Her search for her missing father brings determined Lorna Fairfield to the exotic island of Kali Simpang. In this mysterious land of savagery and superstition, she seeks the aid of dashing British officer Ross St. James -- torn between a single-minded devotion to finding her lost loved one ... and her soul's insistent yearning for the virile adventurer who would guide her through the heart of darkness.
Stirred by the courage of the haunting, flame-haired beauty, fearing for Lorna's safety in this world of cannibals and bloodthirsty cults, Ross agrees to join her expedition into the jungle from which no stranger has ever returned -- prepared to sacrifice his very life for the love that is to be their magnificent destiny.
Jillian Hunter is the bestselling author of over twenty historical romances. She lives with her husband, three daughters, a pug and a poodle in Southern California. She loves anyone who can make her laugh, which means she is in love with Mike Myers and Tyler Perry.
For all its exotic locale and jungle trek, I thought the story could have been a little more exciting. Maybe the events Hunter wove for the tale in that part of the world were too far off the track for me, an inveterate Regency romance reader. It wasn't a bad read (oh dear, there's the damn with faint praise phrase...), but the hero and heroine weren't memorable (yikes, it happened again).
What blew me away was the cover. I kept the book just for that. The colors are sensual and eye-popping, like looking at a lush painting. The hero is at his best in the cover, with his looks and his vibrant skin tones. The heroine was a typical pose for the time of publication, 1991.
This is one of the first romance novels I read. I was about 13 and reading while at boarding school. I remember reading it and crying at the end. I finally bought it on Amazon (It's no longer in print)