*I received a free copy of Jordan Reclaimed 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.
Jordan Reclaimed Series: Preload #1 on 28 February 2017
Pages: 250
Jordan Steele’s life began when he was ten. When he was taken from his parents and a house that was never a home. When he met his brothers, the other lost and abandoned boys in his group home. When he learned what friendship and family and love looked like.
Now he’s made good, touring the world with the band he and his brothers formed in that crowded group home. No one but his found family really knows the man under the fame and fortune, the scars he hides behind the rockstar lifestyle. Until he sees her through the windows of the National Ballet, dancing, and suddenly the world doesn’t seem so dark.
Aleksandra Artemov ticks all the ballet boxes. Father a legendary Kirov dancer. Check. Prepping since birth for classical ballet. Check. Compulsive control over the food she eats. Check. Principal dancer at The National Ballet of Canada. Check. But what she craves is freedom.
She craves Jordan.
Everything about him should terrify her. His size, his tattoos, his edge. But he doesn’t. He stirs her very soul. Jordan has nothing but himself to offer her, and he's never been good enough for anyone. Can he figure out how to face his own demons before he loses his light for good?
Jordan Reclaimed was a tough and gritty read, with a horrific childhood, it’s a miracle Jordan managed to function at all – and when he met his ballet dancer, he started to be much more than the man who just went through the motions
Jordan Reclaimed is set in the same universe as the Second Circle Tattoo series, and I had met Jordan before, even if he was mostly in the background. Jordan – as all the other guys in the band – had horrible childhoods, and it’s really quite amazing that they can function at all! One thing a lot of other bloggers know about me is that I love music! And I also have a soft spot for ballet. So a story where we have a ballet dancer and a rocker falling in love is the perfect set-up for pages and pages of swoon.
Lexi was used to working harder than any of the other dancers at the company, with her father being a former dancer himself, and extremely strict when it came to everything – what company she should dance for, what kind of roles she should accept, how much she should weigh, and how much she should train in order to be the very best. To say that their relationship was toxic is an understatement.
Jordan first saw Lexi when she was practising after a performance, and he was completely mesmerized by her. Jordan Reclaimed truly showed me that there can be beauty found everywhere, and it felt like both the main characters needed some of that in their lives. The storyline was pretty straight forward, where Jordan didn’t think he was good enough for Lexi, but he still composed a beautiful more classical song for her to dance to. And night after night, she danced to his tune, in the hope that he’d show up once more to watch her in the dark.
If you’re a fan of love stories where the new lovers seem like they don’t have much in common at first glance, Jordan Reclaimed is definitely for you. Written in third person, past tense, the readers follow both Jordan and Lexi very closely, and got to know them well. There are also enough dialogues to move the story forward and including other characters and their reactions as well.
He wasn’t sure there was anything left of his heart, but something in his chest sure as hell hurt.
The bitter wind had torn its way through Jordan’s jacket and had frozen him from the inside out. Strange, because he had never felt the cold before. It was all Lexi’s fault. Because of her, he was starting to thaw.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
About Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms
Linda is an English as foreign language teacher and has a Master's degree in English Language and Literature. She's an avid reader, blogger, compulsive one-clicker and a genre omnivore. Ever since she learnt how to read she has been seen with a book or two in her hands everywhere she goes.
Is it just me? I can’t see the review. Did it get deleted?
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Oh my… that was embarrassing, Geybie… I had scheduled my first draft of the post instead of the finished version. Thanks for letting me know! it’s all there now 🙂
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Haha I figured that something was going wrong. Hehe. Anyway, Awesome review as always, Lexxie. 😀
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Thank you, Geybie 🙂
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You had me at ballet dancer and rocker. I love it when the arts mingle. 🙂 This really sounds like something I would enjoy. Thanks for putting it on my radar!
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I know, right? And the mingling was really well done, too. It kind of reminded me of the Russian ballet dancer dancing to “Take me to church” by Hozier 😀
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I don’t think I would ever think about pairing a rock star with a ballet dancer but I am very intrigued. This sounds like a nice, out of the ordinary, romance.
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Well, in some ways, though, Metal is quite close to classical music… the harmonies and the complexity of the sounds especially. I totally agree though, it did look like everything opposed them in the beginning 🙂
The romance was very nice, and I hope you’ll find her time to read it one day yourself 🙂
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Sweet! I get in the mood for some good rockstar romance at times. I don’t know what it is about them, but they’re fun.
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Oh, if you want a different kind of rockstar romance, be on the lookout for Rock F*ck Club which is releasing later this month, Christy!!
I love rockstar romances every now and then, too. I think it’s a mix of things… I mean, the guy has rhythm, which is good, you know… and often he also has amazing stamina, so there are just so many possibilities 🙂
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Wow! I love the sound of this, an unlikely couple. I need to look into this one. Thanks for sharing Lexxie.
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I do love when an author can take two people who seem to have nothing in common and bring them together as the perfect couple. Glad you enjoyed this one.
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*grabby hands* I want this one!! And lucky for me, I have some loot to use on it. 😉 Of course, I want to finish the Second Circle Tattoos series first. Why don’t I have more time to read, wifey?!? This one really appeals to me though – I’m a sucker – well, for a lot it seems – but for two people from completely different worlds and lives coming together? Yep. *sigh* Great review, wifey!
Hope you’re having a lovely Thursday! I can’t believe it’s THURSDAY!!! Just 3.5 weeks… {{{BIG HUGS}}} & LOTS OF LOVE
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Oh I do love the ballet dancer meets rocker theme going on here, that makes it as such an interesting love story I think
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I love the premise of this one. Is the dancer anorexic or just very food conscious? I may have to check this one out! Thanks Lexxie 🙂
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