Review: Jane True is Back & Kicking Butt

Tracking the Tempest
Jane True #2
Author: Nicole Peeler
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Orbit
Release Date: July 1, 2010
Available from Amazon

Summary: Valentine's Day is fast approaching, and Ryu - Jane's bloodsucking boyfriend - can't let a major holiday go by without getting all gratuitous. An overwhelming dose of boyfriend interference and a last-minute ticket to Boston later, and Jane's life is thrown off course.

Ryu's well-intentioned plans create mayhem, and Jane winds up embroiled in an investigation involving a spree of gruesome killings. All the evidence points towards another Halfling, much to Jane's surprise...

I bought Tracking the Tempest because I loved the first book in the series, and I knew Jane True was going to kick ass in the second installment. Nicole Peeler has created a character that is endearing, quirky, compassionate, and courageous. As I was reading about Jane's adventures, this quote came to mind:

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear. ~Ambrose Redmoon

In many ways, Jane is not the typical heroine. She loves her small town and the roots she's put down there. Her friends and family mean everything to her. She doesn't feel trapped or as if she's missing something by living where she does...it's her comfort zone. In this book Jane finds out more about herself, her friends and her abilities. The author has a wonderful writing style that makes me feel like I'm being told a tale by a girlfriend as we sit over drinks and good food. I sit at the table with her and express my emotions at each turn of the plot:

"OMG she did NOT just do that!"
*snicker* "Oh, Jane...that minx"
"Wait, stop right there...I need another drink..."
"Oh my, he's wearing what?"
"Damn, I hate that obnoxious pervert!"
*sniff, sniff* "Umm..do you have a Kleenex?"

I think you get my meaning. I also love the author's choice of words in her writing. She has this incredible way of choosing the correct word for the situation, whether it's a cuss word, or something silly like "willy-nilly". Her choice of words made me smile throughout the entire book.
Tracking the Tempest is a fast paced book with ample sexiness, heart stopping action and a mystery to boot. One of my favorite parts of the book is a fun scene in a salon with Grizzie and Jane. Grizzie has a heart to heart with Jane about Ryu:

"If the person in his eyes is the person you want to be..then don't be scared."

It's a small scene that could easily be missed since it's in between the action and the romance, but it's amazing. Tracking the Tempest is full of subtle moments hidden between the kick ass ones. This is why the Jane True books will be keepers that will be read again and again.

TEASER WORDS

Valentine's Day
scorched hair
masses of chest hair
panic room
cooking barghest
naked satyr
trussed pig training
running away

You can find out more about Nicole Peeler and Jane at her website: http://www.nicolepeeler.com/

Nicole also blogs at The League of Reluctant Adults with a bunch of other cool authors, so check them out here: http://reluctantadults.blogspot.com/

The Jane True Series
One: Tempest Rising
Two: Tracking the Tempest
Three: Tempest’s Legacy (2011)
Four: Eye of the Tempest (2011)