Book Shelf: Withering Hope by Layla Hagen

Aimee’s wedding is supposed to turn out perfect. Her dress, her fiancé and the location—the idyllic holiday ranch in Brazil—are perfect.

But all Aimee’s plans come crashing down when the private jet that’s taking her from the U.S. to the ranch—where her fiancé awaits her—defects mid-flight and the pilot is forced to perform an emergency landing in the heart of the Amazon rainforest.

With no way to reach civilisation, being rescued is Aimee and Tristan’s—the pilot—only hope. A slim one that slowly withers away, desperation taking its place. Because death wanders in the jungle under many forms: starvation, diseases. Beasts.

As Aimee and Tristan fight to find ways to survive, they grow closer. Together they discover that facing old, inner agonies carved by painful pasts takes just as much courage, if not even more, than facing the rainforest.

Despite her devotion to her fiancé, Aimee can’t hide her feelings for Tristan—the man for whom she’s slowly becoming everything. You can hide many things in the rainforest. But not lies. Or love.

Withering Hope is the story of a man who desperately needs forgiveness and the woman who brings him hope. It is a story in which hope births wings and blooms into a love that is as beautiful and intense as it is forbidden.

More info on Goodreads.......


Review:

Withering Hope by Layla Hagen is a harrowing tale of survival against difficult odds and is a beautiful story about romance and hope.

Aimee is on her way to a ranch in Brazil to meet her fiancé for their wedding when the plane she is travelling in must make an emergency landing and crashes, leaving her and the pilot Tristan standard in the Amazon jungle. With little supplies and only a slim chance of rescues from the dense canopy, Aimee and Tristan must learn to survive in the harsh jungle environment they're stranded in, and as the weeks and months fly by, Aimee begins to realize the dangers are great and Tristan is slowly beginning to mean more to her than she ever expected. Her fiancé may still be waiting for her, but Aimee is slowly beginning to fall for Tristan, and soon neither can deny the attraction that simmers between them.....

I wasn't sure what to think of this novel heading into the story; I love these kinds of survival tales and though I'm an uber romantic, I was a little thrown off by the idea that the heroine falls for someone else while she is engaged.....but Layla Hagen wrote the romance between Aimee and Tristan in such a way that I couldn't help but want them to be together.

Though Withering Hope is told predominantly through Aimee's eyes, there are a few chapters told through Tristan's too that really allow for a well rounded story. Hagen's writing is simple, and it's easy to see the months fly by as Aimee and Tristan begin to exist in the jungle world they find themselves in.

Both Aimee and Tristan were great characters and I really appreciated the way Layla Hagen developed them within the story. Time spent in the jungle really opens the eyes of them both, with Aimee learning a lot about herself and what she truly feels and wants during this time. It's a big thing for her to accept her relationship with her fiancé is more platonic, especially as she finds something passionate and real in Tristan's arms. There's a lot of guilt and uncertainty expressed and I actually quite enjoyed seeing Aimee struggle within herself, but ultimately make the choice she does.

Aimee and Tristan were quite sweet in my eyes. There's a comradeship that develops between them as they rely on one another to survive, and I thought it clever that Tristan's background helped he and Aimee survive. They made a strong couple who felt deeply for one another, and Hagen includes the perfect amount of emotional moments filled with desperation and love as both Aimee and Tristan's lives are on the line at times.

Action packed and harrowing, but also incredibly sweet, Withering Hope is a lovely romantic tale that is sure to please with it's danger, attraction and undeniable desire.

Rating:
Source: Sent for review by the author (Thank you Layla)
Format: Kindle ebook
Buy it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes
My Recommendation: This was a great NA story! Worth a read.
Cover: I love this cover--perfect for the story.
Will I read sequel/continue with series: This is a standalone novel, but I'd read more by Layla Hagen for sure.....