This book is essentially a second chance rockstar romance, but the heroine's background set it apart from many other similar stories in the subgenre. Her childhood years were spent in a cult founded by her psychotic father. A sick man who would ultimately go to prison for urging members to poison themselves-including her own mother. How do you come back from something like that? How do you go on to live a healthy and happy life after witnessing the toxic and damaging things that were a part of her every day life? Somehow she retained her spirit, her optimism, and her desire to help others. She had a warm and loving personality, despite seeing a very ugly side of the world and that's one of the things I liked most about her.

Jenny met Nik as a teen at his group home, and he became her saving grace, her first love, and eventually her ruin. Nik wasn't just the man she pinned her hopes and dreams on for her future. He and his bandmates were her only family. He was her everything, holding her fragile trust and and years worth of pain in his calloused hands. He was the one person she thought would never wound her, and in the end she realized he was the only one with the power to hurt her the most. He betrayed her when he was on the cusp of fame, and she disappeared from his life for eight years.

Time hadn't eased the regret for either of them. But unlike Jenny, who was forced to see his exploits on the cover of every gossip mag, he would give anything to have the chance to see her face again. To make amends and feel whole again. Fame hasn't filled the emptiness that he's unable to fill. When he returns back to his hometown, he's at a crossroads in his life. As the oldest of the group, he's always been the self-sacrificing member. Doing whatever it took to keep his brothers happy and at peace. But at what cost? The realization that he's simply going through the motions for their benefit is a hard truth to swallow. He thought he'd be sorting through his thoughts back home, but every one of them scattered the moment he unexpectedly stood in front of Jenny. The girl he let slip through his fingers.

Jenny rebuilt her life from the ground up in their years apart. She's now a social worker, and trying to make a difference in young lives that mirrored her own at that age. She wants no part of Nik, and forgiveness isn't going to be an easy sell for him. I have to say, I respected her for that. A lot. She didn't set out to punish him, but she made him work for the privilege to be a part of her life again. She made him earn her trust and her heart, as he unequivocally needed to. Their reconnection was gradual, and an exploration of healing. It wasn't immediate, or based on lust.

Normally I would have shied away from reading this because of the reason for their separation. Scarlett Cole proved that there's always an exception to the rule with Nikan Rebuilt. She made me a believer in Nik and Jenny's relationship, and the possibility of a brighter, happier future. I think if I had read their break up (and his screw up) in the present tense rather than a recollection of it happening years before, it may have been a different story. Knowing that Nik was genuinely remorseful and humble in his bid to win her back was another big plus.

Overall, this was an excellent addition to the series, and my favorite of the two I've read so far. If you're a fan of rocker romances, or second chance stories with unique elements, this could be the book for you.

4.5 emotional, second-chance stars

I have eagerly read all of Scarlett Cole’s books, and I know that she can bring the feels, but OMG, she really brought the feels with this one, and I loved it! A gorgeously emotional second-chance-romance between fascinatingly complicated Nikan and his first love, Jenny, and the story of a man who is struggling to figure out who he is. It’s a beautifully written book that I couldn’t put down, and I absolutely loved it.

Nikan is the guitarist for metal band, Preload, a group of guys that came together in a group home, traumatised from heartbreaking childhoods but who found and saved each other and became closer than brothers. The band went on to become world-famous, and the boys achieved success they never could have dreamed of. Now they are slowly achieving personal happiness, with the boys falling one by one to women who are completing them.

Nik is the self-designated father-figure to the boys. He’s the one that smooths out difficulties, who makes sure everybody is where they need to be, and the one that the boys turn to when they need a voice of reason. But he’s been acting in the role for so long, that he’s forgotten who he is. And watching his brothers find love is making him feel the loss of the only woman he’s ever loved. And then suddenly, she is back.

Jenny was also raised in a group home, and from the moment that she and Nikan met as teenagers, they were it for each other. They became friends, they fell in love and they were soulmates in every sense of the word, knowing that they would be together forever and dreaming of the future they would have. It was perfect until Nikan made a mistake and in one disastrous night, ruined everything. Now Jenny is back in town to manage the very group home where the boys were raised, and from the moment they see each other again, all of those feelings which never went away, are brought right back to the surface in a gut-churning reunion.

