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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
I read this for BINGO ('suddenly in the wilderness'). Generally I enjoy an unexpected wilderness survival trope and mostly enjoyed it. However, I thought it was too long - too much of the same thing over and over - and didn't like the cheating.
Beautifully Sad and Amazingly Wonderful
I’m not going to lie; I cried several times reading this book. Withering Hope is an apt name because several times it really does feel like hope is gone. But, this is a story of survival, love, and in the end...hope.
Worth the read. Just know you WILL cry at least once.
I’m not going to lie; I cried several times reading this book. Withering Hope is an apt name because several times it really does feel like hope is gone. But, this is a story of survival, love, and in the end...hope.
Worth the read. Just know you WILL cry at least once.
Even with the huge suspension of disbelief that is needed to enjoy a stranded romance book, this was one of the dumbest books I’ve read. Nothing made sense and the actions of the characters were incredibly questionable. Buy if you can look past that and enjoy sappy and overly sweet love stories this may be for you. Personally I don’t, so the story enraged more and more until we got to the ending and epilogues which were amongst the worst I’ve ever read....(ending the book with them dying of old age at the same time “because they loved each other too much” made me roll eyes to the sky and beyond)
Steam: 1.5 out of 5.
Steam: 1.5 out of 5.
Aimee Myller is on the way to get married, traveling to her fiance’s vacation home in Brazil. It is just Aimee and the pilot Tristan Bress alone in the flight, a route that both Aimee and Tristan as Chris’s personal pilot has traversed many a time. However, things go awry and the flight crash lands, leaving both Aimee and Tristan stranded in the middle of the Amazon jungle, with no sign that help is imminent.
Tristan is better equipped to handle survival in the wilderness than Aimee is, but that does not stop her from giving it all that she has and hoping enough for the both of them even when it is futile. Tristan with his experience in the military, carries with him the psychological scars that prevents him from interacting much with Aimee at first. But being forced to spend so much time together, especially with someone like Aimee slowly works its magic on Tristan.
As the days fade into each other, the dangers surrounding the two become all too real. As friendship blossoms and turns into heated desire, it is a conflicted Aimee who decides to bid farewell to the man she had been engaged to, the person who had been her best friend all through her life. For when it comes to Tristan, it is a desire that scorches and a love that refuses to be denied.
The conversations that these two engage in, the fears they share, the myriad of words unspoken; all of that and more invokes feelings that is indescribable as you read along. It is as if they are wrapped in a cocoon that nurtures and cradles the fragility of their love in the wilderness. It is as if at any moment, danger could smash through the walls and take away what both of them holds most precious.
Towards the end, it was sheer agony to turn the pages (you are both hopeful and fearing the worst simultaneously); there was pain, sorrow, and tears. But for a love that had persevered through so much, there is nothing but hope that they would endure to live on.
When the epilogue came, I did not know whether I wanted to bawl my eyes out or smile through my tears. In short, I was a mess. For the very first time in my life as a romance reader, I did not know how I could be so happy and so devastated at the same time.
One reads about the concept of soulmates all the time, especially if you are into romance. But in Tristan and Aimee, I believe that the concept came alive for me, for the very first time. They are literally soulmates in every sense. The ending brought to mind a real life story that my father related to us one day; how two people who had been married for most part of their adult life had passed away, just a couple of hours from each other. There are people who literally die of broken hearts, and that teaches the living that true love in its purest form can exist, even amidst all the cruelties that this world has got to offer.
There is so much that goes on in this story that it is hard to put into words the harrowing journey that these two go through to come out safely on the other side. There is love that surpasses everything else in life and that is the kind that Tristan and Aimee found in each other in the dangerous wilderness of the Amazon.
Though Aimee “cheats” on her fiance, at that point, there is nothing I would have done differently, had I being in her shoes. Because it was as natural as breathing to stay alive at that point, the connection that was forged in the midst of fighting for their lives and nearly losing each other towards the end.
This is a story that should be read with a box of tissues ready. You will not be the same having gone through Aimee and Tristan’s journey towards their happily ever after. Definitely recommended!
Final Verdict: Layla Hagen’s impressive and evocative writing had me on the edge in more ways than one. There is a beauty to Withering Hope that stays with you long after you are done.
