Storm Rising - Blog Tour Review + Excerpts

Storm Rising by Rachael Richey
Source: Blog Tour

Description: Frontman of the grunge rock band NightHawk, Gideon Hawk has had enough of the rock star life.  He is jaded, disillusioned, and haunted by the memory of an unresolved heartbreak.  On a whim, he leaves the band in New York and heads to England in search of answers.

After attending the funeral of her estranged mother, Abigail Thomson makes a shocking discovery in her parents' attic.  The still-raw memories that surface, along with even more startling discoveries, force Abi to face a devasting truth that leads to a series of life-changing events.  She and Gideon must race against time to reclaim the life stolen from them a decade before.

Excerpt:

Abi saw the car as she came along the main road. There were never many tourists around in November, and to see a strange car parked in the lay-by was worthy of a second glance. Probably someone who got lost, she thought to herself as she turned down her track.

            She had spent the day with one of her clients in Penzance, sorting out the artwork for their new marketing campaign, and she was very glad to be home. She had lit the fire before she left the house that morning, and the chimney was smoking cheerily as she got out of the car and headed for the front door. As she turned to close it behind her, she once again noticed the strange Range Rover parked on the main road. She paused for a second, then shivered and closed the door. For some reason the sight of it had given her a little chill in her heart. She shook her head in exasperation. What was she turning into? The events of the past week must really be taking their toll.

            She tossed her jacket down on the sofa and went into the kitchen to put the kettle on. As anticipated, the little cottage was very warm and cosy, and Abi anticipated a lovely warm relaxing evening. Although she was very fond of her friend and neighbour, she couldn’t help hoping that Chris wouldn’t pop over. She really fancied a night to herself.

            She made a cup of tea, cut herself a slice of cake, carried them both over to the fire, and sat down on the hearth rug. A basket of logs stood to one side of the woodburner, and Abi opened the doors and tossed another log onto the already roaring fire. She gave a little shiver of pleasure. She really liked to be warm. She was going to enjoy the evening.

            She leant back against the sofa, extended her legs in front of her, and took a large bite of cake. No sooner had she done that than the doorbell rang. Abi rolled her eyes and tried to swallow her cake.

            “Come in, Chris, the door’s open!” she called, spraying crumbs in all directions.

            After a moment the door slowly opened and a deep voice said, “I’m not Chris. Can I still come in?”

            Abi leapt to her feet and swung round to face the door. For the last ten years she had dreamt of the moment when Gideon Hawk would appear on her doorstep, and now it had finally happened she had no idea what to do. For a few long seconds they stared at each other, neither daring to speak. Then Abi took a tentative step forward and nodded her head jerkily.

            “Yes. Come in,” she croaked, her mouth suddenly dry, adding automatically, “Mind your head.”

Review:

This book is told in 2 different time periods - Abi as an adult in 2005 and Abi as a rebellious teenager in 1995.  I found the modern day Abi really interesting as she tried to build a new relationship with her father as well as face some of the old and unhealed wounds from her past.  Unfortunately I wasn't nearly as interested in teenage Abi.  She was a seriously realistic 15 year old with the attitude and the naive-ness that they don't even know is there and she drove me absolutely nuts!  I did do a lot of skimming through the teenage years and was always relieved to see the 2005 at the top of the chapter.  While this wasn't for me the pacing was good and I did keep reading because I wanted to find out what the secrets where and how Abi and Gideon dealt with them.

This is the first book in a new series and I like that the other guys in the band will each have their own book.

Thanks to Tout Sweet Tours for this book in exchange for an honest review.