Review: Surrendering to Chance by Ravenna Tate

This is one of the best series I’ve ever read.  I love how Ravenna Tate has built a world that is so detailed that I can honestly believe that I’ve been dropped straight into it, and you know what?  It’s not really pretty.  It’s dangerous, with mystery and action, and a “real life” issue that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later.

A quick rundown.  In the year 2112, a group of scientests create a computer program they’ve called The Madeline Project.  It’s goal is to release electrical pulses into clouds to try to prevent catastrophic storms like hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and blizzards. In 2117, a real time test proves to be relatively successful, but there is a group of hackers who upload a virus into the project, and what happens is exactly what The Madeline project was trying to prevent.  Apocalyptic storms make 85% of the Earth completely uninhabitalbe.  Those who didn’t die in the storms have moved underground into “cities” built several years before during a nuclear war scare.  A group of 12 very wealthy men, college friends, calling themselves “The Weathermen” are doing whatever they can to try to find, capture, and punish the hackers.  They want to try to rebuild the surface to that people can return home.  In this latest installement (The eighth), we find out that the need to do this has become more urgent than ever.

In “Surrendering to Chance”, we meet Valerie and Grayson (and oh how I love that name).  She works in the IT department at his company, and she loves him. They were together for six months, until Valerie confessed she loved him.  He told her he needed “more”…more women, more sex, more of everthing. He was lying, though.  He did love her, but he was afraid to admit it.  They’ve both been miserable since their breakup, but neither one wanted to make the first move.

Along with the love story, we are treated to the ongoing mystery of who the hackers are, how to catch them, and how to get them to tell them how to stop the virus.  As I mentioned, it’s urgent now.  If something isn’t done soon, the underground cities will be out of oxygen within three years.  Through a fortunate conversation with a friend, Valerie is led to a website where some of the hackers and their co conspiritorss meet.  Grayson, Valerie, and some of the other Weathermen and their fiancees embark on a mission to get those names.

Now, back to the love story.  I won’t give away too much, but I did want to say that Grayson and Valerie have a great chemistry.  Since they have a past, we don’t get to actually witness their slow fall into love.  Instead, we see two people who have loved each other for a year and not talked about it come to their senses and realize they are meant to be together.  Grayson claims to have changed, and Valerie wants to believe him, and her friends persuade her that it’s the truth.  I like the way they can actually “talk shop”.  NONE of the heroines in this series are damsels in distress.  They’re all smart and savvy.  They have gone to college and have degrees.  They’re equals to their men, and that’s refreshing.  Along with working together, there is a lot of heat between Grayson and Valerie.  They were always compatible sexually, and their scenes are hot!  I would consider this story to be light BDSM.  There is spanking and impact play, but it’s not overwhelming.  Sometimes it can be, but Ms. Tate achieves a balance between sexy vanilla scenes and the BDSM.

As the series is nearing the end, I realize that I’m going to miss it when it’s finished.  I’ve grown attached to all of the characters, and I’ve also learned a lot.  It’s obvious Ms. Tate has researched the subject well, and it shows.  I think everyone should understand that technology, while necessary, can come back and bite us.  Steps should be taken to prevent a future like the one in “The Weathermen”.  THis is the eighth installment, and I do not recommend you read this as a stand alone.  You will be lost.  You need to start at the very beginning with “An Appetite for Blackmail” and continue the stories in order.  Characters cross over, and the mystery is ongoing.  You won’t be sorry, though.  These books are so good, you’ll want to immerse yourself in them.