Lennon Reborn

I have been a fan of Scarlett Cole’s since I read her first book The Strongest Steel back in 2015, not only do I enjoy her story lines but the way she writes really pulls me into the story as if I am right there watching everything as it’s happening. I think it’s a true gift to be able to do that and she does it every single time.

This has been an emotional series but Lennon, holy cow, I really don’t know what to say. This story had me in tears for the majority of the book. Before chapter two ended I had huge tears rolling uncontrollably down my face, I shouldn’t have been reading while in public because I knew this but I just couldn’t put the book down. We start the story off with a life altering event in not only Lennon’s life but the life of his band mates and their families as well. This event is where Lennon first meets Georgia, and thankfully she doesn’t listen to him….smart woman! and that’s all I can say about that.

Lennon and Georgia may have had an instant attraction but it does take time for things to heat up which I really appreciated, because under the circumstances anything else would have felt false. Lennon has been through so much in his life things that would horrify anyone with a conscience.

Scarlett Cole is freaking amazing with wiggling her way into your heart then gutting you but somehow she brings the rainbow at the end of an epic storm. Lennon is the final book in the Preload series, and to say she saved the best for last would be an understatement. I have enjoyed getting to know each and everyone of the band members. I was thrilled when Jordan got his book because I needed to know what made him the man that he is and for a long time he was my absolute favorite of the famous five, but now that I have read Lennon’s story I have to say that he may have nudged Jordan out of the top spot.

**I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book**

Over the last couple years, Scarlett Cole has become one of my absolute favorite authors. She tells stories you simply haven’t read. I have been eagerly awaiting Lennon Reborn since first meeting the men of Preload and was not disappointed. The story was simply amazing! I cried. I swooned. I fell in love with the Preload men all over again.

Georgia and Lennon were everything I had hoped for and so much more. A tragedy brought the two of them together and I would love to say it was roses and easy going from there but that would be a lie. This love story took time and patience and true dedication. Despite the heavy emotional baggage Lennon carries with him, Georgia was there ready to show him the light. I adored them.

If Scarlett Cole has not already become a one-click for you now is the time to take the leap and try her out. Trust me, If you love hot romance with a lot of heart and some tears then you’ll love this!
~miranda

“Lennon was existing, but he wasn’t living.”

She did it, she went there. She ripped my heart out and she’s not even sorry. She gave me one of my favorite things, a very broken bad boy, and she made me love him. She put me inside his head and showed me his past and his pain. What the hell am I supposed to do with an author like that? #StalkHer

Of course all of the members of Preload are broken to varying degrees. They formed their self-made family in foster care and continued it as bandmates. But Lennon…sigh.

Georgia has been pushing herself her whole life. Trying to live up to her family’s expectations and hoping to someday make her father proud. She highly successful and respected in her field, but of course that’s not good enough for her father. She puts everything into her work, leaving no time for herself. She never even realized that something was missing in her life until it was brought to her attention by a sexy drummer. She thought to herself that “If they used his body in grade-nine biology textbooks, she was certain there wouldn’t be a problem with the number of young girls showing an interest in science.” She wasn’t a young girl anymore, but she wanted to study every inch of him…

Lennon has been keeping his secrets and his pain to himself for years. He cares for his band brothers deeply, but he keeps his walls up and won’t let them all the way in. He’s always protecting himself from the eventual pain of losing them. He hides his problems and fears with moodiness and jokes. The only person to ever see past his bullshit and call him on it is Georgia. She seems to see the real him that he never shows to anyone else. She pushes him and challenges him to fight for what he wants. She makes him want to be a better man. “Honestly, you’re the fucking rainbow in my gray sky. You’re the only bit of color I have.” But years of silence make it hard to share his demons. Will telling her his secrets draw her closer, or will it send her running faster? Will he be brave enough to find out?

I have really enjoyed every single book in this amazing series. The Preload family is complete now and it saddens me to know that I’ve reached the end of their story. I’m not ready for it to be over. I’m so very glad that my #RockstarRomanceAddiction put Scarlett Cole on my radar and now that she’s there she can’t hide from me. I’m anxious to get my hands on whatever she has for her readers next. The line forms here…

I anticipated Lennon’s story was going to be a tough one to read because of what we’ve learned about and seen of him in the previous Preload series books. I didn’t however expect to be reaching for the tissues in the very first chapter, and I knew that it wouldn’t be the only time I’d need them and I loved that! What got me was the unexpected moments throughout the book when the author’s words just knocked me for six and reduced me to tears…. and that was perfect!

The story did not go how I imagined it would before I opened to the first page, and as much as I want to have harsh words with the author for putting Lennon though all he did, it was an amazing story and the perfect one for him. The struggles he has always had throughout his life have broken my heart many times, so learning the reasons for his actions and feelings was hard.

