Happy Release Day to Faith Andrews! After the Storm is LIVE! This book is packed full of emotion that is sweet, raw, and powerful! Check out more about this book, read Tina’s Thoughts and an excerpt, and make sure to enter the giveaway for your chance to win something awesome!
After the Storm
Faith Andrews
Genre: Romance
Release Date: September 21, 2015
Noah and Willow know not to mix business with pleasure. They’ve both been burned in the past, he thinks she’s too young, and she definitely shouldn’t hook up with her boss. So, they don’t. Instead, they build a friendship, while fighting an obvious attraction.
But when Noah’s called back East after a natural disaster that threatens his home and the loved ones he left behind, he’s forced to face his past with Willow by his side.
Will their turbulent pasts hold them back from giving into fate? Or will the two of them realize that they’ve been each other’s calm before the storm?
You can purchase your copy today on Amazon!
Everything I have read by Faith Andrews is packed with a punch of emotion. A punch that is so raw and deep, carrying the weight of the world, the hope for a future, the heartache of pain, and the bliss of truth. Gah. This woman has the power to destroy me with words and I keep coming back for more. After the Storm is a story about second chances. A story that allows you to feel the loss and get excited about the future. Noah and Willow are meant to be. These two have seen the ugly side of love and have vowed to separate themselves far from it. Hurt and betrayal have followed them in life and they are finally learning to break free. There is so much healing that takes place in this story. It is beautiful but gut wrenching. Noah is a rather important character from another one of Faith’s books, Man of My Dreams, and his story and heartbreak is spelled out in quite clearly in that book. We see him lose the girl and move away to find meaning somewhere else. Willow has had hear dreams ripped out from under her and her story is one that brings tears to your eyes. When you put two people like this together, there is a major potential for a messy broken story, but there is also potential for a beautiful story of love and redemption.
I enjoyed the chemistry and relationship between Noah and Willow. These two seem so different at first but the more they engage and spend time together, you learn that their connection is real. I loved watching Noah learn to let go of the past and open his heart again. Willow is the perfect woman for him. It was quite humorous to watch him attempt to find excuses for why they should stay away from each other and why it would not work. Once he finally realizes what is in from of him, Willow doesn’t stand a chance. Their chemistry is passionate. They work together so well, both professionally and socially. They click and it is so obvious from what Faith shares of their story. Noah is the type of man Willow needs to bounce back, both in the present and future. He is someone who can ground her and help her heal. Watching her struggle was so sad but beautiful. Seeing her work through the emotions and the heartache allows us to connect in a real and powerful way. Her story is not pretty and the reality of it all was something so relevant.
The secondary characters are great in this story, adding depth to what we read. The story between Willow and Noah is beautiful but these other people add more leaves to the branches of their tree. Friends though thick and thin. Family that loves them. I loved seeing how people were vital to their lives. They thrived with the ones they loved surrounding them. It flushes out the story in such a way that makes you think of the loved ones and friends that support you.
Another theme that I loved was Noah’s work and they way these two volunteered. When tragedy hit with Hurricane Sandy, they helped out and made a lasting impact on the community. I love Habitat for Humanity and seeing those little details in this story made me smile. After the Storm is brimming with romance, passion, heartache, loss, new beginnings, and hope. Noah and Willow fight for a future and their story is beauty in both the tragedy and love they walk in. If I had to describe this book in two words they would be passionate hope. That is what this story is about. Through the good, the bad, and the ugly, when they persevere, there is something bright at the end of the tunnel.
Tilting her head and curling her hair between her fingers, her gorgeous mouth forms a megawatt smile “Wow. Every time I learn something new about you, I’m more and more impressed.”
She’s flirting, I’m not an idiot, but I don’t want to lead her on so I change the subject. “How about you? Were you born in California? I know you went to college out here from your resume, but—”
“There is no but,” she interrupts. “I have the most unexciting life imaginable. I was born and raised in Del Mar. I have two younger brothers, parents divorced when I was little, and Dad lives in Oregon with his new wife, Marcy. I went to college close to home to help Mom with the boys, and Sloane has been my best friend since fifth grade. That’s me in a nutshell. Boring, plain, uneventful. No one cares about keeping up with this Jones.”
I can’t quite read her. She rambled it off so quickly it almost sounds rehearsed. I have nothing else to go on, so I can’t tell if she’s hiding or avoiding something. I don’t pry, because I don’t like talking about my past either. And because of that, I’ve learned to always make small talk and keep the attention off me with flattery.
“I find it hard to believe that there’s anything boring about you, Willow Jones. You’re beautiful and smart and you have the whole world ahead of you.” Nice! Now I sound like her father. It just came out without thinking. I meant it as a compliment—a not too forward one—but by the wearied look on her face, I can tell she took it the wrong way. Damn, this woman brings me close to choking on my own tongue. What the hell?
“I guess you’ll just have to take my word for it since you seem to avoid me every chance you get.” She looks down again, making it impossible to read her face. She was flirting and I misled her with my goo-goo eyes.
Fuck! She found a way to catch me off guard and now I have to backtrack to fix this mess. Getting involved with a co-worker—or any woman right now—just isn’t on my to-do list. “I’m not avoiding you, Willow. I’m just not the guy for you.” I can’t say it’s not taking serious willpower to stay away. It’s hard to always be the good guy. Where the hell is Tori when I need her? I need to be bad. Very, very bad.
Instead of deterring her, my dismissal makes her bolder. Or maybe it’s the second vodka and cran. Willow pouts—intentionally, for sure—and those pretty, glossy lips snatch my attention. It’s so fucking sexy that my dick grows hard against my zipper and I shift in my seat so I don’t bring notice to the bulge in my pants. “Blaze warned me about you, you know.”
“Oh, really?” Now I’m curious. “Please enlighten me on the bullshit my friend’s fed you.” Blaze means well, but he always shares a little too much.
Willow laughs, exposing the smooth skin of her neck as her head falls back. What I wouldn’t give to taste that spot right there. Stop tempting me, Willow. You’re making this—and me—harder than it has to be.
She points a finger in my face, waving it around. “You see, if you’d accept my invitation to lunch once in a while, I could fill you in on all the bullshit he’s told me. But until I hear it from you, I’m forced to believe him.”
“Oh come, on. You’ve been working for me long enough to know I almost never take a lunch break. I eat on the site most days. That’s if I even get the chance. And like I said, I’m not the guy for you.” Keep saying it. It’s bound to sink in.
