wind – my manuscript & me

Storm by Brigid Kemmerer

Synopsis:
Becca Chandler somehow keeps getting the shit end of the stick. She picked the wrong guy and now there are rumors flying all over school about her. And then she broke up the wrong fight. And then everything changed.

When Becca saved Chris Merrick from getting his face kicked in by two guys she opened up a world of trouble for herself because Chris isn’t just…some guy and neither are his 3 older brothers. They all have targets on their backs because they’re Elementals; people who can use their strong ties to nature to their advantage. Chris is water, Michael, the eldest is earth, the twins, Nick and Gabriel are fire and air.

But, what happens when you get in between an Elemental war? Becca should prepare herself because she is sure to find out…

First line:

The self-defense class had been a waste of sixty bucks.

Favorite Lines:

God, was that his voice? He sounded like a ninety-year-old chain smoker. – page 23

Michael’s work truck sounded like an orchestra of chainsaws when Gabriel fired up the diesel engine. – page 74

The bathroom smelled like boys, from spicy sticks of uncapped deodorant and a large bottle of body wash that looked like it could climb a mountain on its own. – page 148

He moved closer, until a breath would bring their lips together. “You deserve better than a first kiss in a deserted parking lot.” – page 177

Review (My thoughts): I’d been meaning to read this book for a while. I was at a book fair, The Frederick Book Festival, when I met Brigid Kemmerer. We talked a bit about Kensington and that was about it. I wasn’t really interested in her book solely because I thought I knew what it would be about (based on the cover only). I thought it’d be some Teen Wolf kind of book. And (I’m sure this is an unpopular opinion) the guys on the cover didn’t do anything for my womanly parts if you know what I mean.

Anyway, I was at the library looking at the new YA books when I came across SECRET. I soon realized I was reading a book that was apart of the series, so I decided to get the first one and test it out. And I’m glad I did. I really liked this book. It surprised me, I have to say. I guess you really can’t judge a book by it’s cover because it wasn’t like Teen Wolf AT. ALL. (I’ve never seen an episode of Teen Wolf but there are no wolves in this book.)

Anyway, I love Kemmerer’s writing style. She is descriptive when she needs to be and plain when she needs to be as well. There was plenty of action and suspense. I loved the banter between the twins, Nick and Gabriel. It reminded me of Fred and George from Harry Potter. I loved the sweet interaction between Hunter and Becca. How gentle and understanding he was with her. Again, why can’t I find a guy like this in real life?! I loved the plot and the pacing. The novel moved quickly. Judging by it’s thickness, I was surprised that I finished in only a couple of days.

Sometimes, Becca got on my nerves. She always flinched when a guy got close or always questioned his motives. That was a red flag for me. Hunter was always slow and kind to her. He never made a move on Becca and always, always respected her. They spent the night together on the couch and she gets up the next day, giving him the third degree on whether he posted a status update that the two were together. Like……….girl. Stop. Didn’t she know him by now??

Also, there was one part that I had a BIG issue with. The line is, “Touch was funny like that. how one movement could choke you and kill you, but another meant nothing more than a caress and an invitation. How sex and rape were just a few motions apart.” That line threw me. When I was reading, I literally went

How in the hell is sex and rape a FEW motions apart?! I didn’t understand how the author could write something like that, especially being a woman, but as I read on and got to know Becca more, I understood why. She was sexually assaulted more than once. And she had an issue with being touched.

If Becca would have had a tad more introspection then all of her confusing actions would have made sense sooner. It wasn’t until the end of the book when she relived the night she was sexually assaulted that I understood why she was acting so weird around guys. It came too late in the novel for me. But, that didn’t take away from the fact that it was an all around good read. Attention-grabbing and action-packed.

Oh. Some reviews say the end has a plot twist. Maybe it’s the writer in me, but I saw it coming a mile away. I won’t spoil it for you guys though.

Good read. Pick it up.

4 glasses – Loved it! Would recommend!