*I received a free copy of Elliott Redeemed from via Netgalley. This has in no way influenced my voluntary review, which is honest and unbiased *
Warning: This book includes mature content such as: sexual content, and/or drug and/or alcohol use, and/or violence.
A single mom and tortured musician find common ground in Scarlett Cole's Elliott Redeemed, the second standalone romance about the band Preload.
Elliot "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 can Elliott find the family he never had with the sexy woman and her son, or will he fall back on dark habits?
Elliott Redeemed brought me the secrets Elliott kept, of his past, of how they affected his present, and what he did to deal with his darkness. Until he met Kendalee and Daniel, he was utterly lost.
Story:
There was a lot going on in Elliott Redeemed. Preload was back from tour, and more of the band members had moved out from their common house to be with their significant others. Elliott was back to having nightmares about his childhood, and I really wasn’t sure any good was going to happen for him. As he went to the Children’s Hospital to visit children with cancer, he stopped by at another room as well. That’s how he met Daniel. Who had set fire on his house, and ultimately got badly burned himself. The friendship that developed between the teen and the rockstar was beautiful. And the chemistry between Elliott and Kendalee was there from the beginning.
One of the things I enjoyed the most about the story was that Kendalee was ten years older than Elliott. It was difficult for her to understand what he saw in her, especially because her husband had cheated on her before ultimately walking out on her and Daniel. New beginnings, harsh pasts, and redemption were the most poignant themes.
Characters:
Elliott was in the background during Jordan Reclaimed, but he was still fleshed out. In Elliott Redeemed, I got to know all his dark, sad secrets, and I was in awe of how he did his best to deal with his inner darkness.
Kendelee had lost her self worth after her husband left her and Daniel behind for another woman. She was strong, though, and would do anything for her son.
Daniel was a troubled teen, who didn’t deal with his problems in the right way. And he got burned badly, but lived to tell the tale.
The other band-members as well as the two women who had saved them were present as well, and the camaraderie between the guys was so well done.
Writing style :
Written in past tense, third person perspective mostly from Elliott’s point of view, Elliott Redeemed also included flashbacks into Elliott’s troubled past. The dialogues were snappy and helped getting to know the other characters well.
Feels :
My feels were on complete overtime with Elliott Redeemed! I was disgusted and horrified by what the people who were supposed to love Elliott did to him in the past. I was sad for how he felt like he’d never be deserving of love. I cheered for both him and Kendalee when they stood tall for what they believed in. And I melted with the romance and acceptance.
He climbed out of bed and grabbed a pair of shorts, his bones and muscles aching from the thirty-five-concert tour. The air-conditioning was cold enough to freeze his balls off, but outside the hot muggy August air of downtown Toronto would be more than likely to melt them.
He was pretty certain he’d never slept with a woman older than he was. But she wore it so freaking well. Yeah, there were lines at the sides of her eyes, but they told him she’d laughed often once upon a time. And she was confident. He wondered if she’d be like that in bed.
Kissing Kendalee was just like the moment a song came together. The lyrics and the instruments and the pace and the rhythm all had to collide to create a song that could touch people.
Twitter: teamwork
This sounds really good. I am going have to add it to my TBR.
It was awesome, Megan 🙂
I like how the story has a younger man falling for an older woman because usually it’s the other way around in most books.
I know! And it’s so refreshing when it does happen!
Twitter: ailynk
sounds like a read to remember! love the last quote it is very inspiring
It was definitely a read to remember, Ailyn. As all of Cole’s books, really 😉
Yay, I love that the heroine is older than the hero too, Lexxie. The story sounds AWESOME. I’m CURIOUS! Thanks for sharing. Fantastic review! ?❤️??
It was so, so good, Geybie! And a heroine who is older than a hero just makes a story that more interesting 🙂
Cool that she’s older. I don’t see that very often in this genre. I have major love for the much older man, but it’s great to see this too.
I actually love it when both of the main characters are ‘older’. But one where the heroine is older is so good 🙂