The Hurricane By R.J. Prescott

[amazon_link id=”0349411301″ target=”_blank” ][/amazon_link]’The Hurricane’ is the latest book by R.J Prescott.

Emily McCarthy is living in fear of a dark and threatening past. On the outside she’s holding it together, trying desperately to make ends meet and finish her degree, but inside she feels like little more than a hollow, broken shell. Then, through an unlikely friendship with the cantankerous owner of an old boxing gym, Em is thrown into the path of the most dangerous man she has ever met. Cormac ‘the Hurricane’ O’Connell is cut, tattooed and ruthless: a lethal weapon with no safety and everyone is waiting for the misfire. He’s learned the hard way that to get ahead you have to fight your corner and he’s never been knocked out before. Until Em. Unlike any other girl he’s known, she doesn’t want anything from him. And just being around her makes him want to be a better person.

‘The Hurricane’ is the first book that I read by R.J Prescott and I must admit, that this introduction to the author, made for gritty and sexy reading.

The story follows the young couple, Emily McCarthy and Cormac O’Connell, who meet one day and embark on a tentative and passionate relationship, the story follows the struggles and dramas of the young pair. It is written as a dual narrative through the eyes of Emily and Cormac.

The characters are polar opposite, Emily is quiet and tentative, a girl on the run after years of abuse at the hands of her stepfather, who abused her mentally, physically and sexually. Finally she plucks up the courage and with the help of her Home Econmics teacher flees to London, creating a new identity for herself, she enrolls in college and begins a new life. But her past still continues to haunt her and is constantly looking over her shoulder looking for her stepfather to find her. Cormac is a handsome man, who many women have fallen for, covered in tattoos, he was a reputation for being dangerous and finds himself drawn to meek and quiet Emily, wanting to protect her from the world.

The two characters are relatable and interesting and make for intriguing reading. The story flows at a fast pace and has a host of supporting characters that back the story up perfectly, there is grumpy Danny, who takes Emily under his wing and gives her a job in his busy boxing gym, straight talking with a sharp tongue, he adds an element of humour to the tale, whilst Nikki, Emily’s new friend provides a fun side to the story with her wild spirit. The story is primarily set in the present tense, but there are regular flashbacks in the story, which gives the reader a detailed and vivid insight into the life that Emily left behind.

I really enjoyed this story and found it to be quite reminiscent of Jessica Sorenson’s stories, which follow a similar theme, troubled characters with issues that drawn to each other. An exciting and thrilling tale, that makes for gripping and sometimes unsettling reading, ‘The Hurricane’ is a compelling tale that about a troubled girl trying to find her happy ever after.

You can pre-order [amazon_link id=”0349411301″ target=”_blank” ]The Hurricane (Hurricane 1) from Amazon [/amazon_link] and will be available to buy from good bookshops from 17th March 2016.