Blurb:
A rock-and-roll love triangle…a music journalist’s story of a lifetime…
The bad boy front man who broke her heart.
As lead singer for the Mighty Storm, Jake Wethers is the most wanted
man in the world, the ultimate bad boy of rock and roll,
and every woman’s fantasy. But to Tru Bennett, he’s just Jake, her
childhood best friend, her first love, and the boy who broke
her heart when he moved away and left her behind.
Now Tru is all grown up, a successful music journalist who knows
better than to mix business with pleasure –
until she receives an offer she can’t refuse. Jake wants Tru to
join the band on tour, offering her a behind-the-scenes exclusive
that any journalist would kill for.
There’s just one problem:
Tru’s boyfriend, Will.
Can their relationship withstand Tru hitting the road
with rock and roll’s most notorious womanizer?
Or will she risk it all for a second chance with the one
who got away?
My Review
Warning: if you are the type of person who does not want to read a book where cheating is involved, this is not the book for you. It shall be said, though, that this is far from the worst book I have read where cheating occurs.
The Mighty Storm is one of the first indie books I read, and I decided to reread it and post a review on my blog, because I remember how much I enjoyed the book the first time.
Although this is a story about rock stars and their life style, it is mostly a very sweet, yet steamy, story about two friends reconnecting after many years and admitting to each other that their feelings toward each other are more than of the friendly variety.
We are told the story solely through the eyes of the heroine, Tru, so you will not find dual POV’s in this book (but I’m told it’s different in the sequel which is my next read).
I very much like Tru – she is rather witty, passionate, strong in many ways, yet so unsure of herself when it comes to seeing herself through the eyes of Jake, our very hot rock star. Maybe it has something to do with past insecurities while growing up and developing feelings for her best friend, but at times it bothered me a bit. But perhaps that is just because I was rooting for this couple from the start and was rather impatient with them! And when I think about it, maybe it is not so strange she feels that way after all: I mean, us women tend to not see ourselves very clearly, and many of us have a lot of insecurities that are unfounded. But how she fails to see Jake’s feelings toward her when he serenades her…well, it should be obvious in my opinion.
“I suddenly feel a little breathless. Then, when he starts to sing “Through It All”, those hauntingly beautiful lyrics he wrote, strumming his guitar. My heart starts to drum pure feeling in my chest. …
I’m so totally mesmerized by him. And so totally in lust with him. And so totally screwed.”
I do not approve of the way Tru handled Will, her boyfriend…but that is mainly due to the fact that I have never been in a similar situation so I do not know how you are supposed to deal with loving two guys at the same time – I admit that I had a difficult time relating to Tru when it came to this specific point.
However, I do believe that the author handled a certain, ugly scene perfectly! The way Will reacted to finding out that Tru and Jake were together – phew! It was intense, ugly, heartbreaking…yes, all the emotions were raw and real. I absolutely DO NOT condone violence of any kind, but I do understand Will’s actions to a certain extent. And that’s enough on that subject!
Jake Wethers…sigh…Oh dear, he…is…HOT! And very much an alpha male in the way he is with Tru. And Tru completely gets that in Jake and even welcomes it:
“Jake makes me feel like a girl. Like a woman. It’s not something Will’s ever truly managed to do. Not that Will’s not manly, of course he is, but Jake is in a whole other league. He’s alpha to the extreme.”
Now, I do not know what it is, but I find that, lately, I have connected better with the male characters of the books I have read instead of the female. But Jake is very much my favourite character of the book. It is great to have a hero who is not afraid to simply offer his heart to the woman he loves without grand gestures. He simply uses words instead:
“I love you,” he repeats. “I’ve only ever loved one girl, Tru – and that’s you. It’s always been you. I loved you from the moment I knew how to love.”
Granted there was the whole scene when Pizza Hut was involved – swoon! – but that is really the only time Jake deliberately shows Tru what his money can buy.
Even though Jake is an alpha male, he is also very vulnerable when it comes to his feelings toward Tru. His reasons for not contacting her the past 11 years makes sense even though you resent him for it at the same time. I do not blame Tru for being a bit angry with him about that – to be honest, I think I would feel exactly the same.
And when you read about how much he misses his best friend Jonny and the way he deals with his grief…well, you want to crawl inside the book and comfort him! It shows that we are dealing with a very sensitive soul and who does not like that in a hero? I know I do!
Which is why I can understand him turning to drugs when his father dies…it just goes to show how human Jake is, and I like that we see this side of him as well. Obviously, it is definitely the wrong thing to do, but still…Jake is not perfect, far from it.
The dialogue between Tru and Jake in their private moments is absolutely wonderful to read. You can feel that we are dealing with two people who have grown up together and who have that certain bond you just have with some people. And even though they have not seen or spoken with each other for over a decade, there is no real awkwardness once Tru goes on tour with the band. Well done, Miss Towle!
One thing that’s worth mentioning as well: the secondary characters are very enjoyable – you get to know them but they do not take over the story at all. You get just enough to get curious about them and want to get to know them better – especially Tom! 😉 He is hilarious! (I am very happy with the fact that the author is writing his book at the moment.)
As always, I am trying not to give away too much of the plot in my review – I really feel that you have to read the book yourself without me spoiling your reading experience from the start. I could write a review that was much more explicit, but that would rob you of making up your own mind about the story. And that is the last thing that I want to happen.
But I will say this: the author has managed to write a book with plenty of angst, great dialogue and steamy sex scenes (we must not forget those, eh? ;-))
A minor detail (but still important): When I read TMS the first time, I remember thinking that I wished it had been edited a bit more prior to publication. Which means that I had high hopes to the paperback edition…Sadly, the story still needs editing. I mean that in the sense of it missing words from time to time – and it happens so often that I cannot overlook them in this review.
My final words: Samantha Towle has created a book with characters that, although lovable, have flaws just like the rest of us. I like the fact that although they resolve their issues (mostly), they have to work hard at having a proper relationship just like in real life.This is a contributing factor to the rating I am giving it, and I am very much looking forward to reading the sequel, “Wethering The Storm”.
The Danish Bookaholic Blog 