Before the Storm (Perfect Storm #5)

Mari Carr

Blurb:

One lie, one storm, and a night that rewrites all the rules.

Grayson has built his life on order—rows of perfect vines, strict schedules, and a reputation as the grouchy Storm brother. At twenty-seven he’s already a curmudgeon in work boots, a “get off my lawn” kind of man whose scowl does most of the talking. And nothing ruffles him more than Lark—one of his family’s wild, impulsive tasting-room assistants.

So when “Lark” joins him for a weekend wine festival, he braces for chaos. What he doesn’t expect is her sudden sweetness…or the way she blushes, or listens, or curls trustingly into him when a drunk festival-goer won’t take no for an answer. He saves her, shaken by the fierce urge to protect the woman he shouldn’t want.

But it isn’t Lark at all.

It’s Wren—her shy, bookish twin sister. The town’s quiet librarian who’s never broken a rule in her life…until now. Caught in her sister’s lie, sharing one hotel room—one bed—and far too much heat with a man she absolutely cannot want, Wren tries desperately to keep her distance. If Grayson learns the truth, Lark could lose her job. And Wren could lose something even more fragile: the only man who’s ever really looked at her.

Back home, Grayson is determined to forget the confusing attraction he felt for Lark—that is, until a chance encounter in the library reveals the unmistakable pull he can’t explain. Because something about the quiet twin feels achingly familiar…

Themes: Contemporary

Rating: 4.5 stars

Heat Rating:

Review:

I love a good twin swap story b/c you never know what the consequences might be or when they will come for the perpetrator or the others that are affected by the swap, but you know there will be consequences. Mari Carr addresses this beautifully in her newest novel in the Perfect Storm series, set on a beautiful mountain in Virginia outside of a small town that might be growing bigger but will never lose its small-town heart. This series, revolving around the Storm family who are owners of a small empire of businesses that all surround food, beverages, and family, just continues to get more interesting and with each couple that comes together the family becomes a grander and more love-filled miracle. Mari manages to not only have you fall in love with each of the main couples but always reminds you why the love of family and friends is so important and prepares you for whatever craziness will be coming next as another Storm prepares to lose their hearts. I am dying for the next story (Heart of the Storm) where the second twin might just find herself in the best kind of trouble and learn the value of true love and acceptance. You can’t go wrong with this series and should count yourself lucky to have experienced the love shown in each and every installment.

Grayson Storm is becoming a grumpy old man, withdrawing from his family and losing faith in ever finding the kind of love he’s watched his brothers and cousins find recently. Now he is even having to cover a weekend festival for his brother, and he is stuck with Lark McCoy as his partner on the trip and that woman brings chaos and craziness wherever she goes, even if she is great at her job—when she manages to show up. But Lark has made a mistake and now has to beg her twin, Wren, to take her place on the weekend festival trip, which is a real problem because while they may look exactly like Wren is nothing like her charismatic and chaotic sister. But now Wren and Grayson are reluctantly trapped together for the weekend, and their time together leads to several intriguing realizations, and they are all too soon developing feelings for one another. But Grayson thinks she is “Lark” and life becomes suddenly very complicated as they are trying to navigate their feelings as Grayson tried to understand his feelings for two women and understand what is happening. When the secret comes out and Grayson realizes that Wren is the one that is truly his love, will he be able to move past the deception and put in the work to prove to her that she is the one he wanted all along or will he have ruined any chance they could have at a relationship? And can they work through Wren’s trauma in order to let their love develop into a life together?

It was so much fun watching grouchy pessimistic Grayson come out of his shell and find a woman that would show him that just because he wants to lead a quiet life didn’t mean he had to be lonely or alone. After a couple of very difficult breakups in his past, where he was definitely taken advantage of, I can understand his feelings of not wanting to put himself back on the market, but I wanted to slap him for his hurtful treatment of Wren when she confessed to the swap and his unwillingness to listen and forgive in the beginning. But once he was forced to understand that she wasn’t to blame and he listened to his heart, I loved watching him be the supportive, sweet, and dedicated man that he was obviously raised to be. He is strong, sexy, and considerate, but most important his compassion for Wren and willingness to give her the time and space she needs to heal from her past. I suspected from the beginning that Wren’s past was going to be far too traumatic and triggering for me, but when we finally got her story, I had to reach for the tissues and stop reading for a bit. It was clear that while she’d worked through some of her issues, she also buried so much of the pain and fear she needed someone or something to motivate her to really accept and work through the remainder of her suffering so she could heal. Her kindness and sweeter nature were evident, but she was also brave, vocal and resilient even when she was dealing with her past, because as she lost her heart to Grayson, she knew that the only way to keep him forever was to share her pain with him and purge that pain from her heart.

There was so much going on in this relationship that you have to wonder how Mari managed to work through everything, entertain us, and still give Grayson and Wren the HEA they so justly deserved. Some stories just have to be told, and it was obvious to me that this was one of those because there was never a single moment, I wanted to put it down even when I was crying my eyes out. Grayson is the person Storm as his grouchy personality led him to assumptions that got him into trouble as he slowly lost his heart and soul to a woman that reminded him life was worth living and that she was the life he wanted to live. Wren’s fear has driven her life and kept her from reaching for what she wanted since she was hurt almost two decades earlier, but when Grayson offers her a chance, she will do whatever it takes to heal enough to have a life with the man that has shown her nothing but consideration, passion, and love. The slow-burning heat between Gray and Wren was so sweet and just what was needed for this story, but once they find a way to work through Wren’s issues that heat bursts into a bonfire that you can see from space. I loved every moment of their true love story, and I promise you will too, but if you are just finding the series I beg you to start at the very beginning and read all five so you can experience all the fabulous Storm siblings/cousins. When Heart of the Storm hits my kindle I may just have to take the day off work because I’m not sure I could resist a binge read after reading Wren and Gray’s story because Lark and Jace are going to be wild I can guarantee that!

*eARC provided by author for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review. No compensation was provided.