Whirlwind

De: Kayla Grosse

Narrado por: Victoria Connolly, Grayson Owens, Robb Moreira

Is it reckless for a master’s student to blur the lines with her hot, older professor—a legendary storm chaser?

Without a doubt.

But when a tornado strikes during Finley and Professor West’s first chase together, something far more dangerous than the storm pulls them in. Boundaries shatter, and so do their reservations.

Now, as they tear across Oklahoma with his famous storm chasing team, he’s adamant: they crossed a line that should never have been crossed. He’s her professor, and she’s his student—nothing more.

But with every storm they face, they’re drawn deeper into a whirlwind that threatens to consume them both.

Can they remain professional?

Or will the storms consume them?

©2025 Kayla Grosse (P)2025 Fat Babe Publishing, INC.

A Whirlwind of Love

I was very impressed with the narration and the sound effects throughout. It brought a fun extra element to the story.

The story felt a little flat for me as far as dialogue and buildup. I wished there was more development of the characters and we saw a more gradual build to their relationship.

Overall it was fun.

So Fantastic!

I love me some Grayson Owens & Victoria Connolly, but you put them in duet & in a Kayla Grosse story?! FRIKKIN FANTASTIC! They’re perfect as Ryker & Finley, & I absolutely loved this performance! The little sound effects throughout were also a great detail. They weren’t overwhelming & didn’t overshadow the audio at all, I thought they were great touches & made it an even more immersive reading experience!

PS: Rob Moreira is also great in this one!!

Story review below:

Kayla Grosse doesn’t miss! I enjoyed this one so much!

“Professor West” “Ms. Buckley” LAWWWWD🥵

We all know Kayla is queen when it comes to plus size FMCs, men who are obsessed with them, & spicy spice, but I was blown away (no pun intended 😂) by this one & the action! The storm & chase scenes were so good! I also learned a lot about storms through this one lol!

Finley was such a badass! I loved that she had multiple talents & was confident to pursue them. And storm chasing solo? You go girl! The dynamic between her & Ryker is delish, being forbidden & a nice age gap too😮‍💨 They are pretty angsty as well, with the back & forth on if they should pursue each other or not, & the pining on both parts.

They are hot hot hot when they do come together (maybe a little pun intended there 🙃), my kindle & AirPods were melting 🥵

🌪️

🌪️ the plot and story was familiar. The narration was great.
The plot did its thing, but it was far from original
Still a solid 3
Spice: 🌶️🌶️.5

Love a storm chaser!

This was sweet… age gap, professor/student, with a third act break up. I’m a sucker for an age gap!

Loved the duet style reading

Such a great listen! Funny, fun, exciting, and great spice! I really enjoyed the thrill of the storm chasing.

TORNADO DADDY

This was so much fun!!!! 5 fantastic stars ⭐️! The audible was amazing, I LOVED Joey! He was so hyped and kept everyone in stitches! Grayson Owens has melted my panties with his voice on this one, oh man, the way he call Finley baby… 🥵😮‍💨 hawwwtt!!

This was such an exciting book, I had so much fun reading/listening to it! It reminded me a lot of twisters which I loved! I have always been fascinated with tornados 🌪️. Once when I was young me and my family were on 175 in Crandall Texas when a tornado was right on the side of the highway! We had to pull over for it to pass us, and it was the craziest thing I ever saw! It was wild! Then Twister came out and I was obsessed!

Kayla did her research and this felt so real, also, with the audible there are sound effects which just made it so much wilder! I loved it!

I kinda hope there’s a sequel to this one, maybe about Ezra?!? That way I can keep tabs on my sweet Ryker and Finley! Also JOEY!!! Freaking Tornado Daddy had me crying! I was cackling this whole book, I’m also going to need one of those shirts with Rykers face on it! Haha

Professor & Student

After having your heart ripped out by Suzanne Collins, a girl needs a pick me up, this book was that pick me up.

Finely Buckley loves nothing more than a good storm chase. She’s a master’s student, and storm photographer. Ryker West is not only one of the hottest storms chasers around, but also her older professor.

The relationship between Ryker and Finely has been blurring for quite sometime. But, when their first storm chase together goes wrong in every which way, it is the reason that they finally cross that line. Now, they are stuck together on a research trip with his entire team, wondering if they made a mistake, or is this everything they have ever wanted.

As a girl who grew up loving Twister, this fed into that fandom. It was just the kind of short romance that I truly needed. I really enjoyed this audiobook and had a lot of fun with it.

I can always count on Kayla for a pick me up. Her books are always fun and somehow making you feel good. Whirlwind’s side character Joey was probably one of the greatest parts of this book. By the end, I wanted to buy a Tornado Daddy t-shirt.

A Stormy, Slow-Burn Romance with Twister Vibes

As a Twister fan, I knew I had to pick this one up. I’ll be honest—I was expecting a cheesy, rom-com take on storm chasing, but while some parts were predictable, Whirlwind surprised me with its emotional depth, strong character dynamics, and an entertaining side cast.

At the heart of the story, we have Finley, a determined graduate student, and Professor Ryker West, her brooding, much-older mentor (25/42 age gap). There’s forced proximity, forbidden romance, and tension for days—all set against the backdrop of adrenaline-fueled storm chasing.

One thing I really appreciated about Finley was that she felt real. She doesn’t talk like she wandered off the set of a Hallmark movie—she’s spunky, independent, and refreshingly self-aware. She acknowledges that she’s a 25-year-old graduate student, not an 18-year-old undergrad, and she refuses to play the role of a damsel in distress. Even when she’s thrown into chaotic, high-stakes situations, she handles herself like an actual adult, which made me root for her even more.

After months of simmering, inappropriate tension, Finley and Ryker find themselves in the middle of a literal tornado, barely making it out alive. The rush of fear and survival sends them over the edge, and they finally give in to their attraction. But the moment is short-lived—Ryker immediately regrets it the next morning, calling it a mistake. Not because he doesn’t want her, but because he knows the power imbalance puts her at risk.

And that’s where the push-and-pull begins. The rest of the book leans heavily on miscommunication and emotional back-and-forth, which, while frustrating at times, also has some really tender, heartfelt moments. Ryker’s selflessness when it comes to Finley is undeniably endearing, and while I didn’t always love the conflict, I did love them.

A major highlight for me was Joey, a side character who unexpectedly stole the show. He added levity and emotional depth, grounding both Finley and Ryker when they needed it most. I really hope we get a spinoff with him and Hawk because I’d 100% read that.

Final Thoughts

⭐ 3.5/5 Stars – A warm wind, but definitely enjoyable.
While the romance had its frustrating moments, the chemistry, emotional tension, and the storm-chasing setting made it a fun ride. If you’re into professor/student romance with an age gap, high-stakes adventure, and angsty miscommunication, this one’s worth a read!

* sidenote – if you listen to the audiobook of this story, be aware that there are a lot of sirens as sound effects and they sound very realistic.

Wonderful

As a person who lives with tornadoes this book was spot on. I loved the romance too. The professor and student was nice. I loved the sound effects. Narration was perfect.

Over hyped

The spice was good but all in all it was def overhyped. Glad I used a credit instead of paying for it