Release Day and Review ~ Rising Storm Midseason 1: After the Storm by Lexi Blake

 

Welcome to Storm, Texas, where passion runs hot, desire runs deep, and secrets have the power to destroy...

Nestled among rolling hills and painted with vibrant wildflowers, the bucolic town of Storm, Texas, seems like nothing short of perfection.

But there are secrets beneath the facade. Dark secrets. Powerful secrets. The kind that can destroy lives and tear families apart. The kind that can cut through a town like a tempest, leaving jealousy and destruction in its wake, along with shattered hopes and broken dreams. All it takes is one little thing to shatter that polish.

Reading like an on-going drama in the tradition of classic day and night-time soap operas like Dallas, Dynasty, and All My Children, Rising Storm is full of scandal, deceit, romance, passion, and secrets.

With 1001 Dark Nights as the “producer,” Julie Kenner and Dee Davis use a television model with each week building on the last to create a storyline that fulfills the promise of a drama-filled soap opera. Joining Kenner and Davis in the “writer’s room” for the Midseason Episodes of this serial opera are bestselling authors Lexi Blake and Larissa Ione who have brought their vision of Storm to life.

So get ready. The storm is coming.

Secrets, Sex and Scandals …

Welcome to Storm, Texas, where passion runs hot, desire runs deep, and secrets have the power to destroy… Get ready. The storm is coming.

In the wake of Dakota’s revelations, the whole town is reeling. Ginny Moreno has lost everything. Logan Murphy is devastated by her lies. Brittany Rush sees her family in a horrifying new light. And nothing will ever be the same…

 

Experience Rising Storm Here…

Rising Storm Midseason Episode 1 (March 29): Lexi Blake’s After the Storm Amazon ** Kobo ** iTunes ** Barnes & Noble ** GooglePlay ** All Romance EBooks

Rising Storm Midseason Episode 2 (April 5): Larissa Ione’s Distant Thunder Amazon ** Kobo ** iTunes ** Barnes & Noble ** GooglePlay ** All Romance EBooks

 

All I can say is WOW! After the Storm: Midseason Episode 1 (Rising Storm) by Lexi Blake picks right up and where the last season ends. We are shown the aftermath of distruction that Dakota's revelation leaves in its wake.

Ginny and Dakota are the talk of the town, but each young woman decides to handle things much differently. 

Ginny seeks to make amends, trying to make things right with Jacob's family, trying to make things right with her best friend Brittney Rush, trying to make things right with Logan. She realizes that she was scared, and ashamed of the circumstances that lead her to where she is now. Realizing that she needs to take responsibility for her actions she makes it her mission to apologize, not make excuses, and to try and let the people that she hurt know how truly sorry that she is. I think that her discussion with Brittney and Logan at the end of this installment was so touching. And the reaction that she receives from each is unexpected for her, and I think, in a way, will help Ginny and the rest of them, one day, find closure and maybe friendship again.

Dakota on the other hand, is left to wonder why everyone is so bitter and angry at her. She is after all the one that outed the good Senator. She thinks that she should be celebrated, not shunned, she feels like she is the hero in all of this, instead of the one person that destroyed so many lives, hopes, dreams and families. No matter how much her family and the one person that still speaks to her tries to explain the reasons that she went about this whole thing all wrong, she still thinks only of herself. Not the fact that she has put her mother and her family in danger of losing everything, not the fact that she herself has now lost everything, her job, her apartment, and her reputation is in the toilet.

Logan is so angry with Ginny and has every right to be, she lied to him, she kept secrets from him when he layed himself open to her over and over again. He is not sure he can get past it, but when he sees Ginny hurting, when she needs comfort and someone to hold her together after her confrontation with Brittney, he is there with his strong arms to hold her up, to lend comfort and compassion. I think that he was surprised by Ginny showing up, surprised that she truly listened to him, is trying to make amends for what she did. I think, I hope, there is hope for these two in the future.

Brittney is so angry with her father and feels betrayed by Ginny. But I think that the confrontation that Ginny and Brittney had needed to be done. Ginny offered no excuses for what she did, admitting that she was wrong, admitting that she knew that she was wrong, taking responsibility for her actions. Letting Brittney know that she was not going to run, not going to hide, that she was not looking for anything from her family, she was willing to do anything to make that clear to them. Also letting Brittney know that she would always be there for her, no matter what, that she would always be sorry for her actions and praying that one day they could be friends again. I think that Brittney was such a surprise in her response to Ginny, promising that nobody would every try to harm Ginny's baby, and if her father tried, he would have to go through her to do it. It is a testament to the love and friendship that these two young women have for each other.

I loved this first new episode of the Rising storm series and look forward to more to come, because you know for sure, the dust has not settled and things will get worse before they get better.

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Check out this fantastic excerpt from AFTER THE STORM!

  “I didn’t know I was pregnant until I woke up from the accident.” Ginny’s voice was an impassioned whisper. “I found out two things that changed my life in that moment. I found out that my best friend was gone and that I was pregnant. And I prayed so hard that I hadn’t lost all of Jacob forever.” Forever. That’s what she was looking at. She was looking at an entire lifetime of being a mother without a son. She loved her daughters dearly, but she would mourn Jacob forever. And this selfish girl was equating her pain as though they were the same. As though one night of spreading her legs gave her the right to mourn him. “I think you woke up and realized you had two options. Take care of that baby alone or worm your way into Jacob’s family and his money.” “I never cared about the money.” Celeste wasn’t going to listen to that tripe. “Of course you did. Not enough to keep your legs closed. You say you loved Jacob but how long did you wait before you hopped into bed with that Murphy boy? Did you even break it off with my brother-in-law? How many men do you need on your string?” “I’ve never slept with Logan, but I will admit that I’m in love with him. I love him in a way I never loved Jacob. Jacob was my best friend, but I know now that he wasn’t my soul mate. I pray with everything I am that this is his child, that we receive a miracle because I don’t want him to be lost forever, but I won’t hide what I feel for Logan and I won’t pretend it’s nasty. Not even to placate you, Celeste. I want to make things right between us and that means apologizing to you. Celeste, I’m so sorry I hurt you. I never meant to. I should have been braver. I should have been stronger, but I woke up and the world had crashed around me and I wanted the love you could give me. That all of you could give me. I’m sorry that it brought you so much pain.” Something about the way she was standing there enraged Celeste. How could she stand there looking so innocent? How could she say exactly the right things to garner empathy? Celeste didn’t want to empathize. She wanted to fight and tear up things and destroy the world around her because it seemed so damn intent on destroying her. She wanted to burn it all down. She didn’t feel her hand snap back, didn’t quite understand what she was doing. The world seemed tinged in red at the corners as though rage now filtered her vision. And it slowed everything down. In horror she realized she was going to strike Ginny Moreno. Her hand was going to bring justice her words never could. And then it slapped against flesh. A strong hand circled her wrist and Travis stared down at her like he had no idea who she was.  

  

About Lexi Blake: New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband and three kids. She began writing at a young age concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance that she found success. Lexi believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome or foursome may seem. Visit Lexi Blake’s website and follow her on:  

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