Rating = 5/5
For more reviews and quotes, please visit www.maldivianbookreviewer.com
Tristan is better equipped to handle survival in the wilderness than Aimee is, but that does not stop her from giving it all that she has and hoping enough for the both of them even when it is futile. Tristan with his experience in the military, carries with him the psychological scars that prevents him from interacting much with Aimee at first. But being forced to spend so much time together, especially with someone like Aimee slowly works its magic on Tristan.
As the days fade into each other, the dangers surrounding the two become all too real. As friendship blossoms and turns into heated desire, it is a conflicted Aimee who decides to bid farewell to the man she had been engaged to, the person who had been her best friend all through her life. For when it comes to Tristan, it is a desire that scorches and a love that refuses to be denied.
The conversations that these two engage in, the fears they share, the myriad of words unspoken; all of that and more invokes feelings that is indescribable as you read along. It is as if they are wrapped in a cocoon that nurtures and cradles the fragility of their love in the wilderness. It is as if at any moment, danger could smash through the walls and take away what both of them holds most precious.
Towards the end, it was sheer agony to turn the pages (you are both hopeful and fearing the worst simultaneously); there was pain, sorrow, and tears. But for a love that had persevered through so much, there is nothing but hope that they would endure to live on.
When the epilogue came, I did not know whether I wanted to bawl my eyes out or smile through my tears. In short, I was a mess. For the very first time in my life as a romance reader, I did not know how I could be so happy and so devastated at the same time.
One reads about the concept of soulmates all the time, especially if you are into romance. But in Tristan and Aimee, I believe that the concept came alive for me, for the very first time. They are literally soulmates in every sense. The ending brought to mind a real life story that my father related to us one day; how two people who had been married for most part of their adult life had passed away, just a couple of hours from each other. There are people who literally die of broken hearts, and that teaches the living that true love in its purest form can exist, even amidst all the cruelties that this world has got to offer.
There is so much that goes on in this story that it is hard to put into words the harrowing journey that these two go through to come out safely on the other side. There is love that surpasses everything else in life and that is the kind that Tristan and Aimee found in each other in the dangerous wilderness of the Amazon.
Though Aimee “cheats” on her fiance, at that point, there is nothing I would have done differently, had I being in her shoes. Because it was as natural as breathing to stay alive at that point, the connection that was forged in the midst of fighting for their lives and nearly losing each other towards the end.
This is a story that should be read with a box of tissues ready. You will not be the same having gone through Aimee and Tristan’s journey towards their happily ever after. Definitely recommended!
Final Verdict: Layla Hagen’s impressive and evocative writing had me on the edge in more ways than one. There is a beauty to Withering Hope that stays with you long after you are done.
Rating = 5/5
For more reviews and quotes, please visit www.maldivianbookreviewer.com
I was cruising Prime selection books and the synopsis immediately called to me. Many of trusted book friends loved it, so I decided to take the plunge. Even though it was somewhat predictable, I really enjoyed the journey. It was exactly what I needed for a weekend read.
Spoiler
I could have done without the second epilogue, it completely destroyed my happy vibe.
Read it in one sitting
Wow. Heartbreaking. There are no words for this. Maybe it is because I recently lost my last parent that the sadness of the book just hit me hard. Powerful love story, quick read, and very heart wrenching.
Wow. Heartbreaking. There are no words for this. Maybe it is because I recently lost my last parent that the sadness of the book just hit me hard. Powerful love story, quick read, and very heart wrenching.
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
I seem to really like survival stories. I read Shay Savage's Surviving Raine and loved it for two main reasons; one being the plot. Two people stuck together to survive and then a romance building. So when I read the premise for this one, I just HAD to read it.
I enjoyed this SO much more than I thought I would. Tristan is just...wow! Aimee is strong and not a sappy weak character. Their romance bloomed at a reasonable rate which was super good considering she's engaged. With the relationship she has with her fiance, it also makes double sense that she would fall for Tristan (despite being himself and their situation) Basically, she didn't go from one guy she was madly in love with and marrying to this other one, for any one skeptical about that.
I actually wish this book dragged out a little longer just because I was enjoying it so much. But I also understand that when in a situation like this, an author can only do so much before the plot gets repetitive and reuses the same challenges.
