{"id":2906,"date":"2014-11-22T18:05:12","date_gmt":"2014-11-23T02:05:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=2906"},"modified":"2020-03-21T06:37:06","modified_gmt":"2020-03-21T10:37:06","slug":"2906","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=2906","title":{"rendered":"Review: Taming the Storm (The Storm, #3) by Samantha Towle"},"content":{"rendered":"

Buy: Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/b><\/h4>\n
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Review<\/b><\/h4>\n

4.5 Firecracker stars!!<\/b><\/p>\n

I loved this addition to The Storm series! Lyla and Tom are an amazing couple with sizzling chemistry and a highly entertaining relationship. With lots of hotness, some laughs and a bit of angst and drama, this is an exciting, passionate love story that had me hooked from the very beginning.<\/p>\n

Tom is the man whoring member of one of the biggest rock bands in the world, The Mighty Storm (TMS), and the best friend of its lead singer, Jake Wethers. When Jake is facing potential devastation, Tom makes a deal with God to change his ways if Jake can have his happy ever after.<\/p>\n

\u201cI swear, I will only have sex with a woman if she really means something to me.\u201d
\nDid I actually just say that \u2013 out loud?
\nChrist.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Lyla is the lead singer of an up and coming band who has recently signed on with TMS records. Her life hasn\u2019t been an easy one, and she has known nothing but betrayal from the men in her life so she is currently very anti-man and is particularly wary of \u201cmuts<\/i>\u201d (man-sluts). She is concentrating on her music, recording an album with her band and preparing for their very first tour. But their tour is put in jeopardy after their tour manager is injured, until Jake brings Tom in to manage the tour \u2013 which includes him living on the bus with the band for six weeks.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a fantastic set up, as Lyla has rejected Tom\u2019s amorous advances when they have run into each other in the past, and his reputation as a \u201cmut<\/i>\u201d infuriates Lyla while making the boys of the band delirious with excitement.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoy shit!\u201d Van yells. \u201cTom Carter! On tour with us! Man, it\u2019s gonna be wild! Chicks, parties\u2026chicks! It\u2019s gonna be so fucking wild! The man is a fucking legend!\u201d
\nSonny looks shell-shocked. Then, he springs to life. \u201cDamn straight, he\u2019s a legend! He\u2019s a pussy legend! We are touring with the best there is! Just think of the stuff he can teach us.\u201d He gets this dreamy look in his eyes.
\nHonestly, he\u2019s starting to freak me out. <\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The attraction between Lyla and Tom is electric from the very beginning. You can tell they want each other badly but Lyla is determined to keep away, and Tom is totally sexually frustrated so all of that pent-up passion gets funnelled into arguments, which eventually becomes friendship as they start to open up to each other, until they can\u2019t deny what is brewing between them and then begins the fantastic banter and epic flirting which is both hot as hell and absolutely hilarious.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re such a mut!\u201d
\nHe laughs. \u201cI\u2019m a mut? Jesus, what you? Twelve? And don\u2019t throw insults at me. I wasn\u2019t the one perving on my hot body.\u201d
\n\u201cI was not perving!\u201d I cry with indignation.
\n\u201cSo, you admit I\u2019m hot.\u201d
\n\u201cI, what? No, I don\u2019t admit anything!\u201d
\nHe\u2019s laughing at me now.<\/i><\/p>\n

