What do you think?
Rate this book
Topaz Falls #1
Eyes Like a Hurricane
They may not have been part of each other’s plans…
But they soon realize they are each other’s futures.
Aislinn. She’s coming home. With an ex-boyfriend who refuses to let her go and a dog who wants wide open spaces, Aislinn runs to her home state. Having the dream of opening her own veterinary clinic, she jumps feet first into small town life, in Topaz Falls, Montana. What she doesn’t plan for, is a 6’4” rancher with eyes like jade or her ex doing whatever it takes to get her back. Never one to stand down from a challenge, Aislinn takes the situation head-on. She helps make the discovery of a lifetime, but in turn almost loses her possibility of a future.
Lachlan. He’s co-owner of Ambarsan Equine Therapy Ranch for veterans in Topaz Falls, Montana. While traveling to adopt a new farm dog in the Pacific Northwest, he’s hit by a hurricane when a chance encounter with a feisty brunette puts him toe to toe with her stormy gaze. She wasn’t what he planned on bringing home, but he refuses to live in a future where she doesn’t exist.
But they soon realize they are each other’s futures.
Aislinn. She’s coming home. With an ex-boyfriend who refuses to let her go and a dog who wants wide open spaces, Aislinn runs to her home state. Having the dream of opening her own veterinary clinic, she jumps feet first into small town life, in Topaz Falls, Montana. What she doesn’t plan for, is a 6’4” rancher with eyes like jade or her ex doing whatever it takes to get her back. Never one to stand down from a challenge, Aislinn takes the situation head-on. She helps make the discovery of a lifetime, but in turn almost loses her possibility of a future.
Lachlan. He’s co-owner of Ambarsan Equine Therapy Ranch for veterans in Topaz Falls, Montana. While traveling to adopt a new farm dog in the Pacific Northwest, he’s hit by a hurricane when a chance encounter with a feisty brunette puts him toe to toe with her stormy gaze. She wasn’t what he planned on bringing home, but he refuses to live in a future where she doesn’t exist.
Kindle Edition
Published February 9, 2024
About the author
Taryn Nikolic
5 books71 followersFind me on Instagram and TikTok as tnikolic_books.
I'm writing a series about Topaz Falls, Montana. It's a small town in northwest Montana near Glacier National Park.
I am from the Pacific Northwest, where my family loves to have our own adventures. My youngest child has been undergoing chemotherapy since May, 2022. To help distract her during appointments I would tell her stories of an imaginary town called Topaz Falls. We would brainstorm the names of people and farm animals. Topaz Falls started as an imaginative brainstorming session with my kids, as a means to distract and bring smiles. Since then, it has turned into an entire series. My kids loved my stories so much, they challenged me to turn them into adult novels. Now, I feel it needs to be told. I hope you will join me and meet the characters who have worked their way into my soul.
I love to read and was a reader long before I was a writer. I am easily entertained and will read pretty much everything. I strongly believe that collecting books and reading books are two separate hobbies ;).
You can find me on Instagram and Tiktok as tnikolic_books!
I'm writing a series about Topaz Falls, Montana. It's a small town in northwest Montana near Glacier National Park.
I am from the Pacific Northwest, where my family loves to have our own adventures. My youngest child has been undergoing chemotherapy since May, 2022. To help distract her during appointments I would tell her stories of an imaginary town called Topaz Falls. We would brainstorm the names of people and farm animals. Topaz Falls started as an imaginative brainstorming session with my kids, as a means to distract and bring smiles. Since then, it has turned into an entire series. My kids loved my stories so much, they challenged me to turn them into adult novels. Now, I feel it needs to be told. I hope you will join me and meet the characters who have worked their way into my soul.
I love to read and was a reader long before I was a writer. I am easily entertained and will read pretty much everything. I strongly believe that collecting books and reading books are two separate hobbies ;).
You can find me on Instagram and Tiktok as tnikolic_books!
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 4, 2024
"Bending down, our mouths connect, and like Tesla’s coil, my skin ignites with an electrical charge."
