“CJ Hunt writes morsels of delight, filled with vivid relationships. They are my comfort food-reading.” ~Mary Robinette Kowal, Romantic Times Award-winning authorAll bets are off when the lights go out one dark and stormy night in Rivers End… The Maker’s Market New Year’s party is the most important night of the year for event planner Maddy Jones and her best friend caterer Kelsey Armstrong. But … friend caterer Kelsey Armstrong. But they’ve got things well in hand… until a power outage plunges everyone into darkness.
Never mind professional catastrophe—Maddy’s suffering a worse fate. She’s stuck in the elevator with the building owner, Dawson Sellers. He’s a reminder of the loving relationship she might have had.
But for Dawson, Maddy is strictly and heartbreakingly off-limits.
Down in the kitchen, Kelsey sees the blackout as a curse, but sexy artist Jason Thorne sees it as a chance to get into the sassy chef’s good graces. She’s convinced he’s out of her league, but he’s ready to show her just how beautiful she really is.
Total darkness might be exactly what these four friends need to step out of their comfort zones and take a chance on love.
Because for a building without power, there sure are a lot of sparks flying on this dark and stormy night in Rivers End.
Dark & Stormy is a short and sweet romance novella which braids together the stories of two different couples—both couples get their own HEA. It’s a standalone story woven into the world of Rivers End.
Come home to Rivers End…
While all the Rivers End stories can be read as standalones, you may want to read each mini-series in order to preserve any plot surprises and get the full picture of how the characters lives weave together! Dark & Stormy can be read anytime, with no spoilers. The following is the suggested reading order for the rest of the series:
The MacAllisters of Rivers End (available as a boxed set)
#1 – Silver Bells (Isaac + Jenna, Beginnings) available for FREE!
#2 – Tipsy (Shannon + Lucas)
#3 – Reindeer Games (Ginger + Eli)
#4 – Wedding Bells (Isaac + Jenna, Happily Ever After)
The O’Donnells of Rivers End
#1 – The List(Selina + Connor)
The Martinez Family of Rivers End
#1 – Maybe (Lucie + Daniel)
The Witches of Rivers End (romance with a touch of magic)
#0 – Trick or Treat (Mona + Garrett) Newsletter Subscriber Exclusive freebie!
#1 – Merry (Merry + Dillon) available for FREE!
#2 – Oona (Oona + Sam)
more
This was a fun read with two two couples in this books plot line. The characters are well developed and engaging while the storyline flows beautifully. I adore how Ms. hunts always manages to bring page turners. Each couple has their own ups and downs with spins on there emotions. I loved everything about this one.
This should have been a book. So much more could have been said. It was good but these are great characters and I want to know more
This is the perfect weekend read! C.J. Hunt strikes again with a wonderful cozy romance novella.
Two good looking male friends who haven’t been able to find love, only lots of “B” women who only care about themselves.
Two soft, loving, good looking female friends with definite goals who only seem to find loser males. One is pregnant and feels alone and unlovable.
Can an electrical outrage finally bring these two couples together?
A great way to learn a little about Rivers End if you haven’t read any of C.J.’s great books before. And for those who like me can’t wait for the next book to come out, it’s the perfect next chapter.
I received an advanced copy but the opinions are all my own.
What happens when the lights go out? If you read Dark and Stormy you would soon find out. And is’s all good. This page turner will have you smiling and laughing and just feeling good. Read and enjoy!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Dark and Stormy – Another well written, fast paced, interesting story set in Rivers End. Likeable and realistic characters that create interest in their lives and storylines and humor that keep the reader immersed in the pages. I contacted the author to review her books. 4*
C. J. Hunt has written a series of books set in Rivers End. Although there are different names for each series, the characters are shared throughout the stories. Most of the characters do not share today’s typical stupid formula of not communicating when there’s trouble or imagined trouble; instead are likable and realistic. All the books are well written, fast paced, interesting and have humor. Some of the books are clean; some have cursing or vulgar language; and/ have sex. Personally, I don’t think the sex and vulgar language actually fit in with the sweetness and love that these romances share. I think the sexual tension is more important than what technique so-and-so used; plus written sex is boring. These are quickly read books and are perfect for a couple hours of relaxation.
The MacAllisters Series:
Silver Bells #1 – Heartwarming and fun, and a magical Christmas time frame. A well written, funny, interesting small town romance. There’s plenty of sexual tension, but the story is clean and fast paced. The characters are interesting, realistic and didn’t do stupid dialog or actions. This should be an entertaining small town series. 4*
Tipsy #2 – Picks up the same week as Silver Bells ends, on New Year’s eve. Well written and interesting with humor and set at a fast pace, along with likable characters. I didn’t care that there was a lack of communication instead of a different form of creating a problem between the main characters. I didn’t care for the sex and bad language and think clean works better for this story. That aside I like the story and with the addition of Oona, how The MacAllisters is connected to A Touch of Magic. 4*
Reindeer Games #3 – This cover is too cute.This book starts on Christmas day, where Silver Bells ended. Well written and interesting with the truth about a bad brother from another book. The pace is fast and the characters are believable and there’s a dark side to some of them. I didn’t care for the vulgar language, but the storylines are good. 4*
Wedding Bells #4 – This book picks up in May and adds to the story of the main characters from Silver Bells. Well written, likable characters and a fast pace make this a quick read. There’s a little bit of suspense concerning one character, but it adds to the other storylines. I didn’t care for the vulgar language; find it out of place. 4*
The Witches of River Bend Series:
Merry #1 – We’re still in Rivers End, but now there’s a touch of magic in this story. This is a well written, funny and heartwarming romance set in a small town. The characters were interesting and had realistic dialog. The cousins are a lot of fun and give good gifts. I didn’t care for the infrequent vulgar language, that started with mild cussing; it felt out of place in this type of story. Same with the explicit sex; it was awkward and boring, as is all written sex to me, boorrring. Sexual tension is so much more interesting. I did enjoy the magical potion and think it was a good mix of romance with witches. Since this is my third book by this author and first of the “touch of magic”, I hope there’s more. 4*
Oona #2 – Another well written romance concerning a witch, with a bakery, and an architect. Interesting and fast pace with likable characters, and lots of happenings. 4*
Trick or Treat – A cute short story with one of my favorite characters in this series, Mona. I first read about her in Merry. Interesting and funny, good for a coffee break or a few minutes of relaxing. I read and listened to Trick or Treat together at the same time since I was short on time.
The Audio version I found on the author’s website since my copy doesn’t work on my Kindle for PC – a specialty thing requiring a phone or android only. Forget my Kindle Fire, no matter how helpful Amz pretends to be, nothing works including emails and laptop transfers.
Trick or Treat, Audio version: The narrator, a woman who’s name I couldn’t catch, did a good job with the story, which was about 26 minutes long. The book reads faster. I’m not the target audience for audio books since I’m good at tuning out noise, except music. There were slight differences between the audio version and my Kindle version, such as a different word or missing a sentence, but nothing to ruin the story. 4*