Valley Storm

A Friends to Lovers Second Chance Romance - The Langthornes of Napa Valley, Book 3

By: Tessa Bowen

Narrated by: Logan McAllister

Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's Summary

An unrequited love rekindled. Luke Langthorne and Amanda Samulesen have loved each other since they were children. Luke, ever noble and true, is confident they will be together when the time is right. Before claiming his woman, he must make his mark as a man in his own right and sets off into the world to do so. The impetuous and emotional Mandy panics. She fears Luke will never come back for her and enters into an abusive marriage, shattering their dream of love. 

Until...five years later, Mandy, in a dramatic escape, flees her sadistic husband and takes refuge at the home of her second family, the Langthornes. Unable to resist the pull of his first and only true love, Luke returns to his birthright in the Napa Valley’s Wine Country. Luke and Mandy aren’t children anymore. Now, as complex adults, their once-chaste romance becomes a torrid passion that threatens to ruin them both. They struggle to reestablish a relationship as the tempest brews around them in this third and final installment of the Langthornes of the Napa Valley. 

Is this finally Luke and Mandy’s time? Or will the tumult of their stormy desire keep them apart?

©2018 Tessa Bowen (P)2019 Tessa Bowen

Valley Storm by Tess Bowen

Valley Storm is third on Tessa's The Langthornes of Napa Valley Series. I felt so sad because I know this is the last on the series but I'm so happy that everyone had their Happily ever after ❤ a sweet and spicy story of Luke and Mandy or whatever the f***..

The narration by Logan McAllister is also perfect. He definitely did a good job voicing both male and female characters. Logan is on top of my male favorite narrators. ❤

heroine is a ...

Not sure what to think of this story, I really wanted to like it and listened to the end, hoping ... Amanda's behaviour was childish, emotionally spazzy, irrational to the point I wanted to smack her, I could not connect with her, I did not like her for the most part. Felt sorry for Luke many time, but that is love for you, right? Yes, they did get their HEA, but I didn't really enjoy their journey.
The secondary characters were for the most part great additions, but Lola was over the top with some of the stuff she was spewing, it felt forced at times. Tobias and Lina were great, love their relationship.

The Princess and her Knight

Luke Langthorn and Amanda Samuleson have grown up together and both have always considered the other a friend for life. As they grew, they individually came to hope for more than friendship, but bad choices and absence seemed to destroy those hopes. Luke's father ruled their home with an iron fist and wanted his children to meet his expectations. Always feeling that his father was disappointed in him, Luke went off to make his fortune. He wanted more for himself and disappeared for five years. Mandy thought he was never coming back and fell into a marriage with an abusive and despicable man. Things went horribly wrong and she had to run for her life. The only place she thought of escaping to was the safety of her second family, the Langthorns. They formed a safety net around her and Luke came home, once he knew the pain she had suffered. Old feelings reemerged but Mandy was broken and didn't know who to trust. She put up walls that nobody could break through, until Luke reminded her of the dreams they had in their past. It required a lot of work on Luke's part because she often lashed out in anger. There were times when I wanted Luke to grab her and calm her down, but she had to work through the remnants of her abuse by herself. Highly emotional and thoroughly sweet, Valley Storm is a wonderful book. I listened on audible and Logan McAllister narrated all of the voices very clearly and individually. An excellent job!

Steamy friends to lovers you be addicted to

Holy smokes! This book is hot! And so addicting. Get ready friends to lovers fans. This is the ultimate romance for you! Luke and Mandy were childhood friends. Mandy was Luke's older sister's best friend and quickly growing up they were close too. They always played princess and knight in shinning armor. But that was something they didn't grow out of. Now they are adults and haven't seen each other in years. That changes one night when Mandy, running for her life, ends up back at Langthornes home. It was always a place a safety and love for her and this night was no different. As Mandy starts to heal from her trauma Luke is there for her. Soon the feelings they both have never stopped having take control and it's a whirlwind of drama, romance, misunderstandings and figuring out what makes them happy. And lots of steamy encounters. I loved this book from the start to beginning. This author pulled me in from the start and I found myself reading/listening any chance I got. My heart is so warm for this story and I can't love Luke enough. Talk about a hottie nice guy. Mandy drove me crazy at some points but her stubborn and spitfire attitude made me love her at the same time. They are a great match and I loved every minute of their story. I love the whole Langthorne family! This story will grab onto readers hearts and grip tight.

My Favorite Langthorne Book So Far!

You won't be able to stop yourself from falling in love with the H and h of this book. He is to die for--an enthralling combination of tenderness and caring one minute and domineering male the next. She is sweet, sexy, feminine, and girly intermixed with moments of emotional upheaval and ditzy-ness! They grew up together. They were apart. They came back together in a roller coaster ride of ups and downs. The end is such a happily ever after, you will drool all over yourself and walk on clouds for a while after finishing! The best yet of Tessa Bowen, IMHO!

Storm that can't be tamed

An epic read / listen. I am so in love with these Langthornes and Luke is a total knight in shining armor. Princess Mandi is just waiting for him to rescue her. She's impatient and he's taking too long. Mistakes are made by both (I love how human and real these characters are). Will they be able to find each other and their HEA before they hurt each other and themselves again?!? I absolutely love the dynamic between these two main characters and Lola - I was laughing and giggling out loud! I just loved this listen / read and the narrator was wonderful too! Gimmie More!!!