What kind of Serb would I be if I didn't put that specific quote at the top of my review, even though this had a bunch of cute ones I could've used instead? Exactly. Anyway, Y'ALL ARE SLEEPING ON THIS BOOK/SERIES/AUTHOR!!!!
I don't remember what I was looking for when this popped up, I think I was searching up something completely different and Amazon decided to recommend Eyes Like a Hurricane to me, and it's been living in my head rent free ever since.
I'm a huge fan of small town romances, so this definitely caught my eye, but it was mainly the author's last name that made me prioritise it. I'm not sure if she's Serbian, or married to someone who is, but either way we support our own in this house!!! I see a Serbian name, I click read, simple.
Having finished it, I'm so glad there's going to be at least six books in the series, because I fell in love with the world and its characters and need to see more of them. I actually would've read this back in February when I found it, but I knew I'd love it and wanted it to be closer to book two and three so here we are.
I like that the book starts with a little steam guide, so if you want a spice free read, you know exactly which pages to skip. The playlist was maybe 80% to my taste which is always a plus (extra extra points for Warren Zeiders), I went and saved it on Spotify, along with the other two.
It's a bit of a slow burn at first, but I was still surprised at how fast they got together, because the beginning made it seem like it would stretch out a bit more. There was a lot of anticipation, like when they'd finally meet again etc, it gave me butterflies. And then they saw each other in that bar and that was IT, they were smitten.
I was wondering if the rest of the story would be interesting, what else could happen if they got together so soon into the book, but fear not friends for it definitely kept my attention.
The book is told in dual PoV, but we also got the PoV of the villain. As much as I didn't like him, I liked reading what he was up to. It gave him some depth beyond the overly attached ex boyfriend. We got to see how his mind worked, and that he was, indeed, a bit coo coo.
I also like that the main conflict was driven by said villain, and not a typical third act breakup, it was refreshing.
The romance was super sweet, you could feel the sparks from their very first meeting and they never went away. They may have fallen in love in a month, but it was believable.
Both Lachlan and Aislinn are animal lovers which is a big theme throughout the book. They each have a floofy baby and I hope we get dog updates too, I gotta know if those two will have cute little puppies!!! Also, the alpacas dunking them...yes.
The side characters were just as engaging, I can't wait to read their stories. The ending for this one set up the next one which I'm assuming will be a recurring theme.
You can just feel the love the author put into this world, and the story of how it came about just makes me wish for this series to blow up ASAP. So if you like small town romances with a fun cast of characters please give the Topaz Falls series a try.
P. S. Dr Tomasevic (Tomašević) needs another appearance!!! For no reason other than I like subtle Serbian rep okay? Okay.
What kind of Serb would I be if I didn't put that specific quote at the top of my review, even though this had a bunch of cute ones I could've used instead? Exactly. Anyway, Y'ALL ARE SLEEPING ON THIS BOOK/SERIES/AUTHOR!!!!
I don't remember what I was looking for when this popped up, I think I was searching up something completely different and Amazon decided to recommend Eyes Like a Hurricane to me, and it's been living in my head rent free ever since.
I'm a huge fan of small town romances, so this definitely caught my eye, but it was mainly the author's last name that made me prioritise it. I'm not sure if she's Serbian, or married to someone who is, but either way we support our own in this house!!! I see a Serbian name, I click read, simple.
Having finished it, I'm so glad there's going to be at least six books in the series, because I fell in love with the world and its characters and need to see more of them. I actually would've read this back in February when I found it, but I knew I'd love it and wanted it to be closer to book two and three so here we are.
I like that the book starts with a little steam guide, so if you want a spice free read, you know exactly which pages to skip. The playlist was maybe 80% to my taste which is always a plus (extra extra points for Warren Zeiders), I went and saved it on Spotify, along with the other two.
It's a bit of a slow burn at first, but I was still surprised at how fast they got together, because the beginning made it seem like it would stretch out a bit more. There was a lot of anticipation, like when they'd finally meet again etc, it gave me butterflies. And then they saw each other in that bar and that was IT, they were smitten.
