught these boys they could see themselves as their own family. It was the first positive thing they had and the bonds became unbreakable. Music was introduced and these boys finally had something that was their own.

Music for Jordan was his release...and it made things better...Fast forward and now these men are one of the top Heavy Metal Bands in the world. Money is no longer an issue...their lead singer Dred found his love Pixie and now she is helping him raise his little angel Petal.

So things are moving forward...Dred has been waiting for Pixie to be able to come and live with him and Petal permanently...and now it will happen. This has caused Jordan to feel more anxiety. All of the guys have lived in the same house...and at least this way Jordan could satisfy his need to know all were safe every night...

Jordan knows this is not a "Normal" need...He knows he is not normal and all of the hate spewed words from his abusive parents replay on a loop in his head...He has to fight it and he is happy for Dred, Pixie and Petal...it is just so hard to see them leave...

Aleksandra Artemov is another soul out there in the world fighting her own battles...She is a Warrior Woman who is packed in the most delicate package...a top Principal with The National Ballet of Canada, she is living the life planned out for her...From her first moments, she was groomed to dance. Her father was from the Kirov, looking to achieve the same success Baryshnikov did...Only he didn't and proceed to focus all of his attention and lost dreams on Lexi.

Well, now she is an accomplished ballerina... only she is wanting more...and looking to see how she can grow...she is fighting the oppression of her father's unwarranted constant criticism...She is fighting her internal doubts about her body...letting comparisons to other dancers feed that doubt...

These two lost souls meet one night and exchange more than any conversation could without ever saying a word...

Lexi is rehearsing in a studio which has a window facing the street...There in the dark, stands Jordan with the only creature who seems to calm his heart, baby Petal... As he stands and gazes at this vision dancing freely... with abandon equal to how he plays when with his brothers on stage...He recognizes the soul of another...A woman who is so beautiful it almost hurts to look at her...

And as Lexi is want to do... she sees this man with the stroller... and starts to dance only for him...She pours out her heart in the movements, the turns and the grace of her arms...Although it is dark and Jordan is not close...These two have connected in a way that cannot be denied...Each wanting to grasp onto this feeling and not let go...

Both are struck by this experience...
Jordan is compelled to create new music expressing everything he felt while watching her...He figures out a way to get it to her...
Lexi takes this music and plans a way to show Jordan how much it means to her...
Somehow these two talk, connect and life for the both of them will never be the same...

I loved this story because it covered so much with the necessary care needed...Jordan's life before he landed in the positive environment of his last home was of nightmares..His story could be any of the worst case studies from child services. We see news reports all the time of children left unattended... left to fend for themselves...eating garbage and somehow being discovered by passing strangers...These news stories are only the tip of the iceberg of pain out there...Jordan's story is handled in such a way we are able to be emphatic to his pain and inability to move forward...Watching him change and try to adjust warms the heart.

Lexi is another who has had forces play with her self image and worth. She is talented and does know it... however, she has been manipulated by her father for a number of reasons...It is extremely difficult to turn your back on your only living relative....emotions and the desire to receive the love you so disparately want from a father... is powerful.

These two come together and both have a way of bettering the other...As damaged as Jordan is... his strength and pure insight to how amazing Lexi is... gives Lexi the ability to see herself through his eyes...Jordan has been love struck by Lexi and it forces him to confront all of his self loathing...He finally is able to see and feel a future life...

There is wonder in this story...little things which are truly big... a retelling of how a boy has been named...or how an everyday occurrence so easily taken for granted can have massive meaning to a person ....

This is a romance which is sexual and emotional; when these two come together it is a way they communicate...yet it doesn't stay that way. Jordan sees Lexi as someone more from the start...Lexi loves all the ways Jordan talks to her... so free and direct...and their coupling is that... But they also go through the challenges couples like them would...

This first entry was strong with us learning of the other fellas... how all of them inter-act... who was the one who was the smart ass- who was the one who could be the sounding board...and who the women were who gave these men their only positive influences when they were kids. In other words we got a slice of life for these guys...causing me to want so much more.

A gifted copy was provided by author/publisher for an honest review.


13849930 Two-time RITA finalist, Scarlett Cole, is a contemporary romantic suspense / contemporary romance author (represented by Beth Phelan at The Bent Agency). Author of the Second Circle Tattoos Series. The Strongest Steel was a Best Debut Goodreads Author Finalist 2015, and Authors on the Air Global Radio Network #1 Contemporary Romance Pick for 2015.
When Scarlett isn't writing, she spends her time reading, hoarding mason jars, and working out to off-set an epic sour candy habit.
Having traveled the world for work and fun, Scarlett is a citizen of both Britain and Canada. A true city-dweller, she considers Toronto and Manchester home and likes to set her books in vibrant locations such as Miami and Los Angeles.

No comments :

Post a Comment