Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Gillian “Gem” Martin is the lead biologist at a wildlife sanctuary on the Northeast coast and head of the Wildlife Emergency Response Team called in when catastrophes, man-made or natural, threaten the endangered species she studies. Austin Germaine is a troubleshooter, the hired gun for a big oil company, whose job is to help contain leaks and prevent media coverage of a pending disaster until the danger can be eliminated. If it can be.

When Gem and Austin meet by chance in the midst of an approaching hurricane, neither expects their immediate connection to lead them into uncharted territory as wild as the looming storm. When word of the spill gets out, Gem and Austin find themselves reluctant allies in a race against time to divert the spill and save the wildlife refuge and its endangered inhabitants—all while battling an attraction as unlikely as it is powerful.

 

A high-stakes race against time, the forces of nature, and the strongest power of all—the desire of the human heart.

 

Book Review

This book is one astoundingly engaging nail-biter that plunged me into the middle of a devastating hurricane. However, the chance to be right on the heels of the first responders, be they folks battling to save the wildlife and their breeding grounds or the frontline employees battening down the hatches at a floating oil drill site, is also absorbingly riveting. I found myself on-site with the oil rig employees, FEMA, the Coast Guard, and professional environmentalists - all pretty much working side by side as the hurricane relentlessly barrels down, possibly threatening everything and everyone in its path. Phew!

Gem, Gillian Martin, is a PhD microbiologist and an ornithologist. Impressive! Her personal life has not faired so well and though generally wary, she is not impervious to being totally wowed and/or swept off her feet. Additionally, her remarkable sister, Commander Alexis Martin commissioned Coast Guard officer and medic, makes some poignantly perceptive, sometimes amusing observations about her younger sister's reaction to a new friend when the two sisters interact while preparing to minimize the on-coming hurricane's potential devastation including an island sanctuary along the Atlantic flyway. I rather adored Gem and along with her sister wished them the best on their relationship scenes. Captivating!

Austin Germaine is multitalented, articulate, and has a way of managing discreet low-keyness. Her first appearance has her in graphic-novel-artist mode. However, her diplomatic and hands-on skills along with her doctorate in engineering make her rather indispensable for General Oil and Petroleum's periodic glitches at off-shore drilling sites like the current above-sea platform breach on Rig 86. When GOP is calling Austin, the situation is likely to be serious. In perhaps one of the most endearingly creative encounters between two strangers, Gem and Austin end up sharing one of the few rental cars available. Early on while driving through the prehurricane weather, Gem has a flash of recognition. So in addition to a rather rapidly growing rapport between Austin and Gem on a physical level, now Gem is delighted as she realizes she is in the presence of one of her favorite *artists*. If that were their only link, life would proceed flawlessly. However, the growing interconnection that appears to seamlessly flow into sensuously delightful bed partners may present itself as anything but faultless. Austin knows she has deliberately omitted several angles that may split her and Gem apart forever. Plus there is the constant tension and excitement surrounding everyone as the hurricane tenaciously gets closer. Oh what a tangled web one weaves!

I couldn't move from my seat until I finished the last page. I definitely recommend this wonderfully rich story with incredibly fascinating characters. Magnificent!

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Bold Strokes Books for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 72332 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	01-March-2016
Price	$9.99 ebook, $16.95 paperback, $16.95 bundle
Buy Link	https://www.boldstrokesbooks.com/books/wild-shores-by-radclyffe-1667-b