After such a long wait, we finally get to read the latest installment of the Cassie Palmer series! I’m sure there have been fans who were tired of the push backs on the release date of Ride The Storm.

Well, I’m here to tell you that those delays were worth the wait!

Ride The Storm starts off with Cassie still trying desperately to save Pritkin who has been cursed and who’s soul is being erased from time. If that wasn’t bad enough, Cassie is also dealing with quite a number of issues due to the events in Reap the Wind. A number of her allies’ can’t seem to be able to cooperate with themselves. There’s also the issue in the past where a conflict is starting between humans and Fey. With all these problems she has to juggle with, no wonder Cassie doesn’t have the time to catch her breath.

Overall, I enjoyed this installment and I believe fans will also enjoy Ride The Storm especially since it gives us closure. Don’t get me wrong, one major story-line is over along with certain secrets finally revealed to Cassie. However, at the same time, new questions appear and need to be answered. For those of you wondering about the love triangle, this just my opinion but I think that’s still up in the air. We’ll just have to wait and see in the next installment.


*I received Ride The Storm from Berkley Publishing Group via Netgalley in return for an honest review.*

I'm bailing on this one at 22%. It seems all over the place to me, and like it's a continuation of the last book instead of a new installment of the series. There wasn't enough recap to remind me what happened in the previous installment, which you absolutely need with 2 years between pub dates. I will re-try this one when I have time to do a complete series re-read. I tend to enjoy this series as a binge, but not enough of the storyline sticks in my head to wait long between installments.

I have long been a fan of Karen Chance’s body of work. I am a loyal fan and have remained undaunted in the face of all the machinations of the publisher and publishing machine. Karen Chance has long kept the faith with her readers. She often offers free stories that add to her published works to create a more complex, multifaceted and fulfilling world in which all her novels take place. Readers who only read the novels from the publishing house lose a lot of the details and the joy of seeing the characters in multiple lights. All that being said, Karen Chance’s Cassandra Palmer novel Ride the Storm has been one of the most anticipated novels in my memory. This is not the fault of Karen Chance and that cannot be said firmly enough. The publishing house has been moving dates on this novel for over a year with little to no explanation.
The previous book, Reap the Wind was judged too long by the publisher when submitted by the author. This led to a quick rewrite and the split of the book almost in half. This also left an unfulfilled feeling at the end of Reap the Wind. Many plotlines were left hanging, which left some readers unhappy and the continuous manipulation by the publishers with moving dates and little communication lost even more of the fan base. Ride the Storm is the second half of the previous book with a little bit of newer information which furthers the plot of the Cassandra Palmer novels.
I was recently asked by a friend to explain the Cassie Palmer novels and I drew a bit of a blank—how do you explain such a complicated and multifaceted storyline as the one Karen Chance has created? I told her she just needs to read it and we will talk about it once she has. To say that all of the Cassie Palmer novels are fast paced is kind of like saying a quadruple shot espresso is a little bit energizing. These books move along at a frenetic pace and always have plot twists that are unexpected to say the least. It is impossible to have predicted where the main characters end up at the beginning of this book, let alone at the end of the book.
So much happens in this book to move the plot along that after reading it 3 times, I am still finding new details to enjoy. This is not a book to start when you have a deadline coming up or really anything planned. Depending on your reading speed and availability, you should plan to be unavailable until you can finish the book. This is not one you are going to want to put down as there are no really good stopping places. My recommendation is to start it on a Friday so you can have the weekend to take a break from reality and a trip into the Cassandra Palmer universe.
This book brings resolution to a lot of the ongoing plot lines that readers have been gnashing their teeth to know. We find out why MIrcea is so interested in Pythias. We get to see Pritkin rescued. We get to see Cassie find her feet and establish her own space independent of all the forces tearing at her. We learn more about Cassie’s parents. Dorina and Cassie finally meet. We go careening through the story and learn so much along the way that it’s hard to even begin to summarize it so I am not going to even try. Despite this, there is a seeming resolution to the love triangle between Cassie, Mircea and Pritkin but it is open ended enough that I see it more as an affirmation of the fact that Cassie has complicated emotions and feelings for both men.
This book is a solid addition to the Cassandra Palmer world and yet leaves a lot of storylines open for more exploration. It is my sincere hope that Karen Chance continues to publish Cassandra Palmer books for a very long time. In order for that to happen, fans have to not only buy this book, but review it. Talk about it with friends and build it up so that the publishers contract with Karen Chance for more Cassie Palmer books.
I look forward to discussing all of this with fellow fans at my site bestbooklover.net and at the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BestBooklovernet-336745780072074/
In the interest of full disclosure, I received an ARC ebook in return for this review.

