Review: Tempest by Jamie DeBree

I know, I don't usually review the books I've read here, but most of the books I've read were traditionally published, and people have already read tons of reviews on them.  Today, I'm reviewing Tempest, by Jamie DeBree.  I've been following Jamie's blog for several months.  The paperback version Tempest is available for pre-order on her website now, and the e-book will be available from Amazon, Smashwords and Scribd on August 16.  And now, onto the review!

I read the whole book in one sitting on a Saturday afternoon.  I knew, based on Jamie's Indelibly Inked web serial that this would not be a book appropriate to read during a lunch hour at work!  Sex scenes can be tricky, but I think that Jamie struck a good balance. The tension between Charlie and Jake is evident from the beginning of the story.  Initially, I was concerned that Jamie might be building up to something she couldn't maintain, but each of their intimate encounters had the same intensity.  The language and descriptions used were enough to get her point across, but definitely not the over-the-top cliches that are seen far too often in romance novels.

Adrienne, who appeared rather vapid and useless in the first chapter, went on to prove her worth.  I appreciated the fact that she was portrayed consistently younger than the rest of the group, with her reactions more like what I would expect from a teenager, rather than an adult.

There were a few times that I had to go back and re-read a scene, particularly the ones that featured the full hiking group.  However, Jamie managed to give every character a unique name, making it much easier to follow the large cast.

Personally, I didn't like the encounters with wild animals, but that was because they were written so well that they freaked me out a bit - I am definitely not a nature-lover.  Congratulations to Jamie for making me cringe!

Unfortunately, there seemed to be a few lines missing from the version that I read.  I downloaded the .rtf version from Smashwords, because I don't have an actual e-reader, and that might have been the problem.  Luckily, they were at the end of paragraphs, and did not slow down the pace too much.

Aside from the small formatting issue, I enjoyed reading Tempest.  If you like your intrigue with a side of romance (or your romance with a side of intrigue!), this is a good choice for you!