When Storms Collide

Realm of Istmere #3

by Michelle Frohman

Weather the storm. Break the curse. Claim the crown.

Diana’s magic is her greatest strength and her deadliest weakness. The only thing keeping her tempestuous powers in check is her bond with Nikolai, the Nightshade she loves. So when Donika—her half sister and the usurper queen—turns Nikolai into a monstrous Noctani, Diana’s world begins to unravel.

Desperate to save Nikolai from the queen’s darkness, Diana embarks on a perilous journey to find the antidote that will restore his humanity. But with her throne still in Donika’s iron grip and her abilities growing dangerously unstable, time is running out to reclaim her kingdom. Victory has never felt so far away.

Diana knows that power demands sacrifice. And in the end. . . there will be only one victor when the storms collide.

In the stunning finale to the Realm of Istmere trilogy, When Storms Collide concludes its spellbinding tale of magic, romance, vengeance, and salvation.

488 pages, Paperback

Published June 17, 2025

About the author

Michelle Frohman is a writer, avid reader, and devoted animal lover with a passion for crafting captivating fantasy and paranormal romance tales.

She resides in New England with her three beloved cats—Kasha, the spicy one; Kiwi, the sensitive one; and Peach, the fluffy one—who provide endless inspiration (and occasional keyboard interference).

When she’s not lost in a book or writing her next novel, she can be found indulging in her love for interior design, riding horses, or drinking an arguably excessive amount of peach tea.

Reviews

[Ali Alley EscapeThroughABook · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had a lot going on in a good way! The book is very action packed, and plot driven. I actually liked this book more than book 2 TBH. I think maybe it was because of the angsty romance issue that is present. It gave the whole villain vibes, and well Im a sucker for a villain. I just cant help it. It was a pleasant surprise. There is spice, and the book is quite a bit spicer than book 2. Which I absolutely am not complaining about, as we know I love spice. It is open door spice, but not like super descriptive open door. I felt like the ending was wrapped up pretty well, and of course built up nicely to it. There is kind of a “what?!” Moment mentioned at the end of or the book that had me going, “you dropped this on us? Then end the trilogy?!” Then I realized shes doing a book for Donika, and I was like oh. These authors are devious, and I love them! They always have us coming back for more.

This Fantasy Romance is book 3 in the Realm of Istmere trilogy. The romance in this book is a pre established relationship from previous books that has new problems to overcome. The book does have open door spice. Diana’s magic is unbound, and Nikolai is now a monster. Donika is building her army bigger, while Diana continues to try to figure out to stop her. As well as save Nikolai. Diana knows her magic is the only answer to win this war. It’s her greatest ally, and enemy. This is a heart racing romantasy thats packed full of action, making it hard to put down.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

📱Ebook

[Sara Beasley]

I always go into every book hoping to love it, especially when the premise holds so much promise. This one had elements that initially intrigued me, but unfortunately, it just didn’t work for me in the end.

While the author clearly poured passion into this story, it felt like a blend of tropes and plot points I’ve seen in other books—but without the cohesion or emotional payoff to make it feel fresh or meaningful. There were moments that left me confused by the characters’ choices, and the FMC’s constant repetition made it hard to stay engaged. I found myself skimming more and more until I ultimately decided to put it down.

That said, I know every reader connects with stories differently, and I hope others find what they’re looking for here. The world has potential—it just didn’t hit the mark for me personally.

[Lisa Beloved · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC review
Actual rating: 4.5 -> rounded up to 5 on GR

This was a worthy conclusion of a great witchy trilogy! We had some more unexpected plot twists, a final battle and a lot of love & magic


There are a few reasons why I can’t give it the full 5 stars. They aren’t major issues, but they do contains spoilers, so click at your own risk:⚠️

Diana gets captured by Nic while he is Noctani. The capture, which lasts several weeks, leads to a weird sexual relationship between dark Jic and Diana. It felt like a desperate move from a hostage to keep the hostage taker happy. Diana felt both guilty and driven to do so. On a psychological level I imagine this isn’t unrealistic. But it was quite hard to read, especially when it became graphic. It is a choice the author made and I respect, although I don’t really approve.

