Review: Blooming in the wild
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 29, 2013
This sensuous and thrilling adult romantic adventure is set amid the lush, steamy jungle and warm seas of Hawaii. A business outing turns to terror when crime intrudes and a half-Hawaiian girl discovers hidden mystic talents BLOOMING IN THE WILD.A photo shoot on location for a sporting goods store brings together businesswoman Belle Moran, and Joel Girand, taking a break from his outdoor adventure reality show. Along with a photographer, models, makeup artist and trip crew, they head off on a catamaran to sail around the Big Island and camp in the jungle for a few days. Joel is pleased that in the warmth and humidity the girls find bikinis more comfortable than clothes, but his eyes keep returning to Belle who seems stressed.Belle, from Portland, Oregon, has been having strange dreams, in which she falls off cliffs and controls plants, and on the island that has given her half her heritage the dreams grow stronger, making her uneasy. As the group enters the tropical jungle she seems to hear plants talking to her... not something the wahine, or woman, wants to share. Hawaiian words are liberally sprinkled through the text, but they are easily understood in context.The interactions between the group members and developing chemistry between Joel and Belle would have been enough for most romances, but a gang of drug-runners is also scheming to use the situation to their advantage, and matters turn horribly wrong. A gun is found hidden in a cave, a storm batters the island, the pontoons of the yacht are sabotaged and cell phone signal is disrupted. To save her friends Belle has to come to terms with the inner resource that helps her use the growth of the jungle.The descriptions of the island are beautiful, between the stunning scenery, coral reefs, volcanic caves and jungle plants. Edible plants are included - guava, mangoes, pineapple among them - and Belle discovers that delicate blossoms assist lovemaking in delightful tickles. The goddess Pele is patroness of the islands and her power is invoked in each of this series of books, which is called Hawaiian Heroes. I did find the end of the story dragged, because everyone was back in civilisation and a whole lot of new characters were going over matters - they belong to the earlier books in the series. Cathryn Cade knows her location and drops some very real people into the surroundings. The fantasy aspect gives enough spice without completely taking over the mood.