I was wondering if the rest of the story would be interesting, what else could happen if they got together so soon into the book, but fear not friends for it definitely kept my attention.
The book is told in dual PoV, but we also got the PoV of the villain. As much as I didn't like him, I liked reading what he was up to. It gave him some depth beyond the overly attached ex boyfriend. We got to see how his mind worked, and that he was, indeed, a bit coo coo.
I also like that the main conflict was driven by said villain, and not a typical third act breakup, it was refreshing.
The romance was super sweet, you could feel the sparks from their very first meeting and they never went away. They may have fallen in love in a month, but it was believable.
Both Lachlan and Aislinn are animal lovers which is a big theme throughout the book. They each have a floofy baby and I hope we get dog updates too, I gotta know if those two will have cute little puppies!!! Also, the alpacas dunking them...yes.
The side characters were just as engaging, I can't wait to read their stories. The ending for this one set up the next one which I'm assuming will be a recurring theme.
You can just feel the love the author put into this world, and the story of how it came about just makes me wish for this series to blow up ASAP. So if you like small town romances with a fun cast of characters please give the Topaz Falls series a try.
P. S. Dr Tomasevic (Tomašević) needs another appearance!!! For no reason other than I like subtle Serbian rep okay? Okay.
May 23, 2024
This book has all the little quirks I look for in a contemporary romance. I loved all the different characters and animals. I liked how people were slowly introduced. It always bothers me when a large cast is thrown at me in the first chapter. This book, slowly fed me the formation, building the world of Topaz Falls, making it easy to retain. There was a mystery that I guessed wrong, which I loved. I was glad the author didn't spend an ornate amount of time unboxing the ending, it wrapped up nicely. For me it was like a spiced up Hallmark movie. I laughed out loud at some of the banter. The first fifty pages were a little slow, but I went into it knowing this was a slow-burn strangers to lovers trope with the MFC going through a complete location change. The meet cute had me reading fast, trying to figure out how they were going to end up together. The epilogue was awesome because it set us up for book 2! Brother's best friend is ONE of my favorite tropes, so I can hardly wait for April 2024. I hope she writes a second-chance romance in this series, because I'm there for it! If you are looking for a happy ending with no third act breakup this book is for you. I loved how the author created a playlist on Spotify and also included a Trigger Warning page and a Spice page (it tells you were all the juicy scenes are to either skip to or avoid haha) - M.A.
April 10, 2024
I couldn’t get enough of this book! I absolutely adored Lachlan and Aislinn’s story! An incredible small town romance with lots of love, solid friendships and a touch of suspense. This book is contemporary romance perfection 🤍
I can’t get over how cute I think Lachlan and Aislinn are. From their very first meeting and the love they had for animals, especially their furry four legged companions had me swooning. Lachlan is fiercely loyal and protective. He’s a big softie for Aislinn and cares so deeply for her. Aislinn is brave, determined and so compassionate. These two are perfect for each other and I truly loved reading as they fell in love with one another. They faced obstacles together, like her obsessive ex and came out stronger because of it.
The characters are so incredibly relatable that you can’t just help to love them. Aislinn and Lachlan are perfect for one another and their chemistry is undeniable. The spice level is perfect too!
The revelation at the end is the cutest full circle moment that I legitimately squealed over! I can’t believe this is a debut book! Taryn has created an incredibly captivating place that I find myself wanting to move to. Topaz Falls seems like the perfect place to live due to the incredibly detailed and realistic characters that inhabit it. I look forward to reading more from Taryn and can’t wait to visit Topaz Falls again!
I can’t get over how cute I think Lachlan and Aislinn are. From their very first meeting and the love they had for animals, especially their furry four legged companions had me swooning. Lachlan is fiercely loyal and protective. He’s a big softie for Aislinn and cares so deeply for her. Aislinn is brave, determined and so compassionate. These two are perfect for each other and I truly loved reading as they fell in love with one another. They faced obstacles together, like her obsessive ex and came out stronger because of it.