Georgia Starr is a woman I greatly admire. She and Lennon are brought together unexpectedly and I absolutely love her personality, and I could soon see why she would be the perfect partner for him. However she does have some baggage of her own and I wondered after all this time, if Lennon would be able to accept that he is able to love and be loved. He is such a complex character.

This is obviously Lennon’s story but it was so lovely to catch up with the other band members too. This book is packed full of emotion and although there are heartbreaking moments, I found that I was smiling and laughing often too. Lennons’s story, well actually the whole series has been an emotional roller coaster ride but one that I am so pleased to have experienced.

This series has been incredible. It is certainly up there among my top favourites. The closing chapters could not have been written any better in my opinion and although each band member has now had their story told, I really hope that this isn’t the last we see of them. I’m hoping that one day Scarlett will consider writing a novella to explain Adam’s actions…. one day maybe.

Please read this story. Go back to the beginning and start with Jordan’s, in fact go back even earlier and read the Second Circle Tattoo series where you will find Dred’s story. It’s been an absolute pleasure spending time with these guys and I know that you won’t be disappointed when you read their stories too. You will probably just kick yourself for not reading them sooner.

This book and these characters grabbed me from the first page and didn’t let me go until days after I had finished the book. Such a beautiful, heartfelt story. Loved Lennon and Georgia. Both strong, lovable characters who were broken in their own ways and made to heal the other. The connection between these two is so evident from the moment they meet.

I just can’t say enough about how much I loved this book. The writing is great and the characters are great. Loved the bond between all the band members. I will definitely be reading the other stories in this series.

Okay, so this was hard. I’m crying just typing that sentence. These guys … their lives … I just don’t know where to begin. Lennon’s journey was both heartbreaking and uplifting. I don’t want to say that if anyone deserved a beautiful journey it was him but damn … yeah, a little.

So I literally cried thru every word. My eyes were either watery or I was ugly crying at every single turn. And not because of angst but because love. (I’m crying again)

I can’t write a review right now because I just cry so maybe some other time but just know … THIS is what unconditional love looks like. It’s sacrifices. It’s endurance. It’s growth. It’s heart. It’s pain. It is everything. THIS is what good writing looks like. It pulls you in and makes you part of the story. I was invested. I felt it. I endured it. It was powerful. (I’m crying again)

Just read the book and read this series. This author has proven time and time again that she is a force with words. #TRUST me on this. She might have broken the mold!

5+ Stars

This had all the emotions! It broke my heart in the beginning and healed by the end. Scarlett Cole saved the best for last!!

I have fallen deeper and deeper in love with the members of Preload ever since opening up that first book. I haven’t met a more vulnerable, broken bunch of men nor men so loving, caring and as bonded to each other as these group of men. As they each found that one woman that managed to knock them on their knees and heal their childhood wounds, I have see each one of them evolve into incredible characters filled with happiness, love and family.

That being said, Lennon was the one character that alluded me throughout the series. He cracked jokes at every turn, yet was the most tight lipped about what was going on in his head and heart. He was the true testament of how those with the most hurt are the ones walking around with the biggest smile. He hid so much of his pain from his brothers. Being the youngest, he never truly felt like he belonged and wanted so much to hold on to his spot in the group, so he put on a smile, cracked more jokes and watched each and everyone of his band mates…brothers find love and happiness.

Lennon’s story was the most emotional of the bunch. And I don’t just mean a tear here and there…I mean I was devastated after just a few chapters – crying in the middle and eventually filled to bursting with happiness by the end. Lennon Reborn was to complete and total rollercoaster ride and I loved each and every rise and fall and that track.

Lennon’s growth from beginning to end of this book was the most transformative of the Preload men. His demons ran deep and only a woman as strong, confident and persistent as Dr. Georgia Starr could get through his concrete barriers. Her approach was second nature and exactly what he needed. She gave him the space he needed while still giving him the support he refused to accept. And together they were the perfect match and complete opposites; which created a perfect yin/yang bond between them. Where he was carefree and laid back, she was structured and controlled. Where he took everything as it comes, she taught him to plan and organize and he taught her the ability to let go and relax.

This story was truly remarkable and one of my favorites of 2018.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader –
M/F Romance
Triggers: Suicide, Traumatic Injury – accident, Child neglect, Child death

Lennon is struggling with his life. Despite loving his job, he also sees his brothers/bandmates moving forward in their lives. Lennon’s inner voice is constantly telling him that there is nothing worthy in him. When Lennon and his bandmates are in an accident, Lennon’s outlook on life only become more bleak.

Georgia is a hard working surgeon. She knows her job and knows that she’s amazing. BUT, with a family full of doctors – all her brothers and her father – she feels that she never truly measures up because her dad and brothers are constantly belittling her and her career. When she witnesses an accident, she can’t help but help. What she doesn’t expect is to see her patient bleeding out and hearing him wanting to give up – wanting her to give up on him.

