Ames’ review of Mystery of the Tempest by Sam Cameron.
Main Character: Denny and Steven Anderson
Love Interest:
Series: Fisher Key #1
Author: Website|Goodreads
Twin brothers Denny and Steven Anderson love helping people and fighting crime alongside their sheriff dad on sun-drenched Fisher Key, Florida. Steven likes chasing girls. Denny longs to lose his virginity, but doesn’t dare tell anyone he’s gay. Steven has a secret of his own. He lied to everyone, including his own brother, about being accepted into SEAL training for the U.S. Navy.
On the day they graduate high school, the twins meet the handsome new guy in town, a military veteran with a chiseled body and mysterious past. Meanwhile Brian Vandermark, a gay transfer student from Boston, finds himself falling for closeted Denny but hampered by his shyness. When an antique yacht explodes in Fishey Key harbor, all three boys are caught up in a summer of betrayal, romance, and danger. It’s the Mystery of the Tempest — and it just might kill them all.
This book came to my attention via Hilcia, who enjoyed it. I did too. 😛
I think the blurb does a good job of setting up the book. Denny and Steven are twins. Steven is a little bit of a player, the way good looking teen boys can be. He’s been dating his girlfriend for a while and he’s looking forward to deflowering her after grad. His brother Denny is worried about remaining a virgin forever. He’s gay but not out. He’s never even had a kiss and he doesn’t want things to stay like that forever. Just until he’s finished the Coast Guard Academy. Steven also is living a lie, letting everyone believe he got into BUD/s training for the SEALs. Brian Vandermark is a classmate of theirs. He’s recently moved down to Florida from Boston and he’s kept mostly to himself. For grad, he’s decided to fly an old boyfriend (but still a friend) down.
The day of their grad, Denny and Steven notice a beautiful antique yacht sail into the harbor, called the Tempest. That night, while everyone is heading to a grad party, the boat is blown up – with Denny and Brian Vandermark right there to see it go up in flames. Brian was catching a ride across the water with Denny to said party, where Christopher, the old boyfriend he flew in for his grad, already was. Denny, worried about someone possibly being on the yacht, starts swimming towards in. He’s close enough to get knocked out when the boat blows up – but he’s rescued by a handsome stranger. Was this stranger just in the right place at the right time or was he involved somehow in the explosion?
As Denny and Steven try to figure out who the handsome stranger is and where he came from, they realize that the whole mystery around that boat is a lot more dangerous than anyone expected.
I am not the biggest fan of mysteries but I really enjoyed this one. I liked Denny and Steven’s characters and the Florida setting made for an interesting read.
Denny and Steven’s father is the local Sheriff. Their mom owns a bookstore. Now that school is finished, Denny works at the bookstore and Steven bodyguards at the local pool. They have lots of free time to put towards this mystery they’ve found themselves in the middle of. And work on their love lives. Steven gets himself into trouble with his girlfriend and her best friend and Denny and Brian are getting to know each other, with Denny denying the fact that he’s gay to Brian, who’s out. Brian, even though he’s hanging out with his ex, is developing feelings for Denny. Denny reciprocates, but under a very heavy cloud of denial. LOL
I thought the author did an excellent job of combining the mystery with the juicy stuff. And I enjoyed the fact that our main protagonists were guys. Switches things up a bit. Steven, even though he likes to get around, is full of charm so his character doesn’t come off as a jerk even though some of his actions can be less than stellar. And Denny is more introspective and willing to let his brother stay in the limelight. I thought the relationship between the twins was interesting. Overall, I really enjoyed Mystery of the Tempest. Solid B.
..and that’s your scoop!
Book cover and blurb credit: http://www.goodreads.com
Well, I’m trying to be a little bit less reverse-snobbish and read more with guy’s POVs and, you know, Male Authors – though this could be a guy or a girl, I dunno.
Anyway, I’m going to put it in my shopping list and see if I can get it.
Thanks for the review 😉
Sorry for the rambling.
Alex-Oh I’m the same way! It’s funny. I’ll only read male authors if it’s LGBT. But the Sam here is a woman, according to GR.
Hils-Thanks Hils. And a big thank you to introducing me to them. 😛