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Summary

Sebastian Stark just isn’t cut out for normal life with a girlfriend in the hot and humid city of Miami. All in all, he’d rather be back on the island where it was just the two of them, and he could keep everything in balance. The bar down the street tempts him daily, but he’s determined to remain strong. Adjusting to normal life is difficult, but Bastian is doing his best to keep himself together and the nightmares away. Raine’s happy, and that’s what matters to him the most. But not all nightmares can be driven away. When Bastian’s former mentor comes into the picture and presents him with an ultimatum, Bastian slips into old habits. Though he wants to shield Raine from the truth, the shady circumstances of his past form into a hurricane he can’t control. In an effort to protect her, Bastian has no choice but to throw himself back into his old job – death match tournaments – just one last time. Dropped into the arctic wilderness with weapons loaded, Bastian has to compete against representatives from major crime lords all over the states. He’s studied his competition, he knows their weaknesses, and he’s ready to battle for the woman he loves. There’s only one opponent in the mix that causes him any concern. In order to guarantee Raine’s safety, Bastian will be pitted against the key hit man for Chicago’s largest mob family – a guy who’s known as one hell of a shot. A guy named Evan Arden.

Genre Romantic Suspense/ Erotica

Publication Date June 19th 2013

Excerpt

Breathing through my nose, I tried to inhale deeply and let the air out slowly. It just made my chest hurt. I gripped Raine tighter and tucked my head into her shoulder. Soft fingers caressed the back of my neck.

“Bastian?”

I couldn’t answer.

“What’s wrong, baby?”

“Nothing,” I croaked.

The word was utterly ridiculous. Raine moved her fingers down to my chin and pushed my face to look at her. I did so reluctantly, and as soon as I met her eyes with mine, some of the tension faded, and I could breathe right again.

“Nightmare?” I nodded.

“Can you tell me about it?”

I shook my head, and Raine nodded in response. She moved one of her arms around my shoulder and the other around my head. She held me against her chest as I tried to regain some semblance of sanity. Raine knew me so well, it frightened me. Whereas she used to press for more answers, she was now quick with yes-or-no questions I could answer without speaking, and she knew when to give me a little mental space. Eventually I’d tell her what the dream was about, and she knew that. Still, even when I heard her reasons, sometimes it didn’t make the feeling of inadequacy go away. Maybe it was all from the lack of affection during my fucked up childhood, like Raine thought, or maybe it was because the one man who did offer me any kind of parental connection was also the man who taught me how to be a killer—a damn good one.

Maybe it was because I missed being a killer.

“I can’t do this,” I whispered to Raine as my throat and mouth went dry.

“I want a drink so fucking bad.”

“I know, baby,” she replied, “but you’re stronger than that.”

I closed my eyes a moment and shook my head vigorously.

“Only on the outside.” I met her eyes again.

“You have more strength inside than I do.”

She moved her fingers into my hair and brushed it away from my sweaty forehead.

“You have more than you know,” she said.

“You work at it every day, and every day you get stronger on the inside too.

”

Everything in my head wanted to deny it. I didn’t feel strong. I just felt like drinking or fucking.

“I wanna fuck you,” I said.

I saw the little twinge in her eye at the phrase but couldn’t bring myself to regret it.

“Always so crass,” she muttered.

I fought with my head for a way to explain.

“When I’m inside you, everything changes,” I told her.

“It’s not about getting my dick wet; it’s about being so close to you that I can feel your strength in me. When I feel your arms on my back, and you hold me against you, that’s when I feel strong.”

OH man I had been waiting for this book like crazy.

I wanted to know how Bastian was going to deal with the real world and also how Raine would deal with Bastian. It didn't take long for Shay to give us the reality of how hard going back to civilization was on this couple. Raine actually adapted pretty quick but poor Bastian. My heart broke for him.

And a few times I wanted to break his face. But I kept telling myself to cut him some slack as he's really been in a drunken slumber for years then an island after that so it's like hes learning to deal with this all over again. The one thing that didn't change was Bastian's love for Raine. This guy might be a hard ass but Raine was it for him and I loved how he wanted to take care of her and protect her.

I wanted to hold her so tightly that she could never get away from me.
I wanted to possess her completely and know that she was mine and mine alone. Outside forces come into the story and Bastian has to make some really hard choices. It's life or death this time and Bastian is determined to be there for Raine. He's not going to give up and he's got so much more to live for now. Bastian does some real soul searching and it's not easy but the total truth is that he needs Raine and she needs him .. I loved how Raine forgave and stood by Bastian when most women would have bailed. She is one of the strongest female characters I've ever read about. I can't say enough about how intense and emotional this couple were and how special they are to me.

There were moments in this book where I was on the edge of my seat literally and couldn't take a breath as I felt I was in an adult version of the Hunger games at times. But Bastian Stark wasn't going to give up and he amazed me with this strength.

Bastian and Evan were tough and very close to equal and the way every thing turned out was EPIC

Action, suspense and some amazing and beautiful love scenes kept me enthralled from page one.. Loved it and am hooked on Shay!

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Surviving Raine. Mostly, because for me, it was a story line I haven't read before, and it totally had me wondering what would happen next. Also, of course there was Bastian, all broody and dangerous - the perfect bad boy to love. After the end of the first book, I was surprised that there was going to be a second book to the series, because I honestly thought that the story could have ended after just one book. Wrong again! - Bastian's Storm was necessary and I'm so glad Shay Savage finished up Raine and Bastian's story as perfectly as she did.

Want to know what the story was about?

That's the best quote I can use to sum up the story without giving too much away.

This story is about their struggle, trying to start living life again within society. It seems more of a struggle for Bastian as he feels undeserving of Raine, not sure what to do with his time, fighting his battle of the bottle, and just wanting to take Raine and go back to the island to live in solitude, just the two of them. Then there's also his past, that comes back to haunt him. He must make some difficult choices and decisions if he's really going to give Raine the life he thinks she deserves.

I loved, loved this book. The romance is there and the suspense is there but they're both gritty and tough, never exactly what I would expect. You get to see a new side to Bastian that will totally have you falling in love with him all over again. Plus, the addition of Evan Arden was perfect - just enough of him to make you want more of him in another book.

After reading seven of Ms. Savage's books, I think I've finally figured out one of the main reasons why I truly love her writing style. Don't laugh at me that it took me so long. I admit when I get into a book, I usually immerse myself into the story, I don't think of editing or POV's. But thinking of my review for Bastian's Storm - it finally hit me that all her books are from the male's POV. Most books aren't like this, you're usually getting the females POV or they go back and forth. Not Ms. Savage, she does the whole book from the man's point of view - and after reading 7 of her books, and loving them all I hope she doesn't ever change her writing style. I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us with her next book!

About the Author

Shay Savage lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband, two children, and a variety of household pets. She is an accomplished public speaker, and holds the rank of Distinguished Toastmaster from Toastmasters International. When not writing, she enjoys science fiction movies, and loves soccer in any and all forms. During the fall, she coaches her daughter’s soccer team. Though she currently works in the technology field, her school background is in psychology, and she brings a lot of that knowledge into the characters within her stories.

Connect with Shay Savage!

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