Georgia can’t help but see Lennon for who he truly is – she can’t help but see his pain too. Instead of an epic romance, you get to see their journey together. Lennon works through his past issues and current situation and Georgia has to work through her family’s betrayal and her desire to continue on her career. Lennon also returns the kindness and love to Georgia by seeing how hard she works and how much she cares about her patients.

I really enjoyed this story – it was strong and emotional, realistic and enjoyable.

Sarah –
This story starts with an explosive plot twist that had me completely shocked (no spoilers!). In the aftermath, an unlikely friendship emerges between a heavy metal drummer and a high-flying neurosurgeon.

As with every book in this series, Lennon’s story is heartbreaking at times and I blubbered through good chunks of it. Where other band members struggled to justify their present success and happiness against their childhood horrors, Lennon must deal with the trauma in his present while also working through his terrifying past experiences.

As a surgeon, Georgia is just as successful and celebrated as Lennon in her own circles. Georgia struggles with a family that is cold, pushy, and brutally competitive. And while she is the best at what she does, her job consumes all of her energy. Her surprising friendship with Lennon provides much needed social interaction and provides some balance in her life.

The relationship between Lennon and Georgia builds slowly. In the beginning, they provide a place of escape for each other. Friendship follows and soon, Georgia and Lennon make each other stronger and more resilient.

This last Preload book is beautiful. I was fully consumed by the characters, their experiences, and their emotions. Beyond the suffering, this series always offers strands of hope and redemption and while this story starts in a very dark place, Lennon’s Preload family doesn’t allow him to stay there. I love the ‘family of choice’ theme that runs through this whole series and I’ve loved watching the Preload men grow into themselves and their relationships. I am so sad that the series has finished but I’m definitely going back to the beginning for a binge reread.

Ruthie –
Another 5 star read for the last book in the series – but as I have thought about every single one as I read it… this is definitely my favourite… until I find time to read them all one after the other and love them all as much as the other.

Whilst the other stories have given us insight into painful pasts, and clarity over the joy that can be possible in the present, this one makes us question both the past and the future. And yes, make sure you have plenty of tissues to hand, and a private space in which to imbibe this wonderful book.

Lennon definitely competes with the rest of the men for a terrible past, one which has done him some awful damage which still scars his mind. And somehow, the power of love, the love of a woman who just somehow gets him, will make all the difference in the world to his future happiness. And whilst the way he meets her has to be the hardest thing to ever happen to him, she is everything he needs.

Georgia is such a perfect match for Lennon. Only Ms. Cole could have possibly imagined such a person, with intensely different, but serious family issues, could have given Lennon the chance to become whole. I love that he believes his mission to be to save her, just as she is inevitably saving him right back.

Beautifully intense, sexy, and just wonderful. This is really an amazing story, I recommend it to you with every bit of me, heart, brain, and soul. Some of the scenes are so perfect, so simple in their words, so intense in their meaning. Thank you, Ms. Cole, thank you for an amazing group of men and the women who love them – but maybe, most of all, thank you for Maisie and Ellen.

Mary Jo –
Lennon’s struggles only get worse and more intense after the bus crash that injures him and his bandmates and their families. Waking up after the accident and learning the truth about what happened to him, he only wants to be alone.

The accident reminds him of his past, his neglectful mother, and his long-lost sister. He blames himself for the accident that caused his sister’s death and believed everything his mother ever told him.

Georgia is a breath of fresh air in Lennon’s life. It’s as if she sees him in a way that no one else can. She listens to his words and then to what he’s not saying with his mouth, but with his eyes and body language.

Georgia likes being with Lennon. For all of his medical issues, he’s easy to be around. He sees her in ways that her family doesn’t. He lets her be… he just lets her be. He doesn’t expect extraordinary things from her other than to be present with him. He encourages her to do the things she wants and to be the person she longs to be.

A truly fitting end to this wonderful series.

Kris –
Lennon was really a heartfelt look into a person with a horrible childhood trying to find it in his heart to accept love when he feels like he’s not deserving. Having been ignored and abandoned by his teenaged birth mother, Lennon never formed the bonds that teach us how to love or accept affection. Finding his “brothers” in the group home they shared helped, but Lennon always felt like an outsider, much due to his own tendency to push people away. After a horrible accident and Lennon losing his arm, he feels the band won’t need him or want him anymore. Coming to grips with a horrible situation and learning how to live with only one arm, Lennon finds himself opening his heart to the doctor who saved his life that tragic day.

Georgia is a workaholic, she’s a renowned neurosurgeon and has spent her entire life honing her craft, her calling. Coming from a very long line of neurosurgeons, including her father and three brothers, being the only woman was trying and difficult. Never really adding up in her father’s eyes, Georgia is tired of the misogyny of her family. Lennon is so different from the other men in her life. He encourages her to have fun, take time off, and enjoy the quiet moments. In turn, Georgia is showing Lennon that he’s wanted and needed. The two of them were sweet and sincere and touching.

