Jane True Books In Order

Publication Order of Jane True Books

Jane True is the main character in an epic urban fantasy series by Nicole Peeler. She is a half-human half selkie living in the small town of Rockabill in Maine. Nicole is thrust into a world where mystic creatures of all sorts exist, and she must help solve a series of gruesome murders along the way while at the same time dealing with her personal demons.

The series is narrated in first-person perspective from Jane’s point of view and is full of action sprinkled with humor.

Tempest Rising
Tempest Rising is the first book in Jane True series by Nicole Peeler. We are introduced to the heroine of the story, a woman named Jane True. She’s half selkie and half-human and is unaware of her actual origins, but she knows that she always feels the urge to swim regardless of how the is and doesn’t feel cold at all.

Jane is a resident of a small town in Maine known as Rockabill. She’s somehow haunted since her mother left her when she was only six years old while her first love drowned in an accident that she blames herself for. Janes comes to learn about her true self when the small town of Rockabill is turned into a living hell after several supernatural murders.

Nicole Peelers does a fantastic job in world-building, creating a world that’s so large that encompasses every single mystical creature you could ever think of. However, what’s truly surprising and amazing at the same time is the fact that each of these mystical creatures mentioned in this story is slightly altered from the true mythos surrounding them.

For example, vampires need blood to survive, but most surprisingly, they can function during the day, and the genies do have something for you to rub, and it is definitely not their lamp. Throughout the story, we get to learn that just about every mythical creature that humans have ever written or talked about is alive.

Even though Jane has dread about the world that she is introduced to, she embraces it with vigor and mostly because she is in a relationship with Ryu. Even though the romance between Jane and Ryu plays a major role in the story, it’s also not the reason for the story. One thing you will love about the book is the fact that Jane isn’t ashamed of her sexuality, and she engages freely. You will also like the idea that Nicole Peeler made sure that Jane and Ryu engaged in safe sex. Ryu promises our heroine that he can’t get her pregnant and that he doesn’t carry any diseases, but despite his frequent reassurances, she demands that he wears a condom.

You will agree that there are many books in this genre that talk about safe sex, but the fact that Nicole Peeler chose to include it in this story should be appreciated. Jane always takes time to think about her safety, despite her lust, and that’s a message that all young women and men needs to hear.

In the first few pages of Tempest Rising, we are introduced to a lesbian couple who own a bookstore where Jane works and acts as both her friend and boss. It’s not always easy to see marginalized folks appear in books because they often fall into stereotypes.

Male and female couples often exist, but the issue here is that they are often stereotyped whenever lesbian couples are featured in the media.
And unlike most stories, the fact that the story is set in a small town in Maine helps explain the deletion of people of color. Instead of including racial diversity, the author ventured into the diversity of the supernatural world, which helps make sense geographically. Far often in urban fantasy books, people of colors are either completely erased or simply reduced to minor figures within the story.

Jane is also a caregiver to her aging father. Their relationship is intricate as her father is in complete denial of the true nature of his wife/Jane’s mother. At one point in the story, Jane is institutionalized, and the facility is described as horrible. That’s an important discussion, but the author simplifies it, assuring the reader that her heroine didn’t’ belong there as she isn’t crazy.

But that’s to be expected as in most urban fantasy stories, the female protagonist has to survive unspeakable horrors but remains untouched by them. However, that doesn’t happen in this case; we see Jane fight depression after the death of her first love, which was real and saddening. The depression resulted in people stigmatizing her identity, which showcases the ableism that we also experience in our social circles.

Tempest Rising is classically a fantastic series debut novel. It’s the story where Nicole introduces us to this new world and her heroine. We get to know more about the character and how she interacts with the world and the people around her, perfectly setting us for more. The plot is a murder mystery, but the investigation of the murder mystery takes a back seat to the introduction of the new world and Jane’s learning of this new world.

Tracking the Tempest
Tracking the Tempest is the second novel in Jane True series by Nicole Peeler. It begins four months after the events of the first books, during which Jane has been training and mastering her newly found supernatural powers while at the same time enjoying her regained sense of confidence.

Rockabill may not have been a haven, but it’s her home, and with Valentine’s Day fast approaching, Ryu, Jane’s vampire boyfriend, can’t let the holiday go by without celebrating. An all-over place boyfriend and a late minute flight to Boston, and Jane’s life is thrown out of balance.

But Ryu crafted plans create more turbulence than he anticipated, and Jane ends up entangled in an investigation involving a series of brutal murders committed by a mystic being of tremendous powers.

Jane plays a major role in solving the murder mystery, and Ryu and several others, including Anyan, help bring the action to an epic climax.