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Copy via Netgalley + Publisher
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?
You know when a book- a story - just seem right? Like, there's a message beyond the plot line; something bigger is in the works. You're having a social issue (or should I consider it political) shoved in your face. You're being forced to think about it. I think about these kinds of issues, animal rights, all the freaking time. It's so refreshing to have a book like this. Its really refreshing to have the semi-reluctant poachers side, as well as the girl who has a grudge against the animals being poached. And it’s lovely to see them both grow.
You have the issue presented without all the guts and gore plus you get some romance. (have I mentioned how much I love romance and the recognition of social/political issues?) You still have the issue, it's still right in your face, but it's not so ugly you have to turn away from it in order not to cry. This book makes me both hope and hate humanity. Hope for it because we saw someone come to care, saw someone come to change, saw people who want to help. Hate because humanity sucks because humans have egos and pride and do shitty things to make a name and have wealth. Hate and hope. They sort of seem to go hand in hand.
This books is that kind of story. I love the characters and the different world that what I am used to. The world where selling the dead exotic animals are common, where leaving a rhino for days, waiting to die, after cutting up its face while it can feel but not move is not unheard of. If you can’t tell, I despise these people to the depths of my soul. The poachers in this novel hunted gorillas. You got to see that they only see the animals as a means to money. And that made me furious, although it’s probably good that I was able to recognize that. "That" being that they really did have no moral compass when it comes to animal- and human, really- lives.
I love the people and the places and the animals and the love and the hope and the trust and the falling. Oh, how I love the falling. It was being reformed and healing and it made me want the next book to gobble up. Yes, it was that good.
Also the character building was fantastic. Fan-freaking-tastic. I got to know everyone and have some and love some and like some. And, as expected by me, I totally loved the gorillas best. I wish I could have seen them more, though I understand why I didn’t. With the main girl’s opinion on them and all. EEEKS BUT I JUST WANT TO SAVE THEM ALL.
Basically just read this.
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