Declaration Blog Tour: Review: Preservation & Reservation by Rachael Wade #RachaelWadeBooks

Hello, Therians!

In honor of today's release of Declaration, the third book in the Preservation series by Rachael Wade, I was given the amazing opportunity to read and review the first two books, Preservation and Reservation.

Thank you to Sami and her team at JKSCommunications!!

Check out my reviews below and be sure to watch out for my review of Declaration!!

Fear is sabotage’s sweetest weapon.

Kate has no time for meaningless romantic charades, and definitely no time for hot college professors who are full of themselves and smitten with her. Constantly battling eviction notices, tuition she can’t afford, and a sick, dependent mother, the last thing she needs is to be distracted with someone else’s complicated baggage.

When she stumbles into Ryan Campbell’s creative writing class, he is only “Mr. Campbell” to her, until Ryan finds himself captivated by her writing and she is forced to face their mutual attraction. His cocky know-it-all syndrome is enough to send her running in the other direction, and his posse of female admirers and playboy reputation are enough to squander any odds in her favor.

But underneath Ryan’s abrasive facade is something to behold, and she can’t stay away for long. Ryan and Kate must decide who they’re willing to become and fight against their former selves if they want to make things work. That’s if academia, vicious vixens, old skeletons, and their own mastery at self-destruction don’t pummel their efforts first.

REVIEW

Rachael Wade is a writing genius! Seriously, this book was so amazing - with complex characters, deeply emotional scenes and steamy romance. I LOVED it from start to finish.

My heart broke a million times over for poor Ryan. No one should ever have to go through what he did. And the worst thing about his ordeal was that even though the pain in his heart would eventually subside, he'd basically lost out on one of the most important opportunities of his life. Of course, I don't in anyway condone the way he rebounded from his heart break, but I can imagine the devastation that he went through and how easy it would be to lose one's self. I was just hoping he'd eventually find himself again and the happiness he deserved.

Kate was a really great character. She had fire and determination, but she was also a lost soul just looking to catch a break. When she started fawning over Mr-too-smooth-for-words-Campbell, I was a little worried that she'd lose herself even more. But then Ryan showed that he wasn't the guy from his past and he was really willing to turn his life around. I liked that he didn't try to hide his sordid past, not that he could if he wanted to, but he owned up to it and that made him an okay guy in my books - still not condoning his actions though!

I could identify with Kate's need for independence, but I could last understand Ryan's frustration. Guys are more complex than most woman give them credit for and I think it's in their nature to take care of what's theirs. Ryan didn't try stifle Kate's success, in fact he really wanted to see her continue with her education, and he pushed her to write and to be published, but she had a hard time turning anything that was hers in an ours, and that can be quite a damning factor in any relationship.

Both characters made stupid mistakes, they said things that couldn't be taken back, and their stubbornness lead to a devastating occurrence that could have ended far worse than it did (thank goodness it didn't), but it was such a life changing moment that I was afraid that neither Kate nor Ryan would fully recover from it. My heart was strung out at this point and I wasn't sure how much more I could take of this emotional wreck of a love story. It seemed that Kate and Ryan were so hell bent on protecting themselves, it didn't matter at what cost. 

This story was flawlessly written. It had soaring highs and shocking lows. It made me smile, it made me cry. I fell in love, my heart broke. I was in this relationship, as deep as the characters were and I needed it to work out or I would never have recovered. This book was phenomenal.

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.

REVIEW

I was emotional spent by the time I finished this book. I thought the first book was an emotional roller coaster, but this book trumped that tenfold.

I was so excited that this book was told from Ryan's POV. Even though I got to know him in Preservation, getting to see his relationship with Kate from his side of things was fantastic. It allowed me, as a reader, to see his more sensitive side and being privy to his most inner thoughts and feelings really gave me the chance to understand this poor broken man. Although shocking truths came to light, I still found it hard to blame Ryan for everything that happened. That is until the emotional wrecking ball ploughed through his life and he stepped back into his past with so much ease it almost made me sick. I wanted to shake some sense into him, to make him see that it wasn't the way to go, but it was too late. I was just so thankful that he didn't go overboard.

This story was filled with so much tension. Between Ryan's paranoia over Will, and the circus that became his life, and eventually Kate's, it seemed like there was no end to the craziness that threatened to destroy this gorgeous couple. And, OMG! - they were on fire. The passion that ignited between them every time they were together was off the charts. Their love was filled with so much hurt and anger it, and that only increased the sexual chemistry between them.

When the tumultuous relationship finally hit boiling point, I freaked out. It couldn't have been over. These two amazing people HAD to be together. They'd fought with each other, for each other and for their love, and their romance turned into something epic that would be remembered for all time. They were just too stubborn to work things out, as are most people these days, and that is why this story and its characters were so relatable. Wade created characters that were real. Even with the crazy celebrity lifestyle, they weren't perfect, they kept making mistakes and they kept doing their damnedest to make up for their wrongs.

This book was another exceptional example of the talent that is Rachael Wade. The writing was crisp, it drew me in and I lost myself in the story. Sheer brilliance.

Check out all the stops in the JKSComunications Declaration Blog Tour!

Featuring characters from Love and Relativity, a Preservation Series Companion Novel

Carter Montgomery spent most of his life blending in, and he liked it that way. It was always better to be seen, not heard. And while a theatric streak and friendly demeanor might have fooled most people, he knew the truth—he was the shy one. The quiet kid most people forgot about. Some might have considered that a bad thing, but those people all wanted to be in the spotlight.

The only place Carter didn’t mind attention was on stage, with The Hellions. Once content in his comfort zone in Seattle, Washington, he only knew three things: confrontation was to be avoided, keeping the peace was priority, and the moment he lost Kate Parker to Professor Ryan Campbell, he had no clue what to do with his life. Playing gigs, working at Pike Place Market, and watching BBC after the love of his life sailed off into the sunset just wasn’t going to cut it anymore.

Desperate to escape his rut, he takes a cue from Kate and chooses a random place to relocate—a small island across the country, where no one knows his name and memories of unrequited love aren’t found at every turn. Just when he thinks he’s found the perfect place to unwind and sink back into the shadows, in bursts Whitney Sinclair, a saucy firecracker who loves life and refuses to settle for second best. Full of contagious energy, she dares him to be brave, convincing him that it might finally be time to tell the world what he wants.

It might be time to make a declaration.

OUT NOW!!

Love and Relativity - A Stand-alone Companion Novel

Love, life, and happily ever after? It’s all relative.

Marine biology student Emma Pierce lives in paradise—geographically speaking, anyway. Stranded on Sanibel Island, Florida, she works at a nursing home by day and spends her nights dodging the island's infamous bad boy, Jackson Taylor, at her favorite karaoke bar. Trying to heal from the loss of her sister and a failed relationship she rerouted her life for, she's ready to graduate and finally leave Florida behind.

When a run-in with Jackson and his rowdy crew goes sour at the bar one night, sparks fly and irreversible damage is done. It’s no secret that Jackson loves to get underneath her skin, but this time he's gone too far. Now all he wants is to earn her forgiveness before she's gone for good, but their ideas of closure—and the future—are enough to keep them worlds apart.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rachael Wade is the Amazon bestselling author of The Preservation Series, The Resistance Trilogy, and the upcoming sci-fi series, The Keepers Trilogy. When she's not writing, she's busy learning French, watching too many movies, and learning how to protect animals and the environment. Visit her at www.RachaelWade.com and www.LightsOnOutreach.com.

Connect with Rachael:

Twitter
Facebook

Goodreads

Amazon Author Page