I'm a member of my high school alumni Facebook page and so on occasion posts will pop up on my wall. One day I scrolled by a post from a woman who shared that she was in the process of publishing a romance novel. I added myself to her blogger release and waited patiently for the book to find itself on my Kindle. It was super cool knowing that she and I had attended the same high school!
Blurb: Needing a break from both her personal and professional life, forensic anthropologist Ariana Antony makes a spur-of-the-moment decision to join a research expedition in Guatemala’s Petén jungle. Haunted by guilt, Dr. Luca Fierro is still healing from a tragic accident. His life revolves around research, teaching, and triathlons.
Until… Ari and Luca first meet. Their attraction is explosive. It is also off-limits.
Can Ari lower her defenses and let Luca in? Can Luca heal his deep wounds and explore new territory with Ari? What begins as a scientific adventure turns into a life-and-death struggle for survival, forcing them to explore and confront their demons and desires.
Review: I always get nervous when someone asks me to review their book because I'm wondering what I'll do if it turns out to be... well, not my thing. That was not the case with Afraid to Fall by Sutton Bishop. This book is not written like a debut. It truly seems like the work of a well-seasoned romance author.
Ari is an independent, intelligent, and excitable young woman. From the very first paragraph I was enraptured by her and the past she's running from. She's definitely the heroine that you wish for in every romance novel you pick up. She's not perfect, but she's not daft or annoying like some heroines can be. She's well educated and takes her work very serious, but also isn't afraid to let loose and have some fun (although she's a bit wary about having her fun with guys as of late).
Luca isn't my type of hero--as far as looks go--but his confidence and cockiness, mixed with his gentle and caring attitude, were incredibly attractive to me as a reader. I found myself swooning more than once when his attentions were turned intensely on Ari. He might have been a wee bit know-it-all a couple times, but I guess he did sort of know it all...
The chemistry was insane between Luca and Ari. I can't even begin to describe how hot some of the scenes on these pages got (I was surprised I didn't burst into flames a couple times, honestly). The temperature in Guatemala is hot, but damn if these two didn't make it all the hotter.
Learning about Guatemala and the Maya culture was a total bonus in Afraid to Fall. You can tell that Sutton Bishop really did her research and respected the culture in which she was writing about. I was just as intrigued by the scenes regarding their research as I was by the romantic aspects of the story. Truly a delightful read from start to finish!
It's out November 2, 2018, but you can pre-order today. And if you love romance novel that'll teach you a little something while still being hot as all heck, then you gotta scoop this up ASAP.