Hurricane

Hurricane #1

by Jenna-Lynne Duncan

Adriana couldn’t decide what was worse—that Hurricane Katrina was heading for New Orleans, or that she might not survive her kidnapping to see its potential effects. She had trusted Hayden, even fallen for him, and now he and his brother Luke were taking her deeper and deeper into the Bayou. Why had two of her classmates, the mysterious Boudreaux brothers, kidnapped her? Why had Adriana’s dreams started predicting the future? Most importantly, would she make it out of the Bayou alive…

A portion of the sales from 'Hurricane' will be going to the New Orleans Area Habitat Humanity for Humanity.

Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult Paranormal, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance

208 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2011

About the author

Jenna-Lynne Duncan likes to write heart-stopping, page-turning, haunting romance in all YA genres. With a love for travel and special connection to the Middle East, she explores different cultures and different languages. Her current Young Adult releases are titled Hurricane, Tempest, and Aftermath (Divertir Publishing) and the forthcoming Blue Tide. Jenna graduated with degrees in Middle Eastern Studies, Political Science, and International Studies. BLUE TIDE was the recent winner of RWA’s Romancing the Lake contest. She welcomes those to contact her on Twitter, @JennaLynneD, or her website: www.Jenna-Lynne.com

Reviews

[katrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, so where do I start, do I mention this book has two hotty brothers,** SWOON BIG TIME **
one a good guy( Initially at first you may not think so - you may want to kick his arragant arse ) and one a baddy- but goody... hard to explain but you must read to find out? Now you're thinking oh this is De JA vu two brothers one bad - one good you have heard it all before!!

Well you're wrong...

Jenna has created a unique storyline to go with her great cast of characters. Characters that I'm sure will have to hot to trot and eagerly reading to find out why and whats happening. !!!


An intriguing storyline, masterfully woven, containing the world of the paranormal, but also with extra goodies thrown in to suck you in - a world that Jenna has created. Paranormals, voodoo,, spells, potions... hmmm now your intrigued right !

Hurricane contains - Romance, kick arse- action, a little bit of love and also twist in the storyline I'm sure you won't see coming. A kickarse female character that certainly stands her ground, knows what she wants and takes charge. No whiny girl, like in some Ya novels, this girl was certainly a sight for sore eyes!!! Adriana was a bomb and did as she pleased and what she thought was right. There was enough romance, action and suspense to keep your interest piqued throughout, villians Im sure you would love to do some serious mojo on and also times when you giggle. ** remember to never accept drinks from strangers no matter how good it tastes lol **

Jenna created a rich setting in New Orleans - before and after , and the effects after the Hurricane Katrina, the devastation and also blended with interesting information to her story that I'm sure you will be googling afterwards in regards to New Orleans - The ghosts and other interesting aspects. The setting being realistic and the devastation also.
A great cast of supporting characters that are easily liked. Two hotties for us to drool over, both mysterious yet sexy, I'm sure you will find it hard to work out where the boy's interests lead. This is a turn of events I'm sure will leave your heart palpitating and wandering Hmmmm .. ** swoon ** I want them both !! lol.

An added bit of extra (( cant tell to much )) - to the story giving it that paranormal element I love to see.

The story was steadily paced, dialogue fluent and chapters all running smoothly from one to the next. A well paced storyline, creating memento as it went on and Jenna added more as she went to give it that ** I WANT MORE ** effect. As the story continued the plot thickened and I'm sure that my pages where almost wafting as I sped through to find out more! The only downfall - of course I wanted more !!! An ending I didn't predict... what so ever, but this leaves a lot open for us to think about !

Hurricane takes you on a Journey with Adriana - her life without a mother,her fathers lack of interest in her, her lonlieness - the before , during and after effects of Cyclone Katrina, meeting two strange boys who say they want to protect her , yet kidnap her, and introduced to a world she never knew existed. A world filled with magic - potions, mayhem, murder,mystery and a world of Paranormals Im sure you have never crossed before !!


We are left at an ending I'm sure will leave you wanting more. I eagerly look forward to book 2 to find out where the love interests lead and to find out more into Adriana and her new found sight!

[Gilbert&Gomez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book touched something special in me because I've lived in the New Orleans area for my entire life. I knew that as soon as I read this book it would be different from all the other books that I've read with New Orleans in them. This book actually talked about home, life in New Orleans, the history of this mysterious city. Hurricane did that and more because Jenna-Lynne actually lived here. She described everything down to the color of the street signs in the French Quarter.


It was interesting because the main character, Adriana, she lives in basically around the corner from where I live in reality. Every moment out of the book I could see happening in front of my eyes by just looking out my window. Jenna-Lynne combined realty and the book world and made them one for me. I've never experienced anything like it before. Then, when she got to the parts about Katrina I flashed back to my personal experience with evacuating and seeing the news show how that hurricane destroyed everything I knew and loved. I feel connected to this book because it's so close to reality; New Orleans is the city known for mystery and the paranormal.