I roll my eyes. \u201cYou\u2019re such a guy.\u201d<\/em>
\n \u201cI fucking hope so, Firecracker. With the size of my junk, I\u2019d worry if I wasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t stick your tongue out at me unless you intend to use it in the right way.\u201d<\/em>
\n Pausing, I turn back to him. \u201cYou\u2019re disgusting.\u201d<\/em>
\n \u201cJust the way you like me.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The \u2018girl pushing the boy away\u2019 storyline is a tricky one, and can get annoying, but I thought Samantha Towle did a great job with Lyla. I could understand how her background hurt her, and even though her continuous rejection of Tom is maddening, it creates a brilliant tension. And I love the way she doesn\u2019t even try to justify her actions. She accepts that she\u2019s being ridiculous about it, and she totally owns it, and it makes her refusal to act on her attraction to him that much more intense because you\u2019re just waiting for her to crack. And though it all her inner monologue is fantastic.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m feeling all these confusing things bout Tom. The more time I spend with him, the more I like him.
\nBut I don\u2019t want to like him. I can\u2019t like him.
\nAnd it really pisses me off when I have to see other women all over him.
\nI know it\u2019s irrational, and it\u2019s my shit to deal with, but that doesn\u2019t make it hurt any less. <\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And adding to the intensity is Tom\u2019s determination to have her. He makes no secret of how he feels, and his constant pushing and teasing is wildly entertaining! The book is told mainly from Lyla\u2019s POV, but we do get some chapters from Tom\u2019s perspective too, which I loved. He may be a mut, but he\u2019s such a great guy, with a big heart, and I fell in mad love with him!<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re running because you\u2019re scared.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m not scared of anything \u2013 least of all, you.\u201d
\nI let a smile slide onto my lips even though smiling is the last thing I feel like doing right now. \u201cYeah, you are. But there\u2019s nothing to be scared of. I\u2019m gonna show you that. You can keep running, but I will catch you and soon. I\u2019m not giving up, Lyla.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I loved the development of this relationship! Their friendship is gorgeous, and you can see the genuine affection that they have for each other as they open up and share about their painful pasts. And you can see that there is more between them than just lust, they actually care for each other. But the book is still absolutely steaming! Even before anything actually happens between them there\u2019s the banter, the teasing, the sexting\u2026 holy hell, it\u2019s HOT! Each encounter between them is brimming with sexual tension, and the anticipation builds brilliantly until they can\u2019t avoid it any longer, and then things REALLY get steamy! Tom is a dirty talker, and an absolute machine in the bedroom (and out of it!). He knows how to treat his girl, and there is some pretty epic sexy time. Have a fan handy while reading this book \u2013 you\u2019re gonna need it!<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re mine,\u201d he growls, making a sound filled with the sweetest agony. Then, he\u2019s kissing me, hot and hard. \u201cNo one gets to touch you but me,\u201d he breathes hotly into my mouth. \u201cYou got that?\u201d
\nThe intensity of him, the feel of him kissing me, has fried all my brain cells. I couldn\u2019t argue if I wanted to.
\nAnd I don\u2019t. <\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

They initially decide to hook up in secret for the duration of the tour, and it suits them both perfectly, but as their connection deepens, and the end of the tour is in sight, they discover that letting go may not be as simple as they originally thought. And it\u2019s not an easy ride as issues from their pasts continue to haunt them, and they both need to figure out what it is that they want, but we eventually get some swoony time, and an absolutely beautiful romance that had me clutching my heart and grinning like a fool.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is it\u2026you and me\u2026we\u2019re forever. You\u2019re my heaven, Firecracker.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I loved this book! It\u2019s well paced, it\u2019s exciting, I was completely invested in Lyla and Tom\u2019s story, and struggled to put it down. Samantha Towle\u2019s writing style totally sucks you in, and you can\u2019t help but fall in love with her characters \u2013 Lyla and Tom are both fantastic, and the rest of the boys in the band bring so much to the story as well. I laughed so much reading about their antics, and the sweet and tender moments were absolutely beautiful. And, of course, the romance was fantastic!<\/p>\n

The book ties in really nicely with the rest of the series, with the events of this book taking place at the same time as the ending of Wethering the Storm<\/em>, and there\u2019s an epilogue which includes Jake and Tru, as well as the other boys in TMS. Although this book could technically be read as a standalone, it\u2019s a great way to finish out the series for those who have read and enjoyed the whole story.<\/p>\n

4.5 stars.<\/p>\n

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The Storm\u00a0series<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"The<\/a>\u00a0 \"Wethering<\/a>\u00a0 \"Taming<\/a> \u00a0\"\"\u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

The Mighty Storm (#1) <\/strong>(Jake & Tru)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0 | Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Wethering the Storm (#2) <\/strong> (Jake & Tru)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Taming the Storm (#3)<\/strong> (spin off, Tom & Lila)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

The Storm (#3.5) <\/strong> (Jake & Tru)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Finding Storm (#4)<\/strong> (spin off, Storm & Stevie)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

See our Contemporary Romance Recommendations<\/a> page for more great reads.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Buy: Kindle Ebook\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Paperback Review 4.5 Firecracker stars!! I loved this addition to The Storm series! Lyla and Tom are an amazing couple with sizzling chemistry and a highly entertaining relationship. With lots of hotness, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2908,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":4.5,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[94,9,29],"tags":[48,168,169],"class_list":["post-2906","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rockers","category-romance","category-steamy","tag-review","tag-samantha-towle","tag-the-storm"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Taming-the-Storm.jpg?fit=150%2C224&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s7gaNL-2906","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2906","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2906"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2906\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2908"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}