Deadly Storms by Christine Feehan – Dual Review

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Description:
Shabina Foster does her best to lead a normal life. She takes comfort in her friends and her dogs and finds passion in running her own small-town café in the eastern Sierra. But she can’t help always looking over her shoulder, not after what happened in her past. Since then, Shabina has worked very hard to build herself up and live life to the fullest.

Still, there’s no denying the scars she carries. Truly opening up her guarded world seems like an impossible dream—especially when it comes to the one man who makes her feel safe. Shabina already feels like she’s ruined his life and is determined to keep her distance, even as the ghosts of her past emerge from the shadows.

Security expert Rainier Ashcroft knows firsthand that a storm is brewing and that Shabina is in real trouble. Threats are approaching on all sides—and there’s no telling when the next hit will strike. But convincing the woman he loves to truly let him in will be just as difficult as keeping her alive.

Barb’s Review:

Deadly Storms by Christine Feehan is the 3^rd book in her Sunrise Lake series.  Café owner Shabina Foster, owns the Sunrise Café, having worked hard to get the café becoming very successful. Shabina suffers from PTSD, based on her kidnapping 10 years ago, when she was only 16 years old; having been rescued from a brutal time.   

Once every six weeks Shabina’s five best friends get together.  As a rule, she loved spending time with them and always looked forward to the one night that they planned to meet.  Shabina had a very large four-bedroom home that she’d done her best to make it warm and welcoming for her friends.  She loved her kitchen. Most importantly, Stella Harrison was responsible for making the Sunrise Café a huge destination for anyone coming to visit in Knightly. Shabina always made sure to have food ready for all her friends.               

Shabina had 3 Doberman pinchers (Malik, Sharif, Morza), who constantly surrounded her, as they were her constant companions, protecting and comforting her.  Her dogs were trained guard dogs, as she worked with them every day. She needed to know she could stop them if they attacked or were a threat; two larger dogs followed her, and Morza was the one who always looked out the window if any threat. Each of her friends had their own dogs; her friend Vienna, had a Persian cat named Princess.  Harlow had her own beagle, Misha; Zahra had had little Pyrenean shepherd. Last but not least, Stella arrived with Raine O’Mallory still recovering from several surgeries on her leg. 

Rainier Ashcroft is responsible for Shabina’s security.  He is the only one who knows what happened to her all those years ago; having rescued her and helps make her feel safe.  When triggers start appearing at her small town in her café, causing trouble and chaos.  Rainer will be the one to protect her, and be there when these people were determined to cause trouble. He has no qualm defeating the enemy posing threats to Shabina. Soon the evil monster who nearly took Shabina’s begins to stalk her, Rainer will be the to destroy him.  
    
Raine was close to Shabina, and managed to get paper work for her to find out who is threatening her. Raine was guarded by military personnel, as she was a very important, person on the staff.   Raine does find information, and warns Rainer to find the culprit.  When she was injured, she was guarded day and night by the military as if she was a mystery woman. 

Deadly Storms was an excellent, fun, terrific murder mystery, filled with action and a slight paranormal element. This was an exciting romance suspense thriller, as well as the fun bantering with her friends, whom they also wanted to protect her. Deadly Storms was so very well written by Christine Feehan. I suggest you read Deadly Storms. I look forward to the next book in this series.

Sandy’s Review

DEADLY STORMS is the third instalment in Christine Feehan’s contemporary, adult SUNRISE LAKE dark, romantic suspense series. This is undercover operative/ security specialist Rainier Ashcroft, and café owner Shabina Foster’s story line. DEADLY STORMS can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous instalments is revealed where necessary.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there WILL BE triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from omniscient third person perspective DEADLY STORMS focuses on a series of murders in Knightly, around Sunrise Lake near Yosemite National Park but our heroine, Shabina Foster’s small town life is anything but idyllic when the past returns determined to finish what it had previously started. Having survived a year and a half in captivity in the Middle East, and an eventual rescue by Rainer Ashcroft, our heroine returned a shell of her former self. Years later, Shabina set up a café near Sunrise Lake but the nightmares and PTSD hint at approaching danger that cannot be stopped. Someone is not only targeting our story line heroine, but also the people visiting Yosemite Park.

The world building is complex and detailed as the story line follows two to three interconnected pathways. Fearing she has been targeted, and the possibility of a serial killer in the small town of Knightly, our heroine finally calls the man who owns her heart but a man who is more of a ghost than anyone could have ever imagined.

The relationship between Rainier and Shabina began as a rescue, years before. Rainier is determined to protect the woman with whom he had fallen in love but often on assignment, a protection team as well as Shabina’s three dogs, were always on guard, in an effort to keep our heroine safe from harm. Rainer’s reappearance in her life is not a coincidence, our hero is a man who willing to prove Shabina is the only woman able to control his heart. There are no $ex scenes.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful, energetic, and often questionable secondary and supporting characters but so many that is was often confusing. Numerous names of locals, tourists and many non-entities, often overwhelming to the point of unnecessary.

DEADLY STORMS is a story of power and control, betrayal and vengeance, secrets and lies, acceptance and love. The slow building premise is twisted and dramatic but the repetitive nature of the world building is troublesome, and the conflict resolution(s) is quick and easy. There is quite a bit of reflection and introspection from the heroine’s POV. The characters are energetic; the romance is virtually non-existent, our couple do not connect until approximately half way through the story.

Reviewed by Barb/Sandy

Copy provided by Publisher