Surprise Review! Review #81: Tempest by Julie Cross

Hello again my lovelies! Here's the surprise review for ya! It's on an upcoming book, Tempest by Julie Cross! I've decided that any time something like this happens, they'll be called Surprise Reviews! A pretty lame title, but hey why not? Anyway! Here it goes :)

DISCLAIMER!!!!!!! I received a advanced copy of this book through St. Martin's Press and Goodread's First Reads program. Winning this book has and will not influence my review. A hearty thanks all around!

So yup, I won my very first actual ARC! Man it feels so good. :) Just wanted to get that out of the way. Now onto the review!

Tempest is the first in the Tempest Trilogy by Julie Cross. Jackson Meyer is a 19 year old college student with a girlfriend he adores, a great best friend, and a secret: he can time travel! He can't travel that far, and hasn't told really anyone his secret. One day, his world comes crashing down when armed strangers barge in on him and Holly. In the scramble, Holly is fatally shot. This causes Jackson to time-jump two years into the past! Now our intrepid hero must find a way to get back to his present, find out the truth about his past, and fix what happened to Holly.

I absolutely adore this book. I haven't really read a physical book in a long while, but boy was I addicted to this one! It was addictive, fast paced, sweet, full of action, intrigue and romance, this book has it all! I do have one gripe though, and it's pretty big. For a book that includes time travel as a major plot point, it felt pretty weak. At some points, I couldn't tell what time Jackson was in. I was left confused a good portion of the time and wish it were all explained a little better. Other than that, this is one of the best books and one of my first favorites of next year! 

Jackson, oh oh oh Jackson. I love that this was told from his point of view. He was snarky, funny and so witty and sarcastic. But Jackson also has such a sweet, romantic side to him. Oh man, I'm still swooning over him. And you know how I always wish my literary crushes were real, and how some of them were underage? Well if Jackson were real, that wouldn't be an issue because in the book/main timeline he's 19! Finally, I don't have to wish a literary crush were a little older. Same goes for Adam, Jackson's snarky genius best friend. He was definitely competing for my heart along with Jackson for sure. I know, I'm weird, and damn proud of it! Now onto Holly. I loved her as a character. She was the perfect compliment to Jackson, in both times he was in. I loved how in one year, she was cautious and serious, the other more laid back and a bit reckless. If she were real, it seems either way we'd get along swimmingly. Now back to Adam. Like I said, he was definitely competing with Jackson for my heart. He was also snarky and sarcastic, smart as hell, and also deeply caring and sweet. *sigh* such sexy amazing men in this book. I'm starting to wonder whether or not I'll find a real life guy to legitimately crush on. Oh well, the search continues! In the meantime, give me Jackson and Adam (and Cricket Bell!) any day. Moving on to Jackson's dad and the other people involved with him. Man, they were so bad-ass. Jackson's dad tugged at my heartstrings at some points for sure. You never quite know what the intentions are with them, or the villains for that matter. With that said, the villains were quite scary. I was scared every time they showed up.

Damn, Julie Cross is so good at writing! I love how she crafted her novel, setting everything up, and writing one of the sweetest romances I've ever read, making me wish I had a romance like that. Cross, I will follow your upcoming books with great vigor.

Tempest officially comes out on January 3rd 2012. When it does, pick it up! You will have no regrets about it!

I'll next be reviewing Drink, Slay, Love, by Sarah Beth Durst.

Until next time, viva la literature!