jennderqueer's review against another edition
4.0
Keep in mind that when I rate these I am probably heavily distorted by a lens of nostalgia but I very much enjoyed this installment. Intrigue, action... Yeah, I like it.
jesshale's review against another edition
5.0
By this book in the series, the link to being fanfic AU is pretty weak and it's largely a series in its own right. I enjoyed the family drama parts in the first half of the book, particularly the reunification of Dar's parents. The second half was weaker, and suffered a bit from the fact that the author is plotting as she goes, so occasionally threads are dropped, or built up only to turn out to be insignificant. (To be fair, I'm reading online so the tidied-up published version may have rectified some of these.)
Despite all that, five stars for the amount of enjoyment I get!
Despite all that, five stars for the amount of enjoyment I get!
frankvanmeer's review
4.0
Hurricane Watch and Eye of the Storm are such testimonies to love, emotion and personal growth. It's a joy to read them, as Ms. Goods is able to capture the lives and tribulations of 2 people who are utterly devoted to each other.
Every emotion is in there and Ms. Goods does a marvelous job to show them to the readers. The interactions and dialogue are written such that you actually see and hear them as if you were standing next to them.
Both Dar and Kerry grow so much, each of them in a different way, but making them both stronger. They both grow in an opposite way though. Dar learns there is way more to life than she has known for the past 15 years. And Kerry grows into this strong woman, after a lifetime of repression.
The books are long, but that doesn't really matter if you read them for the first time. There are, however, moments in both books that, upon re-reading (which I did), could be considered annoying. It sometimes reads as a diary, and the books go into lenghty detail of every day occurances. We get pages upon pages of Dar making breakfast while discussing every step of the way with her dog. Endless pages of horseback riding and diving excursions, pages of a high school reunion. They all serve a purpose, though, but can get tedious.
The books excel when there's corporate intrigue. The "villains" tho are cardboard cut, and just serve as a vehicle to get to parts where Dar and Kerry have to deal with them.
And when these clashes come to a conclusion, they are handled a bit clichéd. At the last moment, they manage to dig something up and kick them out of the story. But the way both Dar and Kerry handle it is very well done.
Where they also excel are the moments where Dar and Kerry come to a point where they realize they belong to eachother. To me they are among the best scenes. The moment they discover mutual attraction and give in to it at the beach in Tropical Storm, the scene where Kerry clumsily and adorably proposes to Dar in Hurricane Watch, the emotions just drip of the pages.
Which brings me to the drama parts. Again, these events are there as a vehicle to further progress the growth, but seriously, both the weekend seminar in Hurricane Watch and the hospital scene in Eye of the Storm, to me, were incredibly annoying. I think they are there to bring in the "required" action, but I found it completely unnecessary (although it's very satisfying to see Kerry punch some asshole knock out). Those are the parts you can easily skip if you were to re-read it.
What is an absolute joy to read about, is Dar's father. Such an awesome character.
What I'm not sure about now, though, is if I want to continue the saga. Both Dar and Kerry are in a place now where they belong, and I'm not sure how they could progress any further.
Definitly worth reading. (although, I frowned at the price on amazon for Eye of the Storm. Really, $12 for an ebook? That is 15 years old? Seriously, Amazon, Publisher or Author, you might want to rethink that.)
Every emotion is in there and Ms. Goods does a marvelous job to show them to the readers. The interactions and dialogue are written such that you actually see and hear them as if you were standing next to them.
Both Dar and Kerry grow so much, each of them in a different way, but making them both stronger. They both grow in an opposite way though. Dar learns there is way more to life than she has known for the past 15 years. And Kerry grows into this strong woman, after a lifetime of repression.
The books are long, but that doesn't really matter if you read them for the first time. There are, however, moments in both books that, upon re-reading (which I did), could be considered annoying. It sometimes reads as a diary, and the books go into lenghty detail of every day occurances. We get pages upon pages of Dar making breakfast while discussing every step of the way with her dog. Endless pages of horseback riding and diving excursions, pages of a high school reunion. They all serve a purpose, though, but can get tedious.
The books excel when there's corporate intrigue. The "villains" tho are cardboard cut, and just serve as a vehicle to get to parts where Dar and Kerry have to deal with them.
And when these clashes come to a conclusion, they are handled a bit clichéd. At the last moment, they manage to dig something up and kick them out of the story. But the way both Dar and Kerry handle it is very well done.
Where they also excel are the moments where Dar and Kerry come to a point where they realize they belong to eachother. To me they are among the best scenes. The moment they discover mutual attraction and give in to it at the beach in Tropical Storm, the scene where Kerry clumsily and adorably proposes to Dar in Hurricane Watch, the emotions just drip of the pages.
Which brings me to the drama parts. Again, these events are there as a vehicle to further progress the growth, but seriously, both the weekend seminar in Hurricane Watch and the hospital scene in Eye of the Storm, to me, were incredibly annoying. I think they are there to bring in the "required" action, but I found it completely unnecessary (although it's very satisfying to see Kerry punch some asshole knock out). Those are the parts you can easily skip if you were to re-read it.
What is an absolute joy to read about, is Dar's father. Such an awesome character.
What I'm not sure about now, though, is if I want to continue the saga. Both Dar and Kerry are in a place now where they belong, and I'm not sure how they could progress any further.
Definitly worth reading. (although, I frowned at the price on amazon for Eye of the Storm. Really, $12 for an ebook? That is 15 years old? Seriously, Amazon, Publisher or Author, you might want to rethink that.)
More...