There were a few plot holes towards the end. One major one was how little Diana used her powers, specifically dream walking, more to her advantage. It would have been an easy way to turn the battle in her favor early on and not go on a treasure hunt for Donika.
There were several other leads the author didn’t pick back up, which i personally find frustrating. Why mention the power of dream walking and leaving a token that you never use again? Why emphasize how weird the dynamic and emotional struggle became once Nics dad Zachariah came into the picture, but then dropping that (only mentioning briefly that he was killed in battle)? Why not give us a conclusion concerning Corian? This is a debut author with this trilogy and it is nothing major. I guess I am just used to super complex fantasy books where no thread stays unused and those had such promising potential… this is the main reason why it isn’t a full 5 stars. Everything else was AMAZING

Speaking about the trilogy as a whole I have to say I really enjoyed the story! The witch realm is small (you can literally walk from one end to the other in a couple of days), but that made it all the more cozy and lovable. The magic system wasn’t too complex, but unique enough to be captivating and fun. The plot twists were great, the love story developed at a good pace and the end of this story was both happy and sad. Happy because good truly won and the rightful heir sat on the throne. Sad because I now have to leave Istmere and I am not sure I am ready for that 😢

Give this series a chance! You won’t regret it

[bookishpadawan · Rating 5 out of 5]

▸Paranormal fantasy
▸Enemies to Lovers
▸Witches and Shapeshifters
▸Slow burn
▸Touch her and d1e
▸Stolen throne
▸Sisters feud
▸Female villain
▸Hidden realms
▸Hidden identities
▸Dark secrets
▸Lies and Betrayals
▸Finale to Realms of Istmere

Once my magic was bound, I could kill Donika and end this war once and for all. The people of Istmere deserved to live in peace.

After Nik and Isaac turned into monstrous Noctani, Diana and her friends looked for a way to restore Nik and Isaac's humanity while also looking for a way to defeat the more powerful Donika and take the throne back to its rightful owner. but a way to restore humans who turned into Noctani was not easy, Diana had to stab a knife covered in her blood right into Nik's heart—while she had to avoid Noctani's bite lest it drains all her power.

I knew that there would be a price for Istmere to free itself from tyranny, but it was a heavy price indeed. I would never allow myself to forget about the sacrifices those around me had made. About the sacrifices I had made.

I like this book the most, what a great finale!!✨🤩 Diana becomes more mature and stronger emotionally and mentally, which makes her perfect to be Queen of Istmere. in war not everyone can make it, and in this book, Diana can face it well and keep moving forward for the sake of her people and friends. my only complain was the war that happened to end Donika went so fast and easy.
this is a perfect finale to end Nik and Diana story after what hard they've been throughಥ‿ಥ but still the ending made me feel like this ended as HFN, because there are unanswered questions with that ending: where is Corian? is he the one who took Donika's child? who is the father of Donika's child? what if in the future Donika's child comes back and avenges her mother's death? I am so ready if I have to go back to Istmere! if you love a good witchy book, sisters feud, monsters, war, and a hint of spice you definitely should read this series✨

♥️Thank you so much Michelle Frohman for the gifted copy, I'm so very grateful for the opportunity♥️

[Nicole Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give this 3 1/2 stars, but there's no half star rating system. First off, this was way too spicy. The previous books do not have that so I was not expecting it and I had to actually skip reading quite a bit because it gets very detailed and uses very sexual language. So beware of that if you're not into that. And it was multiple places and we're talking like three pages on kindle in each instance worth of smut. I read this book to see if she could resolve the terrible cliffhanger ending of book 2, which she does. I was really happy about that because it would've been terrible if there was a bad ending. I'm still kind of unsure why Diana's magic needs to be bound in order to work right. It doesn't appear to be that way with Nightshades or Shades so why hers? There also was a time inconsistency that confused me. It's the first night of her searching for something in the library, she goes and has sex all night and then the next morning Tess is supposedly looking for the same thing she'd been searching for the night before, but she says they'd been looking for it all week. So not sure how a week passed overnight. Unless I missed something by skipping the sex scene? The writing is good though. Not sure if there's going to be another book or not with the questionable ending, but it's not a super bad cliffhanger or anything, just leaves you with a question at the end that could possibly lead to another book or spinoff series.

[Em🫀📚 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading this book minutes ago & immediately needed to leave a review— this book left me feeling so many emotions, & I am so glad I decided to read not only this book, but the entire trilogy. There are so many well thought out twists & turns that made me want to keep reading. There were many, many times that I couldn’t stop reading, & many times where I felt so emotionally drawn into the story. If you’re looking for a book or a series where you feel like you’re a part of the characters journey, THIS is it. When the characters themselves experienced any sort of emotional turmoil, I felt as if I was feeling it myself. When the characters experienced any sort of joy or happiness, so did I. This is definitely a book and a series to get hooked on, something that really tugs on your heart strings! This book was a perfect ending for Diana & Nikolai (the two main characters). I’m sad to see their story end, but now I’m excited to read Michelle Frohman’s other books! This trilogy was the first I’ve read of Michelle Frohman’s work and I am beyond impressed. She really knows how to get you emotionally invested in not only the story itself, but the characters as well. All of the characters— not just the main ones. It was quite a treat reading this book and completing this trilogy, thank you Michelle! I am definitely going to read this entire trilogy again, I cannot begin to explain how in love with this trilogy I am.

[Enelyae Is Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG WHAT AN END! This book was such a fitting finish for the series. I will say I don’t know if I have ever cried more reading a book. If you have read book 2 then you know how it ended and how much the beginning of this book was just me feeling all the feels along with Diana. I was sobbing in the middle too and the end….just full on ugly crying! 😩 UGH this book hurt so good!

So…I actually really liked Nik in the middle of the book…..IYKYK 😏! I mean who doesn’t like them a little morally grey 😉! But the spice was definitely spicin’ more in this book which was great, the plot was AH-MAZ-ING, and the emotions….I can’t even!

I had the biggest hangover finishing this book! It left me sitting staring at the wall for a long time and I wouldn’t change a thing! Thank you Michelle for this wonderful journey with Diana and Nik. I am super sad to see them go but loved every minute of their story! 🫶

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 🌶️🌶️

[Katelynn Seaman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this book an hour ago. This is my first arc read and let me tell you not only this book but the whole series was a chefs kiss. I had to read the first two books first to know what all has occurred before this one, but let me tell you this has been one heck of a ride. I absolutely loved all the characters introduced throughout the books and plot twists that were revealed in each. The author did a tremendous job making the characters so relatable and easy to love as well as connect to in all three books. This last and final book was the perfect ending to Nik and Diana’s story after everything they’ve been through in this trilogy. I will be reading more of Michelle Frohman’s books after this.

[Robyn Penney · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story continues in When Storms Collide. War is looming. Everything is at stake. Nic is still a Noctani under Donika’s control. No longer being bound to him, Diana’s magic is too volatile to risk using.
The resistance is working furiously to gather more people and to carry out their plans to conquer Donika and save their loved ones she is controlling. Time is of the essence and it feels like 1 step forward and 3 steps back!
This is the finale to the trilogy and it is very tense and will keep you captivated. Will Diana save Nic? Will their love survive? Will she defeat Donika once and for all and save the realm of Istmere? Find out in this amazing finale! When Storms Collide is available now!

[Kayla Hammann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I re-read the first two books for this one. I needed it to be a continuous story.

this one had me in all the feels, all the emotions. Her writing in this really had you emotionally invested in these characters. I felt like I was really following along with them, apart of their difficult journey. frohman really has a way with words. Diana really had a full transformation but the end of this trilogy. her character growth made me love her even more. The connection and banter between her and Nik really had me in full swoon.

I love a good witchy story. The love and magic really always sucks me in. The magic system in this one specifically. This will definitely be on my list to read again.

[Spooks Reads it · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sad to see this is the end of this witchy trilogy I loved this series and highly recommend ! The authors writing makes you feel as if you're the character inside the book, Captivating doesn't even cover how good this book was let alone the previous books, it'll leave you jaw dropped quite a few times, and yes this is spicy w-o-w oh w-o-w the spice was so good !!! This book had so much different emotions in it I believe I had said what out loud a lot , Nikolai the MMC was perfect and the FMC Diana I loved her character herself. I can't wait to see whats next to come because I can't get enough of this series!

[Clarissa’s Angels Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay Angels,

It’s your favorite friendly Diana Kotova Cosplayer and fanatic. I just have to say my first read through took less than 24 hours to finish.

When I started the series and received my first ARC I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew from the description of the character I truly would love the character of Diana with my whole heart. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to go on this journey. So thank you Michelle you are so amazing with world building and everything that has to do with creating these amazing stories.
I’m so lucky to call you a friend and fellow reader aswell. I cannot wait to see what you come out with next.

Now onto the review of book three. From where this series started to how it ended I’ve been hooked. From the character dynamics of Diana and Nik or Diana and Tess or Nik and Puck etc. This book was definitely the perfect ending to this trilogy. Danika’s downfall and the fact that you find out she has a son?!!!

(I am excited to see what you do with that plotline in later books.)

After the cliffhanger in book two I wasn’t sure if I was prepared for book three, however I seriously couldn’t put it down.


Anywho Angels this series is a 10/10 and a must read.

I cannot wait to see what the amazing Michelle Frohman comes out with next (I will 100% binge whatever she comes out with.)

[Dhia Yana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got the arc copy ( thanks author 😀)

and I am grateful I got the arc cause when I finish the second book the ending makes me want to start the next book immediately. So for this book, I thought that this is final story but there's more???? I didn't expect that about Donika. My emotional when reading this book OMG!! The author is really make great element surprised (my opinion) cause every time something happened I'm in shock. But overall this is a 5 ⭐ reads for me and the whole series also 5 ⭐.

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had the opportunity to read the ARC of the third installment of the series, and I liked it. The cliffhanger from book 2 left me needing to know, and I'm happy with what happened in book 3 regarding that, for the most part.

Some aspects of certain characters annoyed me, such as their tendency to withhold crucial information from Diana. Diana's inner monologue was somewhat repetitive at times, but overall, she was intelligent and observant.

The pacing was quite fast, with plot twists coming one after another. It all wrapped up nicely, though.

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤️‍🔥When Storms Ruin by @michellefrohmanauthor

𝒮ℯ𝒸𝓇ℯ𝓉𝓈. ℳ𝒶ℊ𝒾𝒸. ℬℯ𝓉𝓇𝒶𝓎𝒶𝓁.

Book- 5⭐️
Series- 5⭐️

First off, thank you so much to Michelle Frohman for this ARC of When Storms Collide in exchange for an honest review!

If I could rate this entire series as simply infinity out of 5, I would. I LOVED each book but WSC was by far my favorite. I can’t even tell you how much I fell in love with Nik and Diana’s story and how much I absolutely adored following Diana from the beginning of When Storms Awaken all the way until the massive surprise in the end of When Storms Collide.

Michelle Frohman has the ability to transport readers from wherever they are reading right into Istmere with amazing world building and such an amazing writing style. The pacing of these books is perfect and kept me wanting more every step of the way, even in moments where I found myself feeling at a loss. The world building is descriptive but concise and is way to read while also maintaining the level of attention to detail that is expected in a fantasy.

With all of the current debate about the difference between romantic fantasy and fantasy romance, this romantic fantasy series is a perfect viewing point to be able to spot the differences between the two. The fantasy is the main element in this series that can absolutely live on it’s own if Michelle Frohman had decided it to be that way but the romance adds an emotional factor that pulls you in even more.

[Hannah Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING book!! I fell in love with Diana & Nik in the first book, and this wraps the trilogy up perfectly! The balance of witty banter and serious moments between characters throughout the book was well written. I loved the more emotionally intimate scenes with our MC & her family, it was great to feel a different side to all the characters we have grown to love.

[Rebekah Godfrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had the opportunity to ARC read for this series and now it’s come to an end. It's bitter sweet but it ended perfectly! I absolutely loved this series! The magic system was so cool and the tension 🤌🏻 amazing!!

[Harvstarroadie · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review
Rating: 5 stars

This was an absolute masterpiece of a witchy trilogy! We had some unexpected turn of events, the final battle, love and magic.

Speaking of the trilogy as it is, I can’t wait to read it again.

Give it a chance to read and you wouldn’t regret it.

[Alexandra Nodea · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last book of the trilogy.. it definitely did not disappoint! It’s a rollercoaster of emotions, never letting you see what’s coming up next! A great reading!

[sads · Rating 2 out of 5]

another train wreck sorry 😇

[Jess Henriques · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story aged well. I really enjoyed the conclusion of the Realm of Istmere trilogy. Diana really grew as a character from the 1st book and I was really drawn in to the development of the story. My only criticism I guess was the battle itself felt a bit anticlimactic. That being said the ending has definitely left it open for more and I hope Michelle brings us back for a bit more. I feel the Kotova story is not yet complete. All up really enjoyable series that I definitely recommend picking up and diving in to.

[Avrisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨️ARC REVIEW ✨️

4 ⭐️
3 🌶

⚡️As the final book in this emotionally charged and magic-fueled trilogy, When Storms Collide delivers a powerful, gut-wrenching, and ultimately satisfying conclusion.

♥️ This book is heavy in the best ways, emotionally, thematically, and narratively. It doesn’t shy away from grief, betrayal, or the psychological toll of war. Diana’s journey comes full circle here, and watching her wrestle with power, loss, and identity made for an intense but rewarding read.

🔮 The writing is atmospheric, cinematic, and deeply immersive. @michellefrohmanauthor pulls no punches in this final chapter and while some moments hurt, they felt earned. The world of Istmere is as vivid as ever, and the emotional stakes are sky-high.

💫 I was lucky to receive an ARC of this finale, and honestly, I’m so grateful I got to experience this journey from start to finish. It’s been dark, magical, and deeply human.

📖 If you're looking for a fantasy trilogy that blends rich worldbuilding with raw emotion and fierce character growth, this one is worth the ride and this ending does it justice.