The characters are so incredibly relatable that you can’t just help to love them. Aislinn and Lachlan are perfect for one another and their chemistry is undeniable. The spice level is perfect too!
The revelation at the end is the cutest full circle moment that I legitimately squealed over! I can’t believe this is a debut book! Taryn has created an incredibly captivating place that I find myself wanting to move to. Topaz Falls seems like the perfect place to live due to the incredibly detailed and realistic characters that inhabit it. I look forward to reading more from Taryn and can’t wait to visit Topaz Falls again!
May 13, 2024
the book was pretty okay in general, however it's kind of dragged out. like some things felt a little too detailed and some things felt slipshod.
for example at the last chapter, the hero realized the geologist guy is one of the guy who kidnapped and injured the heroine, and this saga just ended with "the sheriff is waiting at the bottom of the hill to take him in for questioning" and that's it, no sequel to it. i mean the author rather write in detail on what ingredients the heroine put in her protein shake like "i place one banana, half a cup of frozen strawberries, almond milk, ice water, and a scoop of vega protein powder in my mixer. honestly, who cares wtf did she put in her bloody protein shake.
the emphasis just seems to be in the wrong place... think throughout the book, there are quite a number of things that doesn't need to be elaborated but it did therefore the dragged out comment. sometimes less is more which occasionally authors don't understand.
for example at the last chapter, the hero realized the geologist guy is one of the guy who kidnapped and injured the heroine, and this saga just ended with "the sheriff is waiting at the bottom of the hill to take him in for questioning" and that's it, no sequel to it. i mean the author rather write in detail on what ingredients the heroine put in her protein shake like "i place one banana, half a cup of frozen strawberries, almond milk, ice water, and a scoop of vega protein powder in my mixer. honestly, who cares wtf did she put in her bloody protein shake.
the emphasis just seems to be in the wrong place... think throughout the book, there are quite a number of things that doesn't need to be elaborated but it did therefore the dragged out comment. sometimes less is more which occasionally authors don't understand.
March 18, 2024
DNF
Reading this book feels like reading a documentary. Proper language. Plain narrative. Minute details. I am still giving it a try as I like the story and I see potential, I just hope it gets more interesting as I read along.
Ok that’s it. Made it to 6% of the book. Feels like I am reading into every excruciating detail of their minute by minute life.
Moving along. Next!
Reading this book feels like reading a documentary. Proper language. Plain narrative. Minute details. I am still giving it a try as I like the story and I see potential, I just hope it gets more interesting as I read along.
Ok that’s it. Made it to 6% of the book. Feels like I am reading into every excruciating detail of their minute by minute life.
Moving along. Next!
April 22, 2024
I absolutely loved this story and the characters. It was a small town that I’d love to visit and Topaz Falls will forever be special to this reader. I connected with all the characters and the author made me as the reader feel and really want to visit this town. Roller coaster of emotions and a phenomenal read.
February 27, 2024
Thanks for letting me be a Beta Reader. The man's point of view was spot on. I liked how it wrapped up succinctly and doesn't draw out. The epilogue introduces us to book 2. The spice felt natural. I will read book 2.
February 19, 2024
Minor Spoilers 🚨🚨🚨
I loved how they were connected by the invisible string theory and the instant connection they formed together from the first time they saw each other as kids to them meeting as adults and instantly being drawn to each other and not only them but there adorable dogs being attached to each other as well is so insanely cute.
The funny thing is what had made me want to read this book was release day fan art by artincharacter on instagram and how stunning the fmc and mmc were and then the tropes at the bottom really got me, I love a good ranch, small town with animals type of romance and this definitely had it and though this book was very fast past I was happy to see there weren’t any third act break up which is usually what happens in a lot of fast paced books. Even though this book had om drama there were no ow and the om wasn’t in a lot of the book.
But anyways read this book it’s so good and worth the read.
I loved how they were connected by the invisible string theory and the instant connection they formed together from the first time they saw each other as kids to them meeting as adults and instantly being drawn to each other and not only them but there adorable dogs being attached to each other as well is so insanely cute.
