TOUR: The Storm Within

The Storm Within

Author: Cerian Hebert

Genre:  Contemporary Romance/Paranormal 

BLURB

Healed from her own loss, Juliana Hopkins wants nothing more than to mend reclusive artist Aidan Byrne’s heart, and help close a chapter in his life that has haunted him for over twenty years. Risking their newfound love, Juliana is determined to release the ghosts he can’t let go.

Aidan has been in love with Juliana since the first moment he saw her, but if she can’t leave the tragedies of his past alone, he won’t be able to make a life with her.

She offers him a love he never dared to want, but loving her could rip open all the old wounds he’d never been able to heal.

PURCHASE LINK

Amazon

MY REVIEW 

The Storm Within is a moving story of overcoming loss and learning to live and love again.

Juliana was simply existing after her husband’s death but after a vision of her deceased husband and some time, she finally starts to put her life back together.

Aidan is brooding and secretive about his past.  On a stormy night, he accidentally veers his car into a culvert and straight into Juliana’s life.

Will these two people, whose lives have been shattered, be able to build something solid together?

This is a sweet, page-turning story.

I love the romance between Juliana and Aidan.  Although their relationship happened a little too quickly for me, I loved that it felt tentative.  That they were unsure.  It made it feel that much more real.

Juliana is caring and loving.  She is finally ready to move on and willing to help Aidan do so as well if he would only open up.

Aidan is hesitant to care for anyone besides himself and his dog.  He does not want to let anyone down.  He makes mistakes along the way but learns quite quickly.  

I enjoyed seeing this couple together and wanted so much more out of their story.  Experiencing a little bit of Juliana’s metamorphosis from broken widow to a woman of strength would have, in my opinion, made this a stellar read.

The ending for me was a little abrupt.  It has a feel of a HFN ending but with a major question that remains unanswered.

This is a touching story that is definitely worth the read.

I received an ARC of this book.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

EXCERPT 

Besides the sound of the antique pendulum wall clock, the house was silent. Aidan sat on the sofa, fully dressed right down to his boots. He avoided meeting her gaze. She could see a storm brewing, from the way he stared at the floor, and the downturn of his lips, the tightness in his jaw.

As if he held on, by only a hair, to anger.

“You okay?” She wanted to go to him, but instinct kept her glued to her spot. Whatever stewed within him, she had a feeling it involved her. Her heart thudded in her chest. Whatever they’d discovered over the last few days she had the feeling was about to end.

Finally, he glanced up.

She wished he hadn’t. His blue eyes blazed with fury.

“You want to tell me what the hell you’re doing?” he demanded, his voice harsh with restrained anger.

It only took a quick glance at her desk to know exactly what he was referring to. The notes she’d taken about Rosemont Home sat next to her keyboard, where she’d left them.

She thought about playing dumb, telling him she had no clue what he meant, but he’d see right through it, and he didn’t deserve her lying to him about it.

She lifted her chin. Her lips trembled as she studied the anger on his face. Anger, like an immense, impenetrable wall.

“Why are you looking up information on Rosemont?” he asked, his tone stony.

Juliana grasped for the words to explain. “I thought maybe I could, um, find something out about your brother and sister.” How lame.  Like he didn’t believe he knew everything there was to know.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Originally from Minnesota, Cerian is currently settled in southwestern New Hampshire with her husband and two of her four children plus a dog, cat and two geckos. She's known she wanted to write since she was twelve, and between mucking stalls in New York and booking cruises in Maine, she's been filling notebooks and flash drives with her stories in pursuit of her dreams.

Currently she has 10 published books (No Going Back, Where One Road Leads, The Staying Kind, Going Going Gone, and  The Storm Within from Soul Mate Publishing, and The Better Man, Do Overs, Finally Home, Light The Way Home, and That Kind of Magic self-published at Amazon). She’s looking forward to adding to this list.

Cerian is a PAN member of RWA, Contemporary Romance Writers and New Hampshire Romance Writers of America.

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GIVEAWAY!

Cerian Hebert will be awarding a $10 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway