It’s Rachel’s first day of Sophomore year at Oklahoma State University. The first day of school her biggest problem is getting to class late. Soon she finds herself in the middle of a love triangle, only one of the men who is a potential love interest is hiding secrets that put Rachel in danger. Will Rachel make the right choices or put herself in danger for love?
Rachel is starting her Sophomore year at university. She begins the year with normal student concerns but then finds herself between a rock and a hard place, that is a love triangle. And one of the choices could spell danger for her.
This is a contemporary romance full of suspense and drama with an alternate ending. The characters are well written, full of personality, flaws, insecurities and sorted pasts. I enjoyed the interaction between the three main characters and found myself engaged in the outcome. The story line is great, full of dangerous situations, surprises, and emotional drama , making this a suspenseful thriller. Not knowing how to handle the situations that came up was very realistic as I think most women do not know what to do. I found this book compelling and liked the fact that it dealt with a difficult situation. It is well written and worth the read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Stormy Kind of Love is a book with potential. Unfortunately, it did not reach its potential, because it’s really unfinished. It’s a story about a young woman who has affairs with two men–one, a handsome bad boy and the other, your all-around good guy. These characters are well-thought out and have some depth, as do the important secondary characters. The plot is somewhat predictable, but this is a romance, so that is to be expected. The book falls down in two areas. It was obviously not professionally edited, as there are numerous typos, grammatical errors and formatting glitches. Also, it has two endings, one of them labeled the alternate ending. The alternate ending actually led to a Hitchcockian plot that could have really rocked, but I got the feeling that at that point, the author wanted to be done with book. I wish she had chosen one ending (the alternate had the best potential) and then spent the time to really polish the story. She could have had a five star book. As it is, I have to give it 2.5 stars, rounded up.
I really wanted to love this book, but in the end… I just don’t think the story is exciting enough to live up to its intriguing premise.
The author’s writing is quite decent, but it never fully grabbed my attention. Personally, I felt like I was being told about what’s happening rather than being pulled into the story and actually experiencing it. The pacing was okay, but the flow of the story is quite… well stormy and bumpy. While the plot has a few entertaining moments, it seems like the author never builds up the emotions, the conflict, the drama, and the tension, so it seems a bit all over the place and quite lackluster at times. The dialogue is also a bit awkward and flat too. I just couldn’t feel any emotions and had such a difficult time trying to find a connection with the story and characters. Even when it should have been suspenseful, thrilling, or even sad, I found myself not really having any intense reaction to what’s happening in the story. I really do think this book has potential and there are things I liked, but for me, the story just wasn’t well executed. It’s supposed to be a suspenseful romance, but I felt very little to nothing. I did kind of like the alternate ending… even though it seemed unnecessary, I really had fun reading it.
As I mentioned, I had a difficult time connecting with the characters. I just felt so indifferent towards them.. well except for Asher. I didn’t dislike them, but I also didn’t care all that much. Rachel is an okay heroine and I thought she’s likable, but she didn’t shine like I expected. I liked that Sonya is a good friend and honestly, I felt like she’s a little bit more interesting than Rachel. I’m usually drawn to the “bad boy” type, but I didn’t find anything alluring or redeeming about Liam. Nothing that made me feel or think that there’s something substantial about him. On the other hand, I loved Asher from the moment he met Rachel. He’s sweet, considerate, caring, and just a really good guy. He’s dealing with his own personal issues so seeing his vulnerable side made me fall for him even more.
I liked and did not like the romance part of this book. I’m not really into love triangles and if it’s not done in a tasteful way, well… that’s a big NO for me. So, I was not a fan of the love triangle in this book. The way Rachel and Liam got together just felt unrealistic to me. There are a few scenes of them kind of flirting, but I didn’t feel any chemistry between them so as a couple… they didn’t make sense or seem genuine to me. I just knew right then and there that they would not work out. Having said that, I am definitely team Asher and was rooting for him from the start. Rachel and Asher as a couple is a little better. I liked that they’re friends first and they seem to really care about each other. Still didn’t have the all the swoony feels I love, but I liked their romance/relationship.
Stormy Kind of Love by Tia Lee is an interesting college romance story, but it didn’t make my heart melt or had me gripping the edge of my seat. There are some aspects of the book that I liked and even enjoyed, but overall I just never felt emotionally invested in the story or characters. While I didn’t love this as much as I thought I would, I think Tia Lee has really unique and interesting ideas that I’m sure will appeal to other readers.
I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.