Indie Book Review: The Storm and The Sea by RDG Lover
Welcome to our first indie book review! I’m so excited to share this story with you.
Our first book is The Storm & The Sea, by RDG Lover, a talented author and artist. This is a dual-POV contemporary romance by the sea with amazing characters and absolutely beautiful writing.
Rating: 4.6 <3
Rating breakdown:
Writing Quality: 4.9
Plot: 4.4
Characters: 5!!
Creativity: 3.8
Overall Feeling: 4.7
I immediately fell in love with this book. There’s no better way to say it. Lover’s writing put me in awe. Her ability to give descriptions that sound like poetry and make me feel like I’m in the book is unmatched. I had so many quotes highlighted, I eventually had to stop highlighting before it got out of hand. There were so many moments I felt like I was breathing in salty ocean air, walking through the world with the character’s feet. I could read pages of her describing walking into a hotel—oddly, one of my favorite parts of this book. I think it just scratched the “vacation feeling” itch I’d been reaching for. Needless to say, the author’s mix of raw talent and skill brought me genuine joy.
The characters were, of course, written just as well—with unique personalities and consistent behavior that made me think, She definitely knows what she’s doing. Katrina’s trauma was evident through her actions (a great use of show-don’t-tell) and she felt so real to me. Meanwhile, Corbin’s imperfections mixed with his blatantly obvious affection for Kat was a breath of fresh air. There was a point in the book where he got butterflies around her, and I seriously can’t remember ever reading about a grown man with a bad-boy motorcycle persona having butterflies. It was everything. From the very beginning, I connected with them both, empathizing with the characters instead of just reading through their troubles. Their development, especially Kat’s, throughout the story was written extremely well and came off realistic. By the end, I was proud of her growth.
The storyline was easy to follow. There was no unnecessary information, and there was a constant ebb and flow of complications keeping you turning the pages. Again, the skill is clear. I consumed this book within 24 hours. It was on the shorter side, but I can’t even say that’s why I finished it quickly. I read it while I brushed my teeth, while I ate, before I clocked into work and on my breaks. I couldn’t put it down. The only nit-picky thing I have to say is that some of the events were expected, or things that can be commonly found in books/movies, but it never deterred me from reading on or wanting to find out how everything played out.
The Storm & The Sea made me kick my feet, giggle, swoon and squeal. Overall, I was honestly impressed by RDG Lover’s writing, and think you would be, too. I hope you love it like I did! You can get The Storm & The Sea on Amazon or through the author’s website, both linked below. In the meantime, keep reading, and enjoy your July 4th weekend!
<3 Emily
RDG Lover: https://www.4pocalypsearts.com and https://www.instagram.com/4pocalypsearts/
My socials: https://www.instagram.com/emilyrsiems/ and https://www.youtube.com/@IndieBookReviews