The funny thing is what had made me want to read this book was release day fan art by artincharacter on instagram and how stunning the fmc and mmc were and then the tropes at the bottom really got me, I love a good ranch, small town with animals type of romance and this definitely had it and though this book was very fast past I was happy to see there weren’t any third act break up which is usually what happens in a lot of fast paced books. Even though this book had om drama there were no ow and the om wasn’t in a lot of the book.
But anyways read this book it’s so good and worth the read.
May 27, 2024
This was a beautiful slow burn book about two soulmates destined to be together. I kept wanting to know when they would finally meet meet and the bar scene didn't disappoint. The cliff scene surprised me, as I didn't see it coming and the animals!! ALL the animals!
July 15, 2024
It was cute and short. Bueno para pasar el tiempo, aunque no tenía mucho trama en si. More like insta love
February 18, 2024
3.75
I’m torn because the plot was entertaining for me but the writing style just didn’t flow very well at some parts. Which is why I gave it 3.75. But I do expect that to improve over time as she writes more books. And I do plan to read those because I really want Ingrid and Callum’s story.
I loved the meet cute and the plot. It had a nice touch of ex-boyfriend drama that I like.
Tropes
- insta-lust
- small town
- no 3rd BU
- He falls first
I’m torn because the plot was entertaining for me but the writing style just didn’t flow very well at some parts. Which is why I gave it 3.75. But I do expect that to improve over time as she writes more books. And I do plan to read those because I really want Ingrid and Callum’s story.
I loved the meet cute and the plot. It had a nice touch of ex-boyfriend drama that I like.
Tropes
- insta-lust
- small town
- no 3rd BU
- He falls first
February 19, 2024
Eyes Like A Hurricane - Taryn Nikolic
I really enjoyed this story, it was full of some of my top tropes, had suspense, and was sweet while not being sappy. The supporting characters were interesting and omg all the animals 😍
🩵 Veterinarian/Physical Therapist
🩵 Moving back home
🩵 All the doggos
🩵 PTSD/Mental Health rep
🩵 Small Town
I really enjoyed this story, it was full of some of my top tropes, had suspense, and was sweet while not being sappy. The supporting characters were interesting and omg all the animals 😍
🩵 Veterinarian/Physical Therapist
🩵 Moving back home
🩵 All the doggos
🩵 PTSD/Mental Health rep
🩵 Small Town
March 18, 2024
A Perfect Small Town Romance!
This book was everything you want from a small town romance. I loved the vibrant characters and idyllic location. The meet cute was endearing and memorable, and the romance was explosive. On more than one occasion, I was surprised by this author’s twists and turn of phrase, which is not easy to do in a romance. I found myself surprised into laughing so hard I cried, and I was genuinely worried for these characters.
Based on the delightful writing, I am incredibly excited to read the next look into this adorable community hinted at in the epilogue. It is a standalone novel, but if the epilogue is any indication, we can expect to hear more from this H/h.
As an developmental editor, I receive an advanced copy prior to the February release. I loved it so much, I bought a print copy of the final version on release day.
This book was everything you want from a small town romance. I loved the vibrant characters and idyllic location. The meet cute was endearing and memorable, and the romance was explosive. On more than one occasion, I was surprised by this author’s twists and turn of phrase, which is not easy to do in a romance. I found myself surprised into laughing so hard I cried, and I was genuinely worried for these characters.
Based on the delightful writing, I am incredibly excited to read the next look into this adorable community hinted at in the epilogue. It is a standalone novel, but if the epilogue is any indication, we can expect to hear more from this H/h.
As an developmental editor, I receive an advanced copy prior to the February release. I loved it so much, I bought a print copy of the final version on release day.
March 2, 2024
I love the characters in this book. They have worked their way into my heart and soul. I hope you will enjoy it, too. This book started as a brainstorming, creative writing session with my kids during my child's chemotherapy appointment. They helped me come up with all the names of the farm animals. These stories really help us get through my child's treatments. After I told them the concept of the town and distracted them with mini stories about the members in the community, they challenged me to write a book. Since then, it has turned into a series I feel needs to be told.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews