Nikan Rebuilt: A Steamy, Emotional Rockstar Romance (Preload, #3)

by Scarlett Cole

• ISBN10: 1250154898
• ISBN13: 9781250154897
• Publish Date: 2 January 2018
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Swerve
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

[leelu92]

This was such a great second chance love story.

Nikan knows he screwed up big time with Jenny way back when he was nothing but a struggling member of Preload. He has a lot to make up for now that Jenny is back in Toronto and he is determined to right the wrong and get back the woman he has always loved.

He has a lot of work to do and to Jenny's credit, she does give him a chance. The more time she spends with him, the more she realizes that he deserves that chance.

Nikan and Jenny both carry large responsibilities in their lives, Nik as the father figure in the band and Jenny is trying to prove that she can create a loving and supportive atmosphere as a group home leader. While they both navigate the challenges in their own lives, they are able to rekindle the love and trust they once had with each other.

*Copy provided by publisher.

[Linda]

This review was originally posted on (un)Conventional Bookviews
*I received a free copy of Nikan Rebuilt from St. Martin's Press via Netgalley. This has in no way influenced my voluntary review, which is honest and unbiased *

Nikan Rebuilt brought out all the feels. I cried a little. And I laughed quite a lot. I swooned more than once, too.

Welcome to my stop on the Nikan Rebuilt review tour - there is a giveaway, my review, and an excerpt from this fantastic story.

Story:

Second chances are just so deliciously tortuous. Nikan Rebuilt definitely proved that to me, as Nikan was still dreaming of Jenny, years after their split. Years after not even knowing where in the world she might be. Until a day when he helped a young boy who lived in the same group-home he grew up in. And bringing him back, seeing Jenny being the interim director.

Jenny had done her best to purge Nikan from her thoughts and her heart. And she was pretty sure she had made it, too. Until she saw him again, and her heart and body reacted as if they'd never been apart. However, Jenny knew better than to trust her heart again. And she knew she had to protect herself at all cost.

Nikan Rebuilt brought out the feels big time. Both because Jenny and Nikan both had a tough past, and because especially Nikan was still battling some of his demons. Half indigenous, Nikan has always felt like he didn't belong in either world. Growing up first in foster care, after his mother's murder, then in group-homes just made him think he was right. He always worked hard on making his friends feel good. Taking care of band-members and other people he loved, but not having many people who took care of him.

Between the darkness from the past, and the difficulty Jenny had to trust in the present, Nikan Rebuilt was an emotional rollercoaster. I loved how determined and honest Nikan was, how he wouldn't back down until Jenny actually told him to stop.

Characters:

Nikan has intrigued me from the beginning of the Preload series. Reading his full story hit me hard, even if I knew what to expect - at least somewhat.

Jenny was a new character in this universe, and I loved her. Her integrity. Her hard work. Her soft heart that she would do anything to protect.

The other band-members showed up at times, too, and it always makes me feel good to see how they're doing on their new journey.

Writing style :

Past tense, third point of view worked really well for Nikan Rebuilt. There were also plenty of dialogues to keep the pace up.

Feels :

All the feels. I laughed, I cried, I giggled, I got a little hot and bothered... Cole brought me right into the middle of her characters' lives, and I had to hang on tight.



Nik shook his head. "Don't do this, Jenny. We deserve a second chance to see what we've got. We are perfect together."

It was fucking stupid. It was fucking possible.

Nikan Rebuilt Giveaway:

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Nikan Rebuilt Excerpt:

About Scarlett Cole:

 

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

[Lynn]

Book number one for 2018 is a fabulous start to the New Year. I've not read any of the previous novels in the Preload series, something I need to change because I loved Nikan and Jenny's second chance romance.

Nikan Monture has it all, except he doesn't. He's never forgotten his first love, the woman he betrayed eight years ago, who vanished into thin air. Now she's back working at the home he and his brothers lived and he wants her back. However, he has to convince her that what they had before can be better because he's a changed man.

Jenny McKade is nervous and excited about returning to Toronto to work. She's going to temporarily manage the home her ex and his band lived when they were teenagers and she has fond memories of spending time there when she was growing up too. The job is everything she's worked for only, the man who betrayed her is likely to cross her path at some point during her temporary job there and she's not sure her heart can handle seeing him again, or can it?

I went in blind with this novel and was instantly intrigued by the author's letter before the beginning of the novel. The inclusion and history of Nikan's First Nations heritage were insightful, informative and sympathetic to the plight of thousands of children taken into care. Nikan was a lucky one, despite his tough start in life, unlike his grandparents. His experience helped to shape the man he became, but simultaneously, he lost touch with whom he was because he'd always managed to put others before himself, except when he didn't and made the biggest mistake of his life...losing Jenny.

"Fall back in love with your life."

Additionally, Jenny's own tragic background and upbringing was a surprise, yet she became a strong independent woman. I loved that she didn't rush to reconcile with Nikan and made sure she worked through her doubts about a reconciliation as he tried to impress her...only to find she appreciated gestures similar to ones she remembered him for and not the ones he could afford now. A woman to love Nikan for the man he always was rather than the wealthy rock star he became.

Although I knew nothing about either the supporting characters and the protagonists before reading this novel, it didn't detract from the reading experience in any way. Ms Cole successfully kept me engaged in the narrative at all time and I instantly became invested in Nikan and Jenny. Their chemistry is electric and the rebuilding of their relationship is believable as is the interactions between secondary characters. At no time did I feel cheated out of not knowing more about any of them, so I can vouch for the standalone status of this novel.

Overall, Nikan Rebuilt is a narrative full of the unexpected. While I'm now interested in reading the earlier books in this series, Lennon's story is definitely one I want to read next.

***arc received courtesy of Swerve via NetGalley***