Twister

Here's Kayla Halleur's "Twister."

["Now that I’ve graduated college, I’m expected to join the family accounting business even though I hate everything to do with finance.
What’s not expected? Getting stuck in a small town on my way home after a tornado nearly destroys my Jeep, or the lonely single dad and his adorable pre-teen daughter who offer their spare room for my stay.
Sometimes the most unexpected things can lead to the best life decisions.

Marshall
I’ve put off going home after graduating as long as I can, but there’s no excuses left. My cubicle-filled future is here whether I like it or not.
Until I drive into a huge, terrifying tornado, that is.
Now I’m stuck in a small town while I wait for my Jeep to get fixed. Thankfully, the adorable young girl who survived the twister with me talks her dad into offering me one of their spare rooms, so I don’t have to waste money at the local motel or contend with the gossipy motel owner.
Maybe I should’ve declined the offer, but there’s something about her dad that makes me think he’s desperate for another adult to talk to.
I’m only in town for the week, but that’ll be plenty of time to give him a reprieve from his hectic, but lonely, life. If only he didn’t turn out to be everything I was looking for….

Daniel
My pre-teen daughter is convinced that I’m sad and lonely, and that my life would be infinitely better with someone to share it with. Even if that was something I wanted to explore, my farm takes up too much time and energy to consider a night out.
Meeting someone new isn’t on my radar at all, until a gorgeous guy literally falls at my feet in his effort to escape the twister that sideswipes the local gas station.
Less than an hour later, my daughter invites him to stay with us while he’s stuck in town.
Maybe I should’ve said no, but there’s something about him that makes me want to help and protect him.I’ll admit that I find myself wildly attracted to him. If only he wasn’t so much younger than me…."]

And the bonus tags (because they're arguable better than the blurb itself): ["Daniel doesn’t want to be out and about when there’s a tornado warning in place, but needs must; Marshall plays chicken with a twister; everyone’s lucky that the local gas station has a storm shelter when a twister touches down; Marshall’ s Jeep wasn’t so lucky, and now he’s stuck in town; Rose tells Marshall he’ll be staying with her and her dad, much to her dad’s amusement; anything to avoid the small town gossips; Rose is a budding match-maker and is not at all subtle about it; Daniel is convinced Marshall is too young for him; Marshall vehemently disagrees; a game of Twister goes off the rails; the release of some long-held emotions; small town residents are quirky AF; honestly, so is Marshall’s mom; just because you’re good at something doesn’t mean you’ll enjoy doing it; pets are the best judges of characters; ex-husbands and their partners, oh my; Rose drops some truth bombs; kindness comes in all shapes and sizes; weather events are nasty; help comes from unexpected places."]

Another fucking hit from Kayla. This book was soft and fluffy and sweet and beautiful and healing and hopeful and wholesome and D: It was just everything. All of it. It was found family and fate and cat-distribution-system and natural disasters as matchmakers (also matchmakers: preteens, dogs, cats, grumpy townsfolk, ex-husbands, soon-to-be-grandmas).

Natural disasters also almost fucking ruined me. I probably would have cried, sobbed, if I was breathing. Which I wasn't, breathing that is. Sometimes, when shit hits the fan, you sob, sometimes you just don't breathe. Then again, there was somehow sooo many fluffy and sweet moments during the shit-hitting-the-fan moments. That helped.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I loooove how seamlessly Kayla weaves all of her stories together. They're all interconnected somehow. It should be cliche and cringe, but it's not! It's sweet and fun!

Trigger Warnings: domestic violence of a side character, traumatic foster/adoption experience by a side character, both MCs caught in tornado, hospital visits, homophobia, narcissistic behavior, and more.

#grr #arcs #arcteammember
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