I loved this book. I think out of the two male leads I like Hayden but there is just something about Luke. He just makes me want to pay more attention to him; he is the quiet type but also observant. While Hayden has more classic gentlemanly qualities, Luke has a more modern twist to it. Anyway, Team Luke all the way! Everyone should read this book because it shows the true New Orleans in all its mystical and party glory.

[Fatima · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review:

The setting was fabulous and I have never read a book set around a hurricane and i was glad it was just in the backround and didn't drive the plot.

I really liked Ana. She seemed like someone who would be my friend in real life and she was the perfect balance of a heroine. She wasn't weak but she wasn't kick butt tough (sometimes thats even more annoying than whiny).

I liked how Hayden and her didn't instantly fall in love. You could tell they had chemistry throughout the book but they didn't act on their feelings until the latter half of the book after her kidnapping.

The kidnapping was well played out. I mean wow what a way to get kidnapped and during the chaos of hurricane evacuations... just wow! Her reaction to it was very realistic and she actually tried to escape. I want to shake the heroine's who don't give it there all. I thought it was funny how she drank the potion from the voodoo woman. I can't believe that was in there! It was great! I think it was supposed to knock her out but seems like our heroine is immune... hm. anyway, turns out the brothers had a very good reason to kidnap Ana.

And Luke... wow wasn't expecting that, that's all I'm saying! But me like...

My thoughts:

I loved this book! wow! I would love to see this as a movie, I hope they make it one day. I am dying to see who the brothers would be! Overall, the book was well-written and and left me guessing the entire time! I could not believe how it turned out. I am very excited for the second book!

[Nikki Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

"This just didn’t happen to girls like me. This just didn’t happen to anyone."

hehe LOVED this book! I cant wait for the next one!!!! I loved the intro. It was creative, from a different point of view and I liked how I had to keep reading to find out who was speaking. Any book that begins with Damn is OK in my book!

"Damn. I never should have agreed to this. What is he thinking? Here we are in a piece of crap pickup truck on our way to sit outside of a supermarket to kidnap this girl. Damn. He’d better not be falling for her. Sure she’s cute, but I can’t think about that." Talk about an interesting opening to a novel!

Oh you know, Adriana is your average psychic teen who is kidnapped by two hotties from her school who have secrets of their own. I loved the setting of New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina. The writing was beautiful and so were the descriptions especially when they returned to New Orleans after the Hurricane.

One more and then I'm done...

"She doesn’t even have shoes on” He was trying to reconcile something in his head while talking to Luke.
“In all the time you spent in that shack, you forgot to pack her shoes?” Luke asked rhetorically, shaking his head in both wonder and disappointment. “Look, we’re in the boonies. I am sure shoes are optional, as are a full set of teeth.”

hehe I love Luke! What I wouldn't do to be Adriana. I could totally imagine Hayden being in her house at this scene to get her things. what WAS he doing in there?

[Kristin A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jenna-Lynn Duncan begins Hurricane several days before Hurricane Katrina destroys New Orleans. The prologue had me hooked and I found each page full of exciting events and trivia about New Orleans’ culture. I have always wanted to visit New Orleans and now I know I have to, and yes I know this is a purely fictional tale. The characters brought this story to life, allowing you to fall into the story.

Adriana is a seventeen year old young lady who suffers from loneliness and the insecurities of feeling out of place in her normal world. She begins having precognitions the night before the first day of school which will prove to be true.

Nikki is one of Adriana’s only friends – boy crazy-friends at that.

Marie is another friend of Adriana’s that makes a couple of appearances in the story.

Hayden Boudreaux is one of the sexy brothers that just moved into town. He has every girl swooning when he walks by. When it comes to Adriana he runs hot and cold…you never know what to expect.

Luke Boudreaux is the second half of the brotherly duo and it doesn’t sound like he lacking in the looks department either.

Elizabeth and Christopher are Luke and Hayden’s parents. They look fondly on Adriana, welcoming her openly into their family of mystery.

Marie Laveau is the Voodoo Queen who cursed generations to a life of murder and immortality.

I fell in love with this mysterious and haunting tale from the very beginning. The prologue is written from one of Adriana’s kidnappers point of view. This took you into the middle of the story so even if the beginning seemed to drag a little – you had to keep reading. This is one of the best uses of a prologue that I have seen in a long time. Bravo to you Ms. Duncan.

New Orleans is one of those places that is naturally surrounded by mystery and culture…from Voodoo to Marti Gras. The events that took place in Hurricane transported you into that mysterious culture. There were points that I was completely creeped out and points that I wanted nothing more but to get in my car and drive there. And the description leading up to Hurricane Katrina…well it took me back to that time. I felt like I was the one preparing to evacuate.

