Storms by Gerri HillStorms by Gerri Hill is an angsty romance with a ton of chemistry and a gorgeous setting on a Montana ranch. And not only is this a sexy romance but the audiobook is narrated by the legendary Abby Craden and it’s so good.

Carson Cartwright has spent the last several years travelling, attending parties and generally living the life of an heiress. Estranged from her father and four brothers after her mother’s tragic death means that Carson is alone in the world.

A surprise phone call from her twin brother urging her to return home and reconcile with her father who is on his death bed turns Carson’s life upside down. Weary and sad, Carson returns to her childhood home, a ranch in Montana to face the demons that sent her fleeing so many years before.

Kerry Elder is striking out on her own and trying to make a name for herself. The Cartwright place could be an excellent inaugural job for her company and she sees a lot of potential in converting the failing ranch into a guest ranch and helping the brothers turn a profit. And if she needs to flirt with one of the brothers in order to finally persuade them to take up her services then so be it, after all what could it hurt?

Initially Carson is concerned that Kerry could be taking her brothers for a ride but as she gets to know Kerry better she realises that the woman is anything but unethical. Kerry becomes someone who Carson can really talk to and the chemistry between them is undeniable.

Kerry fights the attraction, trying to keep things professional and Carson is dealing with unresolved feelings towards her father and doesn’t want the complication that Kerry brings into her life.

But a complication arrises when the brother that Kerry has been flirting with becomes possessive.

From the original blurb: The big Montana sky crackles with thunder and lightning as emotions twist in unbidden directions. Neither Carson nor Kerry is prepared for the wild storms of summer.

The Characters

All the characters are well written and it is easy to remember most of them. The brothers became a little mixed up and all the names starting with C or K sounds made it a challenge at times. But the main characters were easy to tell apart. They each have clear motivations.

Carson has a great character journey. She comes home to confront her father and deal with her brothers who are mostly antagonistic towards her. Unexpectedly she finds romance with Kerry and learns that she missed life in Montana.

Kerry is determined to make her business a success. The Cartwright’s being her first clients means that she cannot afford to mess up and yet she is attracted to Carson. This threatens her contract with the Cartwright’s as one of the brothers is in love with her and adds a layer of complication to their budding romance.

The Writing Style

Hill writes well, the story flowing seamlessly and is interesting enough to keep me listening or reading. The characters are fun and I fell in love with the ranch.

The Narration

Abby Craden did an excellent job of conveying the deep feelings and sexual tension between the two main characters. Her male voices were good and her pacing and annunciation was clear and pulled me right into the story never once making me jump out because of something odd or distracting.

My Favourite Parts

The setting is as compelling as the characters and I loved the small touches like Carsen reconnecting with her horse and her twin brother.

Heads Up

Kerry goes from thinking she is straight to realising she is a lesbian. Not once does she consider the possibility of being bisexual. I am giving bi readers a heads up because I know this can be a bugbear for some. Having said that, I also understand that lesbians sometimes have this exact experience when coming out.

Another thing to note is that there is an incident of physical violence when Carsen’s brother punches her. And it is alluded to that he has done it before.

The Conclusion

sheena's favouriteThis is overall a complex but well constructed and easy to follow story. The characters are clear and the narration was excellent.

I highly recommend the audiobook. It had everything I loved about the book brought to life by the amazingly talented Abby Craden.

This will definitely be a re-listen for me.

Excerpt from Storms by Gerri Hill

The consultant finally looked up and Carson could tell she was startled.

“Sorry,” she said with a smile.

“It’s okay. Carson, right?”

Carson nodded and pushed off the wall, going nonchalantly into the room. “So my idiot brothers are paying you forty grand,” she said. “What’s your deal?”

“Excuse me?”

“Not that it’s any of my business,” she said. “The ranch is all theirs. It just seems like a lot of money for some renovations.”

“They are paying for my analysis of the ranch. They’re paying for the website I’m designing, one that will take reservations and credit card payments. They’re paying for the initial round of advertising. They’re paying me to coordinate the conversion by—”

Conversion?”

“Sorry. Industry term. We’re converting this working ranch into a guest ranch. Well, of course it’ll still function as a working ranch, but it will now be able to accommodate guests who will pay a surprisingly large sum of money to stay here. Some guest ranches make more income from their vacationers than they do cattle.”

“So it’s all legitimate?”

“Of course it’s legitimate,” Kerry said, her brows furrowing. “Why would you think otherwise?”

Carson shrugged. “The whole thing with Cody.”

“What thing with Cody?”

“The flirting. He’s head over heels already,” she said. “Does he know you’re gay?”

Kerry Elder’s eyes widened and she shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Carson laughed. “If you’re not careful, he’s going to propose marriage.”

Kerry shook her head again. “Wait. I’m not a lesbian. What gave you that idea?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Takes one to know one,” she said easily. “Cody is clueless when it comes to women.” She dropped her gaze to Kerry’s lips. “I’m not.”

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Bits and Bobs

  • ISBN number:  9781594932496
  • Publisher: Bella Books
  • Audiobook Publisher: Tantor Audio
  • Narrator: Abby Craden
  • Gerri Hill Online

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Note: I received a free review copy of Storms by Gerri Hill. No money was exchanged for this review. When you use our links to buy we get a small commission which supports the running of this site