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Tuesday, November 11, 2014

New Release & Review! Until You Find Me by Amber Hart

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New Release! 

Until You Find Me

by Amber Heart


About UNTIL YOU FIND ME: 

Amber Hart pushes contemporary romance to its wildest limits in this heart-pounding novel, the story of a girl who travels to Africa to protect the legacy of one man . . . and stays for the love of another.


Raven Moore, a twenty-year-old college student from Michigan, feels out of place in the beautiful, treacherous jungles of Cameroon, staying in the habitat where her father gave his life to help protect endangered gorillas. He left home years ago; now Raven refuses to return home until she unravels the truth about his last days.

Raven certainly doesn’t count on crossing paths with a handsome young hunter—especially one as charismatic and intense as Jospin Tondjii. Instantly, she’s hooked. But Jospin is hiding a dark truth: He is the heir to a powerful poaching empire, part of a ruthless black market that is responsible for the dwindling gorilla population.

Their fathers may have been enemies, but Raven and Jospin forge a bond that goes beyond blood, a relationship that is tested as Raven draws closer to the source of her father’s death. Can she and Jospin bear the weight of the secrets of the wild—and the secrets of their pasts? Or will the rain forest destroy them both? 
 Add it to Goodreads here!


Review - 4 Stars

This book was an unexpectedly intense read. While it’s not so gripping that I ripped through it, I was definitely drawn into the story. The writing took me a little time to get used to. It’s a little choppy and doesn’t flow all that smoothly. However, once I got used to it, and as I became familiar with the characters, it was almost as though her writing style reflected them.
There is no light lead in to this book. It starts right out with the near death of the heroine, Raven. Honestly, I had to go back and read the blurb to make sure I hadn’t misunderstood who the main characters were. This incident plays a large role in developing Raven in the story.
Raven’s father ran a gorilla sanctuary in Camaroon. He has recently been killed by the species her was trying to protect. Shortly before he was killed, he called Raven and tried to convince her to join him there as he needed her help. So, she travels to the sanctuary to discover what her father needed from her and to understand why her father chose to live apart from her and her mother. Why the sanctuary was more important to him than his family.
I was absolutely outraged for Raven. I could find no reason that would excuse a father for choosing to leave his family, even for a just cause that he is passionate about. As the story unfolds, we are given a look inside her father’s head, showing that he was absolutely head over heels in love with her and her mother. And that he missed them desperately. He references the fact that Raven and her mother did not join him there was basically for Raven to continue in school and such. Raven seems to find comfort and understanding in this knowledge, however I could not forgive his choice. This was a little bit of a sticking point for me in the story. As the reader, it may not bother you, but I could not fathom how someone who is portrayed to love his family this much would choose to live so far away from them.
Jospin is the heir to a giant poaching empire.  He is a uniquely written character. This was one place where I was impressed with the author. Jospin doesn’t struggle with his conscious (for the most part). So often the hero is written as a “tortured” character. This gives the reader a reason to justify liking him despite him being, in reality, the villain.  Jospin is somewhat trapped in his situation, however it is what he knows. It is how he was raised. He doesn’t see it the way someone on the outside looking in does. After meeting Raven, we start to see some conflict in him. But again, it’s not really the life as the leader of a poaching empire, but rather the fact that this life forces his to keep secrets from Raven and to keep her a secret as well.
Raven is unaware of everything about Jospin. They know practically nothing about each other, however they find comfort and somehow discover that their souls connect.
Neither realizes that their lives are destined to intersect beyond the bubble they have created around them. Again, the action in the story is intense. The atmosphere in the pages is tightly strung. I was anxious to get past the tension and see a resolution to the story. No such luck.
Let me warn you!!!!! It’s a cliffhanger!!!!! I’m not talking about a soft “to be continued,” I’m talking a big time “holy crap, where is the next book!!!” I hate cliffhangers.
I enjoyed the book, however at the end, I was exhausted. It’s kind of a stressful read. If you’re like me, I’m not sure I would recommend reading this until you have the next book to move on to immediately. I’ll definitely be watching out for it. I need to know how it ends. 

About Amber Hart: 

Amber Hart grew up in Orlando, Florida and Atlanta, Georgia. She now resides on the Florida coastline with family. When unable to find a book, she can be found writing, daydreaming, or with her toes in the sand. She's the author of BEFORE YOU, AFTER US, UNTIL YOU FIND ME, and sequel to UNTIL YOU FIND ME (untitled as of yet). Represented by Beth Miller of Writers House.




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