I loved that the whole book smells and reads liek Hawaii. It's not just a place for the plot to partake but it's also a character. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a chance to read this book.

I really wanted to read an interesting story from a Native Hawaiian. Although the story line is overall good and the heroine is likeable, the novel is too tiresome and fastidious to read. I'm not a native speaker of English, so even the pidgin was a challenge. But I'm really not interested in the native names of Hawaiian flora and fauna or their dishes. I kept going, although there were quite some lengths describing landscape or relatives all over the place. I learned some interesting facts about Hawaii that I could have learned in plain English. It seems it's not the paradise it's made out to be.

Another amazing book from Tori Eldridge, this time, set on Kauai, the place of my heart. What an eye-opening and honest story about the reality of life for locals on Kauai, far from the touristy paradise Kauai is known for. The MC is engaging and relatable and her struggle to be accepted into her ohana can be felt by anyone who has always felt a bit on the outside. At time pulse pounding and at times touching, Kauai'i Storm will wrap you up in the magic and spirit of the real Kauai and her people. Can't wait for the next book!

Huh! Such a different book that I thought it would be. I so love Tori’s Ninja series and I hope to see a whole lot more of Lily Wong, but this is a whole nuther animal. A few months before reading Kaui’i Storm, someone on one of my fave podcasts recommended a book called Ho’oponopono. I had no idea what they even said, but researched and found the book. I started reading with some misgivings as the harder parts to deal with in life are quite uncomfortable. When this came up in the book and the way it was presented in this intense family dynamic made me cry. While reading Kaui’i Storm, I was trying to figure out the genre and somewhere in the book, the term social-cultural anthropology was mentioned and I was “Oh, that’s what this is.” I also realized that I know absolutely nothing about Hawai’i and the social-cultural anthropology as well as the food of the islands which Tori leans on heavily in relating the family ways of life. It’s like a cookbook without the amounts and inspires a whole other way to make some foods in my future. Quite the ride! I enjoyed it so much and look forward to the next in the series.

I love Elridge's Lily Wong series and was apprehensive about a new series. You know how it is when you read a book by a favorite author but the characters are different and you keep waiting for the familar name to appear? | was happily surprised that I didn't have any trouble diving into Kauai Storm and never once expected Lily to appear. Another engaging female protagonist!