Wednesday, February 8, 2017

REVIEW~~Mists of the Serengeti by Leylah Attar




Once in Africa, I kissed a king...


"And just like that, in an old red barn at the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro, I discovered the elusive magic I had only ever glimpsed between the pages of great love stories. It fluttered around me like a newborn butterfly and settled in a corner of my heart. I held my breath, afraid to exhale for fear it would slip out, never to be found again.”


When a bomb explodes in a mall in East Africa, its aftershocks send two strangers on a collision course that neither one sees coming.


Jack Warden, a divorced coffee farmer in Tanzania, loses his only daughter. An ocean away, in the English countryside, Rodel Emerson loses her only sibling.


Two ordinary people, bound by a tragic afternoon, set out to achieve the extraordinary, as they make three stops to rescue three children across the vast plains of the Serengeti—children who are worth more dead than alive.


But even if they beat the odds, another challenge looms at the end of the line. Can they survive yet another loss—this time of a love that’s bound to slip through their fingers, like the mists that dissipate in the light of the sun?


“Sometimes you come across a rainbow story—one that spans your heart. You might not be able to grasp it or hold on to it, but you can never be sorry for the color and magic it brought.”


A blend of romance and women’s fiction, Mists of The Serengeti is inspired by true events and contains emotional triggers, including the death of a child. Not recommended for sensitive readers. Standalone, contemporary fiction.



I like that you stand your ground and see things through. I like that you can fall, dust yourself off, and get on with it. I like that you have this . . . this innate faith. That no matter how dark it is, you hold out for the light.








5-Stars

I like that you stand your ground and see things through. I like that you can fall, dust yourself off, and get on with it. I like that you have this . . . this innate faith. That no matter how dark it is, you hold out for the light.

This is the second book I've read by Leylah Attar and I've devoured them both. The way she writes flows so effortlessly and the stories she weaves are beautiful.

Mists of the Serengeti took me on a journey I wasn't expecting, even after reading the blurb. The stories of the characters are so intertwined, it's sometimes hard to tell where the story really started. Jack Warden lost his daughter in the Kilimani mall attack; Rodel Emerson lost her sister in the same attack. Ro has come to Africa to gather up her sister's things and decides that she's going to finish her sister's mission, which leads her to Jack Warden. Jack is still reeling from his daughter's death, blaming himself for everything he felt he did wrong that day. Jack reluctantly agrees to help Ro with her sister's mission.

We met several engaging characters along the way: Bahati, Goma and Scholastica. They helped to keep the story light when it was in danger of being too heavy. Bahati is a fun guy to be with...always claiming to be bigger than he is, although in a very endearing manner. Goma (Jack's grandma) is spitfire and I absolutely adored her. Scholastica was very shy, but I loved seeing her come out of her shell and also pulling Jack out of his depression. And we got a little bit of Judy and Ken (who were also in The Paper Swan).....I loved seeing this duo in this book, they're a cute little couple.

Jack and Ro face some dangerous challenges along the way, not only from humans, but from nature itself. They also both are trying to resist the obvious attraction, knowing that it would be short-term as Ro plans to return to England upon finishing her sister's work. 

This story was beautifully interwoven and we don't really know how much so until the very end. And while the story started out tragically, it ended beautifully. Leylah Attar is definitely an author that engages the reader and I can't wait to see what her next story brings.



This is what it looks like when you wander somewhere between the sand and stardust, and meet a piece of yourself in someone else.



My greatest loss had led to my greatest love. Hearts were broken, and hearts were healed. Lives were lost, and lives were saved.


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