Out of the Storm

Stewart Sisters #3

by JoAnn Ross

Southern hospitality can kill you....

There's no escaping the sweltering heat when White House correspondent Laurel Stewart arrives in Somersett, South Carolina, and discovers that her best friend -- the vice president's protocol advisor -- has disappeared. As frustrated as she is by Detective Joe Gannon's skepticism regarding her suspicions, Laurel finds his smooth-talking southern ways and brazen bedroom eyes disturbingly, dangerously, seductive.

With the homicide rate escalating as fast as the mercury, the last thing Joe needs is a stubborn, argumentative reporter -- particularly not an outsider from Washington, D.C., who triggers a sexual jolt at every encounter -- spinning her crazy conspiracy theories. But while he may not entirely believe Laurel Stewart, Joe can't stop himself from wanting her. Thrown together by necessity, drawn together by passion, Laurel and Joe follow a twisted trail into the darkest corners of the sultry, moss-draped city to uncover a secret someone is willing to kill to keep.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense, Contemporary, Fiction, Suspense, Mystery Thriller

416 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

New York Times bestselling author JoAnn Ross has written over a hundred novels for a bunch of publishers. Two of her titles have been excerpted in Cosmo and her books have also been published by the Doubleday, Rhapsody, Literary Guild, and Mystery Guild book clubs.

A member of the Romance Writers of America's Honor Roll of best-selling authors, she's won several awards, including Romantic Times's Career Achievement Awards in both category and contemporary single title.

Currently writing a new Honeymoon Harbor series for HQN set on the Washington peninsula, that will launch in April, 2018, JoAnn lives with her husband (her high school sweetheart, who proposed at the sea wall where her Shelter Bay books are set), in the Pacific Northwest.

Reviews

[Shelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 A good book to end the series! At first, I thought Laurel was going to be my least favorite sister, but I ended up really liking her character. I enjoyed this series and would like to read more Jo Ann Ross books in the future!

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Out of the Storm is book 3 in the Stewart Sisters trilogy, however, it can be read stand-alone. If you are hoping to revisit the characters from the first 2 books you will be disappointed because there is barely a mention of any of the characters from Highland Falls. All of the action occurs in the small southern town of Somersett during their major festival Buccaneer Days. Laurel Stewart, intrepid reporter, has travelled to Somersett to track down her missing roommate Chloe. She eventually gets burned-out homicide detective Joe Gannon to help her.
The book was very slow getting started, but eventually the story picked up.

[Karen DeCarlo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great End ago The Trilogy

The third and last book in this series was a great romance and mystery story. Two headstrong jaded people working together to solve a disappearance. I loved the subtle humor Joann Ross injected into the story line.

[Sara Herring · Rating 4 out of 5]

good-hot

[Misty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read the first 2


I liked it very much. You should read it like I did you will like it very much too see

[Catisha Scavairello · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't care for this book. A person could skip many pages and not miss anything.

[Debroah Vernier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story line, murder mystery, witty

[Ns · Rating 3 out of 5]

Out of the Storm turned out to be a great mix of romance and suspense, despite a slow start. It took me awhile to get into the story and fully appreciate it. Much of this is likely due to the characters who didn't initially appeal to me, but like the plot, they grew on me (and got better) with progress.

The two main characters, Detective Joe Gannon, and gutsy reporter Laurel Stewart are like lightning and dry twigs set to ignite upon contact. They are also both deeply troubled, have commitment issues, and have flaws. I think it because of their flaws that make them so endearing. Upon first impression, Joe came off brash and Laurel as annoying but their personalities served them well in tackling the mystery of her friend's disappearance.

Even though the main plot revolves around Laurel's friend disappearance, which doesn't appear all that innocent when a high-profile Vice President of the Unites States is involved, the story itself is really about the development of Joe and Laurel's relationship. By being together and facing their fears, they overcome personal problems, grow as individuals and bring value to their relationship. Over time they got better, as characters I can appreciate and one who drives the plot. The mystery itself was interesting, one that wasn't predictable nor overly drawn it either.

[JoAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is third book in the Stewart Sisters trilogy. Laurel is the oldest Stewart sister. She is a political reporter in Washington, DC. She writes a story about the Vice-President doing some dirty dealings. She accused of writing a false story and is fired. Then she is accused of stealing documents from the VP's office. Laurel is in trouble. Her roommate works for the VP and went to South Carolina to campaign with him. She calls Laurel and tells her that she thinks she knows who set her up. She says she will call back shortly. She never does. Laurel is sure that she went missing. So Laurel heads to Somersett to find Chloe. Laurel reports that she is missing to the police but they don't really care. Then she meets Lt. Joe Gannon. He has an unidentified suicide/murder victim. Maybe it's Laurel's roommate. He says he will help her. They are really attracted to each other Will they find Chloe and solve the murder? Will Laurel get her job back?

I liked this story the best of all the Stewart Sisters books. There was some romance but it was more of a mystery.

[Anne Holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an okay read, though not particularly memorable or absorbing. The romance was nice enough, with the mystery elements merely backdrop, and fairly predictable. The two mains were fine, and there were some interesting side characters, though under-utilized. The series stuff was kept to a blessed minimum, which was a bonus, as I have not read the others in this series. It worked okay for me as a stand-alone. However, there was a really weird twist to the "paranormal" without any warning and no real purpose; I sense that would have been more valuable to me if I had read the others in the series. It would have been nice if the blurb had given me the heads-up, but it didn't really matter to my over-all experience of the book - it was just ten or so bizarre pages. Personal quirk - I hated that creases in trousers were described as "sharp enough to cut glass" TWICE, for two different characters. I didn't care for it the first time, so the second time it almost made me bail on this book. An editor should have caught this, I think.

[Bouchra Rebiai · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay. I had to rush through it, though, because I was reading it for a challenge and had to meet the deadline. However, I enjoyed the plot thoroughly.

Laurel is a reporter who is framed for falsifying a story about the Vice-President. When her friend and housemate, Chloe, who works for the VP, goes missing on a working vacation, she suspects foul play and immediately heads over to investigate, even though she was just fired.

She ends up finding out a lot of things, about the Vice President's shady dealings, and about herself too. Just like the other Stewart Sisters books, the ending is the same: happily ever after.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK, this was the best of the series by a long shot. It was filled with danger, mysteries and romance. The banter back and forth between Laurel Stewart and Detective Joe Gannon was priceless. Two people who loved to argue and had passion for people they cared about joined together to solve a murder and find a missing friend. It told a story about a southern town and showed the difference between the fast pace of Washington D.C. and Somersett, South Carolina. Great read.

[Jeanette Thibodeaux]

Stewart Sister's Trilogy

Easy to keep you reading. All three sister's were a joy to read about family and all the different types that make a family work together. Once I started could not stop until the end of book 3. I recommend these books. About a loving family and all their differences combined.

[Florence Primrose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Laurel Stewart, hard-nosed reporter, is chasing a story when her roommate, Chloe, an aide to the vice-president, calls to tell her she has information. When she doesn't call back Laurel goes to Somersert, SC, where Chloe disappeared.
Joe Gannon, a police detective, agrees to help her search for Chloe.

This is a fun, interesting mystery-romance.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend recomended this book and I found that I really enjoyed it. Laurel is a strong white house reporter that is thrown into a dicey situation. She meets a kindof down and out type cop that is intriguing to her dispite their differences. Give this one a try.

[Miss Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED IT! This was the best of the three in this trilogy. It is the first time in a long time that I did not guess 'who dunnit' before the ending. I'm really getting into Ms. Ross's book.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick read. Nice mix of intrigue and romance.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Put a detective and a reporter together and sparks fly. Joe Gannon is gorgeous and steamy. Laurel is beautiful and assured and incredible team.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

By far the best book in the series. And this book is really a stand-alone in the series; not including characters from the first two books. Really liked this book!

[Michele bookloverforever · Rating 3 out of 5]

enoyable. happy ending. likable characters. decent plot.

[TRACI · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't like this book

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I figured things out pretty early on in the book I did enjoy it. Another good read from JoAnn Ross.

[Pam Walker]

best of the three in trilogy

[Jackie Winters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out of the storm

JoAnn Ross did an amazing job with this trilogy. It was very hard to put down. Lily, Lark and Laurel were fantastic characters .

[Amos · Rating 3 out of 5]

of Amazon.com /Springystreasures. 6/29/11.