“Don’t,” Nik said, stepping closer to her. “Don’t reduce our history to a five-second dismissal when I haven’t seen you in nearly a decade.”
…“You broke me into a million pieces I have never been able to put back together properly, and I hate you for that.”


OMG, I love an emotional love story, and Nik and Jenny’s is full of feels! Even after being apart for eight years it is clear that they still love each other, but there is so much hurt between them. Nik did wrong, he knows he did wrong, and he is desperate to make up for it. But Jenny has put up walls to protect her heart after Nik left her so broken, and she is fighting hard to keep him away. He has a battle on his hands, but it is one he is determined to win, and OMG, I loved it!

“I let you walk away without a fight when I was a messed-up twenty-three-year-old who hadn’t figured out his place in the world. I can wait as long as you need to get your hear around the fact that I’m back.”

“I don’t think you realize that you ruined me for everybody else. Including you,” she said. “I can’t do falling in love. I can’t do depending on someone else ever again.
Nik placed his hand on her cheek. “I get it. That’s why I am here. I know I’ve got an uphill battle to get you to trust me again, but I’m ready to do the work. It’s going to take time, but I’m going to show you that it’s okay to depend on me because I’ll be there for you a thousand times over.”


I could feel the depth of the connection between these two, their love for each other, and just how torn up they were over the destruction of everything between them. I loved their honesty, the way they hold nothing back, and Nik’s commitment to making amends and getting his girl back and all of the swoony declarations that go along with that.

“I don’t want what we were to be the sum total of everything we ever add up to.”


*dreamy sigh*

It’s not an easy ride for them, but I loved every sweet, funny, painful, heartbreaking and heartachingly romantic moment of their reconnection as they finally faced the past and opened themselves up to each other all over again.

“So where do we go from here?”…
“That’s up to you, sweetheart. I’m yours, Jenny. I always have been. The question is, are you still mine?”


It’s beautiful, and I could feel every emotion the two of them went through, and I was completely swept up in all that they felt for each other. And the sexy time! OMG, it’s hot, intense and passionate, and a blistering reflection of all of those feels.

“You feel so good, every inch of you. You want to be reminded just how good we were together? Then feel this. Feel how hard I am for you, listen to how breathless you make me, know that no matter how long tonight lasts, you own me.” He pressed himself into the very sweet spot between her thighs, and she arched her back in response. “Tell me you want me to make love to you. Tell me you want this, Jenny, because I want you more than I want my next breath.”


*Phew!*

Running alongside the romance is Nikan’s personal journey, and I loved the complexity of his character. His life has been the band and his brothers for so long, he’s been the glue that holds them all together, and it has taken its toll on him and he no longer even remembers who he is. Now, with Jenny coming back into his life, Nik has reached the point where he needs to take a step back from the co-dependency of his brothers and figure out what he wants. It’s an emotional journey for him, and some of those the scenes with the boys were heartwrenching, but it’s beautifully written and, again, I could feel what he was going through. It ties in beautifully with the love story, and with Jenny dealing with her own issues from the past, and it works to progress their story as they finally get the chance to be there for each other after so many years of coping on their own.

Of course the Preload boys (and their girls) all a big part of the story, and I loved getting to catch up with them. I also loved the additional bonus of getting to see a new generation of boys growing up in the group home, which was both heartbreaking and sweet, and the connection that the Preload boys shared with the kids. And though this book stands alone as its own story, with the tensions that unfolded among the group, and the changes that are happening for them, I cannot WAIT for Lennon’s book up next!

Scarlett Cole, every time you do this to me!

For those who've not read the previous books in this series, Preload is a metal band formed by guys who grew up in a Canadian children's home. Because it's Scarlett Cole each of the guys has had a dreadful childhood, abuse of all kinds, witnesses to terrible acts etc and Nikan is no exception.

The child of a mixed marriage between a First Nation man and a white woman he has always felt alienated and troubled by his heritage. His mother was brutally murdered, and Nikan badly wounded, by a jealous neighbour who couldn't bear the thought of her with another man. Nikan is in love with Jenny, another child from the foster home/ childcare system, who he met when they were young teenagers but he threw it all away when he slept with another woman on the band's first tour.

Eight years later Jenny has returned to Toronto to act as temporary manager of the children's home that Nikan and his fellow band members last lived in while the current manager recovers from breaking her leg. She too has had a deeply traumatic childhood and has never forgotten Nikan.

