From Goodreads: Nowhere is safe. Not even home…
Nick Merrick is stretched to the breaking point.
Keep his grades sky-high or he’ll never escape his hometown.
Keep his brother’s business going or the Merricks will be out on the street.
Keep the secret of where he’s going in the evenings from his own twin—-or he’ll lose his family.
Keep his mind off the hot, self-assured dancer who’s supposed to be his “girlfriend’s” partner.
Of course there’s also the homicidal freak Quinn has taken to hanging around, and the Elemental Guide counting the hours until he can try again to kill the Merrick brothers.
There’s a storm coming. From all sides. And then some.
Nick Merrick, can you keep it together?
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This fourth full installment in the five part Elemental series is finally here, and it’s just what we’ve come to expect from the talented Brigid Kemmerer! Intense, sensual, fast-paced, and heart-wrenching, it’s an unputdownable read, keeping readers up late into the night until the very last sentence leaps off the page.
It’s a beautiful story following the life of Nick—the only Merrick brother who, as of yet, has not been the full center of his own book. Whereas Michael has Elemental, Chris has Storm, Gabriel has Spark, and even Hunter, an outsider to the family, has Spirit, Nick has, until this moment, been more so on the sidelines. In other words, Kemmerer was saving the best for last. Granted Michael has not had a full novel all to himself yet either, but he has appeared more so as a central character within all the books. And though we get a small taste of Nick in his novella Breathless, this is the first time we really, really see him front and center in a full length novel.
Nick has always been a quiet, level headed soul. He’s the brother everyone can count on, and in so being, he has internalized much of his emotions. Convinced his family wouldn’t understand his wants and needs, he keeps his desires to himself, bottled up from the whole world, refusing to face his inner being. Yearning to run away from it all and attend college out of state, he also struggles with admitting his newfound attraction to Adam, a beautiful soul that really helps make this story.
The threat of the Guides, the lack of income, and the pressure of school steadily overcomes Nick as he attempts to keep his life together. But as tensions rise, his outlets begin to diminish while his ever present fear for those around him continues to mount, causing Nick to begin to fall in more ways than one.
This is a beautiful story of acceptance, focusing not only the choices at hand, but also on the past. It is a story of forgiveness, of finding one’s way in the world and picking up the pieces when it all falls apart. And ultimately, it is a story of love—through friendship, family, and romance.
This novel is by far the best of the series, though I’ve loved every single book, and I cannot wait for the final installment, that of Michael Merrick, to bring the series full circle. It begins with Michael, and so it will end with Michael, and I just know Kemmerer has some amazing things in store for her readers. Five amazing stars.
Kensington Books has been extremely gracious in allowing me to read an ARC of this beautiful novel, via Netgalley, prior to its release on January 28, 2014.
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Read the full series!
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