Book #95 - Storm (Elementals #1)

Storm (Elementals #1), Brigid Kemmerer
353 pages
paranormal romance
Started 831/12
Finished 9/1/12
4.5 STARS

I had the pleasure of meeting Brigid Kemmerer twice in August at book signings. At the first one, I bought Storm and had her sign it for me, and then due to the business of life and a backlog of other books that I had to read, it sat on my shelf until the next signing three weeks later. I read the novella, Elementals (Elementals #0.5) that came in the back of Storm. And, suddenly, I was wondering why I hadn't read this book immediately after buying it.

Michael, Gabriel, Nick and Chris Merrick are four brothers who can control the elements. That comes with a price - most people who know about them want them dead. But, Becca Chandler sees beyond the powers to the person underneath, especially when it comes to Chris. Chris has been treated badly his whole life though, so he has trouble warming up to anyone outside of his family. The new kid, Hunter, takes those holes in Chris' affection toward Becca to his advantage. If only every girl could be so lucky, right?

Storm was such an exciting book! I loved the idea of the brothers' powers and how they tap into them. Usually when there are people with powers like that, those powers are kept secret from everyone. Not so in this case - there are people who know about them, and those people are scared. It gives the story a different twist, and a definite twist on the "bad guy." In this case, the bad guys are normal people.

Kemmerer created a strong female character in Becca. She's tough and doesn't take crap from Chris or his brothers. Which is amazing since his oldest brother, Michael, is a real ass to her a lot of the time. Her dad has been nonexistent for most of her life, and when he shows up out of the blue, she gives him nothing but a hard time. Good for her, I say. And, even though her social status is in the crapper thanks to the biggest jerk face in school, she still shows up and seems to want to fight for what's right. I like that.

The Merrick brothers are a complicated lot. Their abilities haven't made their lives easy. I'm glad that Kemmerer didn't make things easy for them. Impossible challenges make books so much more interesting. Sometimes it feels like authors allow things to be hard for their characters for so long, and then all the bad guys just step aside to make way for a happy ending. Don't get me wrong. I like - no, NEED - a happy ending. But, I don't want it to come to easily, either. Luckily, Kemmerer also recognizes this too. Ah - a kindred spirit.

This is definitely a must-read. It's paranormal without being too out of orbit. The characters are strong without being total jerks. Bravo, Ms. Kemmerer.