Lurk - My Review of UNTIL YOU FIND ME by Amber Hart

Title: Until You Find Me

Author: Amber Hart

Publisher: Random House Flirt

Publication Date: 11/11/2014

Source: ARC from Netgalley

Synopsis:
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?

Amber Hart grew up in Orlando, Florida and Atlanta, Georgia. She now resides in the Smoky Mountains with family. When unable to find a book, she can be found writing or daydreaming. She's the author of the Before & After series (BEFORE YOU, AFTER US, MAYBE ME), and the Until You Find Me series (UNTIL YOU FIND ME, sequel TBA). Rep'd by Beth Miller of Writers House. 

You can visit Amber here-- 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorAmberHart
Twitter: www.twitter.com/AmberHartBooks
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/AmbersShelf
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/AmberHart 
Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/AmberHart

This was an incredibly grown-up NEW ADULT book.  I have read quite a few N/A books lately that have just made me feel old with the way the characters talk and act.  UNTIL YOU FIND ME is unbelievably mature and intelligent.  I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I was pleasantly surprised with what I found.

Raven finds herself in the jungles of Africa searching for answers as to why her father literally gave his life for the gorillas who took it from him.  Raven is only in Africa a few days when she is viciously attacked by a Silver Back, one of the largest and meanest gorillas in the area.  Determined not to give up her life to the jungle that took her father from her, Raven begins looking for help and answers to what went wrong.

Jospin is a poacher and heir to the largest poaching empire around.  From afar, he witnesses the gorilla attack on Raven.  A few weeks later when she returns to the jungle, Jospin can't resist approaching her.  Although he doesn't divulge his identity and secrets, Jospin begins helping and trusting Raven.

The jungle holds many dangers, the least of which is the animals.  Jospin's father is a ruthless man who will gladly murder rather than let someone stand in the way his making money.  Rival poachers have been seen in the area causing trouble and stealing some of the animals that should 'belong' to Jospin and his father.

For Raven, the biggest danger is losing her heart to a boy who is everything her father stood against.

So why didn't it get 5 stars?  Well, it was written in first person present tense and it is just not my personal preference.  It became confusing when Raven would have flashbacks and they were still in the present tense.

UNTIL YOU FIND ME has the heat of a New Adult novel and includes the thrill of mystery and danger.  It is thought-provoking and I highly enjoyed it.

4 out of 5 stars

The Neighborhood - Lurk

I'm thinking we should ride
To a place that we don't know
To a place where no one has seen us before
I'm thinking, you and I
Better just go with the flow
Last thing that we should do is go slow...