At first I had my doubts about this book, Nikan was soooo needy and so insistent that Jenny had to move on and forgive him for his infidelity, I just wanted to shake him and shout that it's not so simple. But as always Scarlett Cole draws me in and as Nik starts to understand how his past has influenced his present and how there are parallels between his relationship with the band and Jenny's relationship with him he became a more sympathetic character in my eyes.

As the book drew to its explosive conclusion in true Scarlett fashion I was on the edge of my seat as the tension mounted. Once again, Scarlett packs more plot, more angst, more life into just 260 pages than some authors can manage with twice that much. I loved it!

4.5 Stars

Finally, the story of Nikan. I was crazy about his book since the first book in this series, so when he showed up on my kindle I won my day.

Those who follow the series Preload this author already knows a little bit of theses guys.But to summarize Nikan and Jenny met as teenagers, both had a similar life (both lived in temporary homes) and fell in love,until Nikan reached the success with your band and ended up making a mistake that led to the end of their relationship and Jenny leaving without a trace.Now Jenny's back, as the interim Director of the temporary home to Nikan grew and he is not willing to let her out of your life once again.

The story of Nikan and Jenny is a beautiful journey about two people, giving a second chance that feeling that you're still alive.I always say that second chances are my favorite subject and I love seeing how the author Scarlett Cole led the story of these two, I found beautiful and realistic, made me hope and for the love that was there to win, doubts and regrets.

It was great to be able to monitor Nikan and Jenny both now different people browsing and trying to see if they still had a chance. It was nice to see that you didn't try to get Nikan apologize for your mistake, and Jenny willing to forgive.It was good to see the remains of the boys and their relationships, as well as doubts about your career and the Nikan relationship of all with children who once were they living in foster care and trying to create a safe home and a family for them.


Scarlett Cole did a great job with Nikan Rebuilt, and the journey of Nikan and Jenny trying to rebuild a relationship.It's a sweet, romantic book, easy and quick to read and now there's only one more to say goodbye this class that kept me company over the last few months. The book of Lennon, the most mysterious of all .

*

Scarlett Cole has written an incredible book that really opened my eyes to some of the struggles that people have faced in their life. This was so much more then just a love story between two incredible characters. It was about the pain of the past that happened many years ago and the way that the pain it has on people in the future. I loved the way the author was able to write about this and the way that she she put so much emotion into her story.

I absolutely adored Jenny and loved the way that she looked after others. I really thought she was a compassionate and kind person who has been through a lot fo pain her life. I really enjoyed the way that she cared for the boys in her care.

Nikan I absolutely loved and fell for him from the very first part of there story. He was incredible throughout the story and loved the way that he owned up to his mistakes and worked to make himself a better man. I really felt for him with the things that happened to him when he was young and I loved the way that he tried to help other kids that are in a similar situation that he was in.

Nikan Rebuilt is the third book in the preload series and is about the second chance romance between Nikan and Jenny who have both experienced a lot of pain in their life.

This would have to be one of my favourite books that I have read so far this year and I absolutely loved it. The author did an amazing job and I cant wait to read the next book in the Preload series.

"Are we trying to make something from the pieces of us?"

Oh my, what these broken boys do to me... I knew going in they were going to break my heart. Being raised in a group home meant that they had a rough start in life, but finding each other guaranteed they had a family for life. But just because they had each other's back didn't mean that their pain is erased. They all have demons chasing them into adulthood and need a strong supportive woman to love them. As each of the band members get their own book, I decide that rocker is my fave, until I read the next book. I love the series more and more with each one, and the closer I get to the last one the slower I read as if I can delay the inevitable conclusion. Like the song goes, 'I'mma take it slow just as fast as I can'. I have a feeling the author has saved the most broken, bad boy for last and Lennon is gonna break my heart...

Nikan is a guitarist and backup vocalist for Preload, and one of metal's favorite bad boys. He's also the glue that holds the band together. Having arrived at the group home first, he took each of the others under his wing as they arrived. Making himself their protector and problem solver. Too bad he couldn't solve his own problems. I had heard references to Jenny in the previous books in the series. I knew that she was his high school sweetheart and his biggest regret. All the guys know what happened, and they never let him forget it was his fault that he lost her. It was only me that didn't have a clue what happened and I couldn't wait to find out. And when I did, I agreed with them. But by then it was too late, I already loved him, flaws and all.

