{"id":52661,"date":"2020-06-02T08:00:16","date_gmt":"2020-06-02T12:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=52661"},"modified":"2020-06-02T09:33:18","modified_gmt":"2020-06-02T13:33:18","slug":"arc-review-southern-storm-southern-series-3-by-natasha-madison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=52661","title":{"rendered":"ARC Review: Southern Storm (Southern Series, #3) by Natasha Madison"},"content":{"rendered":"

Buy:\u00a0\u00a0<\/b>Amazon<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Apple<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Nook\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Kobo<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Review<\/strong><\/h4>\n

A very broken-hearted 2.5 stars<\/b><\/p>\n

It pains me to write this review, because Natasha Madison is one of my favourite authors, and I wanted to love this book so badly! But sadly this one just didn\u2019t work for me. I have so many thoughts and feelings, so please bear with me as I purge.<\/p>\n

This is the third book in the Southern<\/i> series. I would definitely recommend reading at least the first book in the series (Southern Chance<\/a>) as it gives you a good introduction to the characters, and to the situation that changed all of their lives.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the details\u2026

<\/span>Spoiler<\/div>
Savannah was the poor girl in town, who was unfairly tainted with the reputation of her slutty mother and looked down upon by the whole town. In senior year, she got pregnant to the mayor\u2019s son (big brother of her best friend, Beau), who promptly ditched her and got engaged right in front of her (he\u2019s a douche). Lost and with no idea what to do, she went to her other best friend, Jacob (hero of book #1), and he agreed to pretend to be the father of her baby in order to protect her and her unborn child. This completely ruined his once-in-a-lifetime love (their epic second-chance-romance is the story of the first book), and it shattered the heart of Beau, who was hopelessly in love with her. For eight years, Savannah and Jacob have lied to pretty much everybody in their lives by keeping the paternity of her son, Ethan, a secret, but they have successfully co-parented and have raised a happy kid.<\/div><\/div>\n

Being completely upfront, this book was always going to be a challenge for me. The events that went down in the first book of this series sparked massive and stupid drama that could have been so easily avoided. I thought Savannah\u2019s actions were selfish and stupid, and to be honest, I hated her from the prologue of book #1. And now, we have her book. It\u2019s hard going into a book when you already hate the heroine, but I love Natasha\u2019s stories, and I was curious to see if Savannah could redeem herself. Plus, Beau seemed like a total sweetheart and the romance is a childhood friends-to-lovers, so I dove in.<\/p>\n

Savannah has come a long way from her difficult childhood. She is still looked down upon by a lot of people in town \u2013 because of the behaviour of her mother, and the rumours that still persist about Savannah herself (even if they aren\u2019t true). But she has worked hard to create a good life for her and her son, running the town\u2019s successful bar, and she has good friends around her, including her two childhood best friends, Jacob and Beau, who are both big parts of her life.<\/p>\n

This book begins where the last book left off, in the gutwrenching moment where Beau finds out Savannah\u2019s big secret. Warning, rant ahead\u2026

<\/span>Spoiler<\/div>
I was expecting fireworks. I was expecting to get some sort of release for my own epic anger as Beau confronts his friends and asks all the things I wanted to know. But no. Instead, when he starts to let his anger out, he somehow ends up as the bad guy! Never mind that his best friends have been lying to him about something so important for YEARS! But that\u2019s how it plays out, and then, it\u2019s all just resolved! This thing, which is so freaking huge, and which pissed me off to no end, gets minimalised to the point where it\u2019s over in a couple of pages and the deception isn\u2019t addressed for the rest of the book. I\u2019m not disputing that Savannah had a really rough childhood and was in a terrifying, heartbreaking situation, but she handled it so badly, the consequences of her decision impacted so many lives, and we\u2019re now just supposed to forget about it because she was young and confused and didn\u2019t know what else to do. *sigh*. It was brushed over so quickly, it became a non-issue and I never really got the chance to get over my anger. Beau is clearly a better person that I am!<\/div><\/div>\n

But anyway, all is out in the open, and our trio of best friends are doing their best to move on (whether I was ready for them to or not). But we are thrown into new drama as Savannah is being targeted by an unknown danger, and with very real threats against her home, her business, and her pesonally, her best friend, and the man who has loved her since they were teenagers, Beau, steps in to protect her.<\/p>\n

Beau has just been appointed Mayor, and is finding his feet in his new role, picking up the reigns from his corrupt father, determined to clean up the office and do the best he can for his town. But his heart is with Savannah, and with the attacks increasing in severity, he feels that the best thing he can do to protect her, is marry her, feeling that his name will offer her some security.<\/p>\n

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And so, two best friends who are secretly in love with each other, marry, in a practical, but still very emotional arrangement, providing them with the perfect opportunity to act on all of that pent-up lust and love that has been building for so many years.<\/p>\n

\u201cKiss me,\u201d she says, and here in the dark, I kiss her. My heart speeds up, and my palms get clammy, but my lips touch hers, and it\u2019s all over. <\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Things develop pretty quickly between them from this point, and it\u2019s emotional, sexy, and all kinds of swoony, and I loved seeing them openly and whole-heartedly embrace all of those feelings.<\/p>\n

