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The Hurricane #1
The Hurricane
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Debut Goodreads Author (2015)Emily McCarthy is living in fear of a dark and dangerous past. A gifted mathematician, she is little more than a hollow, broken shell, trying desperately to make ends meet long enough to finish her degree.
Through an unlikely friendship with the aging, cantankerous owner of an old boxing gym, Em is thrown into the path of the most dangerous man that she has ever met.
Cormac “the Hurricane” O’Connell is cut, tattooed and dangerous. He is a lethal weapon with no safety and everyone is waiting for the mis-fire. He’s never been knocked out before, but when he meet Em he falls, HARD. Unlike any other girl he’s ever met, she doesn’t want anything from him, but just being around her makes him want to be a better person.
They are polar opposites who were never meant to find each other, but some things are just worth the fight.
Through an unlikely friendship with the aging, cantankerous owner of an old boxing gym, Em is thrown into the path of the most dangerous man that she has ever met.
Cormac “the Hurricane” O’Connell is cut, tattooed and dangerous. He is a lethal weapon with no safety and everyone is waiting for the mis-fire. He’s never been knocked out before, but when he meet Em he falls, HARD. Unlike any other girl he’s ever met, she doesn’t want anything from him, but just being around her makes him want to be a better person.
They are polar opposites who were never meant to find each other, but some things are just worth the fight.
300 pages, ebook
First published February 10, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,365 reviews
January 9, 2021
2 stars
I gave this 4 stars last time and after an attempted re-read I’m baffled at myself.
The heroine is kinda awful and it’s pretty obvious from the first few pages.
Pretty much every girl that is not her friend is a slut. The way she describes every woman who approaches or talks to any of her guy friends or her love interest is infuriating. I felt like slapping some reality check into her. She’s a victim of abuse but that doesn’t excuse her being a shitty woman.
Literally, every guy in the book is described by her with a series of flattering adjectives but every woman gets called derogatory names and apparently has fake body parts all over.
Mkay, sure honey..
Not to mention the fact that it’s drilled into us from the beginning that she’s “different” meaning a total Mary Sue, who could do no wrong with the innocence and face of an angel and all the boys wanna coddle her and sing her praises to high heaven.
And the main reason for the hero’s infatuation is again the fact that she’s “different” from all other girls. Apparently the entire female population would sleep with him for a JD &Coke but not Emily, cause she’s innocent and smart... Okay dude, first of all, gross, second of all, still gross.
I gave this 4 stars last time and after an attempted re-read I’m baffled at myself.
The heroine is kinda awful and it’s pretty obvious from the first few pages.
Pretty much every girl that is not her friend is a slut. The way she describes every woman who approaches or talks to any of her guy friends or her love interest is infuriating. I felt like slapping some reality check into her. She’s a victim of abuse but that doesn’t excuse her being a shitty woman.
Literally, every guy in the book is described by her with a series of flattering adjectives but every woman gets called derogatory names and apparently has fake body parts all over.
Mkay, sure honey..
Not to mention the fact that it’s drilled into us from the beginning that she’s “different” meaning a total Mary Sue, who could do no wrong with the innocence and face of an angel and all the boys wanna coddle her and sing her praises to high heaven.
And the main reason for the hero’s infatuation is again the fact that she’s “different” from all other girls. Apparently the entire female population would sleep with him for a JD &Coke but not Emily, cause she’s innocent and smart... Okay dude, first of all, gross, second of all, still gross.
July 28, 2015
3-3.5 Stars
So after finally finding the energy to sit down and write this review, because HOT outside - And lazy, verra lazy - this is pretty much all that comes to mind...
For realz though, I finished this four days ago and I've pretty much forgotten this entire book.
It's like a blank space.
And the second I put it down?
I pretty much forgot about it.
So there's that...
I DO remember it being very sweet though.
Just not that particularly memorable for me, I guess.
So after finally finding the energy to sit down and write this review, because HOT outside - And lazy, verra lazy - this is pretty much all that comes to mind...
For realz though, I finished this four days ago and I've pretty much forgotten this entire book.
It's like a blank space.
And the second I put it down?
I pretty much forgot about it.
So there's that...
I DO remember it being very sweet though.
Just not that particularly memorable for me, I guess.
October 17, 2018
Such a great love story!
The books, HURRICANE & AFTERMATH tell the story of two amazing characters: Emily and Cormac O’Connell.
Both books are 5 stars out of 4,5 for me.
Emily and Cormac both had a tormenting childhood. Both were the victims of their parents.
Cormac still has to deal with his alcoholic mother whereas Emily had to run away from home by changing her identity.
Emily is now a maths student at university and Cormac is a boxer.
Actually, they are both fighters in their own way.
Their story is heart-warming. It made me laugh, it made me cry. It made me swoon. It made me feel! I loved every minute of it.
The best things about these books:
1. They are hot & emotional with a good plot
2. They have super sexy, super-cute and super-good characters, all swoon-worthy and likable
3. There is no stupid drama
4. There is no cheating
5. The dialogues and monologues are all good
6. All main & side characters are very well developed. I feel as if I know these guys.
Warnings:
1. There is physical & sexual abuse
2. There are a lot of boxing scenes which may bore some readers
3. At first, the heroine annoys with her lack of self-confidence but do hang in there, she will make you love her dearly. She will get stronger and stronger.
Just read her life story and see how she is reborn from her own ashes with the love of O’Connell and the other guys.
Writing: 1st person
The first book, HURRICANE, is told by the female character Emily, but the Prologue and Epilogue belong to Cormac.
The second book, AFTERMATH, is told by Cormac O’Connell, and only the Epilogue belongs to Emily.
They are both the continuation of the same plot. The first book ends in a happy moment but there is a cliffhanger and unresolved issues, so book 2 is a must-read after it.
As far as I know, Hurricane is the debut novel of the writer. For a debut novel, the writing is good but it is not awesome. The story-telling needs a little bit more refining and editing. Still, I couldn’t put these books down.
I don’t know about all of you but there are many boxing and training scenes in the book and normally, I would get bored and skip these kinds of scenes but in this book, I couldn’t. Maybe O’Connell made me read about him even while boxing or training as he was obsessed with his girl, Emily, and there was always something about her in these scenes that made me keep my attention :) I have a soft spot for obsessive men like O’Connell as long as they are as well-behaved and sensible as him.
O'Connell is an obsessive and protective male character and he is a fighter but if you expect him to murder for revenge or out of rage, then, he is a not as brutal a hero as you might expect.
There is a religious and philosophical aspect of the book as well, which is not exaggerated but very-well balanced.
Life isn’t about settling for what you have and making the best of it. It’s about getting back up when everyone else around you is counting you out, and fighting for what you want.
And I would like to thank the writer for sending the rape and abuse victim to a therapist, which is sometimes hilariously cured by menage or rough sex in some “too crazy to believe” books. Kudos to the writer for her sensible and rational approach to it!
The book shows how love, tenderness, trust and therapy all together help these victims.
I feel euphoric when I come across books that I love this much. Now, I am leaving you with the amazing quotations from Emily and O’Connell’s story.
“You think it’s possible then?” I asked.
“What…that we can be friends? Hell yeah, baby. Course that doesn’t mean I won’t try my best to make you fall in love with me, too,” he joked.
***
There really wasn’t any point in continuing to pretend that our relationship was just friendship. For some crazy reason, O’Connell had chosen me, and like the hurricane that he was, he’d blown into my life whether I was ready for him or not.
***
He nodded his head and smiled. “Kieran will pick you up at seven, all right?”
“What do I wear?” I ask nervously.
“Wear whatever you want.” He chuckled. “I’m always imagining you naked anyway.”
***
“I fucking love you getting domestic, and I especially love it when you start talking numbers.”
“You fucking love everything about me,” I teased.
***
There isn’t a single day that went by that I didn’t thank God that she chose me. I didn’t need her to fix me and all the fucked-up shit that followed me. I just needed her to love me and have faith in me while I fixed myself.
She was so far out of my fucking league that having her love me back seemed like an impossible hope once. But striving to be worthy of that love had changed me. It made me a better man. Now I knew the man I was capable of being and the man I was.
“Holding on to your anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.”
“She never looked at me or spoke to me, but she followed every order he ever gave her. Even when it was to leave me alone with him.”
Shoving my hands in my pockets, I headed across the street. I had no idea how much my life was going to change from the minute I sat down at that table.
***
"Then I met you, and I can see from a mile away how different you are, we all can. It’s like you’re the calm in a storm, and just being around you gives me peace."
***
"I need you to promise that you’ll believe in me, in us, and not run. I can’t fight for us alone… As for the fuckers who want to try to keep us apart, let them try. They don’t call me the Hurricane for nothing.”
***
He didn’t want my body if it didn’t come with my heart. This giant among giants had never used his strength to intimidate me. His power lay in making me fall in love with him, and to do that, he’d laid himself at my feet, offering all that he had and all of himself without asking for anything in return except my heart.
The books, HURRICANE & AFTERMATH tell the story of two amazing characters: Emily and Cormac O’Connell.
Both books are 5 stars out of 4,5 for me.
Emily and Cormac both had a tormenting childhood. Both were the victims of their parents.
Cormac still has to deal with his alcoholic mother whereas Emily had to run away from home by changing her identity.
Emily is now a maths student at university and Cormac is a boxer.
Actually, they are both fighters in their own way.
Their story is heart-warming. It made me laugh, it made me cry. It made me swoon. It made me feel! I loved every minute of it.
The best things about these books:
1. They are hot & emotional with a good plot
2. They have super sexy, super-cute and super-good characters, all swoon-worthy and likable
3. There is no stupid drama
4. There is no cheating
5. The dialogues and monologues are all good
6. All main & side characters are very well developed. I feel as if I know these guys.
Warnings:
1. There is physical & sexual abuse
2. There are a lot of boxing scenes which may bore some readers
3. At first, the heroine annoys with her lack of self-confidence but do hang in there, she will make you love her dearly. She will get stronger and stronger.
Just read her life story and see how she is reborn from her own ashes with the love of O’Connell and the other guys.
Writing: 1st person
The first book, HURRICANE, is told by the female character Emily, but the Prologue and Epilogue belong to Cormac.
The second book, AFTERMATH, is told by Cormac O’Connell, and only the Epilogue belongs to Emily.
They are both the continuation of the same plot. The first book ends in a happy moment but there is a cliffhanger and unresolved issues, so book 2 is a must-read after it.
As far as I know, Hurricane is the debut novel of the writer. For a debut novel, the writing is good but it is not awesome. The story-telling needs a little bit more refining and editing. Still, I couldn’t put these books down.
I don’t know about all of you but there are many boxing and training scenes in the book and normally, I would get bored and skip these kinds of scenes but in this book, I couldn’t. Maybe O’Connell made me read about him even while boxing or training as he was obsessed with his girl, Emily, and there was always something about her in these scenes that made me keep my attention :) I have a soft spot for obsessive men like O’Connell as long as they are as well-behaved and sensible as him.
O'Connell is an obsessive and protective male character and he is a fighter but if you expect him to murder for revenge or out of rage, then, he is a not as brutal a hero as you might expect.
There is a religious and philosophical aspect of the book as well, which is not exaggerated but very-well balanced.
Life isn’t about settling for what you have and making the best of it. It’s about getting back up when everyone else around you is counting you out, and fighting for what you want.
And I would like to thank the writer for sending the rape and abuse victim to a therapist, which is sometimes hilariously cured by menage or rough sex in some “too crazy to believe” books. Kudos to the writer for her sensible and rational approach to it!
The book shows how love, tenderness, trust and therapy all together help these victims.
I feel euphoric when I come across books that I love this much. Now, I am leaving you with the amazing quotations from Emily and O’Connell’s story.
“You think it’s possible then?” I asked.
“What…that we can be friends? Hell yeah, baby. Course that doesn’t mean I won’t try my best to make you fall in love with me, too,” he joked.
***
There really wasn’t any point in continuing to pretend that our relationship was just friendship. For some crazy reason, O’Connell had chosen me, and like the hurricane that he was, he’d blown into my life whether I was ready for him or not.
***
He nodded his head and smiled. “Kieran will pick you up at seven, all right?”
“What do I wear?” I ask nervously.
“Wear whatever you want.” He chuckled. “I’m always imagining you naked anyway.”
***
“I fucking love you getting domestic, and I especially love it when you start talking numbers.”
“You fucking love everything about me,” I teased.
***
There isn’t a single day that went by that I didn’t thank God that she chose me. I didn’t need her to fix me and all the fucked-up shit that followed me. I just needed her to love me and have faith in me while I fixed myself.
She was so far out of my fucking league that having her love me back seemed like an impossible hope once. But striving to be worthy of that love had changed me. It made me a better man. Now I knew the man I was capable of being and the man I was.
“Holding on to your anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.”
“She never looked at me or spoke to me, but she followed every order he ever gave her. Even when it was to leave me alone with him.”
Shoving my hands in my pockets, I headed across the street. I had no idea how much my life was going to change from the minute I sat down at that table.
***
"Then I met you, and I can see from a mile away how different you are, we all can. It’s like you’re the calm in a storm, and just being around you gives me peace."
***
"I need you to promise that you’ll believe in me, in us, and not run. I can’t fight for us alone… As for the fuckers who want to try to keep us apart, let them try. They don’t call me the Hurricane for nothing.”
***
He didn’t want my body if it didn’t come with my heart. This giant among giants had never used his strength to intimidate me. His power lay in making me fall in love with him, and to do that, he’d laid himself at my feet, offering all that he had and all of himself without asking for anything in return except my heart.
February 25, 2015
This is very badly written.
"My name is Emily and I'm always afraid."
"My name is O'Connell or Con or Cormac, I can't quite remember."
"I'm afraid of you."
"DON'T YOU DARE BE AFRAID OF ME!!!!!"
"Huh, I'm cured. Let's be friends."
"Sure thing. You sure you don't wanna fuck though?"
"I can't. I'm an abused person."
"What about if I intimidate any guy that looks at you. Feel better?"
"Actually, despite your behaviour being only slightly less controlling than my insane step-father's... yeah, I do."
"Excellent. So, wanna fuck now?"
"Coolbeans."
It's at this point I gave up. It gives the impression of having been written by a very young person whose only experience of literature is Beautiful Disaster.
"My name is Emily and I'm always afraid."
"My name is O'Connell or Con or Cormac, I can't quite remember."
"I'm afraid of you."
"DON'T YOU DARE BE AFRAID OF ME!!!!!"
"Huh, I'm cured. Let's be friends."
"Sure thing. You sure you don't wanna fuck though?"
"I can't. I'm an abused person."
"What about if I intimidate any guy that looks at you. Feel better?"
"Actually, despite your behaviour being only slightly less controlling than my insane step-father's... yeah, I do."
"Excellent. So, wanna fuck now?"
"Coolbeans."
It's at this point I gave up. It gives the impression of having been written by a very young person whose only experience of literature is Beautiful Disaster.
February 24, 2017
5+++ safe is boring stars
What I loved ❤
-The main characters Emily and O'Connell were literally the most adorable book couple ever. Both broken in thier own ways and yet, they were just what eachother needed to be whole again.
"For some crazy reason, O'Connell had chosen me, and like the hurricane that he was, he'd blown into my life whether I was ready for him or not"
-I loved Emily's nickname in the book- sunshine. It wasn't some stupid pet name that most of our heroines are unfortunately called in a lot of the books. It had meaning to each of the boys who Emily surrounded herself with and it was truly heartwarming.
-Although it was a dark book, there was definitely a ton of swoon-worthy moments between Emily and O'Connell. They were completely adorable together.
-LOVE books in which the heroine and/or hero are coping with bad childhoods/messed up pasts. I know it sounds odd- but just hear me out. When they do finally find someone who makes them see the good in themselves and allows them to accept love again, I feel like the end result is THAT much more gratifying and I am left reading the book with tears in my eyes and a stupid shit-eating grin on my face. What can I say? I'm a sucker for those types of romance novels!
-Great fighting scenes. Definitely a few 'edge of your seat' moments!
-The sex scenes were VERY hot and VERY steamy. The chemistry between O'Connell and Emily was INTENSE and that just added to the "steamy-ness" of the scenes. Whew. They were hot. Did I mention they were hot? No? Okay, they were hot.
-The guys that train at the gym with O'Connell are great. They are protective of both Emily and O'Connell and I couldn't help but fall in love with them! Not to mention they were pretty hilarious and the back and forth banter between all of them had me literally laughing at loud at times. They all NEED a spin-off...hint hint R.J. Prescott
-The character of Danny was definitely my favorite. He becomes a father figure to Emily and I loved the relationship he had with all of the boys at the gym.
There was seriously nothing I would change about this book. It was the perfect package of everything I look for in a dark romance novel! I can't wait to read what else this author has in store for us!
What I loved ❤
-The main characters Emily and O'Connell were literally the most adorable book couple ever. Both broken in thier own ways and yet, they were just what eachother needed to be whole again.
"For some crazy reason, O'Connell had chosen me, and like the hurricane that he was, he'd blown into my life whether I was ready for him or not"
-I loved Emily's nickname in the book- sunshine. It wasn't some stupid pet name that most of our heroines are unfortunately called in a lot of the books. It had meaning to each of the boys who Emily surrounded herself with and it was truly heartwarming.
-Although it was a dark book, there was definitely a ton of swoon-worthy moments between Emily and O'Connell. They were completely adorable together.
-LOVE books in which the heroine and/or hero are coping with bad childhoods/messed up pasts. I know it sounds odd- but just hear me out. When they do finally find someone who makes them see the good in themselves and allows them to accept love again, I feel like the end result is THAT much more gratifying and I am left reading the book with tears in my eyes and a stupid shit-eating grin on my face. What can I say? I'm a sucker for those types of romance novels!
-Great fighting scenes. Definitely a few 'edge of your seat' moments!
-The sex scenes were VERY hot and VERY steamy. The chemistry between O'Connell and Emily was INTENSE and that just added to the "steamy-ness" of the scenes. Whew. They were hot. Did I mention they were hot? No? Okay, they were hot.
-The guys that train at the gym with O'Connell are great. They are protective of both Emily and O'Connell and I couldn't help but fall in love with them! Not to mention they were pretty hilarious and the back and forth banter between all of them had me literally laughing at loud at times. They all NEED a spin-off...hint hint R.J. Prescott
-The character of Danny was definitely my favorite. He becomes a father figure to Emily and I loved the relationship he had with all of the boys at the gym.
There was seriously nothing I would change about this book. It was the perfect package of everything I look for in a dark romance novel! I can't wait to read what else this author has in store for us!
January 10, 2017
3.75 sweet reward stars
Emily has never known what it meant to have a place called home or what it means to calls someone family. She’s never had the love, care and safety of family and friends…until a grumpy old man invites her to get to know his.
Cormac “the Hurricane” O’Connell is one that is feared by all. He’s big, tatted and dangerous…he’s everything that should make Emily wanna run away, but he’s also everything she needs to feel safe.
Finding her voice again and her will to do more than just survive, she opens up her heart to a bunch of hard core gym rats and finds the one to slay her her demons.
One day we all meet that special someone who makes you want to be a better person and for O’Connell, Emily is all he needed to want to be the better man for him and for her.
The Hurricane was a not your traditional sweet story of finding love in all places. It was a somber story with dark under notes but it didn’t that had the feeling of hope and second chances. I loved him for her and her for him, even in her darkest moments, she manage to bring light into his life as everyone she opens up too. I love a man who is feared by all but can melt for the right woman, and he was everything she needed and more. Feel good story, with an unsavory dark past, but love is worth fighting for.
Copy kindly provided by Forever (Grand Central Publishing), via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
***Quotes above are taken from the version of the book I received and may differ from published edition.
REVIEWED posted: January 9, 2017
Emily has never known what it meant to have a place called home or what it means to calls someone family. She’s never had the love, care and safety of family and friends…until a grumpy old man invites her to get to know his.
I’d been so caught up in surviving and staying free, that I’d forgotten that freedom was a state of mind
Cormac “the Hurricane” O’Connell is one that is feared by all. He’s big, tatted and dangerous…he’s everything that should make Emily wanna run away, but he’s also everything she needs to feel safe.
“What… that we can be friends? Hell yeah, baby. Course that doesn’t mean I won’t try my best to make you fall in love with me, too,” he joked.
“Don’t worry, I’m fairly immune to your charm,” I quipped.
Finding her voice again and her will to do more than just survive, she opens up her heart to a bunch of hard core gym rats and finds the one to slay her her demons.
O’Connell wasn’t a knight. He was the battle-scarred dragon that would lay waste to armies to protect me.
One day we all meet that special someone who makes you want to be a better person and for O’Connell, Emily is all he needed to want to be the better man for him and for her.
The Hurricane was a not your traditional sweet story of finding love in all places. It was a somber story with dark under notes but it didn’t that had the feeling of hope and second chances. I loved him for her and her for him, even in her darkest moments, she manage to bring light into his life as everyone she opens up too. I love a man who is feared by all but can melt for the right woman, and he was everything she needed and more. Feel good story, with an unsavory dark past, but love is worth fighting for.
Copy kindly provided by Forever (Grand Central Publishing), via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
***Quotes above are taken from the version of the book I received and may differ from published edition.
REVIEWED posted: January 9, 2017
November 19, 2015
UPDATE: If you've read and loved this book then you should know it's a nominee in the Final Round of Goodreads Choice Awards, the Best Debut Goodreads Author section. Want to vote? Then click HERE.
Yes I did :D
This was such a great love story! I haven't read one like it in a while. The story was not something new. Broken girl meats bad boy fighter. Boy starts changing so he's worthy of her. Girl starts living her life and putting herself back together.
What I really enjoyed was how well written this book was and how relatable the characters where. They had a chemistry that you could fell a mile away.
They start out as friends, even if the attraction between them could cause a hurricane, but soon their relationship turns into something more. They don't have an easy road ahead because of his bitchy mother and her abusive stepfather but in the end love conquers all right? :P
One thing that annoyed me was how she kept telling everybody that they where friends when they where kissing and sleeping in the same bed. In denial much?
R.J. Prescott is a debut author but considering how well written this book is we will be hearing more from her...Well done! :D
Yes I did :D
This was such a great love story! I haven't read one like it in a while. The story was not something new. Broken girl meats bad boy fighter. Boy starts changing so he's worthy of her. Girl starts living her life and putting herself back together.
What I really enjoyed was how well written this book was and how relatable the characters where. They had a chemistry that you could fell a mile away.
They start out as friends, even if the attraction between them could cause a hurricane, but soon their relationship turns into something more. They don't have an easy road ahead because of his bitchy mother and her abusive stepfather but in the end love conquers all right? :P
One thing that annoyed me was how she kept telling everybody that they where friends when they where kissing and sleeping in the same bed. In denial much?
R.J. Prescott is a debut author but considering how well written this book is we will be hearing more from her...Well done! :D
July 17, 2015
♥ ♥ ♥ 4.25 STARS ♥ ♥ ♥
● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
“A champion is someone who gets up when they can’t.” - Jack Dempsey
● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Emily's life has been anything but ideal. Her past has left her deeply scarred and with a fear that the man that caused her so much horrific pain will find her again. Despite her being an introvert and highly skittish because of those events, she is determined to make something of her future. She excels when it comes to math. So she works hard to keep a roof over her head while getting her degree. It's a great thing that happens when fighter Corman O'Connell comes into her life. Cormac has been attracted to Emily since he first set eyes on her. He will do anything to get Emily to notice him. Right off that bat he notices her jumpy behaviour. He wants to help her become free of the darkness. He wants her to let her hair loose, stop worrying, and just be happy being herself. He won't stop until she does, and hopefully she'll let him give her his heart.
● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
'She was my peace, my inspiration, my motivation, and my reward. She was my salvation. The center of my fucking universe. I was going to conquer the whole world and lay it at her feet. It was the least she deserved.'
● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
This book was so freaking awesome. It started off really good. I loved Emily, even though she appeared weak on the outside, she had a quiet strength to her that really intrigued me. I was glad that she found a friend in Nikki, who was the total opposite of her. Nikki helped Emily come out of her shell a bit. I loved watching her slowly blossom. I definitely loved reading about her friendship with Cormac turn into so much more. It was just so sweet, and the steam was very good.
Cormac totally stole my heart. He was so freaking perfect. He was this gentle giant at heart that made me swoon so freaking hard with the things that came out of his mouth, both beautiful and dirty. He was also a smoking hot alpha. I loved how possessive and protective he was of Nikki. He was a perfect balance of caring, sexy, and domineering. I loved his cocky attitude and his relentlessness where Emily was concerned. I was seriously addicted to seeing these two fall for each other.
● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
'Time was the only thing that would bring back the pieces of my soul, but I had the feeling that O’Connell might turn out to be the glue that held them all together.'
● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
This book was so much more than just sex, and the sex was really hot. But I just fell in love with the story and connection these characters shared. Cormac's upbringing hasn't been the best either. Because of this they both understand each other, and all they want is to see the other happy. While I enjoyed the story, there were a few parts that were a bit predictable and very few that were slow. Other than that, I didn't really have any problems. I LOVED the secondary characters, and the freaking banter...so good. Tommy and Kieran were the freaking best. I seriously hope they get a book. The ending was great, but I mostly loved the epilogue which was in Cormac's POV. Overall, it was a great read. I definitely recommend this one.
October 12, 2016
WOW..... I'm not even sure how to start this review. I've very behind with this book as most of my friends on here have already read it so I'm not sure how in the world I missed this beauty! I FUCKING loved this book. I thought it was absolutely amazing. I loved both Cormac and Em I thought their relationship was beautiful. I absolutely loved the way he loved her it was so sweet! I love books about fighters I am always a lil worried because in a lot of books with fighters they are major manwhore's and we tend to get ow scenes. Not here, I'm not saying that he wasn't a manwhore cause I think he definitely was before Em but not in this book. I really felt terrible for Em she had a very hard life with her stepfather and it was beautiful to see up open up and trust Cormac. All the side characters were awesome I would really love to read books with Kieran and Tommy that would be great. So yeah I loved this it was hot safe and perfect!!!
December 17, 2015
5 "Hurricane" stars
oh, boy; oh, boy...I'm in trouble with this one, he's a fighter and he's Irish...
you don't find them like that anymore... :)
Working class shitty family a young man – boxer Cormac “The Hurricane” O’Connell finds his purpose and meaning in life by meeting Emily McCarthy (Emily Thomas) – young college student running from her even more shittier past and hiding herself behind her own shadow…
They are changing each other for the better, stronger, lovable and forgiving, finding a new life and a chance for a new start and a new family (a pack of boxers lead by papa bear trainer Danny whom I just adored – the way he cared and took care of his “boys” – Kieran, Tommy, Mac… - like a true father figure keeping them straight and together and the way he cared for Em taking her under his wing and giving her enough strength to make her fly on her own, supporting the relationship between her and Con)
Con makes her free out of her shell and cast away her fears…she beams around him – and becomes the Sun to his existence.
The way they both grow through the challenges and danger…was at times painfully beautiful and at times you had a feeling of a fairytale so soft and lovable you just want to get lost in it for a second, closing your eyes and just drift away on the wings of love… aaaaw
Memorable group of characters, funny dialogue and boxers with adorable panties melting Irish accent…
I loved it all…
The patient love between Cormac aka Con and Emily/Em aka Sunshine, the way he was as humanly vulnerable and gentle inside as oppose to his outside features around her and she became the opposite of him – he made her strong inside as oppose to her tiny and shy features…
Con’s protectivness of Em
The funny moments
Papa bear Danny was awesome and through out the book I pictured him like this…
Epilogue…to the everlasting love
When you loved someone, every kiss was your first kiss and your last
People, love each other and live in HEA if possible, if not then fight for it…to that I raise my glass
Slainte!
oh, boy; oh, boy...I'm in trouble with this one, he's a fighter and he's Irish...
you don't find them like that anymore... :)
“A champion is someone who gets up when they can’t.- Jack Dempsey.”
Working class shitty family a young man – boxer Cormac “The Hurricane” O’Connell finds his purpose and meaning in life by meeting Emily McCarthy (Emily Thomas) – young college student running from her even more shittier past and hiding herself behind her own shadow…
They are changing each other for the better, stronger, lovable and forgiving, finding a new life and a chance for a new start and a new family (a pack of boxers lead by papa bear trainer Danny whom I just adored – the way he cared and took care of his “boys” – Kieran, Tommy, Mac… - like a true father figure keeping them straight and together and the way he cared for Em taking her under his wing and giving her enough strength to make her fly on her own, supporting the relationship between her and Con)
Con makes her free out of her shell and cast away her fears…she beams around him – and becomes the Sun to his existence.
The way they both grow through the challenges and danger…was at times painfully beautiful and at times you had a feeling of a fairytale so soft and lovable you just want to get lost in it for a second, closing your eyes and just drift away on the wings of love… aaaaw
Memorable group of characters, funny dialogue and boxers with adorable panties melting Irish accent…
I loved it all…
The patient love between Cormac aka Con and Emily/Em aka Sunshine, the way he was as humanly vulnerable and gentle inside as oppose to his outside features around her and she became the opposite of him – he made her strong inside as oppose to her tiny and shy features…
Every time you let down another one of those barriers, I know that you’re a bit closer to being mine. One day, when the last one falls, you’ll be as much mine as I am yours.”
“Are you sure you want them down? The stuff behind them isn’t pretty,”
“There’s not one bit of you, inside or out, that isn’t fucking beautiful. Nothing that happened to you before me is gonna change that,”
I want to know that if I lose or if it’s been a crappy day that I’m coming home to someone who loves me, no matter what. I want a reason that makes me believe that there’s something more than what I have now. I want you, sunshine. The rest of the shite just doesn’t matter.”
“Then promise me that you won’t give up on me.”
“It was never about giving up on you, it was about helping you to succeed.”
“The only way I can do that is with you behind me. It’s okay if you need reassurance that I’m not going to cheat on you. In case you haven’t worked it out, I’m pretty fucking needy, too. I’m gonna need more reassurance than you do.”
“I’m scared, O’Connell,” I admitted.
“I’m scared, too, baby,” he replied, opening his arms for me to climb into.
“I never knew it could be like that,” he admitted. “I’ve never made love before. Now I know the difference.”
“I love you, O’Connell.”
He kissed my temple as he whispered back, “No one’s ever said that to me before. I love you, too, sunshine, and I can’t lose you. So promise me that you won’t run again. Even if Frank becomes a threat, I need you to promise that you’ll believe in me, in us, and not run. I can’t fight for us alone.”
“We have the rest of our lives to get to know each other, the good and the shite. As for the fuckers who want to try to keep us apart, let them try. They don’t call me the Hurricane for nothing.”
“Then don’t marry me to change your name. Marry me because there will never be another man in this world who loves you as much as I do. You��re my best friend, my missing piece, and the only person who can make my world amazing just by being in it. Marry me because I promise you a lifetime of love and laughter and happiness.”
“I want to be your husband, sunshine. I want to know that you are and always will be the other half of me for the rest of my life.
“I love you, Em. I will always love you. Will you marry me?”
Con’s protectivness of Em
“What did I tell you I’d do if anyone tried to take you away from me?” he asked gruffly.
“Decimate them,” I whispered.
“Fucking decimate them,” he reiterated. “Let him come. It will save me the trouble of looking for him.”
But I’m just coming to realize that me losing my temper is about me. Making sure that you’re okay, taking care of you, is more important to me right now than anything else. I love you, sunshine. There’s nothing more important to me than you.”
The funny moments
Do you even know what type of bike this is anyway?”
“Of course, I do. It’s the big shiny red type. I think I’ll get one in black.”
