Review: Storm Rising

Storm Rising

"Mentioned in the pages of the Septuagint but lost to history, the Book of the Wars has resurfaced, and its pages hold secrets--and dangers--never before seen on earth.  

Tasked with capturing the ancient text, former Navy SEAL Leif Metcalfe is finally given command of his own team. But their best efforts are ruined when a notorious Bulgarian operative known as "Viorica" snatches the volume right out from under them. 

Iskra "Viorica" Todorova is determined to use the book to secure the thing that matters most--freedom. But a series of strange storms erupts around the globe and the coming dangers foretold in the text threaten crops, lives--entire nations.

Though both are haunted by secrets of their past and neither trusts the other, Leif and Iskra must form an uneasy alliance to thwart impending disaster. However, the truth hidden in two-thousand-year-old words could unleash the storm of their own destruction."

Author: Ronie Kendig

Series: The Book of the Wars (book 1)

Publisher: Bethany House

Does an Ancient Book of Prophecy Hold the Answers to Saving the World

 . . . Or Predict Its Destruction? 

I am about to confess something that might strip me of my reader card...

This was the first book I've ever read by Ronie Kendig. 🙈  HOWEVER! It will not be my last.

I really really enjoyed this book. 

The writing style was totally my thing! It's everything I look for in contemporary books. It was fun and modern, with the perfect mix of humor and inner turmoil!

If you haven't picked up on this fact yet I'll make it real clear for you now, BANTER IS EVERYTHING TO ME! Here is why. Not only is it normally humorous, but when done correctly it makes chemistry explode off the page. 

The author did an AMAZE. ING. job with the banter and chemistry in this book. I always got excited when the whole team was together because the way they worked with, and off each other made the book authentic to me. The only issue I had with such a big team was keeping track of their names and what they did. I'm hoping that becomes a little clearer and easier to process as the series progresses.

This was the first military book I've ever read, and though I love NCIS as much as the next girl, all of the terms started to mix and combine in my head which did cause some confusion. I guess this just means I'll have to read more books in this genre to strengthen my vocabulary. Pity. 😏😉

The series has a super intriguing plot, and I'm sensing a TON of plot twists in our near future. I'm equally excited and terrified.

I have a love/hate relationship with series like this. I LOVE that the story keeps going, but I HATE that I have to wait so long for the conclusion. 

Leif was...*swoon* I don't know if there's much I can say about him. He's GREAT! He's super head and heart smart. He is selfless, but not stupid. He protects what he considers is his, but not in a controlling way. 

I actually really liked Iskra, like a lot! She was the girl version of Leif honestly. A little less trusting, but can ya blame her?! They really did click from their first interaction, and it didn't change. They could read each other's minds and souls...SOUL. MATES. 😍😍 

I still have so many questions!! When does book #2 comes out again?? Oh yeah, not soon enough. I"M READY!

I rated this a 4/5 stars! 

*I received this book from the publisher**All opinions are my own*

Review: The Bull Rider's Secret

The Bull Rider's Secret

"Letting bull rider Jace Hawke back into her life breaks all of Mackenzie Wilder’s rules—just like he broke her heart years ago. But he’s working at her family’s ranch while recovering from a rodeo injury…and chipping away at Mackenzie’s tough-girl exterior with each passing day. Which is the bigger mistake: falling for Jace again…or letting him go without a fight?"

Author: Jill Lynn

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Series: Colorado Grooms (book 3)

"Will the truth 

keep them from a second chance?"

👏 JILL 👏 DID 👏 IT 👏 AGAIN 👏

I'll be honest, this series and I got a rocky start. BUT I held on through the storm, and I'm SO happy I did! I have enjoyed the Wilder bunch and I've loved watching them each grow and find their perfect matches.
I've been anxiously awaiting Mackenzie's story, and when it finally hit my little fingers I had to read it instantly.

Though each book had a different "main troupe", they all had a similar troupe running throughout: each couple knew/had history with each other before they got together permanently.

So Mackenzie & Jace knew each other, and actually were high school sweethearts before Jace took off for the rodeo. As you can imagine this caused some tension when they saw each other again since they did not part on the best of terms.
This led to a lot of problems and misplaced assumptions because they both stewed over their feelings for years. Guess what? It could've been avoided had they just communicated with each other all those years ago. *eye roll*
My issues with miscommunication aside, this theme actually worked in this book because the author had them falling BACK in love with each other and they started actually communicating with each other.

Because they already knew each other, and were already in love with each other, they had a pretty good start to a solid foundation. Once they started reconnecting and working things out they really built the foundation they needed. They stayed level headed (mostly), and started working towards a better future.

They both had a lot of pain and brokenness they were covering up, stuff they didn't want anyone to know about, yet they learned to truly lean on God and lean on each other.

It was a wholesome, sweet story. (with the perfect amount of cowboy and wit)
I loved this cast of characters, and though it's bittersweet to see the Wilder crew wrapped up, I'm excited to see who Jill makes me fall in love with next!

I rated this a 4/5 stars!

*I received this book from the author**All opinions are my own*