Thursday, October 11, 2012

Savage (Daughters of the Jaguar) by Willow Rose + giveaway



Type: Paranormal Romance, Shifters
Publisher: Self-Published, ebook/Paperback, 447 pages
Purchase: Amazon

The year is 1983. Christian is 22 years old when he leaves his home in Denmark to spend a year in Florida with a very wealthy family and go to med-school. A joyful night out with friends is shattered by an encounter with a savage predator that changes his life forever. Soon he faces challenges he had never expected. A supernatural gift he has no idea how to embrace. A haunting family in the house next door. A spirit-filled girl who seems to carry all the answers. An ancient secret hidden in the swamps of Florida. One life never the same. One love that becomes an obsession. Two destinies that will be forever entangled.

Savage is a paranormal romance with some language, violence, and sexual situations recommended for ages sixteen and up. It is the first book in a family saga that covers three decades of the character's lives. The sequel is expected in September 2012.


Heat: 2 out of 5
Rating: 3 out of 5

I always enjoy finding something a little different and Savage definitely qualifies as one of the more unique books I've read this year. The writing was very interesting for me since I've never read a book told completely from the male point of view. Not only that but it was told by the main character as he looked back on his life in the 80s as a 20-something medical exchange student. Different, right?

Christian's life his first few months was filled with danger, near death experiences, falling in love for the first time and discovering a world he never knew existed. It's a bit angsty from time to time but an intriguing journey of self discovery that kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next. The romance is light and the sex scenes very, very mild.

I did have a couple problems while I was reading. I really didn't care for how animals were regarded throughout. There's a lot of hunting for sport and little respect which I found difficult to read. The secondary characters tripped me up a bit as well. I really liked the "crazy" women who lived next door that played the part of free spirits but were much more than what they appeared. I would have loved more of them in the story. Christian's host family and friends though were another thing altogether. I just didn't find them likable and didn't relate to them at all. They're cold and volatile. Narrow minded and just off putting. Christian's struggles between the two worlds was interesting though.

In the end though I did enjoy the story and exploring a different style of writing. The story moves along quickly and really felt like it was being told by an exchange student. Savage left off on a pretty good cliffhanger that will have me reaching for book two. This wasn't your typical romance with a tidy happily ever after ending and I'm honestly really curious how things are going to turn out for Christian.

[A copy of Savage was provided in exchange for an honest review.]

Check out the excerpt & giveaway after the jump!



“So how much do you know about St. Augustine, Chris?”

The woman driving gently touched her elegant yellow hair, careful not to mess it up with her colored nails. She spoke with a strong southern accent and was incredibly beautiful for her age, which I guessed was more than twice my age of twenty-two. Her name was Mrs. Kirk. I had just met her at Orlando Airport for the first time a few minutes before. She was waiting for me holding a sign with my name, Christian Langaa, printed on it.

The year was 1983 and I had recently finished my third year of med school at a university in Denmark. I had just left my country of birth for St. Augustine in Florida.  Leaving Denmark was my father’s idea, really. I guess he thought it was about time I left the nest, so he called in a favor with an old friend of his, an American eye surgeon, to take me in and help me get a year at a medical school “over-there.” I can’t say I was unhappy about it. At that time all kids my age wanted to go to the States where stone-washed jeans and
Michael Jackson came from. His latest album "Thriller" had just been released and was played on every radio station all over the world. Like so many else I bought the cassette and played it again and again on my Walkman. Where I came from anything that was American was considered hip and cool. That summer before I left, my friends and I had watched the movie Flashdance that made ripped sweatshirts popular and we loved the TV show Dallas and Dynasty that made everybody wear increasingly oversized shoulder pads - even us guys. We drank lots of Coke and dreamt of watching MTV, which at that time wasn’t something you could do in Europe yet and especially not in my small home-country Denmark, where we only had one national channel on our TV.


Willow Rose writes Paranormal Romance, mystery and fantasy. Originally from Denmark she now lives on Florida’s Space Coast with her husband and two daughters. She is a huge fan of Anne Rice and Isabel Allende. When she is not writing or reading she enjoys watching the dolphins play in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean. Other books by the author: - One, Two ... He is coming for you - The eye of the Crystal ball - Beyond - Afterlife #1 - Serenity - Afterlife #2 - Endurance - Afterlife #3 Currently Willow Rose is working on the sequal in the series "Daughters of the Jaguar". It is expected to be published fall 2012.

Find Willow Rose Online: Website



The giveaway is tour wide. Ebook (INT), Paperback (US only)
Ends 10/22


 Check out the rest of the tour...
Oct. 1st- Full Moon Bites
Oct. 2nd- Owl Read It
Oct. 3rd- I am, Indeed
Oct. 5th- The Other Shelf
Oct. 7th- Wonderland Reviews
Oct. 8th- Community Bookstop
Oct. 9th- The Avid Reader
Oct. 10th- Kaidans Seduction
Oct. 12th- Bookluvrs Haven
Oct. 13th- Kharisma Rhayne
Oct. 14th- A Soul Unsung
Oct. 15th- Beach Bum Reads


4 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. This book sounds really good! Thanks for the chance to win!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was pretty interesting Elizabeth. Definitely not your cookie cutter paranormal romance :)

      Delete

I always enjoy hearing what YOU think so come on and leave a comment. Everyone's welcome :) And feel free to leave comments on old posts. I'll check in on you there too :)

Bloggers don't forget to leave your links!
~Anna

The Herd Archives