It's Book Review Wednesday, and today I'm bringing you something a bit unusual (for my reading palate). Our book this week deals with witches, werewolves, and shifters--not my cup of tea, but a pretty solid read overall!

Rising Storm

Tempest Knox lives in Luna Bay, a small Island with a history of supernatural occurrences. Most of them caused by her family. She comes from a long line of witches. When her grandmother disappears, it's up to Tempest to clear out her house. She discovers her grandmother's spell book hidden in a trunk. Tempest has never believed the witch rumors and while drunk, she reads a love spell. The next morning she finds a naked man on the doorstep. Add to that a coven working out of the local tea shop and her grandmother's strange cat, and Tempest finds herself in over her head.

My Review: 4 Stars

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. Let me preface this review by saying that this book is NOT my usual fare. I'm not big on paranormal romance/witches/shifters. I struggled to keep reading due to this fact. However, the book was well-written, with a solid main character that hooked my attention. The supporting characters/love interests made me cringe a little, but the Tempest Knox character is definitely one that I want to read more of. I didn't encounter any big revelations or jaw-dropping plot twists, but the story was steady, consistent, and well-paced. Not too predictable, but a good read overall. Once again, not my preferred reading, but it convinced me to read the Book 2 when it comes out. Well done to the author!

Here's a Taste:

“Come on, push, Melissa.” “I am,” she snapped back. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. She was supposed to give birth in a hospital with doctors and lots of drugs. Not here on her mother’s crappy couch, that had been here since she was born. “I see the head,” her mother said. Melissa gripped the couch cushion and pushed again, silently praying that the child wouldn’t be like him. She tried to ignore the chanting in the corner. The coven were all here, five members dressed in dark robes, they were casting protection spells against him. She had eluded him for months and she was sure he hadn’t followed her here, but it was better to be safe rather than sorry. She pushed again, teeth gritted, resisting the urge to scream at the pain, and the baby slid free. “It’s a girl,” her mother said, carefully swaddling her in a white blanket. The child immediately began to wail. As she did, a clap of thunder boomed outside the window and the heavens opened up. It had been a peaceful April evening only moments before, with no mention of rain. That could only mean one thing. Melissa looked at her mother and she could see that she was thinking it too. It was the child’s doing. She had caused the storm. As her mother lowered the red faced, mewling infant into her arms, Melissa started sobbing, “She’s only just been born. How powerful is she?” Her mother shushed her, “Don’t worry about that now. You have a beautiful baby girl. Have you thought of a name?” Melissa stared out the storm. “Tempest.” *** He stood under the shelter of the trees as the rain pelted him. He could hear the cries of the baby from here. He was too late. The plan had been to stop Melissa before she got back here to the island, but she had eluded him. When he got here, the whole island was protected against him. He couldn’t set foot on it. Weeks turned into months as he tried to bring the barrier down. Everything failed. Then she came along – his benefactor. She could move freely between the island and the mainland. She agreed to help him remove the wards in exchange for his help in collecting power. He finally got through only to find that Melissa had outmaneuvered him again. Knox witches have always been difficult, but they’re smart too. And Melissa knew him better than anyone. The coven made it impossible for him to get any closer. He wouldn’t be able to lay a finger on her now. After all this time, he never thought he would end up back here. He still recalled the day he arrived, the first time, washed up on the shore to the east. Ripped from his resting spot, he was unceremoniously dumped on this wretched island. The first person he saw when he stepped onto dry land was Melissa. There were plenty of beautiful women in the world but there was something about her that pulled him in and it wasn’t just the power she exuded. At first he believed that she was the one who summoned him, but she had no idea what he was. Not then anyway. She was easy to lure away back then, gullible. Every time the lightning struck, he would catch a glimpse of them around the house. The coven and their spells. Without Melissa’s power to add to his own, he wouldn’t be able to break through their defenses. She appeared beside him, his benefactor; her face hidden under a hood, “What now?” she drawled. “You were supposed to help me stop Melissa. Now she’s protected, back in the family home. The child too.” “If you hadn’t let her escape in the first place, we wouldn’t have a problem.” He resisted the urge to smite her where she stood. She still had uses, although not many. Instead he took a few steps closer to the house, trying to catch a glimpse of Melissa through the window. The rain was falling too heavily to see clearly, but he knew she was thinking of him. How could she not be? After all she was bringing his child into the world. “You will stay here and keep watch, wait for an opportunity,” he ordered. “And what do I get in return?” “All I want is Melissa. You can take the child’s powers as payment.” She nodded, “Good.” He saw that reptilian looking smile on her face. She was so predictable. He hated that in a woman. “Keep me informed.” Let Melissa enjoy motherhood for a while. It wouldn’t last. He would get to her eventually.

About the Author

Kat Gracey: I live in Northern Ireland and I write about my two favourite supernatural creatures - witches and werewolves. Rising Storm is my third novel to be released after Werewolves of Eden and Witch Moon. Find the book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Rising-Storm-Tempest-Knox-Book-ebook/dp/B01DGX3M3O/ Read Kat's thoughts on her website: www.witchesandwerewolves.co.uk Follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TempestKnoxSeries/