OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Heart of the Wild Beast" by Patricia Harreld.]
Heart of the Wild Beast by Patricia Harreld is about the special relationship between Andie and David which starts when Andie is a young girl of ten and while out playing near her house meets the intriguing David Wolfe. Although he is eight years older than Andie, they spend a magical summer together with David teaching Andie survival skills and lessons in nature and they become great friends . However, he seemed to appear from nowhere and then disappears leaving her with nothing but questions about who he is and what was his real purpose is in being with her.

David promises to return to her though and they share such a special bond that Andie believes him and is delighted when he comes to her graduation. Their friendship grows into a strong attraction now Andie is older and they even share a kiss. However, David is still full of mystery and disappoints her by disappearing once again leaving her with a only a beautiful wildebeest pendant to remember him by.

Andie grows up to study anthrogenealogy and ends up on a dream expedition to find Sasquatch (Bigfoot). The group hire a guide who claims that he can lead them straight to the Sasquatch but to Andie's amazement it turns out that he is David. As David leads them deeper into the unknown he starts to display some unusual talents and Andie starts to discover that their meeting is no coincidence and in fact she has a predetermined destiny that will shock her. To complicate matters David and Andie are falling even more in love but why does David think that they can never be together?

It is an interesting book that is difficult to pin down as a certain genre. The title sounds like a good old fashioned romance about forbidden love and in some ways it is but it takes place in a rather unusual setting with a strong fantasy element as the group discover more about the Sasquatch and why they are being brought to meet them at last. This certainly makes for a more unique story and if you enjoy fantasy with your romance then this would be a very good book for you to read.

I liked all the characters and especially enjoyed their initial friendship when Andie is only ten. She comes across as an interesting, feisty young girl and the way they met was very endearing and beautifully written. I thought the others in the expedition were well written too as they were good, ordinary people which I think you need when you have lots of unusual activity going on around them or the whole story becomes too unbelievable.

There are a lot of different ideas explored in this book although I don't want to give away too many spoilers as the first half of the book is full of mystery about what they will find and what is David's real purpose. The author does consider where we have come from, how things have changed over the years and of course the whole mystery of the Sasquatch and how they might actually exist. She also makes you think how much you would be willing to sacrifice for something you believe in. I think overall she does a good job of creating suspense over what is going to happen and creates a good believable outcome as often when so many mysteries are created the answer can be anti climactic. The ending is exciting and although for me the final outcome was a little bit inevitable, the journey there had a few surprises along the way.

I give this book 3 out of 4 stars. It is well written romantic story with good characters and if you enjoy your romance with an interesting science fiction/ fantasy element thrown in then you will really enjoy this book.

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Buy "Heart of the Wild Beast" on Amazon

Hi, Claire. Thank you for once again giving me a lovely review! You are the best. Pat

Oh thanks Pat, that's very kind of you! I was just wondering if you are on Twitter as the last review I did the author posted a link to the review on his Twitter and it's had over 500 views which is a massive number compared to the other reviews I've done! I'm not on it myself but I was just thinking that it might be a good way for you to raise the profile of your books if you happened to be on it?

Sounds good. Thank you.

Yes, you get it Claire! I loved Heart of the Wild Beast! Not only is Patricia Harreld's writing first class, but her imaginative story line speaks to an important modern issue: How do differences between cultures resolve themselves through interpersonal relationships? She does not just suggest that romantic love is the answer, but also resolves these differences through conscious and inspired understanding. Excellent for those of you who wish some introspection in their reading material.

This sounds like exactly the blend of genres I've been looking for- thanks for the wonderful review and suggestion! I'll be keeping an eye out for Patricia Harreld's books

Your wait is over - Patricia Harreld already has two other books for your enjoyment. Each of them are unique, interesting and extremely well researched and written. You can find them on Amazon: "Red, White and You" and "For the Love of Laurel." Check them out and then contact Ms Harreld and beg her to continue to write more of her amazing stories!

I don't have a kindle, and in looking for this book, I have only been able to find it in that format so far. Does anyone know if it's available in another format? Thanks!

Unfortunately krismags, it isn't at this time. However, if you have an iPhone or some other devices, you can get a free Kindle app on Amazon and download it to your electronic device. Thank you for your interest. Patricia Harreld

claire mckay wrote:Oh thanks Pat, that's very kind of you! I was just wondering if you are on Twitter as the last review I did the author posted a link to the review on his Twitter and it's had over 500 views which is a massive number compared to the other reviews I've done! I'm not on it myself but I was just thinking that it might be a good way for you to raise the profile of your books if you happened to be on it?

This is great advice for all authors on here. I didn't realize it would make such a difference. I always post a link to my reviews on goodreads, though I haven't seen such a boost in numbers as this.

Anyway, great review. You've got me a little curious. I may or may not check this one out, as romance isn't my preferred genre. I do read the occasional Brandon Sanderson though, and he likes to mix some romance in his fantasy, you just never know until you try it I suppose.