StormSeasonRating: 4 stars
Buy Link:
Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel


Adam Klay is an FBI agent working on a murder case when he gets called to Skagit, Washington to clear out the house his estranged father lived in. Adam is definitely not thrilled with the idea, as he doesn’t have many fond memories of that place. It turns out his artist father had turned into an extreme hoarder, and the house is in danger of being condemned. As he tries to put off doing what he needs to do, Adam finds himself hanging out at the local coffee shop. It’s there he sees a handsome, but terribly clumsy, man who piques his interest.

Micah Ryan is that clumsy man. He’s nervous and shy and, like I said, clumsy. He embarrasses quickly, and finds it difficult to even make eye contact with people. Micah is a recluse who works from home. His entire family (Mom, Dad, and sister) were killed in a car accident while he was away at college, and he lives with survivor guilt.

Adam and Micah are drawn to each other, even though they’d rather not be. Neither man wants to become attached, but their attraction won’t be denied. As they’re finding their way through their budding romance, some dead bodies are discovered, and there are some break ins (including Micah’s house). Adam wants to investigate, but his boss is leery to let him get involved. Unfortunately, things continue to deteriorate and the FBI has no choice.

I liked this book. Romance mixed with mystery is a favorite genre of mine. Elle Keaton has written an excellent story with great characters and a well plotted mystery. Adam is a flawed man. Even though he’s an agent who closes cases and gets results, he’s somewhat grumpy and (in my opinion, at least) a little jaded. He also feels deeply for the victims of the crimes he’s investigating. He’s a genuine human being, not a by-the-book agent. Micah is a sad character. I felt for him so much. I can’t imagine how it must feel to be alone in the world, his entire family gone in an instant. I wanted to gather him in my arms to comfort him and telling him it would all be ok. Together, the men have a chemistry that makes sense. It’s sexy for sure, but they need each other. Once they start to fall, they fall quickly. However, it didn’t give me whiplash.

The background characters all fill their roles nicely. We have old friends of Adam’s father, the sweet owner of the coffee shop, the arrogant local cop, and Adam’s boss and occasional partner. I considered then all to be likable, with the exception of the local cop. They helped to move the story along smoothly.

As I said, the mystery was well plotted, and it kept me guessing. There was the occasional red herring, and I was surprised and mortified several times. Everything came together satisfactorily, and I was pleased with the ending.

There were a few things I had issues with, but they’re minor. Occasionally, the dialogue seemed stilted and appeared to jump around, and I don’t think that was done on purpose to make Micah seem awkward. A few scenes felt choppy and maybe a little out of place. I don’t want to give away any of the mystery, but I want to say I would have loved to have a bit more character development with the bad guys…not a lot, but I think it would have made the story a bit more plausible.

All in all, I enjoyed Storm Season, and I’m looking very forward to the next installment of the series.

kenna sig