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Call Up the Storm

First published 1983 · 243 pages

A tempestuous, coastal romance where a fiery quest for vengeance dissolves into a stormy, inescapable passion.

What it feels like

Reading this vintage romance feels like standing on a windswept cliffside, wrapped in the dramatic, tempestuous energy of a coastal storm. The narrative moves at a brisk, breathless pace, sweeping the reader into a tangled web of righteous vengeance and unintended desire. Its atmosphere is distinctly brooding and slightly gothic, leaning into the mythic undertones of a wild, untamed sea to mirror the heroine's internal chaos. The prose is earnest and unapologetically melodramatic, capturing the intense, high-stakes emotional texture typical of 1980s category romance. It is a perfect escape for readers who delight in fiery, stubborn protagonists, the delicious tension of a deception gone wrong, and the inevitable, crashing wave of a hard-won surrender.

Mood
  • stormy
  • brooding
  • tempestuous
  • coastal
Tone
  • melodramatic
  • passionate
  • earnest
  • defiant
Pace
brisk
Themes
revenge and regret · enemies to lovers · untamed nature · the weight of deception · mythic inheritance
The writing
The writing is dramatic and atmospheric, heavily utilizing coastal weather and mythic imagery to mirror the characters' internal turbulence.
The arc
The journey shifts from a fiery, self-righteous desire for vengeance into a tangled web of guilt, vulnerability, and ultimately, passionate surrender.
Who it's for
Fans of vintage 1980s romance who crave stormy coastal settings, feisty heroines with a touch of the gothic, and brooding, misunderstood heroes.
Content notes
  • deception
  • emotional manipulation
  • vintage gender dynamics

About the book

“There’s a wild streak in you.”

Felicity had reason to remember her grandfather’s words when David Holle entered her life. She knew all about his womanising, and being the descendant of a legendary sea witch, she vowed to repay him for the way he had broken her friend’s heart. But Felicity became tangled in her own black spell. By the time she fell in love with him, he knew her as a cheat, unworthy of his trust—and his love.

Description from Open Library.

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