Ride the Storm is a thrill ride you don’t want to get off.

Cassie is coming into her own. Dealing with her new position and the pythian court, so for her and some against her. Machintions abound, each group striving for supremacy even when an ancient evil is hanging over their heads.

There are a few plot lines that need to be tied up, how long can the cliffhanger continue.

Chance’s imagination boggles my mind; her world building is amazing; and her ability to write characters with heart makes the utterly fictional world completely suck you in. I’m hanging by a thread, waiting for the next Palmer adventure.

I received this ARC copy of Ride the Storm from Berkley Publishing Group - Berkley. This is my voluntary and honest review. Ride the Storm is set for publication August 1, 2017.

My Rating: 5 Stars
Written by: Karen Chance
Series: Cassie Palmer
Sequence in Series: Book 8
Mass Market Paperback: 608 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: August 1, 2017
ISBN-10: 110198998X
ISBN-13: 978-1101989982
Genre: Urban Fantasy | Paranormal Romance

Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/ride...
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Storm-Cassie-P...
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ride...

Reviewed for: http://tometender.blogspot.com

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Review Scheduled to go live on blog on July 24th @ Naomi’s Reading Palace - http://nomisparanormalpalace.blogspot.com.au

4.5 Stars

It's been another two years, but I've finally got my hands on the next Cassandra Palmer book! I was left a little frustrated at the end of the 7th book, Reap the Wind, so I was hoping that some situations would be resolved in Ride the Storm. It wasn't really hard to get back into this world either, despite the big gap between each book because the author refreshed my memory along the way.

Right from the opening page Cassie was right in the thick of it; she was back in the past, cuffed to a bed with Rosier beside her! She's certainly a character that finds herself in the most unusual situations! She's also a strong, fiery woman that will do anything to help those she keeps close.

This journey began in the past, as Cassie attempted to catch Pritkin. But there were so many hurdles she had to get past, and found herself thrust back to the future before she could get what she needed. As she's a determined woman, she found a way to get back so she could complete her task. She also had plenty of things in the present to deal with: the fifth acolyte, settling her court and her relationship with Mircea.

I thoroughly enjoyed Ride the Storm, it was chock-full of action and unexpected twists, some of which left me shocked! I'm continuing to enjoy Karen Chance's descriptive writing style, as she tells the reader exactly what is going on. My mind was boggled as I saw what Cassie endured, but was amazed that she continued to get back up despite how exhausted she may've been. I was excited about the bit of romance in this one too, and I have my fingers crossed that it will continue! I just hope the 9th book is in the pipe works already!

Ride the Storm is the eighth book in the Cassandra Palmer series by Karen Chance.

This series happens of a couple of months, there is only days between this book and book 7 Reap the Wind. In this book Cassie has to stop Aries coming back, as one of the trainee seer is jumping through time trying to find a powerful object to break the wall between their world and Aries world. While trying to stop the end of the world she is trying to save the soul of John Pritkin who has been cursed and his soul is being erased from time. Although it never just that simple for Cassie and their is several things she has to do before jumping back in time, as well as dealing with the people who don't want her messing up the timeline.

One of the reason I like this series is how the author has mixed different mythology and weaving them into the story. she has Greek mythology in with the Gods, Cassie main Vampire Mireca is brother the Vlad the first Vampire. In this book we get to see King Arthur and Camelot, with a very different fey spin to it.

I really like Cassie as a character she very realistic in her reactions to the crazy things in her life. She has experience masking her thought to the outside world most of the time, but her inner monologue tells us she not as calm and collected as she wants to be. It also nice to see the hero of the story struggle with want she has to deal with and just want people to ok with that. This quote is one of my favourite from the book for that very reason.

“That’s another thing the movies get wrong. Why is the hero always so damn manly? Why is it not okay to scream a little when it feels like you just shattered a kneecap? Why are you supposed to suck it up and soldier on, without even a curse or two? Is that reasonable?”

This book is filled with none stop action and drama, the book is fast paced there is always going on. In this book we get more information about so everything that has been going on previous book start to make more sense.

I was reading this book on my tablet and keep pressing the screen hoping for more pages when the book ended, It really did leave me wanting more.

