Unleashing the Storm

by Sydney Croft

Book Overview

Feel the heat. Hear the roar. The fever has begun... There's a storm rising. Electricity crackles in the air. For Kira Donovan, it's that time of year again: when the need floods her flesh, when almost any man--the bigger and the stronger the better--will do. For Kira, an animal psychic, the heat is a matter of life and death, and this year it has come at just the right time. Tom Knight, a natural-born predator, has arrived at her isolated Idaho farm--for...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385340818
• ISBN13: 9780385340816
• Release Date: February 2008
• Publisher: Delta
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Unleashing the Storm by Sydney Croft

Holy cow, I liked "Unleashing the Storm", the second book of the ACRO/Storm series by Sydney Croft even better than the first! See my review of "Riding the Storm" (book one, Mar09 review) for the back story, but if you like action, wounded heroes, paranormal woo woo, and smoking sex...you really need to try this series. Kira's had an affinity with animals since the day she was born. But once she hit sexual maturity, her affinity took a rather startling turn. She goes into heat, just like her animal friends. And if she doesn't have sex, and a whole lot of it, for four weeks...she'll die. When her two assistants at the animal shelter disappear right before her time begins, she's a bit worried. But when she catches sight of the second replacement, she's no longer worried...now she's just horny. Nobody really likes Ender and he's just fine with that. After all, he doesn't like anybody either! And he's a killer, an assassin, and uses his nasty temperament to keep others at arms length...except for the women he uses and discards like candy. His orders are clear--bring Kira in to ACRO or kill her. And although he thought he knew about her mating heat, her constant presence does something to him and for the first time ever, his mission may take second place. Woo hoo, these two were a roller coaster ride of dominance battles yet neither was mean or nasty about it. There's even a little bit of riding crop action! The best part of this story for me was the slow unfurling of the connection between Ender and Kira. Their struggles to try and keep their hearts safe from further hurt was touching...and hot at the same time. I also learned a bit more about the mysterious head of ACRO (and their enemy organization) and his love. And the secondary romance from the first book just keeps building in this one! Larissa Ione and Stephanie Tyler have penned another winner for me and now I'm off to read book three.

Thrilling Addition to the ACRO Series

Kira Donovan, an animal psychic living on an Idaho farm animal reserve comes to ACRO's attention because of her ability to speak to and control animals. Kira's character is fascinating in that she actually has a `heat' once a year when she requires her sexual needs to be satisfied or she suffers unfortunate side effects. Kira has suffered ridicule and revulsion from others her entire life because of her gift and yearly needs but has eked out a comfortable existence on the farm caring and nurturing a large cross section of abused and abandoned animals. ACRO agent Tom "Ender" Knight's mission is to bring Kira in at all costs because the bad guys want her and if she were captured her gifts would be used against the world. Ender is an awesome character, a former Army Delta Force Covert Operative sniper; he is conflicted, powerful and focused on one thing - the completion of his mission. Ender has a dark rapier wit that took me by surprise and had me laughing out loud. However, he is also a lethal predator who doesn't hesitate to use deadly force when required. Kira and Ender are perfectly matched with respect their base, sexual needs. They share a connection to the animal kingdom in an elemental way that enhances their remarkable sensuality. Ender is however a solitary individual who resists his growing involvement with Kira, she is "a mission" after all. I have to say the authors penned a conclusion to their love story that was both surprising and sweet. Kira and Ender's story tugged at my heartstrings until the last page. As with all the ACRO stories, the action had my heart thumping and the suspense was thrilling.

Great Book, Writes as Larissa Ione as well

If you're interested in paranormal romance books (Kresely Cole, J.R. Ward, Christine Feehan, etc.),then you should give this book a chance. I really enjoyed the world that Sydney Croft created and the various secondary and minor characters. Also, if you didn't know she also writes under the name Larissa Ione and has a book out call "Pleasure Unbound," another paranormal romance (but not an erotic romance), which was great as well.

Original, sexy, and believable

this one was even better than her first! likeable characters, good action scenes, surprising plot twists and lots of romance. highly recommend reading Riding the storm first though, due to the plot spoilers in this one.

Unleashing the Storm- A Joyfully Recommended Title

Animal whisperer Kira Donovan works at a wildlife refuge taking care of all types of animals. But she has more in common with animals than just being able to communicate with them. Every year, for a certain amount of time, she goes into "heat," meaning she has to have sex every four hours, or she dies. She takes care of it by hiring farm hands to help her on the refuge, and to help her in bed. When the two hands she'd hired this year disappear, she's surprised to find two more on her doorstep, Derek and Tom. She's immediately attracted to Tom, and fixates on him to help her with her heat. What she doesn't know is that Tom "Ender" Knight has been sent by ACRO, the Agency for Covert Rare Operatives, to recruit her into their organization. If he can't do that, he has orders to kill her. Ender's been told about Kira's needs, and he's ready to do his job, until he meets her. And when he sees Derek, whom he knows is an operative for ITOR, ACRO's enemy, he knows he has to eliminate him. Then, despite his best efforts, when Kira wobbles on joining ACRO he knows he can't kill her. But she agrees to go with him to check things out. He just needs to get her there alive, and away from ITOR's operatives. And they need to survive her heat cycle while they're on the run from the bad guys. If you haven't read any of Sydney Croft's books in the ACRO series, you're missing a thrill ride packed with emotion and hot passion. Reading Unleashing the Storm was like visiting old friends. The ACRO bunch is realistic and entertaining, and the fact that they're trying to save the world makes them that much more attractive to me. Ender is the ultimate bad boy, carrying around the weight of his job and past deeds. I absolutely adored the way he and Kira blended together, and the way they worked through their problems. It's one of those books I just couldn't put down. I loved the first book, Riding the Storm, and now I'm eagerly awaiting the release of the third novel, Seduced by the Storm. Sydney Croft has crafted a series that is not to be missed. It includes danger, intrigue, romance and sex. What more could a reader ask for? Unleashing the Storm is fantastic, and I am happy to Joyfully Recommend it. Amelia reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed