Reservation (Preservation #2) by Rachael Wade

SYNOPSIS
A sequel to the Amazon bestselling romance, Preservation, told from Ryan’s point of view.

Old Habits Die Hard.

Ryan Campbell is not only leaving his title of Professor behind to move on to bigger and better things at Simon and Warden Publishing, he’s also become Seattle’s rising literary star. Sitting on the overwhelming cusp of newfound fame, he learns soon enough that being popular has its downside.

Attracted to the buzz surrounding his new career, former lovers begin to creep back into his life, and potential ones emerge with enticing advances. While he works to juggle reserved, yet stressful, wedding plans with Kate and his new public image, he has enough to manage without worrying about Carter and Dean—Kate’s loveable albeit eccentric friends—and their latest shenanigans.

Surrounded by a lifestyle that includes temptation at every turn, Ryan finds himself immersed in a world full of scandal and lies, where his oldest weaknesses thrive and his ghosts return to haunt him. Questioning whether his life with Kate is his best path, he must discover if he’s still capable of being the man he aspired to be when she first became his, or if happily ever after is only an illusion.

Reviewed by Gitte: 4 stars

Reservation is the sequel to Preservation where we first met Kate and Ryan.  I read Preservation nearly a year ago but I hadn’t forgotten these two characters. I remembered their emotional beginnings and them being two scarred and damaged souls. Both are aspiring Authors; a Teacher and a student with each their own emotional baggage. And yeah…I remembered Ryan; I don’t think anyone would forget this gorgeous tattooed alpha male who has just the right dose of vulnerability and a huge heart as well.

Due to this being the sequel, I am hesitant to say too much as I do not want to give any spoilers; rather I recommend you pick up Preservation then move onto this one. This series has everything we look for in a good story. I loved it.  Book #1 was emotional, frustrating, hot and addictive and book #2 managed to surpass it for me in the emotional stakes. I am not sure what it is about reading this story in Ryan’s POV but I can tell you if it hadn’t been, the effect on my heart would be nowhere near as strong and my feelings would have been of an entirely different nature when it came to the crux of the story. His voice has such an impact and my heart hurt one minute following by a racing pulse the next.

Seriously, the pace and the obstacles in Kate & Ryan’s story just plays with the reader, you are on a ride where you can see the pitfalls you know what possibly could or may just be coming. You scream at your kindle for Ryan to stop and think. You scream at Kate for her to just listen and believe. You want to hurt the instigators and the facilitators with something hard and basically tell them in a polite way to just go do one. But the reader has no voice…the reader watches it play out with a racing heart and feels the pain and the confusion. (Oh and enjoys the yummy factor because yeah..Ryan he is just….wow!)

Ryan needs control. He feels lost without it, though the control he needs now is very different to the control he craved in his past. A past that has damaged him and comes back to haunt him in the most dire and consequential way in this story. He receives an opportunity that looks great on paper and in the bank but threatens to uproot any foundation he has achieved. The anger, fear, lack of control, feeling helpless and his strong need to protect Kate culminating into one immense emotional and heart-breaking climax. Ryan loves with passion and is fiercely protective. He loves to a fault yet carries so much guilt and anger, his focus is on making up for the past rather than living in the present….paying attention to what is happening right now. What he has. He knows what he stands to lose though but how does one man prevent the inevitable when everything and everyone work against him? Waiting for him to fail….

Then we have our Kate. She has been ‘knocked down’ and hurt. Her past leaving scars that are carried unhealed into her future culminating into a severe trust issue. Being let down by not only the people that should care but the ones who themselves have an inability to reconcile their own feelings ultimately placing Kate in situations outside of her control. As this was Ryan’s story to tell I wanted to yell in frustration at Kate several times, needing to remind myself that if I was her, with her issues would I not question and react like her? However, ultimately my heart hurt for Ryan and he had my tears.

We get to catch up with Carter and Dean, Emma & Jackson and I cannot wait to read Carter’s story next in Declaration. His journey I am so sure will be another emotional ride!

THE PRESERVATION SERIES by RACHAEL WADE is available to purchase below

Preservation Book One   :: amazon us | amazon uk | our review
Reservation Book Two :: amazon us | amazon uk | our review
Declaration Book Three : amazon us | amazon uk