I honestly don't know what to say about the characters because there's just too much to say and no words for it. Like I said, Aimee is not a weak character. It's fun being in her head. I would have enjoyed more Tristan chapters, but at the same time the short snippets we get from him are perfect. They give the perfect insight to his feelings, just enough to make the heart squeal. And then he was just the ideal survivor man, but more importantly, the way he viewed and treated Aimee was just...perfect. Such Aw moments. They were a couple to ship from the beginning.
As for the writing, Layla Hagen writes flawlessly. No annoying grammar errors, no unrealistic voices for the characters. It's flawless and just keeps you entrapped.
There are two types of intensitys that books can have, both equal in my eyes. One being...oh, like Penelope Douglas' Corrupt. The situation in the book just makes you wide-eyed and "omg!" And then there's books like Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire that makes my stomach twist in a good way. When a couple/romance gets that intense, I feel it internally. Withering Hope is grouped with the romance intensity. When things got cute and romantic, I felt it. When things got bad and scary for the characters. And that's another way I know how much I loved this: I literally felt the sign that this book meant something to me. Again, it's how Tristan and Aimee are together, it's just...squeellll so romantic and wonderful and just..*sigh*
I was pretty much awww-ing for them for the whole book...up until the epilogue. Then I ugly-cried. Bawled. Pick a word. Wow, way to rip my heart out. Without giving anything away, there's actually no other way this book could have ended. They made quite a few references to "doing that" throughout other parts of the book, that it almost needed to end like that. To show how everything comes to a full and beautiful circle. Still makes me cry though.
All in all, this is a new favorite and will be reread one day and many times after that I am sure. I suggest this to anyone who likes survival books, survival romances, romances with the best couples ever, NA romance fans, adult romance fans...see where I'm going here? Everyone needs to read this!
It's the concluding line that just hits you:
He loved her so much he never wanted to say goodbye to her. He wanted to leave with her.
I enjoyed this SO much more than I thought I would. Tristan is just...wow! Aimee is strong and not a sappy weak character. Their romance bloomed at a reasonable rate which was super good considering she's engaged. With the relationship she has with her fiance, it also makes double sense that she would fall for Tristan (despite being himself and their situation) Basically, she didn't go from one guy she was madly in love with and marrying to this other one, for any one skeptical about that.
I actually wish this book dragged out a little longer just because I was enjoying it so much. But I also understand that when in a situation like this, an author can only do so much before the plot gets repetitive and reuses the same challenges.
I honestly don't know what to say about the characters because there's just too much to say and no words for it. Like I said, Aimee is not a weak character. It's fun being in her head. I would have enjoyed more Tristan chapters, but at the same time the short snippets we get from him are perfect. They give the perfect insight to his feelings, just enough to make the heart squeal. And then he was just the ideal survivor man, but more importantly, the way he viewed and treated Aimee was just...perfect. Such Aw moments. They were a couple to ship from the beginning.
As for the writing, Layla Hagen writes flawlessly. No annoying grammar errors, no unrealistic voices for the characters. It's flawless and just keeps you entrapped.
There are two types of intensitys that books can have, both equal in my eyes. One being...oh, like Penelope Douglas' Corrupt. The situation in the book just makes you wide-eyed and "omg!" And then there's books like Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire that makes my stomach twist in a good way. When a couple/romance gets that intense, I feel it internally. Withering Hope is grouped with the romance intensity. When things got cute and romantic, I felt it. When things got bad and scary for the characters. And that's another way I know how much I loved this: I literally felt the sign that this book meant something to me. Again, it's how Tristan and Aimee are together, it's just...squeellll so romantic and wonderful and just..*sigh*
I was pretty much awww-ing for them for the whole book...up until the epilogue. Then I ugly-cried. Bawled. Pick a word. Wow, way to rip my heart out. Without giving anything away, there's actually no other way this book could have ended. They made quite a few references to "doing that" throughout other parts of the book, that it almost needed to end like that. To show how everything comes to a full and beautiful circle. Still makes me cry though.
All in all, this is a new favorite and will be reread one day and many times after that I am sure. I suggest this to anyone who likes survival books, survival romances, romances with the best couples ever, NA romance fans, adult romance fans...see where I'm going here? Everyone needs to read this!
It's the concluding line that just hits you:
He loved her so much he never wanted to say goodbye to her. He wanted to leave with her.