Title:
Jungle Eyes
Author:
Lindsay Marie Miller
Genres:
Romance, Historical, Action/Adventure
Release
Date: November 20, 2015
Jungle
Eyes Trilogy: Book 1
Available
in Paperback & eBook
Synopsis
In
the spring of 1899, Henry Rochester boards a ship on the docks of New York
Harbor and sets sail across the Atlantic. Desperately seeking freedom and
adventure, Henry fails to anticipate the violent ocean storm that will destroy
the ship, murder his fellow comrades, and leave him stranded on a deserted
island. However, Henry is not alone in paradise, as a beautiful young woman,
named Elaine, acquaints him with the enchanting, yet evil nature of the jungle.
As the two quarrel, reconcile, and bond, love blossoms between them like an
exotic wildflower. But when the tide turns, bringing an unescapable wave of
danger with it, Henry and Elaine must face the callous brutality of the
uninvited.
One of the things I love about reviewing is that I often times read a book that I would never have found without reviewing or most likely wouldn’t have picked up had I seen it; and this is one of those times I’m so happy I got to.
Jungle Eyes by Lindsay Marie Miller is a Historical Romance Adventure. Set in 1899, the book starts out in New York, where we meet Henry Rochester. He’s good looking, privileged and bored. When he sets out on an ocean journey with his best friend Charles, that’s when the story gets going. There is action, adventure, trials, and love. I’m not normally a big historical romance reader, but I thought this was beautifully done. The dialogue was accurate, the locations were beautifully described. A definite Roller Coaster of a book!
Henry and Elaine are true to their age (both chronological and the era in which they live). They are real people, with real flaws. Sometimes they are frustrating, and infuriating, but then you fall in love with them again, as they fall for one another. I read this book in about five hours. I didn’t want to put it down without knowing how it ended. I laughed, I was moved, I even cried.
The dangers they encounter are exciting and nail biting. Miller has an easy style of writing, with a perfect amount of description. I could see everything. She pulls us in and holds us there to the end.
Miller has done a wonderful job pulling the reader into this delightful fictitious piece of the past. I look forward to reading the next two installments in this trilogy.
Buy Links
Excerpt
One
day, when the sun was preparing to center itself in the sky, Henry felt still,
peaceful somehow, as if the water had stopped moving him. Henry slowly opened
his eyes to find himself lying on his stomach, his hands pressed into the sandy
shore beneath him. He moved his fingers, and as they dug into the damp ground,
his face lifted. Holding that small clump of wet sand in the air caused Henry
to look forward, where he discovered a tropical island in the midst of the sea.
In
astonishment, Henry staggered to his feet, not minding the waves that still
flowed against the back of his knees. Pushing the hair from his face, Henry
crawled towards the lush paradise, finding it hard to move on such weak
muscles. His mouth hung open, so full of hunger and thirst that he yelped in
delight once he discovered a table of food, covered with exotic fruits, leafy
vegetables, and fine grains.
There
was a small wooden shack, just bordering the area where Henry ate like a mad
man, shoving as much sustenance as he could into his mouth at once. He closed
his eyes, taking a thankful breath, as he had never felt so grateful for food
in his entire life.
Except
for the small shack and table where Henry had found the food, the rest of the
land remained a tropical beach. From what Henry had noticed so far, a forest
began where the sand ended, and if he were to walk deeper, he might find
running water.
Taking
one last piece of fruit, Henry stepped towards the shack, whose door frame was
covered only by a transparent sheet of white fabric. He moved closer, for
behind the cloth he saw a young woman sleeping, her body outstretched on a
small rectangular section of bedding against the wall.
He
took another step, only to make out the image of her face, framed in a glossy
mane of raven black hair. However, with that step, a deep, haunting growl
sounded from the border of the jungle. Just as quickly as Henry had shifted his
eyes to observe the noise, a black panther, long and sleek, emerged from the
woods. Fearless, the creature soared through the air and pounced on top of
Henry. Before he could understand what was happening, the snarling black cat
held an enormous paw over him, and then swiped its claws across his chest.
Henry
wailed in panic and terror, using his arms to push the cat off him, as it
pinned him to the ground by the flat of his back. The creature clawed at
Henry’s stomach in protest, while the young man did the best he could to
protect his face.
During
the struggle, Henry had never felt so near the bottom of the food chain in all
his life. He was paralyzed with fear as the great cat hovered over his body,
with such a close distance that no human ever lived to talk about. But what
terrified Henry the most, above the shiny, slimy white fangs, were the
panther’s piercing green eyes, so alive with the greenery of the forest, that
they could have been cut from the leaves of a vine for all he knew. They were
so perfectly round and rigid, that they nearly looked like stones, though not
the exact color of emerald. And yet it was these cat’s eyes, those jungle eyes,
which made his heart stop.
“Jade,”
a soft, transcendent voice called from above. The cat retreated immediately,
slowly walking away from Henry.
Sunlight
shone on Henry’s face as he lay flat, still on the ground. He lowered his eyes,
horrified by the blood stains on his white ocean-soaked shirt. But then, the
face of a lovely woman stood before the sun, blocking out its light. Henry
looked up at her, taking in the long, silky black hair; golden, sun-kissed
skin; and green eyes – so much like the jungle he had just discovered.
She
narrowed her eyes, looking over Henry’s body as he felt her pulling him into a
trance, mesmerizing him with her beauty. Then, for he had not seen it coming,
Henry felt a tremendous pain enter the side of his head. All of a sudden, he
noticed an object in her hand that she had just bludgeoned him with. But before
the blue sky faded to black, the last thing Henry remembered was the natural
hue of her glistening green jungle eyes.
***
About the Author
LINDSAY
MARIE MILLER was born and raised in Tallahassee, FL, where she graduated from
high school as Valedictorian. Afterwards, Lindsay attended Florida State
University and graduated Summa Cum Laude with an English Literature major,
Psychology minor, and Specialized Studies in Markets and Institutions. Lindsay
is the author of the romance novels: Jungle
Eyes, Me & Mr. Jones, and Emerald Green. Jungle Eyes is the beginning of a new romantic action/adventure
trilogy. Emerald Green is the first
installment in a four-part series of Young Adult romantic thrillers. And the
New Adult romantic thriller, Me & Mr.
Jones, will be accompanied by a sequel. In her free time, Lindsay enjoys
singing, playing the piano and guitar, and writing songs. The author resides in
her hometown of Tallahassee, FL, where she is currently working on her next
novel.
Connect with Lindsay Marie
Miller
