Lightning Struck

The Roaming Curse #1

by Miranda Hardy

A powerful storm unleashes a raging war.

Elysia Lovell’s mysterious heritage catches up with her, forcing her to go on the run once again. Grief-stricken and confused by her father’s disappearance, Elysia is led to a new place and discovers a family she never knew existed. Hiding her secret becomes increasingly difficult when her tumultuous emotions threaten to reveal her precarious gift.

Colin Moore is reckless, impulsive, and entrenched in the family business: extorting townspeople and killing Roma. Tucked away in a small town, he didn’t expect a storm to blow in. An exotic new girl shakes his foundation and places him on a dangerous path, one that may get him killed by his own people.

Elysia sees past Colin’s hard shell; Colin’s certain Elysia won’t understand who he really is, but the secrets they keep from one another have perilous consequences. Elysia’s quest for discovery and acceptance presses her to choose between revealing her true nature or letting her family die.

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal

247 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 5, 2017

About the author

Miranda Hardy writes literature to keep the voices in her head appeased. When she's not in her fantasy world, she's canoeing in alligator infested waters or rescuing homeless animals. She resides in south Florida with her two wonderful children, and too many animals to mention.

Reviews

[☆☆Hannah☆☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. It was a quick and fast paced story. Elysia finds her family and learns more about them. Some of them are likable and others not so much. She meets Colin who has secrets of his own and of course when things come to light her family has issues with him. It comes down to what he is. The ending was interesting and I'm intrigued to see how things are going to go in the next/last book.

[J.L. Slipak · Rating 4 out of 5]

A powerful storm unleashes a raging war.

Elysia Lovell’s mysterious heritage catches up with her, forcing her to go on the run once again. Grief-stricken and confused by her father’s disappearance, Elysia is led to a new place and discovers a family she never knew existed. Hiding her secret becomes increasingly difficult when her tumultuous emotions threaten to reveal her precarious gift.

Colin Moore is reckless, impulsive, and entrenched in the family business: extorting townspeople and killing Roma. Tucked away in a small town, he didn’t expect a storm to blow in. An exotic new girl shakes his foundation and places him on a dangerous path, one that may get him killed by his own people.

Elysia sees past Colin’s hard shell; Colin’s certain Elysia won’t understand who he really is, but the secrets they keep from one another have perilous consequences. Elysia’s quest for discovery and acceptance presses her to choose between revealing her true nature or letting her family die.

MY REVIEW:

Okay, I finished this book in a day. With the exception of a few missing words, the story reads well. The cover art is interesting and colorful.

My biggest gripe: the names of the characters. Isn’t it strange that 75% of the characters have the same names as those in the Twilight series by Marissa Meyers? Sam, only he’s a cook; Colin, only he’s a werewolf, Alice, a fake name Elysia uses, and Kyle, the competing love interest; Bo, the grandfather… I could go on. Seriously, this was a huge turnoff, not because I don’t like the Twilight series, but originality would have been a preference for this particular story. The story itself stands well on its own and deserves better.

With that said, I still enjoyed the story. The ease of reading flowed nicely building to its fascinating conclusion, with the hints of a sequel to follow.

The plot is well structure and the perspectives, written from a first-person POV, were done well with only a few instances of the story jerking oddly all over the place. This was mostly toward the end causing me to read the that part a few times before getting what the author was trying to do.
The theme is fantastic as is the premise. I wanted to read on until I finished the story. Character arcs developed well. I even like this Protagonist. She was mysterious and realistic despite the fantasy edge to the story. In fact, all the characters in the story were written into a believable fashion. Excellent narrative parts introducing setting and character descriptions.

Overall, I would love to see more from this author and can see this book in the hands of a traditional publisher as well.

[Rabid Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an entertaining YA story of a young Roma girl, Elysia, with a powerful but volatile gift that is linked to her emotions. Elysia and the other Roma are hunted because of their gifts, they spend their lives running and hiding. When she is separated from her farther, she makes her way to family she never knew of before, and finds herself in a small town surrounded by secrets, danger and temptation. I enjoyed this exciting and suspenseful tale that has great characters and some very interesting back stories. Your heart goes out to Elysia, she craves safety and some normality in her life but with a gift linked to her moods, "normal" does not seem to be in her future. I look forward to reading the next ok in the series.

[Janeandjerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

LIGHTNING STRUCK

I want to thank Miranda Hardy for such a great book and to say I loved the characters and story way everything went. This girl has the powers now let me say that much and after going on a search to find safety and then ending up how and where she did now that's gotta be something.
I hope you and others will enjoy this book just as much if not more than I did and since this is the first book in this series I can't wait to get started on the next ones by this fantastically wonderful author (as long as I don't get LIGHTNING STRUCK first of course... LOL)

[Sara Oxton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lightning Struck by Miranda Hardy a fantastic five-star read. This is the story of Elysia a young Roma girl who hasn’t had an easy life, and has spent it on the run. The Roma have always been hunted as they have special gifts. This is a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat, it’s a thrilling ride from the first page to the last, and you won’t be disappointed.

[Emily O'Malley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick but amazing read! Love the characters and the writing is spot on. Love the story line and I can’t wait to start the second one!

[MaryAnn Costanzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the story between Elysia, Colin, and Kyle. I was able to feel part of the story living in Florida not far from the places described. One thing I took from the story was that family was family good or bad but your friends could be the glue to hold everything together. Looking forward to the next chapter.

[Sarah G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elysia is running for her life, and not for the first time, but this time alone. Her father tells her to leave and he will catch up but when hunters appear a phone call from a stranger help her just in the knick of time to escape. A name and location to someone who might be able to help her with the storm that’s coming.

Elysia has a gift, one that is dangerous to those that could cause her harm, so needs to keep it hidden. Even around new family she didn't know existed. Note to self: do not make her mad. Also how no one, even the other Roma, didn't clue in to what was happening around them whenever she got upset was just beyond me. I mean the Roma know their kind have gifts, and even though she said she didn't have one, they should have put 2 and 2 together.


Can’t just have danger be chasing her down, you have to throw in a love triangle to make more tension occur. First we have Kyle, kismet feelings from first look, and then Colin, a gaze that follows her and a longing to know more. One she feels drawn to the moment they meet, past bringing them closer perhaps? The other a sense of danger but also calm with how he can affect her moods and in turn her gift. Any guesses to who she might end up with by the end of book 2? Well, she keeps switching throughout this one so it’s anyones guess.


Roma have powers but are cursed to roam the world without settling anywhere. The other side of the curse is the werewolves that hunt them down. Where there is one you will soon find the other. Cursed to hunt with no way out. Is there a way to break the curse? Only time will tell but for now they need to keep their heads straight for battles are soon to be afoot. And the enemy might be closer than you think.


Did think it was amusing when Elysia was told vampires exist and that a pack of werewolves live down the street in with a throw away comment. She might not have believed at first but when strange things start to occur that soon changes. Interesting read that keeps you hooked and wanting more so I guess its time to start the next one.

3.5 out of 5 stars
I received a copy of this book from the author for my honest review.

[Jennifer G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lightning Struck is the story of Elysia, a young Roma girl who has lived a life on the run. The Roma have special gifts, magical gifts that put them in danger from the Hunters. Her mother died when she was born and her father has kept the two of them alive staying one step ahead of the Hunters with his gift of sensing the moment their lives are in danger and their need to move on. This time he didn't act fast enough, Elysia is on her own, and has followed the directions from a mysterious note sending her to a family she never knew existed. Soon she is settled into a small coastal town in Florida where she has met her aunts, her cousins, and has two boys, Colin and Kyle, interested in her. It's a town of secrets. Her aunts, her cousins, the boys all have secrets. However, Elysia has her own secrets; her own very powerful gift. She controls the weather with her moods.

Miranda Hardy has created an incredibly entertaining book. I was drawn in from the very first page. It's a two book series, so while there's not a huge cliffhanger, there is still story to be told, more answers needed. It's a wonderfully inventive story with a full backstory and complete world building. Elysia is a great lead female. She's kind, strong, brave. She desperately wants a bit of normalcy, safety, and maybe the chance to fall in love. She's surrounded by a large cast of characters that all add layers to the story. Her family is fascinating and Colin and Kyle are both worthy of winning the girl. Even the small characters at the trailer park and diner are well thought out. Loved the attention to detail. There are twists and turns, surprises, betrayals, plenty of action, and a nice touch of romance.

With the ending of the book, we get more than once surprise revelation. It sets up the next book perfectly. I eagerly look forward to the rest of Elysia's story.

[Tiera McMillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5. The storyline was interesting but unfortunately there are just too many unknowns to keep it cohesive. There definitely wasn’t enough backstory really just some vague facts here and there and of course everyone has been keeping secrets making it even more frustrating.

Ok so who are the Roma’s? Very little information is given about who they are or where they come from or even how they got their gifts, and what are their gifts how do they pass down? They are called gypsies however I think with as much fantasy writing that is out there today just because you use a generic name doesn’t mean any of the above questions are answered.

