All in a Book: Preservation

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Monday, March 24, 2014

Blog Tour + Review: Declaration by Rachael Wade

Declaration (Preservation #3) by Rachael Wade

Release Date: October 7, 2013
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Rabbit Hole Press (Discern Publishing House)
Pages: 191
Format: eBook
Source: Review Copy for Tour
Goodreads • Amazon

Featuring characters from Love and Relativity.

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.

If you read my review of Preservation, the first book in the series, you'll see just how much I love Carter. And now he's gone from goofy and adorable best friend to leading man. Yes, please. And not only that, but it's a nerdy love story! Because, despite the tattoos and guitar-playing, that's exactly what Carter is and I love it.

Seeing him get away from Seattle after everything that went down between Ryan and Kate was relieving. The only thing that had ever bothered me about Carter was his rather obsessive, puppy-dog affections for Kate, who so didn't deserve them (okay—that might be some bitterness on my part). Moving away from that, we really get to see Carter as more than just a crutch or support system, and he shines! Still Britain-obsessed and adorably shy, you can't help but fall for this guy. How was Whitney supposed to resist?

As for his leading lady, I really preferred her to Kate. She was free-spirited and open, if a little wounded from past missteps, and she challenged Carter to come outside of himself and figure out what his dream was. It was the kind of relationship that lasts—where neither party lets the other be anything less than they're capable of.

With that said, so much of this book is just about Crater moving forward with his life and healing. And a large component of that is trying to get over Kate. I thought this element was a little over done, but I also never understood exactly why he was and remained so infatuated with Kate. To me, he always seemed more into the idea of her (something that's pointed out to him and one point and rather unjustly dismissed, if you ask me). But, in the end, it does serve to make his relationship with Whitney feel that much more solid when they're able to move past it.

There were a few unsettling moments where events started to remind me of the end of Reservation (book 2), which would've taken Carter so far out of character. Luckily, it all worked out, but it still felt like a stretch for him as a person.

Declaration was by far my favorite of the series. In fact, it wouldn't be at all ridiculous to claim that, for me, it felt like this book was the whole reason for the first two. They were just building it up for Carter to get his turn. Because, really: a good guy with a lip ring? Swoon.

Check out the other stops on the tour!

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About the Author

Rachael Wade writes edgy New Adult and Adult romance and science fiction. She is the author of the Amazon bestselling Preservation series, The Replacement, and Love and Relativity, as well as the paranormal romance series The Resistance Trilogy. When she's not writing, she's busy going to concerts, watching too many movies, and learning how to protect animals and the environment. She's an avid Brandi Carlile fan and loves all things Tim Burton. Visit her at RachaelWade.com and LightsOnLove.com, and come chat with her on Twitter @RachaelWade.

Review: Reservation by Rachael Wade

Reservation (Preservation #2) by Rachael Wade

Release Date: March 6, 2013
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Rabbit Hole Press (Discern Publishing House)
Pages: 207
Format: eBook
Source: Review Copy from Author
Goodreads • Amazon

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.

Just like in Preservation (Book 1), my feelings about Reservation are conflicted.Parts of this book were seriously painful. Not in a "this is bad" way, or an "I'm not enjoying this" way. But in an "for the love of everything, please just talk to each other" way. Obviously, I have a lot of feelings, even if I'm not quite sure what they are.

Kate and Ryan are back on track and engaged, but still operating long-distance since the end of the last book. Obviously, this will inevitably be difficult. Coupled with Ryan's burgeoning fame and the media fallout that corresponds and their inability to talk it out with each other (a problem that persists from the early stages of their relationship), it edges toward downright disastrous.That's where the pain comes from. Something would happen that could be eased or fixed by honest, open communication and still nothing.I wanted to rage over that more than once.

I did, however, like the fact that we got into Ryan's head. While there were times I wanted to pummel him, I felt like I gained a better understanding of his character and came to like him more. And then the end was kind of a shit-show in Ryan's case, but I digress.

Kate was actually more of a prop for a lot of the book since she was in St. Lucia and only popped up in a significant way a couple of times. I would've liked a little more of her because I still think there's more to learn about her, but I also understand that this is truly Ryan's book. even if it rubbed me the wrong way a little that Ryan's development was such a huge part of Kate's book, but hers wasn't of his.

Overall, Reservation was an enjoyable look into the head of our male lead as the relationship from book 1 progresses from the honeymoon to the real. Just...be prepared for a lot of feelings (not all good) at the end.

Review: Preservation by Rachael Wade

Preservation (Preservation #1) by Rachael Wade

Release Date: April 8, 2012
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Rabbit Hole Press (Discern Publishing House)
Pages: 272
Format: eBook
Source: Review Copy from Author
Goodreads • Amazon

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.

I have a hard time trying to sum up my feelings about Preservation. I enjoyed reading the book, but there were also several elements that I really didn't like for one reason or another. For starters, the complete lack of communication between Kate and Ryan. Or the fact that they both seemed determined to remain self-serving. Or, while I usually love a good professor/student romance (and this one even took care of squiggy age differences!), the idea of a professor who constantly has affairs with students, with almost zero subtlety to boot, before finding "the One" was less than endearing. There are more, but there were also enough things that kept me interested to have me pretty confused within myself by the end.

As far as the characters go, there was also a bit of a split. Kate, overall, I liked (despite the fact that she worked the commitment-phobe thing very hard and that tends to bother me more than a little). Her back story, although interesting was vague at times and I think missed out as a result. A more concrete understanding of her past could've really packed a punch, if you ask me. But still, she's confident at times, lost at others, stubborn, a little bit snarky, and loyal. These are all qualities I can get behind.

Which brings us to her male counterpart. I really wanted to like Ryan, but the fact that he doesn't seem to like himself at all made that difficult. There was so much self-loathing that the only things that kept me interested were the forbidden love element (I'm a sucker, what can I say?) and the chemistry between Ryan and Kate (which I actually did enjoy, even if I wasn't particularly fond of their characters). As we neared the end, I would say I'd definitely grown to like him more, but one of the twists at the end really tested that. In the end, I more-or-less liked him, but it certainly wasn't a clearly positive opinion.

The most entertaining characters for me, by far, were Carter and Dean, Kate's best friends. They're awesomely lovable, all-things-British-obsessed, nerdy goofballs and I adored them. I was less fond, however, of the "we're both in love with Kate!" element of their characters (less so Dean, but it was still there). I wanted to see them get over it and just be awesome, and it seemed like one of them had, but the other remained firmly entrenched. Sadness. But these guys were awesome—lovable, supportive, so freaking loyal, and sweet.

So, despite my mixed feelings, I did enjoy reading Preservation. This is the kind of book for true romance fans, where you can find enjoyment in the progression of the story almost in spite of the characters, at times.