I give this book 4.7 out of 5

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkeley Publishing Group for allow me a copy of the book to review.

Readers of this series know by now a Cassie Palmer book will have epic adventure, a bit of romance, secretive and frustrating vampires, intense war mages plus other assorted supernaturals and gods who oh so want to come back to Earth to take over again. And adding to the fun, time travel as this is Cassie’s last chance to rescue Pritkin’s soul, which has been a theme for three books now, before he is lost forever. For Cassie and her entertaining “helper” Rosier, who is not quite himself, much of the action takes place in the 6th century in King Arthur’s court where royals and the Fey are waging war. Things are not much calmer or saner back in her own time where she has dark mages on her tail plus others who want her help including the Senate, the Silver Circle, and their allies who are getting ready to wage war on those who would help Ares return. Mircea has been keeping a secret or dozen from Cassie and now, finally, much is revealed which unsurprisingly may have a far reaching impact on their relationship: men and vampires should know better! Mircea is the only man, human or vampire, that Cassie has loved until now, but is that still true?

Cassie makes some possibly far reaching decisions about her feelings for Pritkin as well after spending so much of her time trying to save him and being constantly thwarted by previous Pythias, and the last rogue acolyte who wants her gone permanently. She seeks the help of some very important people from her past and learns much more about some of her inherited talents.

Karen Chance is a master at wild rides, heart stopping action, epic battles and arduous trials for her characters that readers have come to care about and are yearning to know what’s next, and who will survive all that the gods and monsters throw at them. I don’t know of another author who leaves me so figuratively breathless and run so thoroughly the emotional ringer at such a high rate of speed. The fact that she does it all so very well speaks to the quality of the writing and her creative abilities. This bumpy ride will please fans of the series and hopefully give satisfaction to those who have been waiting for things to move along and resolve some of the story arc. As usual though, plenty of issues remain to go forward for the next book especially for Cassie’s personal life.

Holy Freaking Yes! I cannot tell you how long I have been waiting to read Ride the Storm. It feels like it has been eons when realistically its been two years but two years is a hell of a long time when you're dying to see what happens next and if Pritkin makes it because lets be honest, we all love Pritkin! He's been a favorite character of mine since book 2 and I love that war mage more and more which each new installment.

Ride the Storm was worth the wait! (But please don't make us wait that long again!) When I got my hands on an ARC I was chomping at the bit to devour it and had to force myself to slow down so I didn't read it all in one day. Cassie goes through hell (literally) trying to go back in time to save Pritkin's soul while still dealing with crisis' in the present. She had to face off against other Pythia's trying to "protect the timeline" from Cassie no less and their unwillingness to listen to reason for even a second as she all but killed her self to find Pritkin in time.

Her realization of Mircea's true desires and intentions was somewhat heartbreaking but I've been team Pritkin before the possibility of Cassie and Pritkin was even a thing so I was also excited because it makes me think that maybe, just maybe, I will finally see a Cassie and Pritkin happily ever after. A girl can hope, right?

All in all, Ride the Storm was epic. I have no complaints other than I want MORE and I pray we don't have to wait 2 more years to get it! Go preorder your copy of Ride the Storm so you don't forget about it. It's releasing August 1st 2017 and you won't want to miss it!

Three things happened that I have been desperately hoping would happen since book 4, and it was about time. I would love to discuss those things in detail, but it would give away some major plot points. I was beginning to lose my faith and thought that some of these issues would be dragged out forever, but good things come to those who wait.

I’ve got to be honest, the first half was aggravating and too chaotic without any real progress being made. Cassie was time jumping from one place to the next and dealing with many issues. All of those issues were the same ones from the last book. I really didn’t think it was necessary for two books to be devoted to Pritkin’s sojourn in the past.

The other pythia’s were irritating. They didn’t add much to the story and were a constant distraction causing the resolution to Pritkin’s situation to take too long. Cassie never had formal training with her pythia powers, but shouldn’t she be more powerful than the average pythia? One parent was a goddess and the other was a necromancer. She should be a powerful from that alone. Throwing pythia powers into the mix should make her even more powerful. Despite her ability to do things others can’t, it always seems like other pythias can overtake her too easily.

Finally the time came for Cassie and Mircea to have a talk. Cassie found out something about him, and he was forced to explain the situation. It turned out much better than I thought it would have. He revealed much more than I would have expected. Well it turns out what I always thought about him was true.