The Boudreaux brothers are anything but the boys next door. When there attention falls on the wallflower, Adriana, she becomes extremely curious. Not that they gave her any answers, but she asked her questions all the same. I really liked Adriana as a protagonist, she was strong – not in a kick your butt sort of way…but she didn’t whine and she just went with the flow. Once she figured out who she could trust, she was loyal without question or concern.

This is a highly recommended book that will transport you to another place.

*Important note – a part of the proceeds from this book go to the Habitat for Humanity – New Orleans.

[SATIN SUE · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book in New Orleans with Adriana and a new school year. The night before Adriana started back at school she had a dream about 2 boys starting her school, she was very confused about this dream because the next day it came true. When she got to school the next day and she finally met the new guys (which were hot by the way) she finds that they are in the same classes as her. Adriana starts to think there is something about the boys that are really strange about the boys but she couldn't sort out what it was. one night when Adriana left a party and she starts to feel this strange pull. she doesn't understand whats going on and she ends up at this house . the house has some kind of a pull over she feels the pull even more and she stop her self from walking towards it but before she can reach the front door some one crabs her (Hayden) and drags her away from the house. He doesn't explain whats going on all he does was drops her at home. The next day at school Adriana learns the horrid past of the house (and may I may i add its very sick). Adriana finds herself growing closer to Hayden but when she does he pushes her away. while struggling with her feelings for him the town comes under attack by a Hurricane.Things end up getting exciting when Hayden and his brother Luke end up kidnapping Adriana and the real world and the one of the supernatural end up mixing.




My overall views:

I think this book was amazing. It was one of the best ebooks iv read in a long time. it got me right from the begging. Jenna really has a way with words that keep you interested and glued to the books. The only down side i could find was i wanted Adriana to end up with Luke and not Hayden lol. There is so many twists in this book that you do think omg whats gonna happen now. I think who every hasnt read this book should yet should go out and buy right away, id like to add that if you do buy this book then some of the money you pay will go to the charity the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanities. so not only do you get some really good heart pounding , kickass action but you get to help people who are in great need.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something happened in New Orleans in 2005. A city was inundated and almost died, but rose again from the flood and, I’m told, is vibrantly alive. The events of Jenna-Lynne Duncan’s novel, Hurricane, take place before and after that fateful storm, with a frantic race against time through Biloxi taking place as wind and water sweep the streets. The author recreates a slow life of poverty shaped by school, the dawning of fear as wider things threaten, the reluctance to move, and the final return to devastated lands awaiting renewal. But there’s another storm threatening the protagonist of this tale. Seventeen-year-old Ana, with “a dark cloud hovering over my head—literally, because it had started to rain,” has been dreaming of strangers and danger and, when two handsome new students arrive, realizes her dreams are starting to come true. But these are frightening dreams, and a strange urgency seems to be directing her path.

New Orlean’s eccentricities, and the threat hanging over the town form a perfect backdrop for Ana’s tale. Estranged from her father and his lover, odd-girl-out in class, awkward, beautiful, with seriously overworked body and imagination, she waits unknowing for her disaster just as the city does. Meanwhile the watchers may be friend or foe, and her life may be worth everything or else worth nothing at all.

Teen angst and the self-absorption of teens are told in a natural voice, with all the distractions, occasionally odd word choices, and repetitions required by teenagerhood. The plot is intriguing, the mythology curious and original enough to demand a sequel, and the protagonist, while reminiscent of all-too-many modern teen heroines, is placed in a fascinating, well-drawn environment with Katrina pleasingly underscoring the story’s supernatural tones.

Disclosure: I was given a free ecopy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Monique James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adriana's mom has never been part of her life, and her father is slowly backing away. Life with nothing, but a catastrophic hurricane

looming down on the city she loves, allows her to yield to the opportunity to find out about another world that exists; a world she is a part

of. Being a lover of all things, Louisiana, made this one a no-brainer for me. Jenna Lynn's descriptions of the city of New Orleans made me long

to walk the French Quarter and nostalgic for pre-Katrina days. Jenna Lynn is a wonderful storyteller and you will be sucked into the

new world she has created and left wanting more. Don't miss this one!!!

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in my blog:
http://readwriteleave.blogspot.com/20...

Reading the first chapters, I believed I have read too many books with the same concept: A new guy comes into school (or two guys, like in this book), girl doesn't fall in love with him unlike the rest of the girls and then weird things start happen. Does it sound familiar? If not, you probably haven't read enough books.

Hurricane is nothing like them. I am going to admit I was disappointed at first but soon I've been proved to be wrong. Along with the unique aspect of the story- the hurricane, the plot finds its own way. You think you've figured it out, you think you can't be surprised anymore. Well, not true! I am impressed.

Adriana is not going to be described as my new favorite character. Honestly, I thought she was weak and afraid. She didn't stand up against people and usually let them do whatever they want without asking her. However, I loved the fact she tried to fight everything, especially in what she believed, mostly alone. For an instance: her reactions when the hurricane was announced were different than other people's. Adriana was human, after all, and it was wonderful to see her grows up and gets straightened during the book.

The other characters were well- described. Her father, her friends and the new characters she meets along the way. Her feelings are quite clear any moment and you can understand the reasons for her actions even though you may not agree with them. Overall, the writing is good. It leaves you a door into the story and lets you feel like a part of it.

I love history and New Orleans' is a great one. It's amazing to see how the author merged the city's history and culture as a huge part of the story. The hurricane's story was so unique, special and excited. It felt like I can really relate to this disaster, that somehow I actually can feel a bit of the pain of what these people are going through. Duncan has done excellent job.

In the last pages, when I was waiting for everything to work out, I found out there is second book in Hurricane series. It hope I'll get the chance to read it when it comes out.

Hurricane is a special and great paranormal story about family, love, and dealing with horrible events, like a hurricane. Adriana's story shows us her dealing with pain and loss. I believe it is exceptional story. I loved it and recommend it!

[Cecilia (rather barefoot than bookless) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It might not look like much, but this book is actually really good. I had a really hard time putting it down. I was glued to my smart phone while reading this. It was probably because you kept wondering what the deal with Adriana was. What is she? And what is the brothers? Why did they kidnap her? Yeah a lot of questions, and you will keep having questions through out this book, some of the really big questions never get answered so it is good that there will be a sequel to this one because otherwise I would be very disappointed. I like the way Duncan describes the surroundings in the book, sometimes I feel like there is to little of that, but not in her book and she does a good job! I would love to visit New Orleans after reading this book. I also like the characters in this book and the problems that they have to face.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks Jenna-Lynne Duncan for sending me a copy!

Wow i didnt expect to love it the way i did. It was nice to read something different, it was part of the reason i liked it so much. The characters were fabulous! I loved Hayden's caring loving characer but i loved the passion and vigor that Luke had too- how can one choose?
I think the setting of New Orleans and the event of Hurricane Katrina all contributed to making this book so gripping, you can see Ana's love for New Orleans, the culture and life that she describes is hard to ignore. The drama of the wild weather and the plot of story being intertwined, it was just cant-put-it-down material.
The story was different and it hooked me in a way i didnt expect- The ending was painful... i can not WAIT for the next one :)

Thanks so much Jenna! Chop chop with that sequel! ;-)

[Haley · Rating 4 out of 5]

oh wow...I really really really need book two!!!!!

[Daphne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Storyline was different. Loved the love story. Wish the ending was different but I'm still excited to get to the second book.

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

The night before her junior year of high school begins, Adriana has a strange dream that two new students have enrolled at her school. The very next day, she discovers that the student body is abuzz about the two new guys who have started classes at Ecole Classique – Hayden & Luke Boudreaux. She brushes it off as mere coincidence, until the premonitions keep occurring and one comes fatally true. Not only are her dreams frightening and have her questioning her self, but she finds herself increasingly perplexed by Hayden’s conflicting interest and disinterest in her.


As the storm of questions, confusion and loneliness brew within her, a similar storm is swiftly approaching her beloved hometown of New Orleans. When the city begins to go into evacuate-or-buckle-down mode, Adriana decides to stay home and weather out the storm as best she can. Instead, she finds herself the victim of a kidnapping by the very boy she’s been crushing on. As her kidnappers drag her into the heart of the bayou and into the path of the approaching hurricane, she realizes with dread that in the resulting chaos she won’t be missed. Will she figure out why the Boudreaux brothers have taken her captive, and will she discover why she’s been having disturbing premonitions of the future? And most of all, will she survive?


Adriana. While she is a character I sympathize with, she’s not one I felt a real connection to. I feel like I never got the full picture of who Adriana is, though Duncan does develop her fairly well. Maybe it’s because I find her personality hard to pin down. She’s quiet, reserved, not shy exactly, Ana just prefers to fade into the background. She longs for a “normal” life, full of friends, family, and trivial worries. Her home life is lonely – her mother gone, and her dad more concerned with his job, his girlfriend and Ana’s half-sister, than in pursuing a real relationship with her or in parenting his teenage daughter. It’s hinted that she’s had to take on a more adult role at times to keep them afloat, and I could never figure out if her dad was just clueless and neglectful or really a deadbeat. She has no involved, adult role models to speak of, and spends many of her days and nights alone, pouring her innermost thoughts into her journal. Ana’s this weird mix of anti-social, but not. She’s lonely and doesn’t feel like she knows how to relate to her few friends at school, yet she seems to at times purposefully seek out solitude instead of trying to connect to people. I wouldn’t call her a strong person necessarily, more like a survivor that circumstance has necessitated. She gets good and angry at times, but it doesn’t take much for her to fold, especially to Hayden or Luke. Though she does have her moments, I would’ve preferred a bit more backbone from Ana throughout.