Jenny has been MIA for eight long years. She disappeared when Nikan broke her heart and crushed her dreams of forever. She tried to forget him and move on. But the media attention he received made it kind of impossible to forget him. Each glimpse of his scandalous behavior just deepened the wound. She wasn't enough for him...

If it wasn't for his brothers, his self-destructive behavior and downward spiral might have taken him down. But they needed him, and he couldn't let them down. He couldn't deny it when he was told, You are the patriarch of this family you created." He had a responsibility to them that meant he had to keep himself together, so he could keep them together.

Jenny knew that she risked running into him by coming back to town. She was offered a career opportunity that she just couldn't pass up. But she didn't expect to see him so soon and without warning. She realized immediately that he still lit her fire, and the feeling was mutual. But she resisted, not wanting to subject her already broken heart to any further damage. She hoped to avoid him indefinitely, but he wouldn't give up, determined to prove that he had changed. "It wasn't that she forgave Nik per se, but she realized that hating him was taking too much energy."

Would she give him another chance? Was she just opening herself up to more devastation? "What does it mean to be sorry?" Both of them have very painful pasts that make it hard for them to trust. But they also have a history together and a proven ability to sooth each other's soul. How broken is too broken and how many chances are too many? Can trust be restored if love was never lost?

What an emotional journey the author took me on. Not only did I fall deeper for the Preload band family, I also fell for the boys in the group home that the band still supports. They never forgot their beginnings and the place that brought them together, so they reach out and mentor the young boys, giving back. If I start a petition for the author to add more band members so the series can continue indefinitely, will you sign it? I'm suffering withdrawal already at the thought of it being over. I'm already jonesing for Lennon's story. The line forms here...

I have loved this series but to be honest I am on the fence with this book.
This is a second chance romance. Nik and Jenny.
They meet up again after breaking up 8 years ago I think it was.
I love second chance romance but the reason they broke up was he cheated.
I hate cheating.
There are circumstances that some will feel explain the cheating and he had changed, a lot. He really is a different person now.
My issue is I felt he is older now so he has had his time living his rock star lifestyle and now his mates are settling down and he's getting older he doesn't feel the same about the revolving bedroom door.
Also he cheated once, she left, he really immerses himself in the rock star life style, so he sleeps with random women, getting up to all sorts but of course he still loves Jenny.
There are excuses for this, he's gone out of control, he's lost his sense of purpose, but of course he still loves Jenny, sleeping with half the state thinking of her. Ew.
There are a few good things, one is obviously he has been involved, if we can use that term with other women but Jenny has also had other relationships, so that was a refreshing change to some books.
I will say in his defence, he is a mess but then so was she. He is really sorry and it is some time later and he has changed.
It's well written, it's just the subject of cheating is usually a huge no for me.
Guess you'll need to read it and see what you think.

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

AMAZING! This series is one of my favorites, as a whole, and Nik & Jenny's story is a wonderful second-chance story. They both have issues to work through because of their pasts, and as they find their way back to each other - through forgiveness, and learning to love each other and themselves - the journey is swoony, sweet, steamy & wonderful! One of the things that makes this series a favorite is the sense of family highlighted in each story. The journey of the band itself, as each member finds their romantic HEA, leading to an HEA for them as a group... I hope... I'm SO looking forward to Lennon's story next!! : )

What an emotional read. I haven’t read this author in awhile and I don’t know why. I love her story telling, it is always so real, deep, emotional, sexy, gripping, and loving. She really blows my socks off. I read it till it was done. I couldn’t put it down.

Both characters went through so much in their young lives. So heartbreaking. It is amazing that they came through it all as well as they did. The sex was hot...panty melting hot! Nik was amazing he went through a lot to find himself and grew as a man in so many ways. He has so much love in his heart for others and is so vulnerable yet strong. Jenny was also a great character. She had much to get over because Nik did hurt her badly.

Great story! Great read! I will read the next on Lennon’s story is going to be great!

Another love story from Preload series. It is a second chance love between Nikan and his teenager love Jenny-the one that got away. So they meet again. What can I say about this story? For me, it was not truly special other than starting some commotion in group Preload there is not much really happening. Jenny and Nikan start again their relationship and they are going from date to date. At first, Janny is reserved at the start but the attraction is still there and is hard to ignore. We see both Nikan and Jenny as a boy and a girl but the most important thing is what had happened after boy grown up in a man who has sorted his priorities in life.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for Netgelly

This book was just wayyyyy to emotionally draining for me. Maybe I need more of a happier book this time of year, but this was a DNF for me.

