Tempest

The Scarab Beetle #6

by C.L. Stone

Kayli Winchester is on the run. Chased out of the hospital when Alice returns with a warning that she'll be coming for Kayli soon. Emergency protocol is initiated. Axel, Raven, Corey, Brandon, and Marc are preparing to run themselves. They need to separate from the Academy to protect everyone from the danger.

Kayli and the Academy team will do whatever they can to protect their families and friends. They may have to leave Charleston forever to escape Alice's wrath.

However, Alice proves she can be everywhere at once. She’s aligned with powerful forces, a group possibly more powerful than the Academy, with corrupt police and officials on their side. No one is safe. No one can be trusted. When people go missing, the police are pointing fingers at Axel and the others.

Just when Axel and the rest of the team are coming to understand their own complicated romantic relationships with Kayli, they’re faced with the ultimate realization: staying together could get them all killed.

There’s only one way to handle this: Break all the rules, get to Alice, and ensure she’ll never be able to exact revenge again. The consequences will be severe. Success could mean ejection from the Academy. Complete ex-communication. Family will be torn apart. And worse, the team might be forced to disband forever.

Everything is at stake. Not even the Academy is prepared for how this will go down. The entire organization may not survive.

Will Kayli?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, New Adult, Young Adult, Why Choose, Fiction, Mystery

331 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 20, 2019

About the author

C. L. Stone likes :chocolate_bar: and #findingburiedtreasure. Her books are about :revolving_hearts: and @dark_themes and #chocolatechippancakes.

If lots of book boyfriends scare you...run. Run now.

Reviews

[Pao]

Update 09/07/19
Man...by this point I don’t even know/remember who tf is Alice lmao
*******

I want my man out of jail now not in 2017 T_T

[Cece Rose]

Already experiencing academy withdrawal while waiting for this books release...... Please hurry.

[Marguerite (M)]

After thirty years, guess what is available for preorder and expected to be published December 20?

One hint: it might or might not be this book.

[Shamima · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oct 22: I already know this is going to be a good one - review to come!

[Princess J. Antoinette · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I've enjoyed reading this series I have to tell you C.L. Stone that you have to much competition in the RH genre to have your readers waiting years to read your books. That being said if you're going to make us wait that long baby you need to make them good and hot. This slow burn crap you've got going on is for the birds. I'm not sure what your hang ups are with older teens having sex but you need to get over it.. that's life.. hell we're living that reality now in this day of age.. it's 2020 come on with this sweet petting crap, geesh! It's getting boring now...

C.L., seriously you need to finish up this series and the Ghost series with Song and the guys. You're going to lose your audience if you don't!

Overall rating:
3*~ It Was Okay

[Melissa H · Rating 4 out of 5]

I honestly could have finished this book in one sitting… but since I waited 3 very long years for this book to come out, I decided to take my time.

This is CL Stones NA Reverse Harem series & I’ve read the first 5 books multiple times. I was so happy to be back in this world, but I totally forgot how one book covers the span of a couple days. I just want to be able to binge the rest of the story.

Book 6 continues on the high stakes and high anxiety that we have been getting since book one. It looks like things are finally starting to wrap up a bit but still need a lot of answers.

The best thing about the Academy books is that both her series intertwine, and I love seeing the camping scene from Kayli’s POV since that was one of my favorite books from the Ghost Bird Series.

Unfortunately, there were quite a few editing and grammar issues that I noticed. But this book is more for nostalgia and being back with these characters that I tried to look past it. But this issue combined with the 3 year wait & still having too many questions left unanswered I deducted 1 star.

I still think this is my favorite of her two main series but I just need some answers!!

[Destiny Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it of course.

My only complaint is like with other books of the series you get sucked into the action and drama way too early. maybe I didn't word it correctly what I mean is there is always so much going on in this series that we rarely gets you appreciate the relationship between everyone. With the exception of accessory. It's a Stark contrast between if this series and ghost bird, which is probably the point. I still obviously love this book and the series and I definitely recommend it. Honestly this book just got me more pumped for the next one.

[F.y. Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointed

I waited months for this book and then finished it in a few hours. Not because it was that great, but because it was really short. And then it didn’t have the same action packed punch as the other books in the series.

[Stephanie]

I have read all the Ghost Bird books and now just finished the last of the Scarab Beetle books that's been published..... I AM HOOKED! I need the next one in each series to be released.....

I stay up all hours until a book is finished they are so good..... Please hurry!

[Kai P · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m having withdraws symptoms from this book series. Seriously, I’m like a stalker, checking when this book will be released. I need my academy boys

[Ashley {_xamountofbooks} · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Meh. Easy read but it wasn't as good as I was hoping for after the long wait. :[

The more I think about it, I don't feel like anything happened in this.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

I hoooooope the next book won't take another 3 years to come out😑😑😑😑 I seriously forgot about the existence of this book since i waited a long time for it, and when i saw that it was out i was actually shocked!!!!!

[Jeanny · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot was an unorganized mess.

[Jennifer G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alice is back and Kayli and the guys are on the run. Unfortunately, she always seems ot be one step ahead. The Academy tells them it's time to go into hiding, leave Charleston. The group makes plans to leave to keep their friends and family safe but plan to sneak back and put an end to Alice once and for all. It's too late.

I am so frustrated. I can't believe I have read 6 books of a series basically because I like the author's other series. To make it worse, I had to do a reread of the last book to even remember what had happened prior to this one. Not good when a book doesn't stick with you at all. I have never been a fan of Kayli but kept expecting her to mature and become likable. Still waiting. I kept expecting the main storyline to become more riveting, for the suspense to take over, and for their relationships to progress. Instead, this book went in the opposite direction. I try not to do spoilers. However, I am so disappointed with this book this review will have spoilers, so stop reading now if you don't want to know any of the book's details.
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Kayli had so many head injuries, she wouldn't be able to carry on a serious conversation, handle any lights or loud noises. Forget about walking stairs or follow directions.

Why did we have the big clothing scene with Gretchen? Why did Gretchen deliver the clothes at 6am? Why do all of this and not bother to get any of the clothes to Kayli? Maybe it will all become clear in the next book or maybe there is no good reason. Until then Kayli can keep running around in Marc's oversized clothes complaining about being hungry. These are minor compared to my next complaint.

Why did you want me to turn against my favorite character? I loved Raven. Raven with his sexy body, tats and piercings, sexy accent, funny endearing mistakes with the English language, sexually accepting and open, and his protective nature for everyone he cares for. What's not to love? Except he gets released from jail, newly married to Kayli so that he can stay in the country (not a 100% effective way to stay in the US anymore and wouldn't work in this case) and he goes back to the apartment and immediately has sex with Corey. When Kayli gets there, she gets a hug. There's no coming back from this. The damage is done. I love RH. I love M/M within the harem BUT ONLY if it comes secondary to the men with their female. She must be the center of their universe first and foremost. Obviously, this is not the case here. So Raven and Corey are now on the fringe; as far as I am concerned they could go off with Kevin. This is a shame because Kayli doesn't have great chemistry with the guys. She's more like one of the guys.

These things bothered me but there's one last problem I have with this book. The one unforgivable sin a book can commit. It was boring. It was repetitive, pointless, and unnecessarily confusing at times.

[ReaderSP · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was late to the party with the Scarab Beetle series, so I incorrectly assumed that when I purchased 6 books, I purchased the whole series but it became pretty apparent when reading the slow pace of ‘Tempest’ that it wasn’t going to be nicely tied up at the end of this book. To be honest, I would have given up on this series if I hadn’t already had all 6 books on my Kindle and if I had known this wasn’t the last one.

The storyline here is so overcomplicated and I am totally sick of all of Kayli’s head injuries. Nothing more happens with the boys and I feel like we lost them somewhere in the middle of this series and Kayli is becoming more and more annoying to me over time.

I have no idea how many more books there might be still to come but I won’t bother with anymore now. I will still check out the Ghost Bird series, as everyone has told me that was brilliant and much better than Scarab Beetle.

[Natasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Since this continuation of the story has taken 3 years, I’ve re-read all of the preceding 5 books and this one in about 24 hours, because I just couldn’t remember all of the characters or details. All of the books take place over a short time frame. It was nice to revisit with the “guys” and rediscover favourites again. Good continuation of the story and nice to have cross over from ghost bird series, but there is still more story to come to be completed. Hoping the next book in this series is delivered within the next 6 months.

[Jane Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is this ever going to get published?!?!

[Aoife · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dnf 10% might try finish another time

[Mary McFarlane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every time with these books UGH!!! You think nothing is going to happen and then with 25% left it just goes up to 100! I do like how this book ended at the camp. But it was also hard to remember who everyone was because it had been so long since the last book came out

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve waited many years for this book so had to reread the series beforehand. If I hadn’t reread the previous books I think I would have been annoyed by this new addition. But Kayli is becoming a much more likeable character and I loved the crossover into the GhostBird series. I can’t get enough of this world and it would be so much better if the release dates were more consistent. I look forward to more crossovers and more depth of characters. For example, her and Raven get married but it’s barely talked about throughout this book. Apart from odd comments, everyone is perfectly fine with it but are they? It was missing a few bits

[Taria · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t know if it was the length of time this took to come out or if I just didn’t like it. Probably both. The last book I loved. This was ughhh. It was confusing. It took me forever to realize who Alice was (I’m still not sure if I remember her). Tempest just seemed to be all over the place and I could not get into it as much as I wanted to. It felt like C.L. wrote just to write. It makes me wonder what she is going to do to Sang. If we ever get another Ghost Bird book. It takes so long, I’m just not interested in the other books she’s writing. I don’t think it’s fair for her to make her loyal fans wait so long for this series.im getting fed up waiting.

Sorry for the rant.

[Natalie Darby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh my gosh, it kills me that I've got so many negative things to say about this book.



Number 6 in the scarab beetle series...I was so excited when this came out after finishing the other books two years ago and being so obsessed with the Academy boys and their stories that I reread the whole series again in anticipation for this...obviously not close enough to the release date however.

Okay...My main thought throughout this book...



From book 1 C.L.Stone has liked to have a lot of characters to add some texture to her stories. Throughout the series we'd meet new friends, enemies, characters from other books and random passers by. In most cases they'd be funny, scary, or downright weird enough to remember who they were and what their purpose was. In Tempest, I had no recollection of who these new characters were. Some were definitely returning from previous parts of the series but I couldn't remember them.

It was like an American sitcom finale where previous characters were appearing with a nose job and you had to wrack your brain to figure out who they were and how they were important in the previous storylines.

If you asked me what happened in this book, I actually couldn't tell you, it got so confusing only a few chapters in and didn't even seem to resolve itself. You want the spoilers to save you the time? -Kayli's brother is still missing.
- The Academy boys are still trying to work out their relationship with Kayli.
- Kayli has once again got them all into a big mess that results in the majority of them getting hurt, kidnapped or knocked out (poor Raven).

It's so hard because I'm so invested in this series now that I will still continue to read when more books come out but this book just seemed to lack what I personally read for...the interaction between the Academy boys. I feel like I've solely read about Axel (my least favourite) and Blake (kind of irrelevant) for the whole book, with only a brief appearance from the other four.

It was disappointing but I will continue to read, just please C.L.Stone!! If you're struggling just put it down and come back to it later and maybe start to wrap things up! Don't ruin what you've built so far!



Okay...let's try and pull some positives and remember why I fell in love with this series to start with.

- Corey and Raven are adorable while starting their new relationship.
- Kayli seems to be growing up from the annoying and bratty teenager she began as
- Returns from memorable character Avery (although surely he's getting sick of always being Kayli's point of call when she needs picking up from random locations)
- Some banter between Kayli and the other boys lightened the situations and the time that she spent with the boys made enjoyable reads.


I'm sorry C.L.Stone! Please don't hate me for my review!!

[Ambriah Underwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kayli Winchester and her charismatic list of suitors are as compelling, witty, intelligent, empathetic, and semi-enigmatic as ever before. Kayli and the boys are up against their main protagonist, Alice, who -- despite having zero actual "screentime" in the book outside of a few mentions and a mysterious phone call -- keeps them on the frits as they fight to remain in the Academy, deepen their relationships, and figure out why their Big Bad is after them.

I'm biased here because I prefer Kayli's complex, troubled, heart of gold to Sang's story, but one thing the Ghost Bird series continues to do better than the Scarab Beetle series is allowing characters to breathe.

I appreciate C.L. Stone trying to make every technical aspect of the story as accurate as possible, but I wish we had more of a "normal" book with the SB gang before she ends their story in the next book. At times, there's so much action and jargon that I find myself rereading paragraphs multiple times to try and understand their significance to the plot.

Any time I reread the series past Liar I find myself skipping a lot of the technobabble and going for those character-building moments where we see the boys interact with each other and Kayli.

That being said, I really enjoy the mature tone these books take as we see the emotional payoff of every relationship in a post-Hoax-reveal novel. I love seeing such a clever female protagonist, who is doing her best to right her mistakes and fight her own well-founded flaws.

For the next continuation of the series, I hope to see more scenes with all of the main characters together (Marc, Axel, Brandon, Corey, Raven, Blake, and Kayli) because there weren't any in this book. I was waiting for the moment when they would put their differences aside to work together as the team C.L. Stone has been setting them up to be since the beginning.

[Char · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh man...

I am very, very sad to say that this is the first CL Stone book that I didn't finish. Thief was one of my all-time favorites, which introduced me to the Ghost Bird series that I absolutely adore. Seriously, it's taken over an entire shelf in my personal library as well as a lot of my life. I'm in Facebook groups, reading and writing FanFiction, and just basically spending a lot of time loving the series.

I was already disappointed by the last couple Scarab Beetle books, but I thought it had to pick up eventually considering there were only two books left. Especially after I loved the first book so much!

Sadly, I couldn't even make it through the first couple chapters. The plot felt like a mess, everything was choppy, the dialogue wasn't impressive, and how things are playing out...it's just a disappointment after I've had so many years to imagine things the way I want them to be. :( Nothing about the book pulled me in or made me want to keep reading. And considering how much I disliked the last couple books, I wasn't feeling up to a re-read to remind myself of everything going on plot-wise.

At this point, I'm better off sticking to Ghost Bird - but now I'm honestly terrified that series is going to go downhill as well.

I'm just sad.

[Dani Amirault · Rating 3 out of 5]

this entry in the series was...disappointing, to be completely honest. it's been a long time since i've read this series, and while i'm happy the author is still working on it at all i don't feel like the quality of this book matches earlier ones. i found the main character really grating, partially her personality (which i may just be forgetting but i didn't remember disliking her as much previously) but a lot of her inner monologuing was the same stuff over and over again and put as lengthy as possible. it didn't feel like much happened plot wise and i was shocked when i realized i was about 2/3's of the way in. as a lot of people have already stated, there are numerous mistakes that should have been caught in editing and i found myself rereading a lot of weirdly phrased bits and asking myself "is this actually a sentence?"

there are still plenty of good things going on that will keep me purchasing and reading the series, i've always liked this one more than the Ghost Bird series. i just hope the next entry has more going for it and finally gives us some answers about the academy instead of dangling that carrot for a million years.

[H.B. Jasick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything keeps getting even more intense, more twisted. Kayli and her team are running against a timer they can’t see. Trying to keep everyone safe, to find those that are lost, and to stop the evils working against them. Their relationships are tested, and their trust is thrown up in the air to fall where it may.
I love this series, because you never know what you’re going to get. It gives you some of the answers you need, but leaves you with more to look forward to figuring out later. I’m hooked, and I definitely need more!
I was worried that I might have forgotten some key elements between reading the last book, and the release of this one, but it picks right back up where it left off, and you instantly remember everything. It’s like riding a bike.
This is an amazing addition to an absolute must read series. I do wish it gave me a little more, and it’s a little frustrating not to know when the conclusion will come, but it’s written well, and intriguing enough that I’m willing to remain patient. I want more, and I’m okay to wait a little bit longer to get.

[james a chapman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointed to say the least

Guess this will be the last one of this series that I read. I thought I’d hang on cause I really enjoy the author But I just can’t connect with the last two books. I guess the plot has thickened too much for me. Just not believable and we are in book 6 and the author still has to repeat stuff that happened in last books and who ppl are. I skipped soo much in this book just to find something exciting to read. She gets new clothes only to have them burn up. Not sure what the point in that even was to the story. Other than the lady wanting to her (shocker) to model. And she’s been hit on the head so much she should be able to string a sentence much less run around town. Just so disappointed.

[Dawn Cruikshank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tempest

WOW! This story was intriguing right from the beginning! Kayli was in the hospital. Once she got out, she was reunited with her father unwillingly. She was also briefly reunited with her brother Wil. Her group was there to try to protect her and Blake was being Blake - he needed to protect his brother and his wife. It's unfortunate that the entire crew was kidnapped. Kayli was on another journey to get things back to somewhat normal but needed to catch Alice. This story actually involved the cartel and murder. Just as the story was getting intense, the chapter ends. CL has a way to keep her readers guessing what is next. FANTASTIC job CL! I would highly recommend this book! Can't wait for the next book.

[Hannah Brooker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still brilliant

So negatives first. Cl takes a really long time to get books out there ( ultimately the majority of us are spoilt by those who put out a book every 6 weeks) I love cl and both her academy series which is why I'm willing to wait. However when a book takes so long to come up I wouldn't expect spelling errors or muddled sentences. Still a brilliant book I wish Kayla would chill her beans just a bit and stop being so not headed. I think this is one that has gripped me the least. I love the hints of ghost bird that you get weaved through the story. I like the style of writing, it flows nicely. Quite a few people so it can get a little confusing. Raven is still my fav and Gretchen made me smile.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of running!

Nonstop running away from Alice and Kayli figuring out her next moves is what goes on mainly in this book. Kayli speaks with the guys about being ok with all of them dating her but as a group they haven't had agreed to rules. We finally know why she had such a bad attitude at camp and with good reason. As a group, they still have a lot of maturing to do because I think they are too impulsive especially Kayli. As a fan of the series I believe this book has an intriguing storyline that sucked me in from the beginning even though Kayli can get annoying frequently.