Papa bear Danny was awesome and through out the book I pictured him like this…
“I’m too old for this shite,”
Epilogue…to the everlasting love
Em knew I loved her, but I didn’t think she’d ever know just how much. She was my peace, my inspiration, my motivation, and my reward. She was my salvation. The centre of my fucking universe. I was going to conquer the whole world and lay it at her feet. It was the least she deserved. People thought the IBF Championship fight was the hardest thing I’ve ever fought for. It wasn’t. Getting that girl to fall in love and marry me was the hardest fight of my life.
When you loved someone, every kiss was your first kiss and your last
People, love each other and live in HEA if possible, if not then fight for it…to that I raise my glass
Slainte!
July 12, 2015
I'm definitely fan-girling by this book
Review Blitz Monday February 16th, 2015 on Beyondboyfriendreviews blog & facebook ➜ http://tinyurl.com/lb8fl95
Follow the author:
Facebook: /rjprescottauthor
Website: rjprescott.com
Twitter: @rjprescottauth
Advance Readers Copy (ARC) provided for my blog for an honest review. Thank you to the lovely author who provided me with this lovely debut novel of hers.
Title: The Hurricane
Author: R.J. Prescott
Pages: 300
Genre: Contemporary Sports Romance
Age Group: New Adult
Date Finished: February 8th, 2015
Release Date: February 16th, 2015
Point of View: First - Heroine
Overall Rating: 5 Stars
This book was amazingly good, one of the best I've read this year. I have to stay this blew my mind and heart away, for a debut novel it left me speechless and wanting more. This book made me realize how much I loved reading again and made my heart beat a little faster. This novel is one of a kind and I'm hoping we get more.
R.J. Prescott makes an awe-inspiring novel magnificent. It not only captivates you but you also fell like your living it with the characters. I loved both main characters, usually I only connect with one but with this book it was both and it was spectacular.
The Hurricane is a breath of fresh air, it gives the real meaning of new adult. I can go on and on about how much I loved this book, the writing and the characters. I can see a big future in new adult novels for R.J. Prescott
Review Blitz Monday February 16th, 2015 on Beyondboyfriendreviews blog & facebook ➜ http://tinyurl.com/lb8fl95
Follow the author:
Facebook: /rjprescottauthor
Website: rjprescott.com
Twitter: @rjprescottauth
Advance Readers Copy (ARC) provided for my blog for an honest review. Thank you to the lovely author who provided me with this lovely debut novel of hers.
Title: The Hurricane
Author: R.J. Prescott
Pages: 300
Genre: Contemporary Sports Romance
Age Group: New Adult
Date Finished: February 8th, 2015
Release Date: February 16th, 2015
Point of View: First - Heroine
Overall Rating: 5 Stars
This book was amazingly good, one of the best I've read this year. I have to stay this blew my mind and heart away, for a debut novel it left me speechless and wanting more. This book made me realize how much I loved reading again and made my heart beat a little faster. This novel is one of a kind and I'm hoping we get more.
R.J. Prescott makes an awe-inspiring novel magnificent. It not only captivates you but you also fell like your living it with the characters. I loved both main characters, usually I only connect with one but with this book it was both and it was spectacular.
The Hurricane is a breath of fresh air, it gives the real meaning of new adult. I can go on and on about how much I loved this book, the writing and the characters. I can see a big future in new adult novels for R.J. Prescott
July 10, 2015
3.5 ~ 4 stars
This was an okay read on the whole. I didn't dislike it at all, but I don't see myself re-reading it.
Cormac O’Connell is a fighter. He is rough, raw and cocky. He’s been a player with women but when he meets sweet, introvert Emily he has eyes only for her. Emily studies in college and works hard in order to make a living. She lives isolated from her friends and in fear of being stalked and attacked by her stepfather who used to physically and sexually abuse her as a teen, in front of her apathetic mother. Since she run away from her house because of the domestic violence she had to silently endure, she’s been struggling to survive in fear of being found out by him.
Her friendship with O’Connell soon turns into love. There is no other girl for him, only Emily. He makes her open her heart and tear down her walls. He manages to figure out her secrets and make her feel safe and loved.
This was a good story but I had definite mixed feelings about it. I really liked the feel of the story but I found it very predictable and average in originality. Also, it was a bit slow for me.
I loved Emily as a heroine and how much hurt she was before she was open to love. O’Connell was amazingly loving and caring towards her, contradicting his enormous and muscular physique. I’d like though more twists and turns that would surprise me as a reader.
All in all I think this is a quality read for anyone to enjoy.
Copy provided by Forever (Grand Central Publishing) via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
This was an okay read on the whole. I didn't dislike it at all, but I don't see myself re-reading it.
Cormac O’Connell is a fighter. He is rough, raw and cocky. He’s been a player with women but when he meets sweet, introvert Emily he has eyes only for her. Emily studies in college and works hard in order to make a living. She lives isolated from her friends and in fear of being stalked and attacked by her stepfather who used to physically and sexually abuse her as a teen, in front of her apathetic mother. Since she run away from her house because of the domestic violence she had to silently endure, she’s been struggling to survive in fear of being found out by him.
Her friendship with O’Connell soon turns into love. There is no other girl for him, only Emily. He makes her open her heart and tear down her walls. He manages to figure out her secrets and make her feel safe and loved.
This was a good story but I had definite mixed feelings about it. I really liked the feel of the story but I found it very predictable and average in originality. Also, it was a bit slow for me.
I loved Emily as a heroine and how much hurt she was before she was open to love. O’Connell was amazingly loving and caring towards her, contradicting his enormous and muscular physique. I’d like though more twists and turns that would surprise me as a reader.
All in all I think this is a quality read for anyone to enjoy.
Copy provided by Forever (Grand Central Publishing) via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
April 4, 2017
5 "I want me an O'Connell under the Christmas tree" stars.
I admit I picked up this book because it was listed in with the possible winners for the 2015 readers' choice awards. That should have warned me that I'd fall for it and its characters.
At first, it didn't really sweep me off my feet, because their first meeting was so normal... but that's the thing with this book. You won't read about crazy love gestures, romantic dinners in swanky places, or extravagancies. Emily and O'Connell don't need them to make a perfect couple. They're sweet, they complete each other and are so full of love sometimes it'll sound a bit cheesy and unreal, but who cares when it feels so good, right?
Another thing I'll admit is that things went a little too smooth thoughout the book. They never really fight, their relationship sails smoothly toward the horizon and all that. A lil' angst here and there would have spiced things up a bit.
But let's procede with order:
1- Characters: it's not every day to stumble across a funny, sweethearted, virile bunch of fighters that will crack you up and melt your heart. Emily lives astride of the college world (with respective friends, and I'm really hoping to read about Nikki and Ryan sooner rather than later) and the gym one. Which brings us to the second point.
2- Setting: you'd think it's something already seen and read a thousand times already, but not in so much detail. I mean, I've read my fair share of fighters' books, from "Beautiful disaster" to "Worth the fight" to "Dirty English" and lots more. Still, it was always background. Here, it was the air the characters breathed. And even though I'm not a fan of boxing and usually only read them for the hot smoking bods, here I rooted for O'Connell and cheered his every success. The training, the diet, the "sex ban", everything caught my interest because it was so clear that he cared about it so much and also that it was his ticked towards a better future. Oh, and I loved the fact that they were really dirt poor. It gave every gesture, every gift, everything, a different meaning. And also the no-phones thing and the notes... hold still, my heart!
3- MC's pasts: I loved how they came back haunting them but not only in that "that's why I'm fucked up" way. Their pasts are still in their lives. They are the reason everything comes crashing down around them.
4- The domesticity: it was amazing to see them doing normal couple stuff, like going to bowling, watching movies together, cooking and everything. Sometimes writers underestimate this aspect, thinking that chemistry and meaningful dialogues cover all the basis. It's not true. What makes a couple it's not just the hard times or the fights, but also the little things, the memories together.
So... now it's time for the unpleasant part:
1- In the beginning, I didn't like how clueless Em was when it came to O'Connell's feelings. Or how she let O'Connell's mom trample all over her. On the other hand, I liked how they solved things like frigging adults. Thank God for mature characters!
2- The surreal aspects. Okay, this one is a bit controversial. If a guy I just started dating began talking about kids and marriage I'd operate a magic on him and "puff" the sex turns into ex. But here, given everything they've been through, it felt normal. So, okay, still a little creepy, but not as creepy as it would have been with other couples.
3- The black and white characters. Even if I loved them all, the sterotypes were a'flowing. Frank was pure evil and Sophia just a greedy evil bitch. Em's mom a shell of a person with no spine. There was no redeeming quality for them and I'd love for the author to delve a little deeper in their soul if she gets in another book about the couple (which she already has.)
All in all, it was a damn good love story. Sometimes a little more spunk and action would have made my heart throb a little bit more, but that's okay. It's good to know that certain couples are simple like that. The two of them against the world, even if they rush things.
And in conclusion... the end. Holy Moly the end. It gutted me. It wasn't anything too unexpected, but it still gutted me the same. It's not a cliffhanger, but there were moments I really feared an HEA wouldn't come my way. I was so relieved when it did and what an happy ending.
The epilogue could have spent a little longer on the present, but it was also so sweet to read how O'Connell fell for her. The only complaint is that at first I thought it was a double POV and instead it was only for the first and last chapter.
I admit I picked up this book because it was listed in with the possible winners for the 2015 readers' choice awards. That should have warned me that I'd fall for it and its characters.
At first, it didn't really sweep me off my feet, because their first meeting was so normal... but that's the thing with this book. You won't read about crazy love gestures, romantic dinners in swanky places, or extravagancies. Emily and O'Connell don't need them to make a perfect couple. They're sweet, they complete each other and are so full of love sometimes it'll sound a bit cheesy and unreal, but who cares when it feels so good, right?
Another thing I'll admit is that things went a little too smooth thoughout the book. They never really fight, their relationship sails smoothly toward the horizon and all that. A lil' angst here and there would have spiced things up a bit.
But let's procede with order:
1- Characters: it's not every day to stumble across a funny, sweethearted, virile bunch of fighters that will crack you up and melt your heart. Emily lives astride of the college world (with respective friends, and I'm really hoping to read about Nikki and Ryan sooner rather than later) and the gym one. Which brings us to the second point.
2- Setting: you'd think it's something already seen and read a thousand times already, but not in so much detail. I mean, I've read my fair share of fighters' books, from "Beautiful disaster" to "Worth the fight" to "Dirty English" and lots more. Still, it was always background. Here, it was the air the characters breathed. And even though I'm not a fan of boxing and usually only read them for the hot smoking bods, here I rooted for O'Connell and cheered his every success. The training, the diet, the "sex ban", everything caught my interest because it was so clear that he cared about it so much and also that it was his ticked towards a better future. Oh, and I loved the fact that they were really dirt poor. It gave every gesture, every gift, everything, a different meaning. And also the no-phones thing and the notes... hold still, my heart!
