BY OLIVIA EBERSOLE (’16)

“Rain Shadow Book 1” by Tess Oliver is the story of a young woman who has spent her entire life behind the walls of her grandfather’s motorcycle club. Angel, the main character, finds a man near death in the desert and brings him back to the compound to nurse him to health.  The man has no memories of where he came from and as their relationship blossoms, their problems in the club increase.

The characters, while very developed, seem a bit stereotypical. The woman is the all around loving and forgiving character with little flaws. The man is tough and kind with a tragic past.

Although while they may be stereotypical I still loved reading their story.  Luke, the main male character, lost his memory and as the reader I followed him through the tragedy that he endured as his memories come back.  Oliver does a great job making the reader feel as if it happened to them. Their relationship becomes stronger even as the situation around them becomes worse as Angle’s grandfather begins a descent into madness.

The novel seemed slow and fast at the same time.  It felt as though there were times the story dragged on, but it seemed fast as the novel was only around 166 pages long.

While the novel wasn’t as beautifully written as some popular new adult books, the plot line kept my attention and I connected with the characters.

The beginning of the novel grabbed my attention right away making me wonder who the man in the desert was.  There was a great balance of description and dialogue to keep me saying, “one more chapter.”

The book ended on a cliffhanger as Luke gained his memories completely. The cliffhanger was well done and left me wanting more. If there is anything Oliver is great at it is leaving the reader in suspense and wanting more.

Tess Oliver is a great author to read when looking for a quick fun read. At times her books can be a bit predictable, such as Rain Shadow, but I personally love a good typical tragic romance novel.