Review: Storm by Brigid Kemmerer

Storm
Brigid Kemmerer
Series: Elementals, #1
Release date: April 24th, 2012
by Kensington

Goodreads / Purchase

Earth, Fire, Air, Water – they have more power than you dream.

Ever since her ex-boyfriend spread those lies about her, Becca Chandler is suddenly getting all the guys—all the ones she doesn't want. Then she saves Chris Merrick from a beating in the school parking lot. Chris is different. Way different: he can control water—just like his brothers can control fire, wind, and earth. They’re powerful. Dangerous. Marked for death.

And now that she knows the truth, so is Becca.

Secrets are hard to keep when your life’s at stake. When Hunter, the mysterious new kid around school, turns up with a talent for being in the wrong place at the right time, Becca thinks she can trust him. But then Hunter goes head-to-head with Chris, and Becca wonders who’s hiding the most dangerous truth of all.

The storm is coming . . .

*A copy was provided by Brigid Kemmerer for review purposes*

Four Five hot guys and one girl. Does anybody have a problem with this?

As if all this testosterone running rampant isn't enough, these four brothers can control the elements: Water, air, earth and fire. The seriousness of these powers is made clear several times throughout this novel. It's a powerful ability to have to be able to control anything from tsunamis and earthquakes, to the spread of diseases; all without raising an ounce of suspicion. Basically, easily becoming an unstoppable, invisible killing machine. I wasn't sure how exciting a story about element control could be, so I was happily surprised by the constant sensation of danger that I felt while reading this novel. Surround this with a fast pace and intense action scenes, and we've got ourselves a pretty riveting plot.

The brothers. Oh boy. They're quite the eclectic bunch. Each one unique and imperfect, these guys are all exceptionally well developed characters that will grow on you and make a lasting impression. I enjoyed their brotherly banter which never ceases to amuse me. I also found them all endearing even though sometimes I wanted to punch them. Along with these four brothers, we've got Hunter - the New Guy - which was my personal favorite of the boys, then Becca's friends, classmates and parents. Overall, it's a pretty big cast that Kemmerer incorporates impressively inside the story, giving them each charming personalities and important roles that contribute to the story.

Now on to Becca. Becca has to deal with all this hotness raucous. For a change, it's the girl who gets to save the day at the beginning, by coming to Chris's aid and saving his life - which is essentially how she gets sucked into his. Then of course, soon afterwards, she meets Hunter; giving us a love triangle that, even though I'm not a big fan of usually, I quite enjoyed in Storm. First, it's hard not to like these two well-rounded guys who are both pining for Becca. Second, it's very rare that I can feel chemistry from both love interests like I did in this novel. I constantly felt torn on who I wanted her to end up with. While I was happy about the straightforward relationship growth with Hunter, I found myself cringing when we got Chris's reaction to it. Nothing felt forced for the sake of a cliché triangle, it's truly a well written and complex romantic mess.

Full of constant twists and exceptional characters, Storm proves to be a fantastic debut that lives up to its cover. You'll find the perfect amount of romance, action, and suspense for a great start to a very promising series.

4 Hot Espressos

Don't miss your chance to win a signed copy of Storm!
Click here to enter

Interview & Giveaway with Brigid Kemmerer

Today is full of hotness at Xpresso Reads; I'm sure you've all heard of STORM by Brigid Kemmerer and most of you are probably highly anticipating it - for good reason! So I'm excited to have Brigid over today for a great interview, and guess what? She's giving away a signed copy!

Storm
Brigid Kemmerer
Series: Elementals, #1
Release date: April 24th, 2012
by Kensington

Goodreads / Purchase

Earth, Fire, Air, Water – they have more power than you dream.

Ever since her ex-boyfriend spread those lies about her, Becca Chandler is suddenly getting all the guys—all the ones she doesn't want. Then she saves Chris Merrick from a beating in the school parking lot. Chris is different. Way different: he can control water—just like his brothers can control fire, wind, and earth. They’re powerful. Dangerous. Marked for death.

And now that she knows the truth, so is Becca.

Secrets are hard to keep when your life’s at stake. When Hunter, the mysterious new kid around school, turns up with a talent for being in the wrong place at the right time, Becca thinks she can trust him. But then Hunter goes head-to-head with Chris, and Becca wonders who’s hiding the most dangerous truth of all.

The storm is coming . . .

Interview with Brigid Kemmerer

When did you first begin your writing career?

I first began writing seriously in high school. My friends and I would write longhand on notebook paper, then trade pages back and forth to read and comment in the margins. I still have three or four loose-leaf notebooks full of those old stories. It doesn’t seem like we were writing all the time, but we must have been, because I distinctly remember pulling out my story binder in Calculus during senior year, just to get some extra paper, and the teacher said, “No. No more writing stories in my class. This is math.” (And I loved math!)

What sparked your first idea for The Elemental Series?

The first novel I wrote in high school was about four vampire brothers, named Michael, Nicholas, Gabriel, and Christopher. It was a silly story, but I still have most of it on paper. In my twenties, when I really began to take writing seriously, I wrote a few books but was unable to find a literary agent or a publisher. I couldn’t get those four brothers out of my head – but I didn’t want to do vampires again. I started tossing around ideas that would work with the number four. Four horsemen of the apocalypse. Four leaf clovers. Four, four, four. The four elements of earth, air, fire, and water seemed to work best—and I had a lot of ideas how I could make it fun. What teenagers wouldn’t want to be able to control the elements?

Are there any people in your life that helped you through out your writing?

My mother has always supported me. I can’t thank her enough. She used to tell me to send my stories to Hollywood. (She still does.) My husband, too, is incredibly supportive. I had to write 50 pages this weekend, and he made that possible. He also makes for a great sounding board. I can always ask him if something sounds lame.

Do you have a specific writing routine that you follow?

I turn on the coffee pot. That’s about it. Oh, I plug in my headphones and fire up iTunes, too. I can’t write without music.

What was your favorite part of the book, or your favorite part in the process of writing it?

Unfortunately, I can’t tell you my favorite part of the book without ruining it for you! The book talks a lot about bullying, and harassment, and learning to stand up for yourself, even if you’ve made bad choices in the past. My favorite parts in other books are always when the underdog finally wins, and in my book, that’s no different.

What was the most difficult issue you encountered in writing the book?

Writing from the point of view of a teenage boy. (But I think I pulled it off.)

What would be your advice for an aspiring author who would like to become a published writer?

Read as much as you can. Then write as much as you can. Then read some more—especially unpublished manuscripts. That will really help you hone your eye for learning to self-edit.

---

Thanks so much for dropping by, Brigid! I loved getting to know you and we're all excited along with you for Storm's release!

 Brigid's Website / Goodreads / Twitter

Brigid Kemmerer finds the time to write somewhere between caring for her family and working at her day job, but sometimes she ends up mothering her coworkers and managing her family. Storm: The Elemental Series is her first novel.

Storm book trailer: