Tempest

Title: Tempest
Author: Cari Z.
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Release Date: April 5, 2016
Genre(s): Fantasy/NA/Historical
Page Count: 429
Reviewed by: Renée
Heat Level:  2.5 flames out of 5
Rating:  3 stars out of 5
Blurb:

“Love can change a soul. But can it save one life?”

Colm Weathercliff is a simple fisherman with an uncanny some might say preternatural knack for his trade. He thought leaving his small village to take his father s ashes to the capital city of Caithmor for a proper burial would be the grandest adventure of his life.

At first, all his hopes seem to be fulfilled. He finds a home where he s accepted without question, the freedom to use his talent to its fullest effect, and love with Nichol, a man with a longing for the sea as powerful as Colm s.

But Caithmor holds as many dangers as it does attractions. Colm s greatest secret turns out to be a dark revelation that gets him and his family shunned and changes everything he thought he knew about himself.

The truth about his parentage, his gift, even his physical form could poison his chance for love. And doom both him and Nichol to a gruesome, inescapable fate.

“Warning: Contains graphic violence, explicit sex, and scenes of torture that may not be for the faint of heart. These mermen bear no resemblance to those you might have seen in a certain animated film.”

Tempest is a heartfelt story about Colm, a young man of 20, who experiences more tragedy in his life than many others ever will. He has just lost his father, who is his best friend, as the story opens. He’s never known his mother, but his stepmother has always been a kind woman. She senses he doesn’t want to marry a young lady as would be expected of him in this historic-like setting and encourages him to travel to a faraway village along the sea where she has family. Colm has never seen the water before, and he is as drawn to the village because of that as he is because of not wanting to marry a local girl.

After traveling for many weeks via camel and coach, Colm reaches the new village that will be his home, Caithmor. It is here that he meets Megg, his stepmother’s family, and Megg’s grandson, Nichol, who will become his love interest. Once Colm arrives in Caithmor, we begin to understand his “gift” as it pertains to the open waters. He becomes a fisherman’s helper, and when he places his fingers in the water, Colm can “sense” where the wildlife are by their movements. But magic is strictly forbidden against the church’s laws, and rumors begin to run about Colm’s abilities to catch more fish than anyone else in the village.

There is a LOT thrown into this novel. Details would be spoilery, but there is a mer element – that’s in the blurb. So I knew going in that this was a fantasy genre novel. However, the fantasy aspect also takes place in an entirely fictional historical-like setting, which wasn’t exactly my cup of tea. Throw in the NA aspect, and I was completely out of my element. At 20 and 18, Colm and Nichol have some very immature moments, particularly Nichol. Lashing out with words aimed to hurt. Egos leading stupid actions. And these things always leading to exceptional tragedy. My head began to hurt.

Sometimes others were at fault, sometimes things “just happened.” But either way, there was so much tragedy in this book, it could’ve been a Shakespearean play. Death, beatings, public shunnings and ridicule, separation from each other, constant physical injury…..I could go on.

And then this didn’t read as a romance, but more like a love story. They do get a HEA, but I was so emotionally drained by the end. I just wanted to be done. It was very well-written. No doubt about that. But this isn’t the type of book that I want to read in m/m romance. I don’t mind fantasy – enjoy it actually. And I really like a lot of what I read from this author. But I feel the blurb wasn’t nearly specific enough in the description of what the readers are getting into with this one. If you are ok with all that I have described, you will enjoy this book.

 

Author Link GoodReads