Hayden & Luke. Though I find them both very interesting, I feel like I know them even less than I know Adriana. Honestly, I have a love/hate relationship with this. The two of them spend so much of the book being enigmas – at times incredibly unsettling ones at that – and I love the suspense and the mystery Duncan is able to create around their characters. On the other hand, by the time the big reveal rolls around there’s not much time to get to know them on a more personal level. In the end, I just find them to be a little bit distant and too mysterious.


Romance. The set up between Ana & Hayden is somewhat “been there, done that.” New guy in school finds our not-especially-popular heroine to be the most fascinating girl he’s ever met. Nevertheless, it’s still fun, despite Hayden’s tendency to run a very polarized hot and cold. I wish Adriana had put up more resistance against him from the beginning, because even though he’s sweet and friendly when he’s running hot, there are things about Hayden that should set a girl’s warning bells a-ringing. Some pretty serious things, like being kidnapped by him. Kidnapped. But Adriana just can’t seem to resist the allure of his charm and his beautiful green eyes. It got way too serious, way too fast on Adriana’s part – especially in light of the kidnapping – for me to really get on board with this romance.


Story. Despite the issues I had with the depth of the characters and the development of the romance, Duncan is pretty good at creating suspense, weaving a mystery and keeping that tension going. I blew through this book in an evening, because I just had to know what was going on. When the answers to the big, burning questions are revealed, it’s pretty interesting and fairly original, but I do wish Duncan had gone a little deeper into history and back story behind her paranormal world. That said, the reader is given the necessary pieces needed to figure out this particular mystery. Duncan does leave several big questions hanging until her second book. A fact which simultaneously annoys and pleases me, but ultimately leaves me curious and wanting to know more.


Overall, set against stormy, beautifully mysterious New Orleans and boasting an interesting paranormal concept, Hurricane is a fun, fast, suspenseful read.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

www.obsessionwithbooks.blogspot.com

Hurricane was kindly provided to me by author Jenna-Lynn Duncan

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Hurricane was kindly provided to me by author Jenna-Lynn Duncan.

Adriana Alexander is an only child and living with her seemingly absent father, she experiences nightly dreams that are eerily realistic and when she dreams of the arrival of two new students and finding out it has in fact come true, she starts to question her abilities.

Luke and Hayden are good-looking, smart and are showing an interest in Ani, something she is not used to – she is a loner with few friends and doesn’t welcome the attention. Luke seems to be the most infuriating whereas Hayden has more endearing qualities but runs hot and cold.

When news of the hurricane hits Ani is determined to stay behind and ride it out, she heads to the local store to stock-up on necessities but is surprised to see the handsome brothers and even more shocked when they kidnap her.

Hayden and Luke are extremely vague initially when it came to Ani and providing her with information, she knew they were different but was clueless as to why. Ms Duncan certainly had me guessing along the way and I must admit I was completely wrong (I won’t reveal what they are).

Ani is thrown into a paranormal world she didn’t know existed and took the news surprisingly well, she is taken into Luke and Hayden’s family fold and adapts to the news without question or fear, I would have liked more emotions shown and explained; Ani cried a lot but she accepted what and who they are too easily.

I found the details on historical Lalaurie eerily spooky and may be a tad graphic for the younger reader but it was only briefly touched on in conversation but necessary to the story.

There were some interesting secondary characters and I am intrigued to see how they are further developed in the sequel – especially Luke who I actually really liked and Rachel who I think knows more than she lets on. I was so irked at Ani’s father, he didn’t seem to notice she existed and she seemed to be the one looking after him rather than the other way around and to expect her to move out before she had even completed school really grated on my nerves.

There is a love triangle which I am not a fan of whatsoever and I am hoping in upcoming installments it doesn’t take over from the main storyline.

It is absolutely devastating what happened with Hurricane Katrina, the devastation and havoc it wreaked was heart-breaking. The details Ms Duncan provided were vivid and the imagery she gives puts you in the scene, you can imagine the chaos caused and the emotions it evokes. We see New Orleans before the Hurricane and also post Hurricane.

I enjoyed Ms Duncans writing, the mysterious and intriguing plot was entertaining and detailed and the characters well thought out. Hurricane is a quick and enjoyable read that had me eagerly turning the pages. I am keen to read the sequel which Ms Duncan is currently working on.

A portion of each sale of Hurricane is going to benefit the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanities – a great cause.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Check out my blog for an interview with Jenna-Lynne.*

This is a paranormal tale which included a multitude of paranormal elements and characters. Not only was the story creepy and intriguing but there was also a love element. Besides the turmoil of being hunted by a witch, falling for a distant guy and having dreams in which she can see the future, the main character is also fleeing from the biggest hurricane to hit New Orleans!

