I stopped reading it because I heard about the cliffhanger ending. Glad I did as it was a bit too much. ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.

Quick & Dirty: Sometimes saving the world takes a magical ax and sometimes it takes getting opposing sides to join up.

Opening Sentence: It was times like this I wished Hallmark made a line of “So your supernatural daughter is going off to fight a supernatural war” cards, because I certainly didn’t know how to say that to my father.

The Review:

Crawling into Jane True’s world in book 5 was relatively painless. This story is rich with characters back story and enough movement that I didn’t feel bogged down from not reading the previous 4 books. However, I’m sure that I would feel more of a connection to all the characters if I knew their motivations, back story and even had a vision of what they looked like in my own head. So many times we invest parts of ourselves in stories that were written by skilled and talented authors, but unfortunately, I didn’t have that with this story and it did impact my level of engagement with the story.

Ok, but enough beating around the bush, you want to know about our main characters. Jane True is a halfling selkie and has been chosen by the labrys, which is an ax only wielded by the Champion. Jane’s ability is control of water so she can do all sorts of magic with water. While Anyan is a barghest, which allows him to shift from man to a dog and his supernatural abilities allow him to manipulate earth and air when he is not making Jane long for his touch.

The other main character in our story is Blondie or Cyntaf, and she is an Original supernatural with the ability to control and harness magic in a way that other supernatural beings only dream. Blondie was a Champion earlier in her life and she is helping to tutor Jane in all things about her role as the Champion.

This is a world that was richly detailed in part because it relies on images most readers are going to have some knowledge of, like London and Paris which I think adds depth and grounds the story in a way that would otherwise be hard to accomplish. Due to the story being set in this world, the characters act very much as you or I would if we had super powers and were off to save the world. This was a refreshing change to paranormal stories because I felt Jane’s reluctance to be the Champion but her obligation and fear didn’t swallow her, but in the end motivated her.

So with good always comes evil, the villains in this story range from Morrigan who is seeking to raise a terrible evil in Red Queen and White King. The Red and White are evils that have been destroyed and then put back together through out history and every time they come back destruction and chaos follow in their wake. I wasn’t to sure about Morrigan being evil enough but before I was half way through the book, I realized I was terribly wrong. She is enough evil for 10 super villains.

So my final thoughts on this book are that you should definitely try this series out and if you are just wanting to jump right in then Tempest Fury is not a bad place to start. My only caveat is that make sure you have book 6 close at hand because this book does end in a HUGE cliff hanger. Thankfully for me, I got book 6 in to review about a week ago and I will be starting it at soon as I finish writing this review.

Notable Scene:

“Using the dating thing against me, eh?” He asked. I smiled against his pecs, wishing we were naked and biting but also knowing that how we were right now was how it should be.

“Sorry, but I do think it’s a good idea,” I said, raising my eyes to meet his.

“Don’t be. You’re right. And besides, this will be more fun.”

“Fun?”

“Yes, fun. This means that I get to work to seduce you.”

“Ooh la la,” I said, raising my chin to kiss his freshly shaven jaw. Anyan let me kiss him, then he withdrew, looking down at me with a predatory little grin.

“I’m serious, you. I admit, my seduction skills are a little rusty. But I’m going to look forward to getting you alone whenever I can, and making you want me. Eventually I’ll get you to where you’re begging. And then, little girl I’m going to show you what begging really means.”

FTC Advisory: Orbit provided me with a copy of Tempest’s Fury. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )

Very rarely do I stay up late to finish reading a book, but that is exactly what I did for Nicole Peeler's Tempest's Fury. In the interest of full disclosure, I am going to tell you right now, the woman has made a fanpoodle out of me.

At the ending of Eye of the Tempest, Jane and Anyan were finally getting some much needed alone time when Blondie burst in with yet another supernatural emergency. I found the ending frustrating because I had long been rooting for Anyan and Jane as a couple; however, that feeling of frustration could not possibly compare to how I felt at the end of this book. Oh Ms. Peeler, you are a cruel, cruel woman.

Given a special ax by the creature, it is time for Jane to fulfill her role as champion. Though so much has changed, in many ways, Jane still sees herself as the small town girl who at the end of the day wants to lead a simple life, surrounded by the people she loves. Not only does Jane now have to deal with the fact that she is essentially the chosen one, she is responsible for stopping creatures who cannot be killed and dealing with a political structure that is filled with factions.

As serious as the issues are in Tempest's Fury, Ms. Peeler as we have become accustomed in this series, still takes time to add a little fun. When we first met Jane she had never been outside of her small town. This is her first time in Europe and though the fate of the world hangs in the balance, Jane still wants to take the time to be a bit of a tourist. Cheese and particularly a good Stilton, is high on her list of experiences and a few dates with Anyan if she she an fit it in while trying not to be killed.

Another source of tension is Jane's budding relationship with Anyan. It seems that every time they have a moment alone together, something gets in the way of consummating their relationship. This builds a sexual tension throughout the story, which leaves the reader ready to chant, just let them do it already. It also encourages the reader to root for them as a couple, which is part of what makes the ending so damn devastating. I won't spoil the ending for you, but suffice it to say, I almost threw my e reader.


This is the part in the review where we typically discuss the social justice issues. I have to be honest and say I don't want to do it, because my head is screaming, "precious, must protect the precious". The Jane True series -- as good as it is -- has a history from the very beginning of being highly erased. This time, the story is largely set in the U.K. which is a country, which is anything but White. and yet at best there is a mentioning in passing of a person of a colour. There is no way to possibly justify the erasure, given where Peeler has chosen to set her story.

Read More
( )

I liked it - till the end... ( )

The Jane True series is consistent with its blend of humor, action, and sexy-times. I like Jane, and I like how she has grown from the first book when she was a broken being. Here, she's forced to take on the role of Champion with the lofty goal of saving the world; she's reluctant to take on the task, but at the same time she's strong enough to play the part without immediately dying (which would make for an awfully short book).

Her adventures take her to London, York, and Paris, and it's great to see different locales used--and, since this is an urban fantasy, the settings are often also destroyed. I wasn't really feeling Jane's chemistry with Anyan in the previous book, but here it feels much stronger to me. Peeler always writes amusing and realistic sex scenes.

The ending here is the first cliff hanger in the series. It drives me bonkers, but at the same time, wow, what a way to end the book so that I'm sure to buy the next. ( )