Review: The Harder They Fall by Ravenna Tate

Well…all good things must end, right? “The Harder They Fall” brings about the end of one of my favorite series’ ever. I loved everything about the Weathermen. There was mystery, intrigue, hot men, strong women, great sex, and most of all…the idea that technology that’s meant to help us can actually hurt us if it winds up in the wrong hands.

I’m going to give you my standard rundown of the general premise. It’s important to know exactly what’s going on in the world Ravenna Tate has created. So…
In the year 2112, a group of scientists 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 uninhabitable. 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 the 12th and final intallment, The Madeline Project has been put back on track, and the hackers have been arrested. Now, the rebuilding must begin. Blaine Parker wants to rebuild his company on the surface, and he wants to start right away. He doesn’t want to have to go through the necessary process of getting permits. Of course, with being able to finally go up, there are a lot of people doing the same thing. The wait is long, and due to the agency’s every changing rules, Blaine is frustrated and wants to start going over people’s heads.

Colleen Newton works for the Agency For Surface Rebuild, and she was appointed to be the one to find Blaine and get him to file his permits. She gets tough with him, but of course, Blain is very charming and handsome. He flusters her, but she remains determined.

The story takes off nicely from there. Blaine can’t keep himself from asking Colleen out on a date, and Colleen is only briefly unsure. All the Weathermen are notorious players, but Blaine is the only one who hasn’t found a woman to settle down with. She doesn’t want to be a notch on his bedpost, but she can’t stop the attraction, and they fall into bed. And speaking of that…WOW! They don’t do anything halfway! The sex is VERY hot, and I will tell you there are BDSM aspects. However, it’s nothing really heavy, just some light flogging and paddling. It’s not in your face, and it plays a small part in the story as a whole.

Even though the series is wrapping up, there is still intrigue. There are still some issues with the hackers, and Colleen’s aunt, the Vice President, has to get involved (a bit reluctantly). I don’t want to give away any spoilers, so I’m not going to tell you any more about it. Just trust me when I say it’s all very well written, and provides a satifsying end to a great series.

I think my favorite part of this book, though, is the very last chapter when all the Weathermen and their families gather together, and we get a glimpse at what’s going on with their lives. Everyone is so happy, and there are children everywhere! It was so sweet to see, and it teared me up a bit.

I’m sorry to see this series end. I thought it was fantastic, and I’ll miss it. I highly recommend it. However, I what I don’t recommend is trying to read this book as a standalone. You should read the entire series in order, starting with “Appetite for Blackmail”. You’ll be able to get the whole picture of the future world Ravenna Tate has created. Definitely go get this set!