4 1/2 Stars! Another great book in this series.

Nik has always been the leader and caretaker of his “brothers” from the group home they spent their teenage years at and that hasn’t changed years after they formed the famous metal band “Preload”. But 23 year old Nik screwed up big time when the band went out on their first tour when he cheated on his long time girlfriend Jenny. By the time he got home, Jenny had vanished from his life. 8 years later she’s back temporarily running the group home the boys grew up in and still help out at. Nik will do anything he can to convince Jenny that he is a changed man and he would never repeat his big mistake. But Jenny doesn’t know if she will ever be able to trust him again even though she still has strong feelings for him.

This is a great addition to this series. I like how Jenny is her own person and just doesn’t fall back into Nik’s arms because he’s rich and famous now. And I liked how Nik didn’t waiver and he jumped through every hoop Jenny placed in his way. I can’t wait for Lennon’s book coming in March.

I received an ARC copy courtesy of St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

I looooooove Scarlett Cole and I’ve been waiting for Nikan. This book is so good. Nikan is EVERYTHING I’ve been waiting for! I can’t believe this series is almost over. After reading Nikan Rebuilt, I’m more anxious than ever for Lennon’s book. Saving the best for last? I think so!!

Mild Spoilers

Sadly I did not enjoy this one at all. I kept waiting to feel some emotion, but it just felt kinda blah to me, like a gray drizzly day. I couldn't really understand why Lennon had to help her "escape", I mean, I get that he had cheated, but does that justify his action against his brother? And beside the sense of responsibility I couldn't understand Nik's feelings for Jenny. She didn't have much of a personality. This isn't my first book of the series, but I'm not sure I will continue with it.

I've read every one of Scarlett's books, and I have to tell you, I was probably looking forward to this one the most. Maybe that's why I'm so disappointed. She usually has this ability to make me feel all the things. To bring her characters to life and make me root for them. In this case? I felt nothing.

Nikan and Jenny's story was too assumed. There was no buildup or emotion for me. It just seemed like she told us they were together once, he screwed up, and then BAM she's back and they're in love again. Come on, that's not how it works! I need some emotion! I need the actual story...not to be told it happened.

I'm really let down by this one, because I felt like I didn't get to know either character, nor did we get any sort of resolution to Nikan's issues with his family...just a small lead in and then nothing but a hint that he'd decided to do the show and then an assumed happily ever after.

I'm really looking forward to Lennon's book, but after reading this one, I'm a little nervous!

This book packs an emotional punch. This series is one of my favorite series to date. In each book we learn more and more of the Preload boys. It's this giant mystery that unwrap even more after each book and keeps you wanting more. Nikan is an emotional tale of two lovers finding their way back to each other. 5 beautiful stars.

Nikan Rebuilt just solidified the reason that I love this author so much. Scarlett Cole took a situation that would normally have me ready to One-Star a book and turned it into an amazing story while redeeming a character in my eyes. Nikan and Jenny's past nearly broke them but when they come into each others lives again they're able to rebuild that connection they had as teenagers.

I really liked that Jenny did not easily give in to Nikan and she made him work to get back in her good graces. It made their relationship more realistic for me and also had me loving Jenny. I can't say Nikan is my favorite character from this series but he is certainly redeemed in my eyes and someone that I cam to admire.

This book could be okay as a standalone but I would recommend reading all the books in order. Bottom line, this is a great series and it just keeps getting better and better as I read along so don't miss out on these characters.

As a side note I really really loved how she portrayed Nikan's emotions when it came to the history of First Nation people and how their past suffering can still have an effect on people today.

Another satisfying addition to the Preload series. Scarlett Cole's characters are the best part of her writing. Nikon and Jenny have interesting backgrounds and unique motivations. It is refreshing and believable how Jenny does not immediately forgive Nikon for the past. The ways that Nikon grows and can see the parallels between his relationships with Jenny and himself and the band members is makes for such good reading.

I really like this story. I have read two other books in this series, and this one is my favorite so far. Nik screwed up with Jenny 8 years ago, but never really let go. She was his one only. Jenny left Nik after he cheated. She got her life back on track, except she couldn't stop loving Nik. This is a second chance story.