Until You
Find Me
Until You
Find Me # 1
By: Amber Hart
Releasing November 11th, 2014
Loveswept: Flirt
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?
Advance praise for Until You Find Me
“If you think the jungle is hot and
dangerous, wait until you meet Jospin. He and Raven turn up the heat to
scorching and burn the jungle down!”—Lisa
Desrochers, USA Today bestselling author of A Little Too Far
“A beautiful, unconventional story that
takes you to the jungles of Africa to fall in love, Until You Find Me contains
the perfect balance of angst, thrills, and page-turning appeal.”—K.A. Tucker, USA Today bestselling author
of Ten Tiny Breaths
“Wonderfully unique and utterly
unputdownable, Until You Find Me is a breath of fresh air. Each page is
sexier than the one before.”—Lauren
Layne, author of Isn’t She Lovely
Then
comes a voice.
“Who
are you?” it asks from behind me.
I
spin. Find myself peering down at her steely eyes.
None of your
business.
A poacher.
A man of the
jungle.
Any
of these would be correct, but I tell her my name instead.
“Jospin.”
She
studies me. “Why are you here?”
“Why
are you
here?”
“You
first,” she retorts.
Her
lips are perfectly pouted. Her eyes are knives, cutting through reason.
I
should not be talking to her. Father has forbidden such a thing, interacting
with a habitat worker.
“I
live here,” I say.
“Then
I’m sorry for you,” she replies.
Fiery
for such a little thing.
“Why
are you here?” I ask, inching closer.
“That’s
none of your business.” Her voice is stern.
Something
about her presence doesn’t fit. I step around her. Walk toward the spot where
she was throwing spears. She shouldn’t be this far from the habitat. By the
sound of footfall, I know she’s following me.
My
eyes take inventory before she has a chance to cover her trail. One jagged
rock. A million splinters of wood like confetti covering the ground.
“You’re
making weapons?” I ask, surprised.
“You’re
asking too many questions,” she replies. But she doesn’t deny it.
I
watch the way her hair reflects strips of sunlight.
“I
thought you were part of the habitat.” The words tumble out of my mouth. It
doesn’t matter what she’s a part of, really. No matter who she is, I ought to
stay away from this girl.
Her
head tilts to the side, exposing part of her neck. “How do you know about the
habitat?” she asks.
There’s
something in the way she asks it.
“Everyone
around here does.” I shrug. Offer no more information.
“Do
you work for them?” she asks.
A
laugh escapes my throat.
“No,”
I answer. “Not even a little bit.”
How
does she not know that I have nothing to do with the habitat? Despite having
been here for over a month, she’s clearly not well informed about the workings
of the habitat. Which brings me back to my question: Why is she here?
A
girl. In the jungle. Who makes weapons by hand. Who may or may not belong to
the habitat.
“Do
you work for them?” I ask.
“No,”
she says.
“I
don’t understand.” I am speaking more to myself than to her, but she responds
immediately.
“You
don’t need to understand.”
I
grin. “Okay. Where do you stay, then?”
Her
good hand rests on her hip. Her fingers almost touch her belly button. “Why? So
you can spy on me more?”
I
bite my lip to keep from laughing. “No.”
My
eyes slide to her bag. Arrowheads and spears poke out, sharp, like the tips of
scorpion tails. Not bad for being made by hand. And only one hand, at that.
The
girl shifts sideways, blocking my view.
“You
never told me your name,” I say.
“You
need to go,” she replies.
“I’ll
go when you tell me your name.”
One
finger taps against her hip. A tic.
“Fine,”
she says. “Raven. My name is Raven.”
Like
the bird. Strong, like her personality. Nothing like the color of her hair or
skin.
“I
could teach you to make better weapons,” I say. I don’t even regret the offer.
I need to know more about her.
“No,
thanks.” She doesn’t hesitate.
I
shrug. “I could teach you how to throw better.”
A
line creases her forehead. Frustration, if I had to name it.
“No.”
She
turns her back to me. Lifts her bag of weapons. She makes it look easy,
hoisting the strap atop her uninjured shoulder. I know it’s anything but easy.
A gorilla attack will leave you sore for months. Which makes me wonder how her
expression can stay normal when she pivots to face me. She makes it seem as
though she’s carrying paper.
But
her eyes betray the pain she’s in.
“You
sure?” I give her a chance to change her mind.
“Absolutely.”
“Okay,”
I say, reaching a hand behind my back.
She
turns. Walks away. I wait just long enough. Then flick my wrist. A knife sharp
enough to slice through her cuts the air in half. It barely misses her face.
Embeds in the tree trunk in front of her.
Raven
gasps and spins to face me, her bag bumping against her side.
I
am twenty feet away. Now she knows my aim is impeccable. Now she sees my
weapons are perfect.
“If you change your mind, you can find me here,” I say.
Amber
Hart is the author of Before You and Until You Find Me. She grew up in Orlando,
Florida, and Atlanta, Georgia, and now resides on the Florida coastline with
her family. When not reading, she can be found writing, daydreaming, or dipping
her toes in the sand.
Thank you for hosting today!
ReplyDelete