Tempest Rising by Nicole Peeler

Pages - 359

Published by Orbit in 2009

Own copy.

I eyeballed the freezer, trying to decide what to cook for dinner that night. Such a decision was no mean feat, since a visiting stranger might assume that Martha Stewart not only lived with us but was preparing for the apocalypse. Frozen lasagnas, casseroles, pot pies, and the like filled our iecebox nearly to the brim. 

Goodreads Summary

Living in small town Rockabill, Maine, Jane True always knew she didn't quite fit in with so-called normal society. During her nightly, clandestine swim in the freezing winter ocean, a grisly find leads Jane to startling revelations about her heritage: she is only half-human. 

Now, Jane must enter a world filled with supernatural creatures alternatively terrifying, beautiful, and deadly- all of which perfectly describe her new "friend," Ryu, a gorgeous and powerful vampire. 

It is a world where nothing can be taken for granted: a dog can heal with a lick; spirits bag your groceries; and whatever you do, never-ever rub the genie's lamp. 

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I had wanted to read this series for quite some time, so when organising books to take on holiday with me, I knew this would be an ideal sunbathing read. From the first chapter, I  couldn't help but feel a similarity to the Sookie Stackhouse books, which instantly had me hooked. 

Right from the beginning you get a real sense of Jane's character and you can feel the torment she still feels over the loss of her mother, as well as coping with her dad. Not to mention her past which still haunts her years after a tragic event. Luckily for Jane, some rather colourful and enigmatic characters are on hand to help her deal with the shocking revelations which make her completely rethink her past. The characters that popped up through out the book were all so vivid and memorable, Grizzie and Nell being among my firm favourites. 

When Ryu arrives on the scene as a private investigator who all happens to be a vampire, the book really begins to heat up, as he turns up the passion for Jane. He came across as rather gorgeous, but I am hoping as the series develops, Jane might move her attention to Anyan, who is full of surprises and definitely loyal.  

I adored the setting of the book. Such a gorgeous Southern feel to it, that I found myself easily picturing it and desperate to visit the town. The close knit community reminded me a little of the residents of the old American TV series, Northern Exposure. The plot was well written too, with lots of twists and turns along the way, which kept me reading. 

At times I wasn't always happy with Jane's reactions to certain situations. When things began to get frightening and difficult within her life, where she was at risk of being killed, her only response seemed to be to jump into bed with Ryu. Considering how difficult her past had been, I felt this was out of character and I tended to skip past these snippets. Luckily these situations were few and far between and didn't spoil my enjoyment of the story. 

Occasionally the writing felt rather clunky and there were a few cliched phrases I would have loved to have seen edited out of the book. 

On the whole though I enjoyed the ease of this book. It made an excellent beach read, as the story was easy to get lost in. It is definitely a series I want to continue reading.