by Layla Hagen
Publication Date: January 19th, 2015
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Synopsis:
*This will be a STANDALONE CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE.*
Aimee’s wedding is supposed to turn out perfect. Her dress, her fiancé and
the location—the idyllic holiday ranch in Brazil—are perfect.
But all Aimee’s plans come crashing down when the private jet that’s taking
her from the U.S. to the ranch—where her fiancé awaits her—defects mid-flight
and the pilot is forced to perform an emergency landing in the heart of the
Amazon rainforest.
With no way to reach civilisation, being rescued is Aimee and Tristan’s—the
pilot—only hope. A slim one that slowly withers away, desperation taking its
place. Because death wanders in the jungle under many forms: starvation,
diseases. Beasts.
As Aimee and Tristan fight to find ways to survive, they
grow closer. Together they discover that facing old, inner agonies carved by
painful pasts takes just as much courage, if not even more, than facing the
rainforest.
Despite her devotion to her fiancé, Aimee can’t hide her feelings for
Tristan—the man for whom she’s slowly becoming everything. You can hide many
things in the rainforest. But not lies. Or love.
Withering Hope is the story of a man who desperately needs forgiveness and the woman who brings him hope. It is a story in which hope births wings and blooms into a love that is as beautiful and intense as it is forbidden.
Withering Hope is the story of a man who desperately needs forgiveness and the woman who brings him hope. It is a story in which hope births wings and blooms into a love that is as beautiful and intense as it is forbidden.
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MY REVIEW
Initially, I was not going to sign up for a review as I'm not a huge fan of romance novels, but when I read the blurb, it intrigued me enough to want to read the book, and I'm glad I did. This books is about more than just two people meeting and falling in love. This story is about survival and trust: two people stranded in the dangerous Amazon jungle and have nothing and no one to rely on but each other. This book was a lot more interesting than I thought it was going to be, albeit the threat of danger poised by being in the mysterious and primeval jungle filled with exotic and potentially dangerous wildfire (as we witness at times) was somewhat underplayed. I wanted more intensity. I wanted more excitement.
For the most part, the book was an enjoyable read, but there were quite a few times where I felt the story was dragging and started to feel repetitive. This made me lose interest, and I found myself wanting to put the book down. Thankfully, I didn't because the story had a lot to offer. The romance was slow and somewhat guarded, which I loved. The fact that Aimee and Tristan didn't fall in love within a day or two and that Aimee still had hopes of being with her fiancee made it more believable when her feelings started to change. I couldn't compare the love between Aimee and Chris and the one between her and Tristan because we didn't get to see her life before the plane crash. The relationship Aimee had with Chris was told to the readers, so it made less of an impact on me than the moments she shared with Tristan.
What I liked most about this book was that we got to see the characters grow from start to finish. The Tristan and Aimee we're introduced to at the beginning of the story are different to the Tristan and Aimee at the end of the story. These two characters complement each other well. I enjoyed their interaction. It was the highlight of the story.
Had it been more adventurous and had there been less repetition and more scenes where it felt as though the story was progressing and not on stand still, I would have enjoyed it much more. All the same, it was a good read.
VERDICT:
SILVER
My name is Layla Hagen and I am a New Adult Contemporary Romance
author. I fell in love with books when I was nine years old, and my love
affair with stories continues even now, many years later. I write romantic
stories and can’t wait to share them with the world. And I drink coffee. Lots
of it, in case the photo didn’t make it obvious enough.
Author
links:
***GIVEAWAY***
$20 Amazon Gift Card
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Great review, Alecia! Those romances that are slow building are the best! I also love the survivalist aspect of this story. I'm glad you liked it even though it dragged a bit.
ReplyDeleteI most certainly enjoyed it. I'm hard to satisfy, so when I find something I like it means a lot to me :)
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