(Broken Heartland series, book 1)
Sometimes you can’t see the storm coming until it’s too
late...
Severe Storm
Warning Tip #1:
Be alert to
changing weather conditions. Look for approaching storms.
Severe Storm
Warning Tip #2:
If you see
approaching storms or any of the danger signs, be prepared to take shelter
immediately.
Severe Storm
Warning Tip #3:
They may strike
quickly, with little or no warning.
Situated just
outside of Oklahoma City, Calumet County is divided into two drastically
different communities: Hope’s Grove and Summit Bluffs. One is the small
backward town where dirt roads lead the way to field parties and railroad
tracks. And the other, a sprawling suburb where paved drives lead to the
landscaped lawns of the wealthy and over privileged.
For five teenagers
smack in the middle of Tornado Alley, summer is heating up fast. The winds of
change are blurring the invisible line that divides the rich and the rural.
One has a secret.
One has a crush.
One has been lying.
One will get caught.
And one might not
make it out alive.
They’re from two
different worlds…but one summer is about to change everything.
******
As a girl born and raised in Kansas, I’m all
too familiar with the likes of tornadoes and storm warnings. When you live in
the epicenter of Tornado Alley all your life, you know the warning signs. The weird
color of the sky, the balmy temperature, the eerily still air – the calm before
the storm. Tornadoes still to this day scare the ever living bejesus out of me.
The second those tornado sirens start blaring, I’m the first person sprinting
to the basement like a bat out of hell. So, forgive me when I say this is a new
feeling to me. What feeling? Oh, I’m
glad you asked! The feeling of embracing and eagerly anticipating a storm you
know will leave behind a path of destruction – because that’s exactly what I
did.
This is one storm warning I welcomed with open arms.
Storm Warning delves
into the world of five teenagers from Camulet County in Oklahoma – 3 from the
dirt road, small town side and 2 from the suburban, city side. Here’s your easy
peasy background on them:
Country Folk
Kyle Mason – Recently graduated high school
with a football scholarship to OSU, helps out his family business, Mason
Landscaping.
Ella Jane (EJ) Mason – Kyle’s sixteen-year-old
little sister, sweet with a side of sass, harboring a crush on her brother’s
best friend.
Brantley (Coop) Cooper – High school senior,
Kyle’s best friend, loves racing dirt bikes, comes from a long line of family
farmers.
City Folk
Hayden Prescott – High school senior, arrogant,
lacrosse player, drives a Bentley, comes from money.
Cameron (Cami) Nickelson – High school senior,
pageant queen since she could walk, spoiled, also comes from money.
There are your five main characters, and yes,
you live inside the head of each of them. When I found out this book was going
to be from all five POVs, I was nervous. Don’t get me wrong, Elizabeth Lee
and Caisey Quinn are unbelievable authors, but I was worried it would seem overwhelming
or confusing. When someone’s POV popped up, I didn’t want to have to go back
and think, “Okay, now where did we leave
off with him/her?” Not once did I have to do that. The storylines of these
five characters fused together so perfectly, and I’m actually glad that we got
inside all of their heads right out of the gate. It gave me a way to feel
connected to each of them, and in turn, none of them got pushed into the
shadows. It’s rare to have a novel contain five main characters, but Elizabeth
and Caisey did it brilliantly. The writing is wonderful, and if I didn’t know
it was written by two authors, there would have been no way I ever would have suspected
it. Elizabeth and Caisey seamlessly transition not only between five different
characters’ POVs, but also between their own writing.
Now, I do have one issue…and it’s kind of a
biggie. I don’t like Hayden. THERE. I
SAID IT. While he earned a few brownie points within the last 15-20 percent
of the book, it didn’t earn him enough to have me rooting for him…or
the relationship he was in. His arrogance and entitlement grinded my gears from
the get go, and I just never could warm up to him. Coop, however, had me hook,
line and sinker. (Excuse me for a second
while I fan myself…) His laid back, hardworking, country boy attitude was
refreshing and incredibly genuine. He’s like a glass of sweet tea on a hot,
summer day. The sacrifices he was willing to make for his family made my heart
swell and I’m pretty sure made me fall in love with him all over again. He’s
just…perfect. You know those cartoon characters that get hearts in place of
their eyes when they look at someone they’re swooning over? That was me. My
eyeballs are now hearts. I’m sure there’s
probably some kind of surgery to fix it; I’ll deal with that later. So, as
no surprise – I have firmly planted my cowgirl boots on the side of the fence labeled
TEAM COOP!! Country boys for the
win.
Storm Warning is the
first book in the series, and there IS a
cliffhanger. A HUGE ONE. If I didn’t
love Elizabeth and Caisey so much, I’d probably be harassing them with emails,
texts, and tweets about how upset I am with them for doing this to me! Who am I kidding, I’ll probably still do that.
There is a silver lining though – the second book is being released THIS
SPRING!! That means I only have to hang onto this cliff for a few more months…eh,
I needed to work on my upper body strength anyway ;)
If you’re a fan of either Elizabeth Lee or
Caisey Quinn, there is no doubt in my mind that you will love them even more as
a duo. I’ve been fortunate enough to see both of their writing careers from the
very beginning, and they continue to amaze me with their constant progress.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go pack my “survival kit” in preparation
for Path of Destruction – I have a
feeling things are about to get messy.
MY RATING: 5 STARS
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