Jessica Webb

Storm Lines is a crime/thriller/lesbian romance novel. I loved this book. It's exactly my kind of romance story, where there's enough of a thriller-y/crime/mystery plot to keep me interested with a romance as an added bonus. I really enjoyed this book.

The book is about constable Bridget 'Marley' Marlowe, who does the wrong thing for the right reason and protects a young girl who is caught up in a drug ring. She gets injured, and meets Dr Devon Wolfe, a burned out psychologist on leave who show more helps her out and gets caught up in the trouble as well.

Storm Lines starts exciting. I was instantly hooked and intrigued just from reading the prologue. And the rest of the novel does not disapoint. We are launched straight into the action, the characters meet immediately, and it's a rollercoaster of emotions from then onward. The book is written in third person but alternates between Devon and Marley's perspectives, which I really liked. It's easy reading, with everything flowing well. The story never drags or gets boring. The romance part of the plot is kind of slow burn (although that's mainly because there's too much going on for the characters to slow down and think about their feelings). It has a strangers to friends to lovers feel to it, which I love. And the mystery plot is great too. There's a new drug on the street that causes weird symptoms, a child who was involved who now doesn't speak, and plenty of dangerous situations for Marley and Devon to get caught up in.

All of the characters are distinct and interesting, each with their own quirks. The dialogue is snappy, readable and believable. The chemistry between Devon and Marley is great. The two of them are adorable together right from the start. There are plenty of cute and emotionaly moments mixed in with the drama and excitement of the police case. I particularly liked the way Devon's mental health was explored, and the way that her anxiety and agoraphobia was described. I was also really invested in Carla and Aimee's story as well as the romance. Aimee is a brilliant character.

And then the ending was brilliant. No spoilers here, but I felt really satisfied with the ending, which I think makes for a good book. show less

The first chapter pulls you in then the page turning greatness just keeps you glued to the end. I liked that although this is such an action packed book Webb still balanced it with some romance in such a way that the chemistry leaps off the pages in this intense, steamy kind of way.

Webb is someone you can count on for accuracy and realism in her books which I love because it makes it so much easier to fall into the story and forget the world around you. Her dialogue is well written and show more sounds conversationalist. She has a fast pace, good writing style, developed characters, plenty of action and an exciting plot. She handled the subject of PTSD very well and wove it wonderfully into her story.

I was disappointed in a sense that she seemed to have written this to be a one off instead of the beginning to a series just because she had me really interested in her world building and character development so it would’ve been nice knowing more is coming down the pike. However with her talent I could see a few places how she’d do a spin off focusing on other characters.

Jessica Webb is an author that can’t seem to put out anything bad so if you haven’t read her before you need to go pick up another of her books. show less

This was a good sequel to [b:Trigger|25898338|Trigger (A Dr. Kate Morrison Mystery, #1)|Jessica L. Webb|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1445052660s/25898338.jpg|45781205], which I liked better than this one. I could sense Kate's feeling of helplessness as the cases mounted against her. I wonder if it's because the other characters put her on a superhero doctor pedestal. Except Andy, no one knew she was still conflicted with what happened to her in Trigger. And Dr. Keller? Talk about show more creepy. I was disappointed however with the lack of action in this story. Even though this story has the same level of intensity as Trigger, it doesn't have the same level of action that made Trigger a page-turner. With that being said....the ending? What the hell? Ok, I'm ready for [b:Troop 18|31213275|Troop 18 (A Dr. Kate Morrison Mystery, #3)|Jessica L. Webb|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1470695113s/31213275.jpg|51867836] now. show less

I wouldn't normally spend £9.56 on an ebook, especially by an author I had not read before. However, I saw one of my friends had given a different book by the same author a good review. I think it was a later one in this series. So I thought I would read the preview on Kobo of the first book (this one) and see if it sounded interesting. It did, I was intrigued, so after a few minutes of arguing with myself over the price, I thought YOLO and bought it. I then spent five hours reading it.
I show more found it fast paced and generally well written. I did spot a couple of hiccups like repeated words. I had a grumble about bed sores being caused by sheets not being changed rather than pressure due to immobility, but that's probably because I do admin and develop online training for a care company. It's not something everyone would notice.
I enjoyed the author's style and expression, particularly engaging all senses. There was the obligatory 'save the cat' moment towards the beginning to get the reader and Kate to like the rather stern Andy a little better. I felt the relationship between Andy and Kate developed nicely and was well written with just the right amount of angst not to overdo it. There was just a bit of cliche towards the end with the 'are you sure?' and sensations exploding, but to be honest, these days it is nigh on impossible to avoid it, perhaps it is even required.
Overall, I thought this was a well written, well structured three act plot that crossed all the Ts and dotted all the Is. I would recommend this to others and will most likely continue with the series, although perhaps out of next week's budget, lol. show less