Review: After the Storm
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 11 7, 2013
Alexis "Lexi" Hampton has moved across the country after she was brutally attacked. She is currently living in her grandmother's old beach house that she inherited. She enjoys the solitude, peace, and quiet that she gets living there. It has allowed her to heal.  The only house near her is next door, and the owner does not live there. However, she quickly becomes friends with the homes caretakers, Martha and Sam.Noah Mathews is taking a much needed and overdue vacation from his band, Last Stand, at his beach house next to Lexi's. The two meet when he finds her crawling around in his garden taking pictures. I really liked Noah. He is a fun, strong, and very grounded character. He is much different than the typical rocker.While there is an instant attraction between the two, Lexi is smart. She does not want to rush into anything, especially since he will be leaving in a few months to go back to LA. She insists that they be friends. However, as they become closer, the attraction becomes harder to deny. As they take their relationship to the next level, incidents start to happen to Lexi and around her home.I really wanted to like this book. I think the storyline held A LOT of promise. Honestly, I didn't have a problem with the direction the story went at all. My problem lay with the characters. They start out really strong. I really liked Lexi at the beginning. However, as the story progresses, she began to get on my nerves. I understand wanting to wait until you are sure about a physical relationship. I applaud that. But she just, I don't know, couldn't seem to make up her mind. Then, she is stubborn as all get out, and her "need" for independence made me want to pull my hair out! She has been attacked before. Since that has happened, you would assume she would be more cautious. She would be willing to let people help when it comes to her safety. But no; she is miss independent.I liked Noah throughout the whole book. He was a pretty strong character. Though I don't see what he saw in Lexi. To me, she is just a whole bunch of drama. The duo starts out strong, but as they become closer, the dialogue and some of the scenes become cheesier. I'll be honest and say that I had to skim through some of it just to get through it. However, their relationship is built on friendship, and I DO like seeing this in books. It just seems more real.Lastly, we come to the older ladies in Lexi's life: Evelyne, Leigh, and Marie or the Troublesome Trio. While at first I thought their behavior was a bit fun. It QUICKLY became old and over the top. They behave like young 20 year olds or something. I wouldn't even say that. I can't even imagine 20 year olds acting this way. They are just 3 crazy, horny, old women who were constantly out of line. Adults do not behave that way, and if they did, I am sure that they would get arrested for harassment and for some of the things they do in this book.Don't get me wrong, the overall story was pretty good. That author did a great job at building up the suspense. There were some really creepy parts, and she did those parts very well. Just thinking about them now gives me the shivers. I totally did not see the twist she throws in at the end coming. It really threw me for a loop. She even sets up for a second book. Like I said, I just felt at times that the characters/situations were a bit much. Just because I didn't enjoy the characters doesn't mean someone else won't either. So, give it a try.