Review of Tempest Rising by Nicole Peeler

Five Fangs for Tempest Rising by Nicole Peeler

Wow! I have a new favorite author, really. This series is going on my must read, must have list.

Nicole Peeler has taken an old myth, added a new twist and tossed in some pop culture references and steamy sex and created a totally new and refreshing series in the paranormal/urban fantasy genre.

One Jane True thinks she's just a weird misfit in her small town of Rockabill, Maine then suddenly after finding yet another dead body in her favorite swimming hole she is thrown into a world of paranormal creatures she had no idea existed, especially among those people she interacted with on a daily basis. And to top all that off, Jane learns her mother, that disappeared when she was 6, is a selkie (seal, human shifter) and that Jane is half selkie. That explains her strange swimming habits.

After Jane learns a little about the supernatural world that exists side by side with her own an investigator comes to town to find out who or what is behind the murder. The investigator turns out to be a hottie baobhan sith (vampire) named Ryu (pronounced Roo?) that Jane instantly develops a crush on and much to her surprise he seems as equally taken with her.

Nicole Peeler has done an excellent job at building a new and exciting paranormal world based on old myths and legends, updated with new twists and extreme sexiness. Her take on and Jane's amusing attraction to succubi and incubi is hilarious. Oh and I can't forget the genie- he's the type you shouldn't rub his lamp...unless you want some very interesting results.

Then there's Anyan, the dog/barghest. I knew instantly there was more to this big canine that meets the eye and was glad to see my suspicions, at least part of them were confirmed towards the end of the book. I see him playing a huge role in later books, but that's just a prediction from me, I don't know for sure.

This book just blew me away. As soon as I started reading it I was hooked, totally hooked. I did not want to put it down at all. I had to force myself to go to bed two nights in a row.

I just love Peeler's silly and snarky personality that shows through in her writing and through Jane's character and I love the pop culture references (which I think puts Peeler in my age range considering she mentions both MC Hammer and the Wu Tang Clan, hello 80s and 90s).

I also love that Peeler is an academic which also shines through from time to time, from her use of big and unusual words to her mentions of some higher level literature (not books the average paperback reader might have on their shelves).

This new series is a must read. I predict Peeler is going to be one to watch in this genre, her writing is unique and incredible.

If you love paranormal/urban fantasy books you are going to love this one. It has your vampire (though he's very different than many current vamp guys in books right now) yet you also have something very new and exciting to sink your fangs into.

You can learn more about the Jane True series and author Nicole Peeler at http://www.nicolepeeler.com/ and be sure to drop by for her interview here at Fang-tastic Books on Feb 26.