Title: Tempest
Author: Jamie DeBree
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: CreateSpace
Number of Pages: 124 (according to goodreads, but in my pdf it was only 84)
Source: Sent to me by the author to read
Professor Charlotte “Charlie” Reynolds assumes that the weather is the only thing she has to worry about when she prepares to lead the last backpacking group of the season up Tempest Mountain. Joined at the last minute by sinfully sexy Jake Nelson and his beautiful young companion, Charlie is caught up in a dangerous whirlwind of nature, illicit activities and a man she can’t seem to resist.
Agent Jake Nelson knows his latest mission to secure evidence will be dangerous and potentially put the entire group of hikers at risk. But when the feisty Dr. Reynolds catches his eye, he’s torn between the need to protect, and the desire to possess. (from goodreads)
Agent Jake Nelson knows his latest mission to secure evidence will be dangerous and potentially put the entire group of hikers at risk. But when the feisty Dr. Reynolds catches his eye, he’s torn between the need to protect, and the desire to possess. (from goodreads)
Normally I have a lot of trouble with Romantic Suspense novels. Normally either the Romance part or the suspense part bugs me. Such was not the case with Tempest. This novella managed to capture what romantic suspense is supposed to have : action, adventure, romance and suspense. In my experience, so few romantic suspense books manage to do all three successfully. In Tempest there were bear attacks, wolf attacks and bad guys with guns, and a super hot undercover agent to rescue everyone. What more could you ask for?
Dr. Charlie Reynolds leads groups of hikers up Mt. Tempest in the summer when she isn't working. She is a bit annoyed with this group because two of the hikers are late and she just wants to get up the mountain before the weather turns bad. When Jake and Adrienne, the two hikers who were late finally arrive Charlie thinks Jake is hot, but thinks he's dating Adrienne. She's immediately put off by him because Adrienne is so young. Charlie also doesn't like him because of his high handiness with Adrienne when she gets hurt on the trail. She then finds out that Jake and Adrienne aren't just normal backpackers. They are actually there on a secret mission that could possibly endanger all of them.
When Jake helps Charlie recover from injuries she finds a softer side of him that she didn't think was possible to be there. He helps her with the others on the backpacking trip, and finds herself liking him just a bit. While the hike goes on and her injuries from the attack preventing her taking lead on the hike like she would like, he takes charge and sends Adrienne to help her. This is when the action starts to really happen, and things take off fast. I would say more-but since this is a novella, I don't want to spoil anything by saying more. Lets just say that Jake earns his worth and Charlie no longer dislikes him for his high handiness. :)
Sometimes with novellas it's hard to capture the chemistry between the hero and the heroine, but that's not the case with Tempest. Charlie and Jake are great because they are so used to being the ones in control that it's great seeing them gradually come to trust each other and rely on someone else. I really enjoyed that the POV changed between both Charlie and Jake because it felt like I got to know each character a lot better then if the story had been told from Charlie's POV. Another thing I really enjoyed was that the secondary characters weren't forgotten. So often in novellas they are either totally forgotten or just there for part of the story. There is a lot going on both character wise and story wise but it all works to make for a fun read.
Favorite quote:
He pulsed inside her as she met his gaze, shocked at the intensity staring back at her. "You're mine, Charlotte - when this is over, everyone is safe and we're off this damn mountain, it might take a while to get things sorted out. But I'll come to you. Promise you'll wait for me - that you'll give whatever this is a chance."
Curran Crush Meter: Medium
Martini Sigh Meter: Medium
Ethan/Merit Sizzle Meter: Low (but I still enjoyed the chemistry between Charlie and Jake)
Barrons Hero Hotness Meter: Medium
Rhiannon Heroine Kick Ass Meter: Medium