The end was great! The final showdown with Ares happened. The way that got settled was completely unexpected and fantastic! The best part was that Cassie finally made a choice, and it was the one I wanted her to make. No more love triangle drama, hopefully anyway. The other guy isn’t going let Cassie go easily. There was a cliffhanger at the end, but it was one I can deal with.

Sometimes it is hard to say goodbye, and that rings true for Cassie Palmer, Pythia and chief seer of her realm. Now, that first sentence might be confusing for those who haven’t read this series yet, but by the end of the book you will understand it’s meaning. Because I received such an early copy of Ride the Storm, I do not want to full elaborate on my feelings for fear of spoilers. That being said, Ride the Storm was a bit of a means to an end book for me. Since the last book, we’ve been following Cassie on her ride to save Pritkin and keep a handle on her new position in life. It’s been trying for her, to say the least, but she has prevailed to a certain point. Ride the Storm is unique in the fact that hidden truths and suspicious are finally revealed and her search for answers comes to somewhat of a conclusion. But, in true Karen Chance fashion, we are left with new questions to be answered in the next book. For some, you’ll be elated with the development in Cassie’s romantic life, but some of you will be left disappointed. For me, things were always so-so with one of the men in her life, and for once, my gut feelings were proven correct. Sometimes the most obvious answers are staring you right in the face and the deception on their lips will be your demise in the end.

This series is my favorite and I have been wait for this book. If you have not read this series I would recommend that you do. So the big question is does Cassie finally choose and I'm saying yes, YES! Hey it's never going to be easy but oh my are things going to be on fire in the next book.

I love this series and yes I'm constantly in awe of the authors imagination but I do understand why so many readers feel frustrated with certain things. It seems to me that a particular storyline has been dangling tantalisingly just out of reach for three books now as Cassie jumps here there and everywhere! Hey I don't mind the total mind reeling antics or time jumps and indeed it's been an incredible journey as now we are seeing Cassie stand up and take charge of not just her court but her own desires. For far too long she's been manipulated and placed in situations that better suit others ( yes looking at you Mircea ) yet in this book which takes the reader to Camelot Cassie is going all out to save Pritkin. She might get sidetracked with Mages and Gods trying to take over but this gal is getting much more wily .
Trying very hard here not to ruin this book for others so I will say there's quite a lot less of Mircea here but what there is opens up a whole new can of worms. There's way more Pritkin and boy is he a sneaky one ! I can't say too much but his Fae heritage really makes an appearance here. Fans of Rosier will see him in a whole new light and he's still not all warm and fuzzy but not quite as heartless as he's previously appeared. I loved seeing Cassie embrace and understand her affinity with ghosts and with even more information about her parents the author is really shedding light. Plus it's funny! Yes this book had me laughing at times which is always a good sign. Ok I'm disliking the interfering Pythias and do not understand why their powers seem more controllable than Cassies. The power is infinite and yet she's constantly being burned out so come on all you Mages give her a heads up!
So the big question is does Cassie finally choose and I'm saying yes, YES! Hey it's never going to be easy but oh my are things going to be on fire in the next book.
Action that left my head reeling, darned annoying interfering types who kept causing problems , a huge dilemma and a take that to a certain God! So hopefully the next book will feature more in the present and that means the Fae are going to be in trouble as there's fallout heading their way!
This voluntary review is of an advance copy and these thoughts are my own honest and fair opinion

I have never been so excited to receive an ARC as I was for this novel. Thank you NetGalley!

Ride the Storm is book eight in Karen Chance's Cassandra Palmer series. Cassie is still traveling through time to save Pritkin. As if that wasn't enough pressure for Cassie, lets not forget there is a war on the horizon. A war that seems impossible to win, considering the bizarre alliances that take place along the course of the novel.

SOOOO much happened in Ride the Storm. Which is on par with the author's M.O., but Ride the Storm is a bit longer than her usual novel as well. Not that I would complain. I will take any moment I can get in Cassie's world. I feel like it's impossible to say too much in this review, for fear of major spoilers. I have been reading this series since book one. For those of you who don't know, that is 11 years. 11 years to finally read the events in Ride the Storm. My lips are sealed so as not to ruin one word for those of you just as emotionally invested in this series as I have been. Some will be happy. Some...not so much. I for one, just cannot wait to read the next book in the series!

