ARC REVIEW Rising Storm: Tempest Rising by Julie Kenner

From the evil master minds of 1001 Dark Nights, Evil Eye Concepts brings us a soap opera in novella form. A Julie Kenner and Dee Davis brain child together they brought together six other authors to bring life to the strife filled town of Storm, Texas. As first books in a series go this was really good. It had a great catch your attention first chapter. It introduced all the major characters and gave great insight to their personality and character. However much like every soap opera out there a lot and nothing at all happened at the same time. What it did was introduce the characters and hint and tell you where their individual story would be going. I was a little disappointed, I was expecting more. I hate half the characters already, lots of selfish people. I hope when I get to their respective books I see them in a different light.

Ginny Moreno and her best friend, Jacob Salt were on their way back home for a college break. Things had been awkward between them ever since they made the drunken mistake of sleeping together. They just talked about things and hopefully were going to get things figured out on this trip home. The drive home was slowed by a raging storm and when a deer jumped in front of the car Ginny swerved and the car flipped. Ginny survives, Jacob doesn't. Ginny also discovers she's pregnant but the big secret is that she is almost certain it is her ex's. Her forbidden lover, a married man, a politician. But she lies and tells everyone it's Jacob's baby. Jacob's parents embrace Ginny like a long lost daughter. Marisol was left to raise her two siblings after their parents death. She loves both Ginny and Luis and as much as it hurts she must come to realize Ginny needs to do do what she must for the good of her and the baby.

Sheriff Dillon Murphy is and has always been in love with Joanne, but she married a bastard, Hector Alvarez. Dillon knows in his gut the Hector abuses Joanne but has not proof of it. Dillon is tired of waiting for Hector to mess up he has made his feelings clear toward Joanne clear to her now he just has to wait for the right time to make his move.

Dakota Alvarez is dying to get out of Storm, she thinks her ticket out is Jacob Salt, but then he dies and she feels even more trapped and she blames Ginny and doesn't want to believe that the baby is his. Mallory Alvarez hates her life, the only good thing about it is her boyfriend Luis, her mother is weak and her sister is conceited, her brother Marcus was the smart one and left as soon as he could, and her father is a hateful manipulator she know he hits her mother. Lacey Salt is struggling dealing with the death of her brother and now she has to deal with Ginny moving in pregnant, and her mother Celeste coddling Ginny. Joanne has no one to talk to, he father disowned her when she married Hector and she has to sneak around just to see her mother and her sister, Hannah. Kristin Douglas knows something is up with her employee Joanne, but is willing to let it go because Joanne knows something about her that is better left unsaid.  

Overall, I look forward to the rest of the series. I am glad because the characters I actually like in the series so far their books are written by my favorite authors. Next week Episode 2: White Lightning by Lexi Blake