Also BOOM there are also “werewolves” and vampires also were mentioned, however these wolves are much more the shifter variety and nothing is explained about their origins either nor anything is really explained about why the “werewolves” are hunting the Rom clan. And are the “hunters” mentioned the same people as the werewolves or are they someone else entirely?

And lastly the “roaming curse” which is actual the name of the series is mentioned in like the last pages of the book and the characters just roll with it, but wth does it really mean other than the obvious definitions of the words. Why are they cursed to roam? Who cursed them and why?

These are a lot of plot holes for such a fast read and some in my opinion should have been explained in the first book so we have some base knowledge or at least be questions in the FMC’s mind maybe something she’s determined to find out for the next book but we are left with nothing really. No direction for the next book to take. These are the reasons for my rating at this time. Not sure if I will continue this series as it doesn’t seem the characters are even interested in the questions I have so I don’t know if they will ever be answered.

[J C Steel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elysia is running again, fleeing from the fall-out of her uncontrollable ability to affect the weather—and the people who want to capture her, along with any members of her family they can lay hands on. When a mysterious package shows up in her anonymous hotel room, it leads her back to Florida, where she finds out that not only is she not alone, but her world is even stranger than she imagined.

Lightening Struck is a pleasant read, not delving too deeply into its characters or topics; a young-adult novel, where our teenaged heroine finds herself not only transplanted to a small Florida town, but also rapidly becomes the bone of contention between two of the outstandingly handsome and magnetic young men living there—as if the risk of causing hurricanes weren't enough for any teenager. I enjoyed the treatment of Elysia's ability/curse, and how her moods interacted with the weather, and several of the characters were entertaining to read. One thing I struggled with a little was that the book is written first person/present tense, which makes my brain itch, and I did find that the plausibility suffered in a few places, such as the romance angles. However, the finale was believable, if a trifle on the miraculous-happy end of the scale.

Reviewed for By Rite of Word.

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great start to a new series. Miranda is also a new to me author and I will continue reading her books. I was lucky enough to become a reader of Miranda's advance reader group (arc) and was gifted a free copy of the book.
Elysia (Alice) is a likable character, she draws you in from the first pages. She proves she is a strong character throughout the book by the decisions she makes and the actions she takes. She fights her attractions to Kyle and Colin but there is an inevitability of what is to come in the writing. The author takes us on a journey where werewolves exist and the Roma characters have special gifts. Elysia seems to think she has control of her gift throughout the book but it's often raining/thundering/overcast etc. It's interesting to see what benefits the gifts give to the story.

Interesting characters with likability, some great scenes.

It is very easy to become totally lost within the pages, losing grip on reality. I could not put the book down, literally read it in a few hours.

The version I read had a different cover and it was beautiful.

[Jai · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Oh what a terrible web we weave when we practice to deceive." This story is full of secrets and lies to protect those secrets.

Christina Rossetti said it best:
"I tell my secret? No indeed, not I:
Perhaps some day, who knows?
But not today; it froze, and blows, and snows,
And you’re too curious: fie!
You want to hear it? well:
Only, my secret’s mine, and I won’t tell.
Or, after all, perhaps there’s none..."

This story will take you on an ardent roller coaster. You follow Elysia "Alice" throughout the book as she learns about who she is and her family lineage. This was a quite enjoyable read. One point your on team Kyle and the next your on team Colin.

To sum up Elysia:
"Tales of the old
Of the secrets we hold
I want to be well
Lucky to even feel
Love, at all..." by KJ Apa "The Song That Everyone Sings"

Enjoy!

[Jai · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Oh what a terrible web we weave when we practice to deceive." This story is full of secrets and lies to protect those secrets.

Christina Rossetti said it best:
"I tell my secret? No indeed, not I:
Perhaps some day, who knows?
But not today; it froze, and blows, and snows,
And you’re too curious: fie!
You want to hear it? well:
Only, my secret’s mine, and I won’t tell.
Or, after all, perhaps there’s none..."

This story will take you on an ardent roller coaster. You follow Elysia "Alice" throughout the book as she learns about who she is and her family lineage. This was a quite enjoyable read. One point your on team Kyle and the next your on team Colin.

To sum up Elysia:
"Tales of the old
Of the secrets we hold
I want to be well
Lucky to even feel
Love, at all..." by KJ Apa "The Song That Everyone Sings"

Enjoy!

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the first line, this was a thrilling race to the end. The mystery and suspense surrounding Elysia kept building. I wanted to know who was chasing her, who was helping her. Why did her father separate from her and what happened to him? Why did her aunt dislike her so much? Why was she so drawn to Colin and why did his touch soothe her gift? How do you break the curse? A lot of these questions are answered, but not all. This is part one of a two part story. I was left with questions and a desire to know how it ends, but I was not left with a cliffhanger.

I voluntarily reviewed an arc of this book.

[Melissa Ferreira · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently received a copy of this book from Miranda and I could not put it down. I literally read this book in a few hours. It was interesting from the very first word until the very last word. I love the magical aspect of the book and the different characters. It’s a story where a family needs to come together to survive. I loved the romantic aspect of the book and the fact that each page brings out more secrets. I cannot wait to start book two. I also cannot wait to see what other books Miranda has in store for us. She’s a really talented writer and her books just leave you feeling satisfied but wanting more and more.

[Jennifer Lil'n Dunski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am Lightning Struck!!!!



What a great story from start to finish! It's intriguing, magical and amazing! The storyline is strong and the characters are well written.
Elysia is a Roma young woman, who's life has always been moving from one place to another, never staying long enough to make friends or truly have a happy life. The Roma people are blessed with gifts, gifts that can get them trouble.
It's a fun read that kept me up all night because I had to find out what was going to happen next!!!

[Nina Derr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that I could have read in a day, maybe even half a day, if I didn't have to go to work. This YA paranormal romance book is about Elysia who is a 22 year old Rom gypsy who has a special ability...her emotions trigger the weather. Oh and she's also being perused by two very hunky young men...hello romance! I fully enjoyed this book, it jumps right into the story and at no point did it get boring or start dragging along. I've read plenty of paranormal romance books and this one was definitely different and kept me guessing. Can't wait to jump into the second book.

[Lori Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5

I got this book off the Penned Con 2019 Reading List, and although I got through it very quickly, it wasn't a very memorable book for me. I'm not as invested in finding out the answers at the end as I normally am. I do not feel like this first book gave enough information to hook me. While the information about the Romani was interesting, I've always loved gypsies, it just wasn't enough to hold me. I will read the second book because I can't start a series and not finish it, but it isn't high on my priority list at the moment. Here's hoping that the conclusion is better.

[Danielle Goodwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miranda Hardy's "Lightning Struck" is the first tale in The Roaming Curse series. I couldn't put down this YA paranormal...and usually YA's just don't hold my interest. The mythology with the Roma and werewolves is very interesting. Elysia and her cousins sure have some neat backstories. I could almost hear the aunts talking. This would make a fun TV series. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book.

[Danielle Goodwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miranda Hardy's "Lightning Struck" is the first tale in The Roaming Curse series. I couldn't put down this YA paranormal...and usually YA's just don't hold my interest. The mythology with the Roma and werewolves is very interesting. Elysia and her cousins sure have some neat backstories. I could almost hear the aunts talking. This would make a fun TV series. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book.

[Tera Comer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book that I have read from this author and I was plesently surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. The characters are very well done as they are mysterious, interesting and other things that make them easily seen as a real person. All the mystery and suspense that follows the main character Elysia keeps a person on their toes. There are so many questions left unanswered and I hope to see them answered in the second book of this series. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book

[InD'tale Magazine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This riveting tale will keep one turning the pages with great interest and leave the readers on the edge of their seats.

Read full review in the 2018 February issue of InD'tale Magazine.

[Lisa Eiff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book

I really enjoyed reading this book. When a Rom girl sets off with intentions to meet her father in a new destination, she begins to discover more about her past, family and future than she first intends. I would recommend this book to readers interested in gifted humans and werewolves.

[Sharon Nichols · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lightning Struck

This is a great book with interesting characters and it keeps you wanting to keep reading without stopping. This is the first book I have read by Miranda Hardy and I will definitely read more of her books. Roms, werewolves and characters with spells will keep you reading. I highly recommend it.

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable and exciting read! I liked the concept behind this story and I thought it was original. The characters were good and I’m looking forward to finding out what happens next. The only drawback for me was the first person narrative which is obviously a personal preference.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elysia has a strange heritage that causes her to go on the run again. Loved the story from beginning to end, couldn’t get enough. Elysia is such an amazing character for this story and fits in perfectly.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lightning Struck was a bit trope-y throughout, but an amusing enough read. I probably won't attempt to find the second book, though.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. An easy read. I like that fact it does deal with some supernatural characteristics but it wasn’t tooooooo over the top. Much more enjoyable than the typical Twilight stuff.

[Bonny Niswonger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an arc and am voluntarily leaving this review. I loved the book. I starts out with someone in prison. Now would be a great time to get the book.