The Cassie Palmer series has addicted me for years. I'm not a time travel fan - in fact, I avoid a lot of books with that in the description - but I make allowances when it comes to Cassie and her paranormal gang. The world building is unique, involving different races of being, an all-powerful Pythia office amidst political struggles, legends and myths of old 'gods and legends. With Ride the Storm it was easy to fall back into the storyline again and see familiar characters I've grown fond of, but I started getting frustrated around 30% in. I started worrying a big nuisance of a plotline that I wanted to be resolved LAST book still wasn't resolved. I was waffling between 3 and 3.5 stars in general until the last quarter half, which brought it back up to the 4 rating.

Pros and all the good stuff first
• It’s a weighty book of the Cassie Palmer series – big checkmark
• We get to see a LOT of backstory information on major characters, and one of them is Mircea. Cassie learns not only about a change in his position, but also at least two major secrets/past details he didn’t share before. You mainly see him in the second half of the book, although there are some connections earlier on in different ways.
• We get more information on Pritkin’s past with his mother, father and the Arthurian legend, again tidbits readers didn’t know that add more oomph to the existing storyline. Roser is in the book more than any other character (besides Cassie of course), and you see different sides of the incubus. Fans of the time period will be happy to see Arthurian legend come to life with Camelot.
• We get more information on Cassie’s parents and the truth about what happened – there are surprises and more layers than previously imagined.
• Lots of ghost and necromancer stuff – I was delighted to see the author finally spend more time with Cassie’s underrated and sometimes ignored ability of connecting with ghosts. She learns more about her powers and potential of power in this book, big time, and there’s so much more about ghosts, necromancy, her father’s abilities, other ghosts – intriguing stuff that opens the door to future possibilities. Finally we get good doses of Billy too.
• There is a wrap-up of a major story arc/potential villain.
• A few seriously steamy scenes – the pages almost started smoking.
• Cassie basically chooses – yes, chooses!
• A final battle was epic in its intensity and action. Well-done.
• With so many things revealed and answered, we can move on with some dangling plotlines and relationships.
• THAT ENDING – Last few chapters, adored them.


Cons and negatives
• Those stupid annoying OTHER Pythias. I got irritated in the previous books when they kept popping up and going after Cassie without listening to her or believing her. They keep doing it here and interfering in major ways. I wanted to growl in frustration – or, maybe I did actually growl a few times out loud. So frustrating. Wanted to smash all their faces in. Surprised at how much they annoy me…
• Way too long to resolve a storyline that I wanted resolved LAST book. We get almost two full books of that particular storyline and it frustrated me silly.
• Cassie indulges in frustrating dialogue too much with the characters interrupting each other and ending in exclamation marks.
• So much action it was overwhelming. There was tons of fighting, catastrophes, running and hiding, near death experiences, and all-out action battles for the majority of the book. Very little breathing room. If the action stays too high, the suspense lowers and it becomes numbing. Also, I got confused at several points.

Overall, it’s definitely worth a read for fans of the series. In some ways this book is the long-awaited one with a few plot-lines, but we also need to grin and bear it waiting for the next book and hopefully more modern-day fun details popping up. We shall see, but I hope it’s soon. The last wait for this one was killer. Cassie comes into her own more in this book as she’s still finding out her powers, potentials and all she’s capable of.

This is the latest in the Cassandra Palmer series and while I have really enjoyed the other books this one is not the best I have read. The pacing was very stop and go I found my self flipping past pages and still not missing any real plot details but it is not a book you can miss because there are a lot of major events in it.

time, being so long and all, but the wait is well worth it! And this book concludes the plotlines that have been going on recently!

I think the point where I laughed the most, was during the second battle, about 40 or so pages in, give or take. Because I mean, possessing dead bodies and shooting the bad guys with their fallen members? Pretty darned hilarious!

So, so, so, soooooo much happened in this book! We learned more about Pritkin and his dad, and the Camelot legends. We learned more about Mircea-and Dory! That reveal came at an awesome time! A plan of her parents comes to light! Cassie faces off with Jo, and learns a few new things. And Ares makes an appearance! Yeah, just so much, it was just nonstop! And I loved every since word!

My one little complaint, is that we don't see when the counter curse is applied. Since it's been something we've been waiting two books for, I really hope that we'll get a deleted scene, or a Pritkin POV scene, because I really, really, really want to see the counter curse applied!

Absolutely wonderful book, and I can't wait for the next, either a Dory or another Cassie book!