3- MC's pasts: I loved how they came back haunting them but not only in that "that's why I'm fucked up" way. Their pasts are still in their lives. They are the reason everything comes crashing down around them.
4- The domesticity: it was amazing to see them doing normal couple stuff, like going to bowling, watching movies together, cooking and everything. Sometimes writers underestimate this aspect, thinking that chemistry and meaningful dialogues cover all the basis. It's not true. What makes a couple it's not just the hard times or the fights, but also the little things, the memories together.
So... now it's time for the unpleasant part:
1- In the beginning, I didn't like how clueless Em was when it came to O'Connell's feelings. Or how she let O'Connell's mom trample all over her. On the other hand, I liked how they solved things like frigging adults. Thank God for mature characters!
2- The surreal aspects. Okay, this one is a bit controversial. If a guy I just started dating began talking about kids and marriage I'd operate a magic on him and "puff" the sex turns into ex. But here, given everything they've been through, it felt normal. So, okay, still a little creepy, but not as creepy as it would have been with other couples.
3- The black and white characters. Even if I loved them all, the sterotypes were a'flowing. Frank was pure evil and Sophia just a greedy evil bitch. Em's mom a shell of a person with no spine. There was no redeeming quality for them and I'd love for the author to delve a little deeper in their soul if she gets in another book about the couple (which she already has.)
All in all, it was a damn good love story. Sometimes a little more spunk and action would have made my heart throb a little bit more, but that's okay. It's good to know that certain couples are simple like that. The two of them against the world, even if they rush things.
And in conclusion... the end. Holy Moly the end. It gutted me. It wasn't anything too unexpected, but it still gutted me the same. It's not a cliffhanger, but there were moments I really feared an HEA wouldn't come my way. I was so relieved when it did and what an happy ending.
The epilogue could have spent a little longer on the present, but it was also so sweet to read how O'Connell fell for her. The only complaint is that at first I thought it was a double POV and instead it was only for the first and last chapter.
February 21, 2015
☆ I received an ARC via Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ☆
Emily McCarthy abides by two rules in her life. Keep your head down. And by no means, make any sort of contact or involvement with anyone.
She lives a meager life, running from a haunted past, paying her way through school while living in a small apartment and just trying to make it by.
“I didn’t need a white knight to swoop in and save me from my crappy life. I was just fine saving myself.”
Cormac "Con" “O’Connell” is all you could want in a male heroine. He is tall, handsome, Irish ♧, tatted, and the ultimate sweetheart and alpha male! He is an aspiring fighter on the rise and will do anything to protect what’s important to him and what’s his--Emily.
When Emily and O’Connell meet, it’s merely poetic. They’re so in tune with each other and it’s wonderful to see everything play out even if, at first, Emily is reluctant to pursue anything with O’Connell at all.
“Each time you let down another one of those barriers, I know that you’re a bit closer to being mine. One day, when the last one falls, you’ll be as much mine as I am yours.”
From uncanny friends. To lovers.
It is all worth the struggle, and completely worth the fight, as this troubled duo are put to the ultimate test that will test their entire beings and relationship!
Will Emily let down her guard and let O’Connell in? Will she finally be able to put her skeletons to rest and allow herself to be free? Can O’Connell rise above his own obscurities and save the girl of his dreams from her own destructive past? And his own?
Read and you will find out!
“He was the loud to my quiet, the confidence to my shyness, the rage to my pain. Separately, we were broken and alone. Together, we were blissfully happy and complete.”
So, my thoughts:
The Hurricane was one of those beautiful, special reads that you can just read in just one sitting!!
I did not expect much, but it managed to summersault and go over and beyond my expectations and allowed me to savor an uncanny romance of two underdogs without the typical gimmicks and clichés that plague and deteriorate a lot of romances.
What I liked what newcomer writer RJ Prescott does with O’ Connell and Emily, is that their relationship just doesn’t happen over night. Neither are rich, both come from broken households and have their own setbacks and demons, and their love is NOT based on sex.
It is simply built on trust and taking a chance in one another.
What also highlights this couple’s budding journey, is the wonderful cast of secondary characters that are embedded into the story line. There was not one character in this line up that I disliked (well, with the exception of O’Connell’s mom and Emily’s step dad) as everyone one of them brought out the light and spotlighted the type of people and company that Emily and O’Connell are and surround themselves with.
I really hope that KieranXMarie will get his own story as well as Tommy and Nikki and Ryan!! They were amazing friends and an awesome support system!! Especially Danny! Definitely great BFF’s and someone to savor and keep by your side!!
I honestly can’t wait to see what’s in store for this breakout author!! Definitely a fantastic book debut with a lot of depth and versatility!! I will without doubt, be reading more from Ms. RJ Prescott!
Emily McCarthy abides by two rules in her life. Keep your head down. And by no means, make any sort of contact or involvement with anyone.
She lives a meager life, running from a haunted past, paying her way through school while living in a small apartment and just trying to make it by.
“I didn’t need a white knight to swoop in and save me from my crappy life. I was just fine saving myself.”
Cormac "Con" “O’Connell” is all you could want in a male heroine. He is tall, handsome, Irish ♧, tatted, and the ultimate sweetheart and alpha male! He is an aspiring fighter on the rise and will do anything to protect what’s important to him and what’s his--Emily.
When Emily and O’Connell meet, it’s merely poetic. They’re so in tune with each other and it’s wonderful to see everything play out even if, at first, Emily is reluctant to pursue anything with O’Connell at all.
“Each time you let down another one of those barriers, I know that you’re a bit closer to being mine. One day, when the last one falls, you’ll be as much mine as I am yours.”
From uncanny friends. To lovers.
It is all worth the struggle, and completely worth the fight, as this troubled duo are put to the ultimate test that will test their entire beings and relationship!
Will Emily let down her guard and let O’Connell in? Will she finally be able to put her skeletons to rest and allow herself to be free? Can O’Connell rise above his own obscurities and save the girl of his dreams from her own destructive past? And his own?
Read and you will find out!
“He was the loud to my quiet, the confidence to my shyness, the rage to my pain. Separately, we were broken and alone. Together, we were blissfully happy and complete.”
So, my thoughts:
The Hurricane was one of those beautiful, special reads that you can just read in just one sitting!!
I did not expect much, but it managed to summersault and go over and beyond my expectations and allowed me to savor an uncanny romance of two underdogs without the typical gimmicks and clichés that plague and deteriorate a lot of romances.
What I liked what newcomer writer RJ Prescott does with O’ Connell and Emily, is that their relationship just doesn’t happen over night. Neither are rich, both come from broken households and have their own setbacks and demons, and their love is NOT based on sex.
It is simply built on trust and taking a chance in one another.
What also highlights this couple’s budding journey, is the wonderful cast of secondary characters that are embedded into the story line. There was not one character in this line up that I disliked (well, with the exception of O’Connell’s mom and Emily’s step dad) as everyone one of them brought out the light and spotlighted the type of people and company that Emily and O’Connell are and surround themselves with.
I really hope that KieranXMarie will get his own story as well as Tommy and Nikki and Ryan!! They were amazing friends and an awesome support system!! Especially Danny! Definitely great BFF’s and someone to savor and keep by your side!!
I honestly can’t wait to see what’s in store for this breakout author!! Definitely a fantastic book debut with a lot of depth and versatility!! I will without doubt, be reading more from Ms. RJ Prescott!
October 28, 2019
This was such a good book, I’m in love with Cormac & Emily. Both of the characters were broken but Cormac has his family & close friends, Emily had no one. Soon she is offered a job at the gym, she takes it and then meets Cormac and his friends. They all like her right away and treat her like family!
Danny has to be my favourite, he was the man who all the boys looked up to. He is a dad role model, he trained the boys hard and got them to where they are today. He met Emily at a cafe and offered her a job at the gym, he treated Emily like a daughter and he was sweet with her which is exactly what she needed.
I just love this book and not only the main characters but I loved every single person in this book, usually in books I only become obsessed with the hero and heroine but this time it was different, I felt a connection with everyone, I loved the whole group, I loved their banter and how they all looked after each other!
"Then don’t marry me to change your name. Marry me because there will never be another man in this world who loves you as much as I do. You’re my best friend, my missing piece, and the only person who can make my world amazing just by being in it. Marry me because I promise you a lifetime of love and laughter and happiness."
Danny has to be my favourite, he was the man who all the boys looked up to. He is a dad role model, he trained the boys hard and got them to where they are today. He met Emily at a cafe and offered her a job at the gym, he treated Emily like a daughter and he was sweet with her which is exactly what she needed.
I just love this book and not only the main characters but I loved every single person in this book, usually in books I only become obsessed with the hero and heroine but this time it was different, I felt a connection with everyone, I loved the whole group, I loved their banter and how they all looked after each other!
"Then don’t marry me to change your name. Marry me because there will never be another man in this world who loves you as much as I do. You’re my best friend, my missing piece, and the only person who can make my world amazing just by being in it. Marry me because I promise you a lifetime of love and laughter and happiness."
May 8, 2017
May 2017 Another reread. I absolutely adore this book. Cormac is at the top of my favorite hero shelf. Even though we only get his POV in the prologue and epilogue, you know he loves Em with all his heart.
Reread September 2016
This is one of my all time favorite LOVE stories and I think Cormac is at the top of my favorite hero list. He is absolutely perfect and I can just feel the love he has for Emily. It just gives me goosebumps and all the good feels. I know this will be a book I reread over and over.
Original review April 2016
***5000 Hurricane Stars***
I'm not going to write some long, huge review but I absolutely loved everything about this book. I got totally swept up in the romance. Even though it was told in Emily's POV, except for the prologue and epilogue, I felt 100% of Cormac's love. He is one of the best heroes I've read. I could just feel the love coming off the pages in everything he said and did. I just can't say enough about him. He was perfect!! Em was so strong to pull herself out of her situation and want to try. She had my utmost respect. And, I really wanted her to get a HEA. She deserved it just as Cormac did. To see these two broken souls come together and find something so beautiful and wonderful, just filled my heart with so much happiness, I feel like I'm bursting at the seams!! Not to mention all their friends and side characters. I loved them all and want them to all get HEA's.
This will be one of those books I will read over and over.
On to book 2....
Reread September 2016
This is one of my all time favorite LOVE stories and I think Cormac is at the top of my favorite hero list. He is absolutely perfect and I can just feel the love he has for Emily. It just gives me goosebumps and all the good feels. I know this will be a book I reread over and over.
Original review April 2016
***5000 Hurricane Stars***
I'm not going to write some long, huge review but I absolutely loved everything about this book. I got totally swept up in the romance. Even though it was told in Emily's POV, except for the prologue and epilogue, I felt 100% of Cormac's love. He is one of the best heroes I've read. I could just feel the love coming off the pages in everything he said and did. I just can't say enough about him. He was perfect!! Em was so strong to pull herself out of her situation and want to try. She had my utmost respect. And, I really wanted her to get a HEA. She deserved it just as Cormac did. To see these two broken souls come together and find something so beautiful and wonderful, just filled my heart with so much happiness, I feel like I'm bursting at the seams!! Not to mention all their friends and side characters. I loved them all and want them to all get HEA's.
This will be one of those books I will read over and over.
On to book 2....
March 15, 2017
I was truly disappointed! Ah man, I had expected so much more....
2.5 stars.
2.5 stars.
February 25, 2015
Sizzling Pages Romance Reviews
Nichole's Sizzling Reviews
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oh my gosh perfection!
When a person reads so much like I do, that the books tend to get all mixed up in their heads..it’s just frustrating. I find myself looking for books that stand out..that grab me and that keep me in their clutches so that when it ends I am breathless and can’t stop thinking about them. I can honestly say that having read thousands of books that there are only a small amount that really affected me like this. This book The Hurricane is on a very short list of those books that have totally swept me away and kept me there. The Hurricane…and well like the storm it’s named after this book left my heart in utter shambles. It’s come into my mind and wreaked havoc. I read this book luckily months before release and haven’t had one day that has gone by since that I’ve not thought about O’Connell and Emily. But not just this amazing couple. I’ve also thought so much about this family that Ms. Prescott created. Characters that I want to visit again and stories that can't wait to be told. So to start off this ranting raving review..I first want to say a huge
to R. J. Prescott for writing a story that will stay with me forever. 
When I saw the cover and blurb of this story I had this extreme urge and wanted it like right now! I wanted disclaimers like immediately because I avoid stories with cheating and sex outside the main couple. Ms. Prescott set my mind at ease and I was excited to dive right in. These characters Emily and O'Connell completely captivated me. The way they built first a friendship to falling head over heels in love made me cry and swoon so many times.
0'Connell was huge..in body and spirit and I loved him from the beginning. From the moment that Con ..said these words.
If you need time, then I’ll give you time.
If you need friendship, then I’ll give you friendship.
But you’re mine, and when the time is right, when you’re ready, I’m coming for you.”
This was me..
He kept me swooning this entire book, I kid you not!
Emily was a shell of a person. O'Connell filled this empty shell with so much beauty that it's as if she woke up from a long sleep and started seeing the world again. She saw in O'Connell that he was a good man and even though they were strangers..her heart just felt this strong connection from the start. 
I gave him something to protect, and he gave me something to cherish.
O'Connell was so fiercely protective and never once let Em forget this. This is one of the most important traits that my leading men could have. He was a true hero. He was the true example of my perfect alpha. 
I believe because this love story grew from the sweetest foundation of friendship that it led to such passion when these two finally came together. For Emily this was a healing love and for O'Connell this was love defined.
They filled the empty places inside of each other and every page I found my self holding my breath because I fully believed in them and wanted to see them find their HEA.
This was so much more than a romance it was a story about belonging.
The way the friends took Emily in was so endearing. Her relationship with every character was so beautifully developed. I felt like I was sucked into this amazing group of misfits right along with her.. watching as they became a steadfast family.
Where blood relations betrayed them both ..these friends were the glue that put Em and Con back together.
RJ Prescott has written an epic romance here with beauty and healing and characters that will burrow themselves into your heart. This one will go down as one of the most romantic yet emotional and uplifting reads ever for me. I will be eagerly awaiting the next thing she writes with so much anticipation.
December 27, 2015
★Book Basics★
Genre : - Cont Romance
Series : - Stand Alone
Love triangle? -
Cheating? -
HEA? -
Would I read more by this author/or in this series? - Yes
Rating - 3.5 stars.(rounded up to 4)
★Review★
I had been seeing a lot about this book on the boards and it was getting good reviews.
And while I did enjoy it, I did not love it.
It started off good, I liked both main characters, liked the secondary characters.
But for me, as a British reader, having heard this was by a British author set in London, this was part of why I was looking forward to the book. Other than the odd British slang term however, or just mentioning it was set in London, it really could have been based in any English speaking city/country in the world. There was nothing to really give a sense of London to me.
And I really hate, when we get a book, filled with male characters who sleep around, and have a different girl every night, and they are seen as just "lads" yet the women they sleep with, are ofc referred to as "sluts" and are ALWAYS bitchy to the heroine in some fashion.
But I did enjoy it, some things felt a bit far fetched (organising a xmas eve wedding, in a Catholic Church no less in 2 weeks). I liked the progression of their relationship, I loved Danny and I would be interested to see what more this author can do.
Genre : - Cont Romance
Series : - Stand Alone
Love triangle? -
Cheating? -
HEA? -
Would I read more by this author/or in this series? - Yes
Rating - 3.5 stars.(rounded up to 4)
★Review★
I had been seeing a lot about this book on the boards and it was getting good reviews.
And while I did enjoy it, I did not love it.
It started off good, I liked both main characters, liked the secondary characters.
But for me, as a British reader, having heard this was by a British author set in London, this was part of why I was looking forward to the book. Other than the odd British slang term however, or just mentioning it was set in London, it really could have been based in any English speaking city/country in the world. There was nothing to really give a sense of London to me.
And I really hate, when we get a book, filled with male characters who sleep around, and have a different girl every night, and they are seen as just "lads" yet the women they sleep with, are ofc referred to as "sluts" and are ALWAYS bitchy to the heroine in some fashion.
But I did enjoy it, some things felt a bit far fetched (organising a xmas eve wedding, in a Catholic Church no less in 2 weeks). I liked the progression of their relationship, I loved Danny and I would be interested to see what more this author can do.
March 1, 2015
Book – The Hurricane
Author – RJ Prescott
Publication Date – February 16, 2015
Genre – New Adult Romance
Type – Stand Alone
Cliffhanger - No
Rating – 4.25 out of 5 Stars
Complimentary Copy generously provided for a Blog Tour in exchange for an honest review.
My Thoughts - Story
This was such a great story – I found myself wrapped up in it – how Emily fought her past demons to live a full life. I fell in love with Con and his conviction to protect Em and have her as his. You don’t find many men like Con in his life and he almost resembled a fairy tale character in my mind.
If you like stories about: boxing, Irishmen, past abuse, comic relief – then this book is for you. The character development is off the charts how the author portrayed Em coming out of her shell. The more the author writes about Con, the more you will fall in love with him, but I found myself continually waiting for him to screw up the relationship and hurt Em.
Reason for Reading – Blog Tour
Story Rating – 4.5 out of 5 Stars
Steam Rating – 4 out of 5 Stars
Angst Rating – 4.5 out of 5 Stars
Writing Rating – 4 out of 5 Stars
Content Flow Rating – 4 out of 5 Stars
Told In – Single POV (Em)
Heroine/Personality – Em is a scared, introvert at the beginning but her character shines through by the end
Heroine/Personality – Con is lovable, loyal, romantic and steadfast
HEA (Spoiler) –
Would Read More from Author? Yes
Recommend To – Anyone who loves to really get involved with a book and be transported into the story.
Author – RJ Prescott
Publication Date – February 16, 2015
Genre – New Adult Romance
Type – Stand Alone
Cliffhanger - No
Rating – 4.25 out of 5 Stars
Complimentary Copy generously provided for a Blog Tour in exchange for an honest review.
My Thoughts - Story
This was such a great story – I found myself wrapped up in it – how Emily fought her past demons to live a full life. I fell in love with Con and his conviction to protect Em and have her as his. You don’t find many men like Con in his life and he almost resembled a fairy tale character in my mind.
If you like stories about: boxing, Irishmen, past abuse, comic relief – then this book is for you. The character development is off the charts how the author portrayed Em coming out of her shell. The more the author writes about Con, the more you will fall in love with him, but I found myself continually waiting for him to screw up the relationship and hurt Em.
Reason for Reading – Blog Tour
Story Rating – 4.5 out of 5 Stars
Steam Rating – 4 out of 5 Stars
Angst Rating – 4.5 out of 5 Stars
Writing Rating – 4 out of 5 Stars
Content Flow Rating – 4 out of 5 Stars
Told In – Single POV (Em)
Heroine/Personality – Em is a scared, introvert at the beginning but her character shines through by the end
Heroine/Personality – Con is lovable, loyal, romantic and steadfast
HEA (Spoiler) –
Would Read More from Author? Yes
Recommend To – Anyone who loves to really get involved with a book and be transported into the story.
August 1, 2015
I've been proven wrong again...
The following review is slightly spoilerish, so proceed with caution.
The Hurricane was a wonderful story that left me satisfied. At the beginning of 2015 if you had asked me if I liked New Adult stories, I would have answered with a resounding NO. Within the last couple of months I have been proven wrong. The quality has either changed or my attitude...let's go with quality. I no longer roll my eyes with frustration at the stupidity of heroines who walk into danger saying, "I'm safe walking down this back alley, with bad lighting, in this hooker costume and slightly tipsy..." You get my drift. A new breed of New Adult has arrived. We have intelligent characters, who work hard for what they want, make mistakes, but own them and even though they may fall in lust quickly, realise that love takes time and work. Bravo 2015 authors of New Adult.
The Hurricane, which is our main character Con's fighting name, meets a very shy and nervous Em through his boxing coach and mentor Danny. Em works in a diner and serves Danny each morning. Danny realises that Em is broken, but can see a fighter deep down. Em has had some very bad stuff happen to her at the hands of her despicable stepfather. The stuff that happened was told to us through Em's dreams. Some of it, I found extremely difficult to read about. Out of all of it though, the part I hated the most was the mother's role. To put your daughter in that position to save yourself is the worst crime. Em runs away from her family and tries to hide from them while also making a future for herself.
This story is about two young people finding and supporting each other. I loved Con's need to protect Em and when he couldn't, finding someone he trusted who could. I loved Em's belief in Con. Even when it scared her that he might get hurt in one of his fights, she always backed him.
Overall, I loved the highs and lows of this book. You couldn't help but feel a connection with all of the characters. There were some great laughs at the pub, some intense scenes at the boxing hall and some steamy scenes in the bedroom.
The Hurricane was a great read and I will definitely be reading more from this author.
The following review is slightly spoilerish, so proceed with caution.
The Hurricane was a wonderful story that left me satisfied. At the beginning of 2015 if you had asked me if I liked New Adult stories, I would have answered with a resounding NO. Within the last couple of months I have been proven wrong. The quality has either changed or my attitude...let's go with quality. I no longer roll my eyes with frustration at the stupidity of heroines who walk into danger saying, "I'm safe walking down this back alley, with bad lighting, in this hooker costume and slightly tipsy..." You get my drift. A new breed of New Adult has arrived. We have intelligent characters, who work hard for what they want, make mistakes, but own them and even though they may fall in lust quickly, realise that love takes time and work. Bravo 2015 authors of New Adult.
The Hurricane, which is our main character Con's fighting name, meets a very shy and nervous Em through his boxing coach and mentor Danny. Em works in a diner and serves Danny each morning. Danny realises that Em is broken, but can see a fighter deep down. Em has had some very bad stuff happen to her at the hands of her despicable stepfather. The stuff that happened was told to us through Em's dreams. Some of it, I found extremely difficult to read about. Out of all of it though, the part I hated the most was the mother's role. To put your daughter in that position to save yourself is the worst crime. Em runs away from her family and tries to hide from them while also making a future for herself.
This story is about two young people finding and supporting each other. I loved Con's need to protect Em and when he couldn't, finding someone he trusted who could. I loved Em's belief in Con. Even when it scared her that he might get hurt in one of his fights, she always backed him.
Overall, I loved the highs and lows of this book. You couldn't help but feel a connection with all of the characters. There were some great laughs at the pub, some intense scenes at the boxing hall and some steamy scenes in the bedroom.
The Hurricane was a great read and I will definitely be reading more from this author.
April 15, 2020
Dnf @ 46%
Give me a break!
The H and h admit feelings for one another. They discuss a future together. They have hot and heavy make out sessions together. They even cuddle up in bed together. He is all about claiming her and being hers. All that and the heroine is still saying "He's not my man. We're just friends "! Bitch, please! 🙄🙄🙄 You don't deserve him! 🤬
Give me a break!
The H and h admit feelings for one another. They discuss a future together. They have hot and heavy make out sessions together. They even cuddle up in bed together. He is all about claiming her and being hers. All that and the heroine is still saying "He's not my man. We're just friends "! Bitch, please! 🙄🙄🙄 You don't deserve him! 🤬
March 22, 2015
“A champion is someone who gets up when they can’t.”
December 11, 2021
3.5 stars
Loved
- how smitten the H was.
- he pined for her in secret even before meeting her.
- a true H. This guy would’ve done anything for his girl. A real book boyfriend material H.
- both MCs were likable.
- good pacing. Book didn’t bore me, read the entire thing in 1 sitting.
- safe
- this was a good story.👌
Disliked
- all the fucking slut shaming.🙄
- after awhile, I couldn’t understand why the H loved her. All she did was cower or take from him without giving much back. As much as I sympathized with the heroine for her brutal background, she didn’t have much of a personality, she was simply scared and jumpy. After awhile that got old, and his saintly patience came across as unreal.
- This girl has super low self esteem, which in this case is understandable (she’s been horrifically abused by her sadistic step father), but she basically calls any girl who’s sexy or flirty in this book a slut. But I suppose slut shaming other girls is a sign of low self esteem as well.🤷🏻♀️
- cheese fest love scenes.
Trigger warning
Rape
Child abuse
Loved
- how smitten the H was.
- he pined for her in secret even before meeting her.
- a true H. This guy would’ve done anything for his girl. A real book boyfriend material H.
- both MCs were likable.
- good pacing. Book didn’t bore me, read the entire thing in 1 sitting.
- safe
- this was a good story.👌
Disliked
- all the fucking slut shaming.🙄
- after awhile, I couldn’t understand why the H loved her. All she did was cower or take from him without giving much back. As much as I sympathized with the heroine for her brutal background, she didn’t have much of a personality, she was simply scared and jumpy. After awhile that got old, and his saintly patience came across as unreal.
- This girl has super low self esteem, which in this case is understandable (she’s been horrifically abused by her sadistic step father), but she basically calls any girl who’s sexy or flirty in this book a slut. But I suppose slut shaming other girls is a sign of low self esteem as well.🤷🏻♀️
- cheese fest love scenes.
Trigger warning
Rape
Child abuse
March 2, 2016
Blog Review: http://sweptawaybyromance.com/review-...
4 Fighting for Love Stars!!!
The Hurricane begins with Emily a university student working as a waitress in a diner, and very obviously trying hard not to be noticed. She’s running from her horrific past and trying to stay free, so she keeps her head down, rarely makes eye contact, and never makes acquaintances. But that all changes when she befriends a cranky old man she waits on daily, then one day in walks a scary handsome man who she shows the first signs of life for. Cormac “The Hurricane” O’Connell is a fighter at the gym Danny owns, and when he meets Emily his whole world changes.
“She was beautiful, and there hadn't ever been much of anything in my life you could call beautiful.”
Con takes things slow to gain Em’s trust because, bottom-line, he knows what he wants…….and he wants Emily more than anything he’s ever wanted in his life! Now, he just has to convince her to take a chance on him. Emily and Con must work hard to get through both of their issues, all the while Con is simi-obsessed with keeping Emily safe from a potential threat from her past.
“O'Connell wasn't a knight. He was battle scarred dragon that would lay waste to armies to protect me.”
Con totally stole my heart, he’s such gentle giant alpha with a beautiful heart, he definitely made me swoon. I loved how possessive and protective he was of Emily, he’s kind, sweet, sexy, domineering, but still I loved his cocky attitude and his relentlessness where Emily was concerned. I loved Emily’s protective best friend Nikki and Con’s friends and fellow fighters Kieran and Tommy and let’s not forget cranky Danny who has a heart made of pure gold…especially where Emily his “Sunshine” is concerned!!! Looking forward to the next book The Aftermath
Shelved as 'dnf-or-on-hold'
July 12, 2022dnf @ 22%
if i have to hear the heroine call every single female that breathes near a guy a slut one more time i will actually go insane
if i have to hear the heroine call every single female that breathes near a guy a slut one more time i will actually go insane
December 18, 2018
3.5 stars
Sweet touching love story.
Liked both MCs.
Sweet touching love story.
Liked both MCs.
December 10, 2015
After reading it again, I still give it a five stars. Simply beautiful, touching story about the fighter and the wounded girl. Therefore decide to little refresh the review.
Reading this book I had a variety of emotional states. Beginning absolutely fantastic. In the middle I feel a little lost. Then again, it was very good. So how can I rating a book like that? I decided to do it through the prism of history which is absolutely beautiful.
Emily suffered a lot in life. Chased by shadows of the past, she is trying to cope on her own. She is a very lonely and scared girl, no friends and no one to trust. It broke my heart to read how she behaves and avoids people. Fortunately with the help she goes out of the darkness.
Cormac O'Connell stole my heart. I love to read about heroes who are completely in love. He is a fantastic guy, handsome, strong, everything that attracts girls. He's a manwhore, not thinking about future and lives to have fun. Until her. When comes time to get to know this girl, he is completely paralyzed. One day decides to do it and it gives us a fantastic prologue.
But his usual charm that works for the other girls will not help here. From the first moment she is delighted by him but too scared to even dream of talk to this guy. And then she gets job offers as a bookkeeper at the gym where he trains. They start to see each other more often. O’Connell tries again, and again, because he wants this girl. After several attempts begins to understand that to have her, he has to do a lot more - win her trust and change his life for better. Don't get me wrong, she is completely charmed by him, but just too withdrawn and scared.
She slowly begins to open up to people and they become friends, who fall in love hard. Thanks to Emily, he begins to want more out of life and decides to professional boxing career - to deserve and give her everything. And she begins to live a normal life.
I totally love the story. What I appreciate most is no imaginary drama. This is about love, trust and become better and better for one another.
I miss his point of view. Prologue and epilogue of his eyes is something that I love and I want more. It will be the second part of the book so maybe then it complete some things.
A very big plus for supporting characters. The team of friends are simply amazing. Even though it is quite a sad story, there is a lot of laughter. All thanks to friends. As Kieran, who I hope will get his part, but I could read about each of them.
Therefore, despite the better and weaker moments in the book I can't rating it differently than 5 stars. I could even read this the second time - what I did, by the way.
***Quick Review:***
Series: The first in The Hurricane series.
Grade/Tag Tabs: Contemporary Romance, New Adult.
Release Date: February 16th, 2015
Main characters: Emily McCarthy, Cormac O'Connell.
Secondary characters: Strong. An amazing group of friends. They are funny, supportive, and add a lot of to the history.
Location: London, UK.
Steamy:
Sensitive topic:
Love triangle:
Cheating:
Cliffhanger:
HEA:
Next in the series? Yes. More about Emily and Con in The Aftermath, December 15th, 2015.
***
ARC received in exchange for an honest review.
Follow me on Facebook or Twitter. Thank you!
Reading this book I had a variety of emotional states. Beginning absolutely fantastic. In the middle I feel a little lost. Then again, it was very good. So how can I rating a book like that? I decided to do it through the prism of history which is absolutely beautiful.
Emily suffered a lot in life. Chased by shadows of the past, she is trying to cope on her own. She is a very lonely and scared girl, no friends and no one to trust. It broke my heart to read how she behaves and avoids people. Fortunately with the help she goes out of the darkness.
Cormac O'Connell stole my heart. I love to read about heroes who are completely in love. He is a fantastic guy, handsome, strong, everything that attracts girls. He's a manwhore, not thinking about future and lives to have fun. Until her. When comes time to get to know this girl, he is completely paralyzed. One day decides to do it and it gives us a fantastic prologue.
"I felt like a total fucking creeper as I leant, with my hands in my pockets, against the lamp post, and stared at her through the cafe window from across the road. For weeks now, I’d found myself in the same spot, wondering when I was going to grow a pair of balls and talk to her."
But his usual charm that works for the other girls will not help here. From the first moment she is delighted by him but too scared to even dream of talk to this guy. And then she gets job offers as a bookkeeper at the gym where he trains. They start to see each other more often. O’Connell tries again, and again, because he wants this girl. After several attempts begins to understand that to have her, he has to do a lot more - win her trust and change his life for better. Don't get me wrong, she is completely charmed by him, but just too withdrawn and scared.
"Time was the only thing that would bring back the pieces of my soul, but I had the feeling that O’Connell might turn out to be the glue that held them all together."
She slowly begins to open up to people and they become friends, who fall in love hard. Thanks to Emily, he begins to want more out of life and decides to professional boxing career - to deserve and give her everything. And she begins to live a normal life.
I totally love the story. What I appreciate most is no imaginary drama. This is about love, trust and become better and better for one another.
"You both make each other want to be better people, and that’s a feckin’ rare thing. Far too many couples drown each other in their own selfishness these days."
I miss his point of view. Prologue and epilogue of his eyes is something that I love and I want more. It will be the second part of the book so maybe then it complete some things.
A very big plus for supporting characters. The team of friends are simply amazing. Even though it is quite a sad story, there is a lot of laughter. All thanks to friends. As Kieran, who I hope will get his part, but I could read about each of them.
Therefore, despite the better and weaker moments in the book I can't rating it differently than 5 stars. I could even read this the second time - what I did, by the way.
***Quick Review:***
Series: The first in The Hurricane series.
Grade/Tag Tabs: Contemporary Romance, New Adult.
Release Date: February 16th, 2015
Main characters: Emily McCarthy, Cormac O'Connell.
Secondary characters: Strong. An amazing group of friends. They are funny, supportive, and add a lot of to the history.
Location: London, UK.
Steamy:
Sensitive topic:
Love triangle:
Cheating:
Cliffhanger:
HEA:
Next in the series? Yes. More about Emily and Con in The Aftermath, December 15th, 2015.
***
ARC received in exchange for an honest review.
Follow me on Facebook or Twitter. Thank you!
April 7, 2015
3.5-4 Sunshine stars
The Hurricane is about strength, and finding yourself and family.
Emily McCarthy's life is fear-driven. After escaping the clutches of her extremely abusive stepfather, she is now trying to get on with her life, yet constantly looking over her shoulder. With a name change and some distance, she hopes he will not come searching for her.
She basically spends all her time either attending and studying for school, or working at a diner close by. She mainly keeps to herself, even avoiding eye contact as much as possible. When a customer comes in one evening and sits down with one of the regulars, she is gobsmacked at her reaction to him. She is surprised by her attraction to the hulking presence this newcomer has.
Cormac O'Connell is going to do anything to get Emily to be his. He's been watching her from a distance, and there is something about her that makes him want to be a better person. With a stressed-out home life, when he's not in the gym training to fight, he's bedding down ladies and partying. Seeing Emily shake, flinch and avoid most conversation, he knows something terrible must have happened to her. He will do whatever it takes for her to open up to him, and make her feel safe again. Little by little he gets to know her.
A strong friendship builds, and Emily is able to open up to O'Connell. Although the love was there from the beginning, she is able to feel comfortable enough to go for what makes sense. Moving forward with OC.
Feeling more secure, she is also letting in the other guys from the gym, and some people at school. She is finding herself, and understanding what it feels like to have a true family.
This book took me by surprise. As much as its roots were still based on the relationship of the MC's, it took a backseat to Emily's emotional growth.
I really did enjoy this story. I liked the writing, setting, and the basis of the story. All of the characters were quite endearing as well. This was a very sweet story, and part of why it wasn't a total winner for me, is that I usually don't do sweet. :)
One of the things that bothered me, was the whole we're just friends thing. Even from the very beginning, there was always more to that, but it was always said so things wouldn't progress. Normally this probably wouldn't bother me so much, but I think the fact that they . I still found it weird and off-putting that Emily called him by his last name. It didn't feel right to me.
Also, this could've been just me, but I thought some of the topics that were brought up were semi-resolved, but also kind of left hanging. I see that there will be a sequel to O'Connell and Emily's story to come, so maybe some things will be addressed in the continuation. This is a stand-alone, and there was no cliffhanger to this book.
Overall it was a decent read despite some of the issues I had with it. It was a great book about moving forward and becoming stronger based on your struggles and obstacles. I know I seem to point out the bad things, but I was hooked and read this faster than normal. I will probably read what happens next with these two.
The Hurricane is about strength, and finding yourself and family.
Emily McCarthy's life is fear-driven. After escaping the clutches of her extremely abusive stepfather, she is now trying to get on with her life, yet constantly looking over her shoulder. With a name change and some distance, she hopes he will not come searching for her.
She basically spends all her time either attending and studying for school, or working at a diner close by. She mainly keeps to herself, even avoiding eye contact as much as possible. When a customer comes in one evening and sits down with one of the regulars, she is gobsmacked at her reaction to him. She is surprised by her attraction to the hulking presence this newcomer has.
Cormac O'Connell is going to do anything to get Emily to be his. He's been watching her from a distance, and there is something about her that makes him want to be a better person. With a stressed-out home life, when he's not in the gym training to fight, he's bedding down ladies and partying. Seeing Emily shake, flinch and avoid most conversation, he knows something terrible must have happened to her. He will do whatever it takes for her to open up to him, and make her feel safe again. Little by little he gets to know her.
A strong friendship builds, and Emily is able to open up to O'Connell. Although the love was there from the beginning, she is able to feel comfortable enough to go for what makes sense. Moving forward with OC.
Feeling more secure, she is also letting in the other guys from the gym, and some people at school. She is finding herself, and understanding what it feels like to have a true family.
This book took me by surprise. As much as its roots were still based on the relationship of the MC's, it took a backseat to Emily's emotional growth.
I really did enjoy this story. I liked the writing, setting, and the basis of the story. All of the characters were quite endearing as well. This was a very sweet story, and part of why it wasn't a total winner for me, is that I usually don't do sweet. :)
One of the things that bothered me, was the whole we're just friends thing. Even from the very beginning, there was always more to that, but it was always said so things wouldn't progress. Normally this probably wouldn't bother me so much, but I think the fact that they . I still found it weird and off-putting that Emily called him by his last name. It didn't feel right to me.
Also, this could've been just me, but I thought some of the topics that were brought up were semi-resolved, but also kind of left hanging. I see that there will be a sequel to O'Connell and Emily's story to come, so maybe some things will be addressed in the continuation. This is a stand-alone, and there was no cliffhanger to this book.
Overall it was a decent read despite some of the issues I had with it. It was a great book about moving forward and becoming stronger based on your struggles and obstacles. I know I seem to point out the bad things, but I was hooked and read this faster than normal. I will probably read what happens next with these two.
January 1, 2016
'If I had any guts at all, I would have coughed out the word slut, but most of the girls in this club looked ready for a punch up, and I really didn’t feel like getting bitch slapped'
I think it's the heroine who needs a good bitch slap - might have knocked some sense into her over her attitude about attractive women. She comes across like an insecure troll. The author is projecting with her attitude about women in this book methinks.
The heroine's slut shaming gets real old, real fast, especially since she acts all butter wouldn't melt around men but the reader gets an insight into her rude thoughts about other women; apparently women in short skirts, with fake tan, with big boobs, who wear a lot of make-up, who are confident around men and confident sexually are all sluts and tarts and inferior - thanks for the memo, R.J Prescott!
Onto the plot: so you have this timid shy heroine who is only timid and shy because the author writes words like 'she was shy' or looks at the ground now and then, who is the victim of abuse ( portrayed in a contrived way used as a tool to make her vulnerable and 'shy') who meets a boxer in a cafe she works at in London and just like that she's smitten and 'wants to jump his bones'. Meanwhile he'd already seen her through the cafe windows, becoming immediately smitten first = A Mary-Sue and an arrogant 6 foot Adonis who treats women like shit except for the one special snowflake who isn't like other tramps but is ~special. Where have I read this formula before?
The heroine acts jealous and obsessed with the hero an hour after meeting him and it makes her come across crazy.
This is what one of the girl's the heroine classes a Tramp says to her
“I fucking knew the goody-two-shoes thing was all an act,”she sneered. “You walk around with your nose stuck up in the air, lording it over the rest of us, but when it comes down to it, you’re not above slumming it on a Saturday night.”
It wasn’t so much that I wouldn’t stand up for myself, although I was naturally non-confrontational. It was just that I was stunned. I barely knew this girl, and yet it seemed like she hated me.
Bahahahaa, so perfect. You've only been mentally calling her a tramp since you first saw her, Em, having barely known her yourself.
There's zero chemistry between H and h: She likes him because he's 6 foot 5 and built; he likes her because she's blonde. If there's any other reason for his bizarre infatuation, I'm not aware of it.
I was actually really excited about this book as it's set in the UK, a change from the usual American set books of the genre but if anything that makes the book so much more annoying since the author seems obsessed in letting you know the characters are English and Irish every other paragraph with them using the word 'arsehole' and 'shite' and 'eejit' at the end of every sentence. So embarrassing. On top if that the heroine wears 'yoga pants', lives in an apartment and went to college and high-school. So American, I mean really, it's not difficult to get the words right for the setting.
Lastly, I found it odd, living in London myself, the way the author tries to use a cafe as a central meeting place where EVERYONE hangs out. We don't have the same cafe/diner culture in the UK and I'm not buying that everyone in this book, from the hero and his 'mates' and their female conquests to everyone in between hangs out in a greasy spoon
I think it's the heroine who needs a good bitch slap - might have knocked some sense into her over her attitude about attractive women. She comes across like an insecure troll. The author is projecting with her attitude about women in this book methinks.
The heroine's slut shaming gets real old, real fast, especially since she acts all butter wouldn't melt around men but the reader gets an insight into her rude thoughts about other women; apparently women in short skirts, with fake tan, with big boobs, who wear a lot of make-up, who are confident around men and confident sexually are all sluts and tarts and inferior - thanks for the memo, R.J Prescott!
Onto the plot: so you have this timid shy heroine who is only timid and shy because the author writes words like 'she was shy' or looks at the ground now and then, who is the victim of abuse ( portrayed in a contrived way used as a tool to make her vulnerable and 'shy') who meets a boxer in a cafe she works at in London and just like that she's smitten and 'wants to jump his bones'. Meanwhile he'd already seen her through the cafe windows, becoming immediately smitten first = A Mary-Sue and an arrogant 6 foot Adonis who treats women like shit except for the one special snowflake who isn't like other tramps but is ~special. Where have I read this formula before?
The heroine acts jealous and obsessed with the hero an hour after meeting him and it makes her come across crazy.
This is what one of the girl's the heroine classes a Tramp says to her
“I fucking knew the goody-two-shoes thing was all an act,”she sneered. “You walk around with your nose stuck up in the air, lording it over the rest of us, but when it comes down to it, you’re not above slumming it on a Saturday night.”
It wasn’t so much that I wouldn’t stand up for myself, although I was naturally non-confrontational. It was just that I was stunned. I barely knew this girl, and yet it seemed like she hated me.
Bahahahaa, so perfect. You've only been mentally calling her a tramp since you first saw her, Em, having barely known her yourself.
There's zero chemistry between H and h: She likes him because he's 6 foot 5 and built; he likes her because she's blonde. If there's any other reason for his bizarre infatuation, I'm not aware of it.
I was actually really excited about this book as it's set in the UK, a change from the usual American set books of the genre but if anything that makes the book so much more annoying since the author seems obsessed in letting you know the characters are English and Irish every other paragraph with them using the word 'arsehole' and 'shite' and 'eejit' at the end of every sentence. So embarrassing. On top if that the heroine wears 'yoga pants', lives in an apartment and went to college and high-school. So American, I mean really, it's not difficult to get the words right for the setting.
Lastly, I found it odd, living in London myself, the way the author tries to use a cafe as a central meeting place where EVERYONE hangs out. We don't have the same cafe/diner culture in the UK and I'm not buying that everyone in this book, from the hero and his 'mates' and their female conquests to everyone in between hangs out in a greasy spoon
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