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But for some reason, I just wasn\u2019t feeling it. Maybe I was still feeling unresolved anger over the past? Or perhaps because it had taken them so<\/i> long to get to that point? They\u2019ve been in love with each other since they were teenagers, it\u2019s been at least eight years, all of their friends know they love each other, Beau spends most nights of the week hanging out at Savannah\u2019s house, but neither of them have made a move or even hinted that there are strong feelings between them. I would have preferred at least one of them to make a move by then, to be brave enough to fight for what they want rather than just have bizarre circumstances act as a trigger to force it all out. We even see them get hot and heavy with each other in this book – before they have sex and before feelings are declared, there is lots of making out and passionate moments, but they still don\u2019t believe the other has feelings for them? *another sigh*<\/p>\n

The other disconnect for me came from the fact that there\u2019s a lot going on in this book and it felt a bit rushed. Not the pacing of the romance, but the events of the book. There is SO much happening, and it happens in a short amount of time. I felt a bit overwhelmed by it all. It\u2019s like every other chapter ends in a drama and we\u2019re bouncing from one big event to the next<\/p>\n

As for Savannah\u2026 I don\u2019t hate her as much as I once did. I still completely disagree with how she handled things, but I didn’t dwell on it. She and Beau moved on, so did I. But I still had trouble connecting to them as a couple. Beau says and does all the right things, their passion for each other is sizzling, and there is definitely a strong connection between them – I could see they were in love, their romance was swoony and sexy, and all-consuming for them both, but it didn\u2019t hit me in the feels the way I was hoping (and the way that the other two books in this series have). And it bothers me that I can\u2019t articulate why that is.<\/p>\n

Ugh, this review is a hot mess. But I guess it\u2019s a reflection of my still-conflicted feelings for this book, even weeks after reading it.<\/p>\n

Natasha has written some of my favourite books and I\u2019m usually completely sucked in and madly in love with her characters and their stories. It hurts to say, but with this one, I just wasn\u2019t feeling it. Maybe it was because I was annoyed at Savannah, maybe it was the amount of time it took for her and Beau to finally admit their feelings, or maybe it was just everything that was happening. But I\u2019m gutted.<\/p>\n

But the book ends well, with an epilogue which leads us right into Ethan\u2019s book up next. It sounds like it\u2019s going to be another angsty one, and I\u2019m definitely nervous, but I\u2019ll give it a try.<\/p>\n

Really sad I didn\u2019t love this one \u2013 2.5 stars. It was ok.<\/p>\n

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Southern Series<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\" \"\"\u00a0\"\"\u00a0\"\"\u00a0\"\"\u00a0\"\" \"\" \"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Southern Chance (#1) <\/strong>(Jacob & Kallie)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Apple<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Nook<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Kobo<\/a><\/p>\n

Southern Comfort (#2) <\/strong>(Casey & Olivia)
\n<\/strong>Review<\/a>
\nBuy: \u00a0Amazon<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Apple\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Nook\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Kobo<\/a><\/p>\n

Southern Storm (#3) <\/strong>(Beau & Savannah)
\n<\/strong>Review<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Apple<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Nook\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Kobo<\/a><\/p>\n

Southern Sunrise (#4) <\/strong>(Ethan & Emily)
\n<\/strong>Review<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Apple\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Nook\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Kobo<\/a><\/p>\n

Southern Heart (#5)<\/strong> (Mayson & Chelsea)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0Amazon<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Apple<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Nook\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Kobo<\/a><\/p>\n

Southern Heat (#6)<\/strong> (Quinn & Willow)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0\u00a0Amazon<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Apple\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Kobo\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Nook<\/a><\/p>\n

Southern Secrets (#7)<\/strong> (Amelia & Asher)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Apple<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Kobo\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Nook\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Southern Sunshine (#8) <\/strong>(Reed & Hazel)
\nReview<\/a>
\n<\/strong>Buy: \u00a0Amazon<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Apple<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Kobo\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0\u00a0Nook<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This series spins off into the Southern Wedding series, with books for the Southern Series kids.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Find family tree and series crossover details here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

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Abou<\/strong>t the Author<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"When her nose isn\u2019t buried in a book, or her fingers flying across a keyboard writing, she\u2019s in the kitchen creating gourmet meals. You can find her, in four inch heels no less, in the car chauffeuring kids, or possibly with her husband scheduling his business trips. It\u2019s a good thing her characters do what she says, because even her Labrador doesn\u2019t listen to her\u2026<\/p>\n

Facebook<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Facebook Reader Group<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Follow on Amazon<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Follow on BookBub<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Subscribe to Newsletter<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Check out more great reads on our\u00a0Natasha Madison Author Spotlight<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

Buy:\u00a0\u00a0Amazon\u00a0 |\u00a0 Apple\u00a0 |\u00a0 Nook\u00a0 |\u00a0 Kobo Review A very broken-hearted 2.5 stars It pains me to write this review, because Natasha Madison is one of my favourite authors, and I wanted to love this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":51002,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":2.5,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[297,52,1132,25,9,1036,29],"tags":[59,581,48,1129],"class_list":["post-52661","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-angsty","category-drama","category-fake-relationship","category-friends-to-lovers","category-romance","category-single-parent","category-steamy","tag-arc","tag-natasha-madison","tag-review","tag-southern-series"],"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\/2020\/03\/Southern-Storm.jpg?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-dHn","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52661","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=52661"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52661\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/51002"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=52661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=52661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=52661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}