For me, this book was a page turner. There was so much happening and just when it thought I was about to get off the roller coaster, it took off for another spin. There are so many elements to this story, so many characters and forces at work, I thought the title was really fitting. Although the hurricane is one point in the story, there were so many additional things and plots that I felt that the story in and of itself was a hurricane. I felt I was being swept up into the hurricane with the characters, wondering where we all would end up. The story moved along quickly and was very fast paced. The thing I think I most enjoyed about this book was when I thought I had figured something out, I was wrong. I like being surprised by something that I thought I had so cleverly figured out and am wrong about. It adds fun and excitement and this story definitely did this for me. When I finished this story I wanted to read more, I didn't want the characters' story to end, and luckily for me, it's not going to. Jenna-Lynne is working on her next book in the series and I cannot wait to dive back into the hurricane and see what they have in store for me next!

[Marissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me just say first...I absolutely loved this story! There’s a good mix of mystery, fantasy, and of course romance. Duncan did a wonderful and creative job writing and setting a paranormal story during the time of a real life event, and everything from the setting, characters, and situations; they all came together very nicely, very impressed! I really was intrigued with the Paranormal side to this story. You’ll see what I mean as I really don’t want to give too much. There were good descriptions of different places such as the high school, exterior locations including of New Orleans, and a creepy old residence that is vital to the story, and did sorta gave me the chills, which is good, because I love when the writing is that good, that you feel what the character feels.

I really liked the character of Adriana; to me she seemed relatable in different ways from being a little shy but at the same time she can take care of herself, as she seems to do all the time, at her house, as her father is almost aways not present at home, or really in her life lately. Now I have to talk about the ‘mysterious’ Boudreaux brothers of course. I really liked both of them; they are in ways different: Hayden being like, hmm an older soul? And Luke...well he seems to be more of a mystery, reserved... but I was gladly surprised how he turned out....Anyways, this is Ms. Duncan’s debut novel, and it’s just wonderful, really enjoyed every page. I loved her writing story; every sentence flowed nicely. There were a few shockers here and there, story wise, and the ending definitely made me want to read more, so it's good there’s going to be a second book to the series, seriously can’t wait! :)

[Savannah (Books With Bite) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well this is one interesting book. I though I was in for a con-temp dealing with a hurricane but noooo, this book took me off guard giving me a great read.

What I adored most about this book is the great plot of it. Adriana life is in shambles and she faces a whole of misery. Always left alone, Adriana is on the brink of loneliness. I felt for this character right away. Being raised up without my father much in my life, I know what it is like to be set aside for my father girlfriends. Adriana dealt with it the same way I did. Keep on moving forward.

The paranormal twist took me off guard cause I was not expecting it. It was surprising yet refreshing. Upon the hurricane hitting New Orleans, Adriana comes face to face with a dark evil who has come after her. I like it when the story takes on a chance to go back to the past and learn history. Adriana is paying a heavy debt for what is did in the past. I like this. Adriana now must fight to save her life and the ones that she loves.

Now, the boys. Oh the boys are so sweet and fine. Both hotties and both totally after her, the love triangle began right away. I am not happy with this. But I am hoping that in the next book, she will choose the one for her. As of right now, both guys appeal to me. Not one had tipped the scale yet, but I will see later...

Hurricane is a rush of excitement when it comes to the story. Innovative and fresh, Hurricane faces a dark haunting past that is quickly descending upon the reader. Easy to get into Hurricane is great.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I did a release post about this book back in September with an author interview. You can read that here.
It's taken me longer than I hoped to get round to this book, not because I didn't want to read it, just life seemed to keep getting in the way. I finished it today and have to say I really enjoyed it.
It's not something I would normally have picked up to be honest but I'm glad I did, It had everything in it you could want, Love, danger, ghosts, magic, mystery and a little bit of violence.
Adriana or 'Ana' lives in New Orleans with her dad, but he's hardly ever home. There are two new boys at school, Luke and Hayden and everyone is going crazy for them, Ana tries to stay away but finds herself drawn to them. Hurricane Katrina is on it's way and a warning is out. People start evacuating, but Ana decides to stay put. That is until she is kidnapped by the mysterious brothers.
I loved the suspense of this book, it keeps you wondering who the boys really are and what they want. There are a lot of twists, some I really didn't expect, that kept me totally hooked.
The book is fast paced and exciting. Once I had started I wanted to know more and snatched any minute I could to dip in.
I only wish I had read it sooner, this book was much more than I had expected.

[Mandy Reads Indie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The night before Ana’s first day of school, she has a weird dream that two new students start school. Not thinking much about it until she gets to school, she realizes her dream came true. Brothers, Hayden and Luke captivate the entire female student body and Ana is not immune to their good looks either. After finally catching a glimpse of Hayden, she cannot take her eyes off of him. But Hayden’s hot and cold attitude is infuriating. One minute he seems interested in her and the next he claims they cannot be friends. Right before Hurricane Katrina is to hit New Orleans, Ana is kidnapped by the brothers. While fleeing the impending storm, Ana hates to admit she is falling for Hayden.
When I first started reading Hurricane I immediately became hooked. Duncan is a fantastic story teller giving you the perfect amount of romance, suspense and mystery throughout the book. One second I was swooning and the next I was gripping my nook so tight wondering what the heck would happen next. Great characters and storyline made for addictive read. You will fly through the book eager to find out its secrets.

Also, a portion of the sales of this book goes to help New Orleans.

[T. Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am very picky about my YA books and I read the summary on this one and thought it sounded right up my alley! Boy was I glad I took a chance on it! I love this book! I can't wait for the next one to come out. Duncan will be an auto-buy for me.

I loved the writing. The writing is first person past tense and has a very personal feel to it. The novel had me hooked from the prologue and it kept me on the edge of my seat from there.

If you're the type of person who falls in love with fictional characters like I am, you will fall in love with Hayden and Luke!

I didn't realize this was a paranormal romance when i bought it but it turned out to be a good thing. The storyline was unique and had several twists!!

Arg, I still can't get the story and characters out of my head!! I suppose that's a good thing...

[Kayce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot but some things just didn't make sense.
She kind of fell for her kidnapper
Witch in real life would never happen
In real life you would be screaming and running away
But in this most of the time she is drooling all over Hayden
I did want them to fall for each other but I just thought that, that point in the book was not the right time for that.
I also kind of felt bad for Luke he seemed to pushed out of the picture a lot I just felt bad for him.
I thought that adriana was a bit stupid in the end she went of to kill herself to free Hayden or something but if he truely loved her wouldn't he feel like it was his fault like it was his fault she killed herself (well not really kill herself but give up her life to save him from his life) wouldn't she be hurting him more ???
Well anyway I did like it though. :-) xx

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna, Two hot guys, New Orleans. great start to a book that quickly confused me. What is Anna? why are these two trying to kill Her? Hayden falls in love with Anna so he decides not to kill her. then she meets his Immortal family. Luke profess his love for her after spending half the book being a douche to her. There is a lot of New Orleans in this book. love that. then the ending starts to clear up my confusion. even though I didn't love this book, I have a feeling the next will be so much better. We will find out what Anna is and the Men Luke and Hayden will have a death match to win her heart????LOL. Should be intersting. I GOT TO SAY I'll be anticipating Aftermath.

[Brittany Mayo · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Hurricane" has you pulled in from the start! Keeps you on your seat. It's well written and layed out. You feel like your right there the entire time. 5 stars easy! It's a good and easy read that many would enjoy!!

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED THIS BOOK AMAZING.

[Janet Thibult · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and couldnt stop obsessing over it as soon as I finished. I wish it was longer! I love love Hayden and Luke! I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE SEQUEL!!!!

[Heathersbookreview · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an author request. I LOVED this book. I read it in a day and a half and it was amazing. I will be doing a review on it on my youtube channel in a few days!

[Sibilla · Rating 1 out of 5]

I actually thought this book would be something interesting with the background and a little aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It is not the base of the story but I thought it had a nice touch. I liked the supernatural aspects, but that was pretty much it what I liked.

A lot of times I was very confused and found the storytelling with a lot of holes. It felt like, pages of dialogue were missing. The reading process didn't feel comfortable and I had a problem with the heroine, Adriana Alexander. The kidnapping didn't really feel like kidnapping and not much got explained about the backstory of the Everlasts or what they actually do or their entire world for that matter. Everything felt so out of place.

I understand this should be a story about a girl that falls in love with two guys, but the buildup to that point is totally missing. No, it is just ... BAM ... and she is in love. Really?

Again there is no buildup and I didn't feel any connection between Ana (short for Adriana) and Hayden or Ana and Luke. I know love at first sight can happen, but in this story I didn't feel it through the writing. There was no believable attracting there or that they get to know each other a little bit.

Most of the time it's just Ana's thoughts and a guy in the room who doesn't really talk to her or explain to her the things she should know or even understand the new world she's put into. Some of it got explained, yes. But I thought it was not enough. And then she just knows things, but there is no indication she got told these things.

Huh?

[Cheryl · Rating 1 out of 5]

Adrianna (Ana) lives in New Orleans with her father and has dreams that eerily come true, some are little and meaningless premonitions, other are much larger and involve visions of death. The Boudreaux brothers, Hayden and Luke, just moved to town and attract everyone’s attention with their good looks, not to mention the rumors that swirl around them and their family. The story takes place at the end of August, 2005, which means Hurricane Katrina is about to hit the Gulf. Just before this happens, Ana is kidnapped by the Boudreauxs.

I liked the idea of the book, but it had some real flaws. A huge one was one of my real peeves in books: insta-love. In the thirteen days they know each other, Ana barely talks to Hayden, who, in typical insta-love fashion, runs hot (which means he talks to her) one minute and cold (which means he says they can’t even be seen together; of course, she thinks it’s because he’s embarrassed by her), yet she’s fallen madly in love with him and, we find, vice versa. It actually gets better, and by better I mean worse, than that, but I don’t want to give away what’s supposed to be a surprise, though I really didn’t think was a huge shock.

I also didn’t like the Ana very much. She cried all the time, was whiny, wallowed in self-pity and was overly melodramatic about everything. I never felt a connection to any of the characters, in part because we saw very little interaction between them, especially in the beginning when they were supposedly falling for each other. There was paragraph where the author said that Ana talked to Hayden and got to know him better. The problem is, if the reader doesn’t get to know the characters or see any real interaction, it just doesn’t work. The whole reason for everyone wanting Ana wasn’t fully explained and things were tied up too neatly.

Some of the things that were used to, kind of, move the story along were just goofy. I get that there have to be reasons that teenagers in books are without parental supervision throughout a lot of a story, but it was just over the top here. Ana’s dad is either always working or spending time with his girlfriend, with whom he has a baby. Before Katrina hit there's a mandatory evacuation order in effect, so he's rushing to pick up his girlfriend, yet doesn't have a problem with Ana staying. After the hurricane hit he told Ana that his girlfriend and kid were moving in and he was basically kicking her out; she was going to be moving out soon anyway. Did I mention that she’s is a junior in high school?! I see a Father of the Year award in this guy’s future!

Also, she wakes up on a bed that’s wider than her twin back home, then is told that the sheets are from her bed. At one point in the book, she jumps in a car which is stick, she doesn’t know how to drive stick, and manages to drive off after grinding the gears some. I drive stick, and there’s no way you’re going to jump in and be able to drive it right off the bat if you don’t know how to work the clutch. There were other things that just didn’t make sense, like Ana’s kidnapped and she realizes that they'd talked about killing her, yet she never took advantage of chances to call attention to her teenaged kidnappers, or to escape. She went from being terrified to enraptured with her captors; it was like she had a sped up version of Stockholm Syndrome.

It wasn’t just character and plot problems with this book, the writing itself needed help. Way too often the author didn’t use contractions when the characters were talking, which gave it a stilted feel. I mean, teenagers who say “We will meet you there.” instead of we’ll is okay once or twice, but it was over and over. There were also several times when the author used words incorrectly and it just didn’t make sense. For example:“Yes. I was beaming with intrigue.” How does one beam with intrigue?

I realize I’ve pretty much ripped this book apart, and I understand that it takes a lot of work, time, etc. to write a book, but there were just too many problems with Hurricane for me to even consider recommending this book.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

www.obsessionwithbooks.blogspot.com

My rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Hurricane was kindly provided to me by author Jenna-Lynn Duncan.

Adriana Alexander is an only child and living with her seemingly absent father, she experiences nightly dreams that are eerily realistic and when she dreams of the arrival of two new students and finding out it has in fact come true, she starts to question her abilities.

Luke and Hayden are good-looking, smart and are showing an interest in Ani, something she is not used to – she is a loner with few friends and doesn’t welcome the attention. Luke seems to be the most infuriating whereas Hayden has more endearing qualities but runs hot and cold.

When news of the hurricane hits Ani is determined to stay behind and ride it out, she heads to the local store to stock-up on necessities but is surprised to see the handsome brothers and even more shocked when they kidnap her.

Hayden and Luke are extremely vague initially when it came to Ani and providing her with information, she knew they were different but was clueless as to why. Ms Duncan certainly had me guessing along the way and I must admit I was completely wrong (I won’t reveal what they are).

Ani is thrown into a paranormal world she didn’t know existed and took the news surprisingly well, she is taken into Luke and Hayden’s family fold and adapts to the news without question or fear, I would have liked more emotions shown and explained; Ani cried a lot but she accepted what and who they are too easily.

I found the details on historical Lalaurie eerily spooky and may be a tad graphic for the younger reader but it was only briefly touched on in conversation but necessary to the story.

There were some interesting secondary characters and I am intrigued to see how they are further developed in the sequel – especially Luke who I actually really liked and Rachel who I think knows more than she lets on. I was so irked at Ani’s father, he didn’t seem to notice she existed and she seemed to be the one looking after him rather than the other way around and to expect her to move out before she had even completed school really grated on my nerves.

There is a love triangle which I am not a fan of whatsoever and I am hoping in upcoming installments it doesn’t take over from the main storyline.

It is absolutely devastating what happened with Hurricane Katrina, the devastation and havoc it wreaked was heart-breaking. The details Ms Duncan provided were vivid and the imagery she gives puts you in the scene, you can imagine the chaos caused and the emotions it evokes. We see New Orleans before the Hurricane and also post Hurricane.

I enjoyed Ms Duncans writing, the mysterious and intriguing plot was entertaining and detailed and the characters well thought out. Hurricane is a quick and enjoyable read that had me eagerly turning the pages. I am keen to read the sequel which Ms Duncan is currently working on.

A portion of each sale of Hurricane is going to benefit the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanities – a great cause.