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Great Story!

I enjoyed listening to this concluding story about Luke and Mandy’s “second chance” romance. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Luke as Mandy was a total witch at times--not the way one would treat "the supposed love of her life"--if you know what I mean. I totally wanted to shake her and tell her to grow up and realize that everything is not all about HER--especially during her fits of unwarranted jealousy. As I got into the story, I just knew there was going to be a “surprise” brewing. The narrator, Logan McAllister, continues to do a great job in narrating this final story in the Langthorne saga. I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

Loved it!

Tessa and Logan did it again! Great story! Couldn't stop listening! Hate the series is over. Got attached to the characters. A must listen!!!

Valley Storm

A childhood friendship leads to so much more in this book. It starts off with you on the edge of your seat and takes you on a great ride until we see a perfect ending. I loved this book and will definitely be looking into more from this author.

Love Tess Bowen's Valley Books!

I love the Valley books and this one did not disappoint! It offered everything you want, fun, action, adventure, and romance!

Unrequited Love

Valley Storm is a beautifully woven romance that will make you feel a gamut of emotions. Amanda (Mandy) and Luke were childhood friends, a friendship that ultimately grew and turned into so much more. Their love story is told through a span of years. The path to love is paved with obstacles of their own making. Over the years, they make decisions and mistakes, have misunderstandings, devising barriers and preventing them from being together. It never seems to be the right time. Despite the lifelong heartbreak, can this unrequited love be rekindled?

Tessa Bowen has done it again with this wonderfully written story. Logan McAllister did an outstanding job with the narration. I wholly enjoyed listening to Valley Storm.

I was given a free copy of this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review.

The Narrator.....

Logan McAllister is brilliant! He does adult as well as children's voices very convincingly. I haven't heard anyone do that quite so well.

Valley storm

Third book in the Trilogy. Second chance romance. Luke and Amanda have been in love since childhood, when Luke goes away Amanda marries an abusive husband. 5 years later Luke comes back to save the day and win Amanda’s heart. Great light hearted read, on the plus side a lot less swearing.

Love doesn't faulter

Unless you are Luke and Amanda. I received this audiobook free for an honest review. This book took off from the first page and didn't slow down until the end. It was a long book but it went fast. This love story between a couple who grew up together, separated, got back together, separated, got back together, and this scenario continued until they both finally realized they were meant for each other. A lot of ups and downs that kept the listener's/reader's attention. The narrator did a good job with the chacters, male and female, and kept the story exciting with his presentation.

Great Second Chance!

I loved this book and I fell in love with these characters. From the banter between the characters that kept me laughing to love of family and friends that makes you believe anything is possible when you surround yourself with great people. Such a great series. I Love the Langthorne family.

🤩🤩🤩

I absolutely loved this book! The story and the characters were amazing. I think this was my favorite of all time. There were some sweet loving moments and some sad parts to the story but was really really good.

Okay Listen

Mandy and Luke promised they would marry each other when they were kids. Luke left to make something of hisself and Mandy married the first jerk who asked her. She was in an abusive marriage and ran away to the one family who would help and protect her. Luke comes home to claim and protect his woman but their biggest issue is communication, they don't talk to each other, they just argue.

❤️

Luke & Mandy’s story was my favourite in the series. They shared a deep love that dated back to childhood. Luke was sweet and Mandy was sour, they balanced each other out. Luke was protective and kind, the way he looked after Mandy was beautiful. Again great narration by Logan.

The Best for Last – Hopefully Not Really the Last

Once again, the partnership of Ms. Bowen and Mr. McAllister knock one out of the park. This book was so witty it had me laughing from start to finish despite a heavier subject matter as the backdrop. Kudos to Ms. Bowen for taking on such a sensitive topic as spousal abuse and putting into a love story and managing smiles in the process.

While it is not necessary to read the Langthorne books in order, I think doing so adds more depth to both the books and the characters. All of the previous characters made an appearance in this book as with the others, but I felt they had larger parts in this book. This is likely because if you have read the series in order, you’ve been introduced to the characters and their arc is already established. For example, it is mentioned in this book that Toby is now 60 years old, which made me chuckle when you consider how he acted in the first book, but it was certainly not vital for this story.

While I hope this is not the last book in this series, if it is, it is a wonderful send off for these characters. I look forward to the future endeavors of Ms. Bowen and Mr. McAllister in the future, whether together or separately…but hopefully together.

I was provided with a free copy of this audio book for my honest review. The views expressed here are entirely my own.

Friends to Lovers Romance

This is a fabulous story. Tessa Bowen doesn’t disappoint in this third book in the series. I’m definitely intrigued from the beginning of the story through out the entire story. She has a fantastic way of telling a story that sucks you in and that won’t let go. She is a fabulous author and one of my new favorites.
This story is very well written and narrated. The narrator does an excellent job with the characters and voices. You can easily distinguish between the characters. Logan McAllister is also becoming one of my favorite narrator’s. He has a sexy voice!
I definitely recommend this author,narrator and and especially this book!!!