I thought the chemistry between them was fantastic but also worried that Georgia was a bit too accepting of Lennon’s mercurial moods. I also struggled with the ending. Georgia leaves everything behind to go with Lennon. Her home, her practice, her life. He pretty much just says, hey, go work at this hospital instead of the one you’ve made a name for yourself at because it would be better for me. Love sometimes does make people make tough decisions, sacrifices and compromises are what happen in a relationship. While Lennon was definitely in need of his brothers/bandmates and his home to help with his fledgling recovery, I found him really selfish expecting Georgia to leave everything. Then again, to quote a favorite movie “What wouldn’t I do for the right guy?” (credit: Practical Magic) applies here. Because love is something to give it all up for… sometimes. Felt the ending was a bit rushed. Would have liked more on Georgia’s father and the fallout of her leaving the Starrs of New York and moving to Canada with a rock star. Georgia just fell into the friendship with the other women of Preload and Lennon starred in the ending. It was his book, just felt Georgia got a bit pushed to the wayside.

Lee’Anne –
This is a book with all the feels – I loved it!

Lennon McCartney is at the height of his career as a drummer for a band that is crazy popular. He and his bandmates are involved in an accident that results in the loss of Lennon’s arm and, he thinks, his livelihood. Having witnessed the accident, Doctor Georgia Starr is quick to jump in to provide any medical attention she can, and she quickly takes a liking to Lennon. When Lennon pushes everyone in his life away, Georgia steps in and offers him a place to live and a shoulder to lean on. This is the start of a great friendship that quickly turns into so much more.

I really enjoyed the progression of this story, it didn’t feel rushed but still has a great pace. Georgia and Lennon are made for one another, Georgia is the perfect balance to Lennon’s moodiness while Lennon gives her the push she needs to step outside her family’s “bubble” in New York. I adored both of their characters and found the journey that Lennon goes on accepting life without his arm truly inspiring. This is the first in the series that I’ve read – so I’d say it can definitely be read as a standalone but on that same note, I’m adding the first three books to my TBR!

I also have to say I love the title of this book – it’s so very fitting!

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Shake It Up (Man of the Month #8) by J. Kenner to read and review.

I am hoping that my review of Lennon Reborn, the fourth book in the Preload Series, does justice to it and portrays just how amazing this book was. Lennon’s story broke me, it shattered my heart into so many pieces that I thought there was no way I would recover. This was so emotional and raw that it reached deep into my heart and soul and touched every inch of my being. As I took the journey with Lennon and witnessed Georgia see the man behind the persona that he portrays to the world, I realized that this story was inspirational and so full of love it was blinding. It was evident that Scarlett Cole poured every bit of herself into this book and the emotional connection you will have to it and the characters will be proof of that. Every tear I shed and every time my heart broke a little more for this man was worth it, as you finally witness Lennon stepping out of the dark and into the brightest of lights. This is hands down my book of 2018 and he will be the character that I will carry in my heart and mind for a very long time.

Oh my gawd!!! My heart was literally shredded over Lennon and all he had survived in his life. A more broken hero, I’ve never met. If ever there was a man that needed unconditional love it was him. His thoughts were so dark, his heart unable to acknowledge anything other than rejection. With a soul that had been bleeding his whole life, Lennon was unable to find any freedom from the pain inflicted upon it. He knew with certainty that there was nothing out there for him. My soul bled for him in return.

Fate brought Georgia and Lennon together at one traumatic moment that would change Lennon’s life in so many different ways. Even as she lays her hand upon him to reassure him of her presence, she can feel the jolt of life that resides inside of him, a recognition that he has so much more to give. And so, her fight begins.

Lennon had the most atrocious childhood imaginable. While his bandmates find love, peace and happiness, he’s still on the sidelines as a place holder, waiting for the moment when they will walk away from him. When Georgia forces herself into his life with her nonjudgmental manner and cool professionalism, he finds moments of time when the aching need to just end it all fades away.

My gawd, did I respect the heck out of Georgia! She took on a task that most would’ve walked away from. And more importantly, she refused to go into this relationship with anything other than truth. There were no games played here. No lies told to protect themselves. When it might have been easier at times to toss out a blasé comment, they held tight to being who they were. A very rare occurrence in romance books.

There is so much more to Lennon Reborn than just boy meets girl, etc. It was so freaking heart breaking, I mean truly heart breaking. I cried so much over Lennon’s abusive past, his present as he struggled to accept his current status, and the future that he was too afraid to hope for. There are layers upon layers to Lennon and Georgia and I absolutely adored every one that was revealed.

All of that to say: This, my friends, is a true love story, not just a romance. A love story.