Kristie J’s review of Storm (Ashes & Embers, Book 1) by Carian Cole
Contemporary Romance published by Carian Cole 28 Sep 14
I don’t read a whole lot of rock star books, though there are a few authors who have written in this trope that I’ve read. So when this one popped up, despite the rather scary looking cover model, I thought, “What the heck? It’s cheap” – read FREE – “so why not give it a try?” Sometimes those are good spontaneous decisions and sometimes not. In this case, it was a Very Good Decision.
This book is written in present tense, first-person POV, and stars Evelyn as our heroine and Storm as our hero. Only a few years ago I wouldn’t touch this POV for anything, but so many of the books I seem to be reading are written like this, and the first-person works very well.
Evelyn and Storm meet under unusual circumstances. Evelyn is on her way to a conference in a blizzard and she is lost. While trying to figure out what to do, she manages to do damage to her car. Someone comes to help her and after giving him a hard time, she gets in his car and then he does something to his truck. It’s a long hike for help and the snow comes down like crazy, so they are forced to spend the next two days in close company in his truck. Evelyn is a hoot and makes things very frustrating for Storm, but Storm is more amused than anything else. Though Evelyn has no idea who he is, turns out he’s a famous rock star. He’s hawt, long haired, tattooed, and can get anything/anyone he wants, so it’s rather refreshing to have someone treat him the way Evelyn does.
They develop a deep attraction to each other, but Evelyn refuses to acknowledge or act on it. She’s been in a twelve-year relationship and even though it’s clear to Storm as well as the reader that it’s a dead-end road, Evelyn refuses to give up.
I really enjoyed this book a lot. It’s funny and it’s cute and quite a joy to read. Evelyn is on the prickly side, but it’s a good prickly, and once you read about her history, we understand why she is the way she is. And Storm!! My goodness, what a swoon-worthy hero. He’s one of the better ones, that’s for sure.
One of the reasons for this review, since the book is on the older side, is this is the first in a series of books about all the members of Ashes & Embers, their band. This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and I was delighted to see she has quite a nice backlist. I’ve already purchased the next two in this series. I look forward to reading those and will be reviewing more of her books. I’ve said it before, but I think it’s almost genius when self-published authors offer up the first book in a series for free. It’s worked a few times for me when I read the first free book and enjoyed it enough to pay for more, this one more than a few others.
So listen to this here reviewer, get this book and give it a read. What have you got to lose? It’s a freebie!
Grade: A
Summary:
The calm before the storm…
I lived in the quiet stillness.
I felt the wind rustle, warning me, telling me to get out of its path.But I didn’t.
I never stood a chance.A series of weather and road mishaps leaves me trapped in the middle of a blizzard with a complete stranger. In the back of a pickup truck. For forty-eight freakin’ hours.
A stranger with long hair, tattoos, and rippling with muscle.
A stranger with an insanely sexy voice and a wicked smile that turned my insides to jelly.
A stranger who held me in his arms, calmed me, and then set a fire in me that I couldn’t put out.
Storm lives up to his name. Beautiful. Dangerously inviting. Tumultuous. Dark. A clash of hot and cold.
He’s used to getting everything he wants.
And now he wants me.
Some people chase storms for the beautiful thrill. What happens when the storm chases you?
No excerpt available.
Other books in this series:
