Lightning & Thunder

by Jensen Kate

Levina McKay left Doves Harbor and never looked back. She’s been doing it on her own, making ends meet for her and her daughter, Aurora. But when she receives a wedding invitation, she can’t turn it down, she has to be there even if it means digging up the past. She never thought she would see Beck again. Seeing him in the flesh has her booking the first flight out of town.
Beck Ashley has only had two loves of his life; surfing and Levina. When he finds out that his first love is in town he’s rattled, when he finds out she has a child, he’s devastated. But when he sees her for the first time and she looks just like him, he’s speechless.
The past isn’t what it seems. Beck has lived in the belief that he was left behind without a second thought. Levina has lived in the belief that he left her to be a single mother to their daughter. When the circumstances keeping them apart appear not to exist, it’s like keeping lightning and thunder apart.

404 pages, Paperback

Expected publication April 20, 2026

Reviews

[Chelbie Lane · Rating 4 out of 5]

The world of Weathering Doves Harbor has become such a comfort place for me! This is book three in the interconnected stand-alone series & I knew exactly how I expected to feel after reading.

This one was centered around Beck and Levina! I absolutely loved Beck in the first two books and was so excited to hear this one was for him.

Their love story wasn’t only just a “second chance” romance. It was a bittersweet outlook and reminder that life, with all its intricacies, is unexpected and beautiful all the same.

They fell in love as kids and it never changed. Even when six years apart got in the way.

I know “secret baby” or “secret pregnancy” get a lot of hate but this one was more than just a trope. As to not spoil anything, I’ll leave it at this: our MCs weren’t purposely left in the dark. It also wasn’t a one-night stand gone wrong. It was youth, people & life getting in the way. And it was so good & wholly adorable.

I’m so excited for more! I’m convinced who the next book will be focused around and I can’t wait!💜

[Haleigh Beirne · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re looking to get out of a book slump, this is the book you need to pickup. It had me absolutely hooked right from the beginning. I was in a slump for about 3 weeks, I just couldn’t find anything that spoke to me like Thunder & Lighting.

To start off I was lucky enough to not only receive a chance to ARC read for Thunder & Lightning but her other two books in this interconnected series as well.
• You can tell how much detail she has put into her work by the way of her writing and intermixing previous characters. It made the book that much more enjoyable to read!

Vi 💋 She stepped into motherhood without a roadmap, learning as she went, making mistakes but never making excuses. There was a quiet strength in the way she carried herself. She figured things out on her own. Not because she had to prove anything to anyone else, but because her daughter deserved stability, warmth, and a life that never felt like it was missing something, unlike what she had growing up. I absolutely applaud the author for the way she was able to write Vi and changing the cycle of parenting for her own daughter. 10/10. ALL while battling her emotions when it came to her ex, Beck.

Beck 🤌🏼 Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect for his POV’s. In the first couple of books, I couldn’t get a great read on him. So it felt as if I was coming in blind to his own story. But when that man speaks, you LISTEN. Oh my goodness. It’s so very clear that this man was and has been holding every other woman to Vi and nothing compared in the slightest. I loved getting both previous glimpses into their lives at teens and seeing the correlation to their adult lives. I also love the fact that this man was not afraid to show his emotions. In my opinion that is a HUGE bonus for any MMC.

Overall, I’m extremely glad that I got the chance to read this as an ARC. I’m probably not going to shut up about it for the foreseeable future 🫢😛.

Jensen Kate, you my lovely friend have absolutely hit it out of the park. 🖤

[Yashna]

This was my first read by Jensen Kate and I was immediately pulled in by how calm and beautifully detailed the writing felt. Every scene was painted so vividly that I could almost feel the ocean air and the weight of everything left unsaid.

Beck completely stole my heart. He is the definition of a green flag. As a partner, as a friend, and most of all as a father. Watching him step into Aurora’s life without hesitation broke me in the softest way. That first breakfast scene lives rent free in my head. The way their bond bloomed so naturally and unconditionally had me tearing up more than once.

Levina, on the other hand, was harder for me to sit with. I understand her pain and the choices she made, but knowing she had chances to fix things and didn’t take them made me feel frustrated. Still, the connection between her and Beck was undeniable. It was intense, emotional, and constant. Truly lightning and thunder in every moment they shared.

What really stayed with me was the warmth of it all. The found family, the friendships, the quiet support system surrounding them. And as a girl mom, this story hit deeper than I expected. It made me think about love, about choices, and about what the future might hold in ways that felt both comforting and overwhelming.

A heartwarming, emotional second chance romance that lingers long after the last page.

[Kristin 🩵 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have loved the Dove Harbor series so far. I enjoy the friend group a lot and love seeing them all grow in each story. However, I had some issues with this book. I really love Beck as a character, he’s the epitome of a good friend and a good guy. But I did not like Levina whatsoever. I think that the entire basis of her story was immature and unforgivable. I just couldn’t enjoy the romantic aspects of this book because I personally couldn’t move past it. She was forgiven way too quickly, in my opinion. And then somehow Beck was written out to be the bad guy, not once but twice, because of her immaturity. With that aside, I really loved reading Beck and Aurora’s story and chose to focus on that because that was the true “love” story for me. The two of them together made me smile. So I read this more as a dad and daughter finding their footing with each other than a romance.

• second chance • dual timeline • found family • his baby/secret baby • it’s always been you • high school sweethearts • family secrets •

[Danielle Gallegos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the healthiest Romance I have ever read. I felt toxic for anticipating for a dramatic downfall for the characters, but they took a moment from each other and found a way to clear up the misunderstanding between the two or him seeing how he messed up. Then for him to improve on communicating his point to her to make her feel safe on relying on others. I love how Levina was able to find her community and answers not just for her but for Beck too for what happened 6 years ago

Also you're telling me this is the third book? This is a well written stand alone that you didn't need to go back to other books to understand the previous ones. I enjoyed that there was context about each side characters without having to have it distract from the main plot of the book

[Heidi Lauper · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one made me cry- a really emotional read! Beck and Levina were once each other's everything until she disappeared overnight with no explanation.

Reunited at a mutual friends wedding with a surprise in tow they quickly reconnect. Watching Beck grow into his new role was a definite emotional rollercoaster and I think he is the biggest "cinnamon roll" of the Doves Harbour crew so far.

I love how you get glimpses into the lives of the characters from past books and insight into what might happen next.

Thank you for the ARC and all thoughts are my own.

[Sara Niklasson · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC review!

I really like this series and all the characters in it however this story felt a bit rushed. It starts of with something HUGE but it gets forgiven and forgotten in just about two seconds. Sadly took me out of it. I did however like the back and forth with Aurora.

It’s a good book. Just not as amazing as the previous two entries in this series.💕

[blackbirdreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Jensen for sending a copy of this arc! It was so comforting and amazing to be back in this world with these wonderful characters and getting to know these new ones better. Her MMCs never miss. I’ve loved every one in this series and Beck sure hit the mark. He was wonderful in every way. This was a beautiful story with so many elements. I read it in one day.