The Storm

By Rachel Hawkins 
** Publication Date 6 January 2026 **
​4 stars




Rachel Hawkins NEVER disappoints me. I have yet to read a book that I didn’t want to zoom through so I could find out what happens. The Storm is no exception.


Geneva lives in a small town in coastal Alabama called St. Medard’s Bay. She took over her parent’s hotel after her mom could no longer handle the responsibility. At the time she had a significant other who thought it would be fun. Of course, he didn’t stick around to find out.


So now Geneva has the responsibility of running a beachfront hotel that has withstood many hurricanes over the years. Her credit cards are maxed out. She’s exhausted. Yet, she puts on a happy face and serves these customers. Her sidekick is Edie, an older woman who showed up one day and never left. Without Edie, Geneva would be lost.


An email arrives requesting that a writer, August, wants to rent a room for at least a month. He’s willing to pay twice what the room is worth. He also needs a second room for the reason he is coming to town, Lo Bailey. Lo was once tried for the murder of the Alabama Governor’s son during the last big hurricane in 1984. Lo was found not guilty, but never could shake the image of the seductress/mistress who killed her lover. 


While Geneva has concerns about what this could mean for the hotel, her credit cards say she needs to take the booking. And when August and Lo make themselves at home in the hotel and a part of Geneva’s life, things start to get tricky. Add in yet another tropical storm thinking about making landfall at the Roaalie Inn, and things take a really dark turn. 


Another gem from Hawkins. Honestly, I zip through her novels so quickly because she knows how to write a good tale. Picking up all the crazy threads and weaving them together is her speciality. Suspense and intrigue go without saying. She’s got a gift for making a book fun to read.


100% recommend this one.