The year is 2009. Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.
That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.
Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.
But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler. Recruit… or kill him.
Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world.
Tempest (Tempest #1)
Featured
Editor reviews
Edge of your seat Time Travel with Romance thrown in
I really had no idea what this book was about. I saw the book in my library, loved the cover, so I grabbed it. And am I ever thankful I did. I absolutely loved (and I mean loved) this book. From the first few pages I was hooked and could not put the book down. I think my family thought I was crazy because I was literally cooking dinner while holding the book so I didn't miss anything.
Let's start with the characters. Jackson Meyer is 19 years old and finds himself able to travel back in time by no more than 2 days. He doesn't know why this happens, but it's happening. He is an intriguing character and I found him very likable. Everything he does he ends up doing for his girlfriend, Holly. He realizes once he is stuck in a time where he cannot save her, how much she truly means to him. We don't get to know Holly very well at first in the present day (of 2009). However, when Jackson travels back to 2007, we get to know her better and we learn more of their relationship during that time period. And I could not help but root for them and love their relationship. Adam is Holly and Jackson's friend who knows of Jackson's ability and tries to help him figure it all out. I loved his wit and personality a lot!
I don't want to say too much more about this book because it would spoil a lot of plot twists. It's a very easy to follow time travel book (which isn't easy to portray). Jackson keeps a journal, so when he does time travel, he writes about it and it helps the reader follow along.
My heart broke at the end of this book, that's all I'm going to say. And I cannot wait, and I mean absolutely cannot wait for the sequel!
User reviews
Average user rating from: 2 user(s)
Interesting Take on Time Travel
What a thrill ride! Time travel is, of course, completely fascinating as a concept, but it's extraordinarily difficult to do well. Actually, I have no complaints with how Cross has done this. Way better than The Lake House any day.
What particularly intrigues me are the variations in time-jumping power and the other abilities Jackson seems to be developing. I hope more is learned about these and where the powers originally came from later on. The ubermensch theme is pretty cool too, especially since people with that mindset make awesome bad guys.
I never really bonded with Jackson as a character. He's okay, but I'm not sure how much I like him. Actually, now that I think about it, I don't have any particular love for any of the characters. However, I do really love the way the characters are together, the way they interact. Cross has attained something resembling actual human interaction, which is pretty fantastic.
Jackson and Holly are definitely put forward as fairy tale level love, and they are seriously drawn to one another from the first time they meet (and from the first time they meet again...haha). However, they did not immediately declare their love for one another or anything like that. Although the degree of their affection is extreme, as are the circumstances, the relationship moves in a believable way. They have hangups and little fights. These important details are left out of too much fiction.
On a somewhat related note, I really hope all teens are not this sexually active nowadays. When Jackson and Holly first have sex, he is surprised to discover she is a virgin, even though she's not even in college yet. He thinks to himself that it had been a long time since he had sex with a virgin, which leaves me wondering exactly how much action this guy has been getting and since when?
If you like action, romance, espionage and time travel, you will not want to miss Tempest. This is the first book in a series, which I have every intention of continuing with.
Tempest by Julie Cross
There's really not very much I can think to say about this that won't be spoilery. Every thought and emotion I had during this book has something to do with something huge that happens in the book. Although I can say that I'm absolutely in love with the cover. :) It fits so well with the book, and if we're honest, I'd love it even if it had nothing to do with the book at all.
Tempest is amazing, plain and simple. I fell in love with Jackson right from the beginning. (Well, okay, not right from the start. I was actually pretty bored in the first 10 pages, but after that, I was in it 'till the end.) It's not very often that I read from the perspective of a guy, but Jackson didn't disappoint. He was easy to relate to, but at the same time, it was easy to tell he was a guy. Jackson was exactly the type of hero I love - the closet type who you would never suspect, but you find out just how heroic he is.
Jackson's time-traveling is another thing I really loved. I can't say I've read many involving that, either, and I loved how Cross described it.
Holly is a character I'm a little unsure about. Sometimes I felt like she was being so strong in what she was facing, but other times I felt she was so weak and so dependent on everyone else that it was annoying. Holly is in a very unique situation, as is Jackson, but I felt like Jackson dealt with it a lot better than Holly. Maybe because there was actually something Jackson could do about it, as opposed to Holly who really couldn't do anything to change her fate.
The writing style was easy to read, but at the same time, it left an impact on me. Jackson's emotions came through so clearly, his despair at losing Holly, his fear that he wouldn't be able to save her when he goes back.
Admittedly, when I look back on it, the ending was kind of predictable. But when I was reading it, I wanted to scream and throw things at the unfairness of it all. Needless to say, I'm definitely dying for the next book. ;)
Overall: Tempest is an emotional rollercoaster with some adorable moments thrown in. It's a book that made me feel for the characters, connect with them, fall in love with them. And while I can't say I liked the first 10 pages, after that I couldn't stop reading. 4.5 stars.
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