Reservation (Preservation #2) by Rachael Wade

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.

4.75-5 Stars

I've been trying to do it right

I've been living a lonely life

I've been sleeping here instead

I've been sleeping in my bed...

I belong with you

You belong with me

You're my sweetheart ~ Ho Hey by The Lumineers 

If there’s anyone in the world who deserves a happy ending, it’s two broken people who taught each other to love. 

First off, a HUGE and MASSIVE thank you to Rachael for giving me the opportunity to beta read this. I loved Preservation and I couldn’t wait to continue Kate and Ryan’s story. What made this book even extra awesome is that it’s told completely in Ryan’s POV. I’m such a sucker for these types of stories because as a woman, I’m curious to know what makes a man tick, especially for someone as damaged as Ryan. Getting into Ryan’s head was an interesting experience. I felt so much more sympathetic for him. 

Every moan, muscle clench, and ragged breath told me she was mine, and I hers. I continued to punish her with ruthless strokes, filling her ear with hot breath. “You belong to me,” I demanded “Next time someone touches you, remember you’re my sunrise. Remember this,” I hammered her with one fierce strike, jolting her backward on the counter. 

Damn, Ryan! Holy fucking hotness! Ryan is hotter than ever and deeply in love with Kate. Changes are happening all around them. Ryan is now a published author, with his book in serious talk for a movie deal. His celebrity status is skyrocketing fast. While all this is happening, his fiancé, Kate, is thousands of miles away, working. They are trying their hardest to make this long distance relationship work, but man, it’s not easy. 

Now that Ryan is in the celebrity limelight, his notorious past is creeping out of the woodwork; it’s slowly coming back to haunt him. He needs his Kate to keep him grounded, but he’s left to deal with it alone. Ryan wants nothing more than to announce to the world that he’s engaged and happy, but his publicist has other plans. The risk of scandal is always nipping at Ryan’s heels. However, what concerns him most is how Kate will react to what she reads in the tabloids. 

“I do trust you, Ryan. But it takes effort. It’s not without pain.” ~ Kate 

We all know Kate has her trust issues and it has taken her forever to get to where she is today, especially with former-playboy Ryan. To me, Ryan did nothing wrong in this story. No. Wait. There was this one thing, that pissed me off and made me cringe, but I forgave him because he did come to his senses right away. However, since this was told in Ryan’s POV, we knew immediately he never wanted to intentionally hurt Kate; that’s the last thing he ever wanted to do. Will their relationship survive? Will Kate ever fully trust Ryan? 

“Nothing is worth what I have with you. Will you please give me a chance to prove that to you?” ~ Ryan 

Reading this through Ryan’s eyes was fantastic. His struggle to balance his career, while maintaining a long distance relationship with Kate was frustrating and heartbreaking at times. It was a tough pill to swallow, but those times when he and Kate were together more than made up for it. Speaking of Kate, I only have one thing to say to you potential readers: Be patient with her. Her tendency to overreact was the only drawback to the story. I know she has had trust issues in the past, but you would think getting engaged to a man such as Ryan would’ve resolved most of those issues. She was definitely worthy of a few bitch-slaps ;)

This story was such a great addition to the Preservation series, but after I was finished, it was a bit of a bittersweet moment for me. I will miss Kate and Ryan tremendously, but I am HIGHLY looking forward to Carter and Whitney’s story in Declaration.This is definitely another winner from this fabulous author.