"From here on in, there is no turning back..."
Aidan Storm is a hot sexy bad boy who loves women, and
has no intentions on settling down with one any time soon,
if ever. He has natural magical powers, specifically that
involve controlling the weather, which he has learned to
accept, and sometimes use to woo a woman. But he refuses
to
fall into the concept of "destiny" and "soul mates" that
his mother and other siblings abide by, and refuses to
believe that there is one woman out there just for him.
This is until Melissa Cross comes into the picture. Aidan and his siblings run their family's hotel, The
Rising Storm, and are in the midst of adding a casino and
expanding to take advantage of growing New Orleans
tourism. Enter Melissa Cross (or "Frosty Cross" to her
colleagues
back in Boston), the all-business Director of Marketing
for
the Chesapeake Casino organization who comes to the Big
Easy for a month to go over The Rising Storm's expansion
and marketing plans with Aidan. Her ice princess demeanor
soon and too easily melts in the sultry heat of New
Orleans, and beneath the magical attentions of her more-
than-sultry marketing partner Aidan. When Aidan meets Melissa he feels an instant attraction
as he has never felt before, one that frightens the heck
out of him, and one he has no intentions of ignoring
despite his fear and all his older brother Logan's
warnings
to not let his libido get in the way of business. Melissa, more like Logan than Aidan where business is
concerned, fights her attraction to Aidan tooth and nail.
She's been burned before by a colleague who wanted to mix
business with pleasure and does not intend to fall into
the
same trap again. All of her resolve goes by the wayside
however during a family dinner at the Storm house when she
meets Aidan's parents and siblings and is warmly and
instantly accepted into the fold. An only child born of
two uncommunicative and cold parents, and unused to a
vibrant and close family vibe, Melissa is overwhelmed by
the reception; this and a little too much to drink at
dinner lowers her shields and allows for a very erotic
seduction scene on a park picnic bench with Aidan. From
here on in, there is no turning back. Aidan and Melissa is an engaging couple with palpable
sizzling chemistry. Their conflicts, both external and
internal, are realistic and heart-felt. This, the snappy
dialogue, and the appealing and colorful secondary
characters, all lend themselves to an emotional, sexy and
fast-paced story. The paranormal elements and familial
connection are skillfully sprinkled in and nicely balances
the erotica and romantic elements to make this a fun and
enjoyable read. Since there are four seasons in a year, and two more
sisters and a brother, I'm assuming (hoping) that the "1"
in the title means we will be hearing more from the other
Storm siblings (especially looking forward to seeing some
woman heat up and break through big brother Logan's cool
veneer) and that there are more storms on the horizon. Reviewed for PNR Reviews by
Gracie McKeever, Author
Reviewed by Gracie McKeever
Posted April 19, 2004
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