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The Alpha Match: Untamed Safari Series: #1
Conservationists, Caro Hannah and Ben Duval, must work together to introduce endangered African wild dogs to a reserve four years after their love affair ended badly. But the challenges of their work pale beside the personal obstacles they must overcome to bring closure to the traumatic events of four years before, or reignite a passion hot enough to set the African bush on fire.
- GenresRomance
ebook
First published May 13, 2015
8 people want to read
About the author
Leigh Archer
2 books43 followersI write romance novels set in my native South Africa. I’ve always had a love affair with Africa’s wild open spaces, the intensity of its people and sunsets. My love of storytelling began as a child when, given half the chance, my shoes would be off and I’d be out of doors, spending every spare moment playing barefoot in golden grass, watching wild creatures, learning to track spoor and dreaming up heroes and heroines dynamic enough to stand out in all the beauty and drama of the African landscape.
Always in search of adventure, my journey as a writer has taken me from the heavy stuff (journalism), through communications, to writing novels, which is work and play in equal parts.
Always in search of adventure, my journey as a writer has taken me from the heavy stuff (journalism), through communications, to writing novels, which is work and play in equal parts.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 26, 2015
An interesting romp through the African wilderness. Two conservationists are working through their past in order to save wild dogs. Can they manage to be civil?
The characters are well written, their reactions are honest and believable, and the interaction with the animals is interesting and captivating.
Light fare, some heavy petting and hot steaminess, but overall a great read!
The characters are well written, their reactions are honest and believable, and the interaction with the animals is interesting and captivating.
Light fare, some heavy petting and hot steaminess, but overall a great read!
July 8, 2015
Title: The Alpha Match
Author: Leigh Archer
Publication Date: May 13, 2015
Published by: Smashwords Edition
Source: Copy Given by Author and Tour Organizer
ARA'S NOTE:
I did not expect this to be so short. Honestly. I finished The Alpha Match in a couple of hours all-in-all, (because I was interrupted a few times...by work *sigh*) and I thought for sure that it would be longer. Anyway, what lead me to want to read and review this book is the animals. I am a huge animal lover so this story appealed to me a lot. Let met get to my review...
SYNOPSIS:
English conservationist, Caro Hannah, and South African, Ben Duval, must work together on a project to introduce endangered African wild dogs to a reserve, four years after their love affair ended. The challenges of their profession pale into insignificance beside the personal obstacles they must overcome in order to either bring closure to the events of four years before, or reignite a passion hot enough to set the African bushveld on fire.
CHARACTER BACKGROUND:
Caro Hannah is a passionate, dedicated, and ambitious woman. She's also very lovable, loyal, and strong. Monetary wealth was not something her family had when she was growing up, and this pushed her to work harder and aim higher. But those goals did not stop her from falling madly in love...and getting badly hurt.
Ben Duval is charming, handsome, and goal-oriented. He grew up privilaged, but has never been spoiled. All his life he's craved to have a family to love and protect. That is a future he saw when he met a certain woman he was confident was his "mate". But things changed and life interfered.
SYNOPSIS:
I've always been a sucker for romance novels wherein the main characters have some hostility towards each other. I don't know why, I just do. So aside from the wildlife, the mention of some unresolved issue between Caro and Ben is what drew me in the story. At first I thought Caro was an uptight, conservative, and seemingly innocent woman -- especially since she's English, but boy was I wrong! She's actually pretty straight-forward and goes for what she wants. I liked it. She also has a hobby of zoning out and thinking of "inappropriate" things in inopportune times, and we have that in common so, YOU GO GIRL! Ben is, like what's expected, a perfect male specimen. Kind of cliche, but he was pretty emotional in the book. Not in an I'm-crying-my-heart-out way, but in an I'm-mad-at-you-but-I-can't-think-of-the-good-times-we-shared kind. I also want to note the intimate scenes. In my opinion, for a book this short, I think there were one too many mentions of sex or love-making. But hey! The chemistry that they share is pretty damn strong. I was also able to pick up a couple of things about wildlife, but I guess you could say that I wanted more. A more descriptive environment perhaps? More info about the animals they're trying to save? Nothing that would deter from the real essence of the story, but something that would set as concrete "background".
SUMMARY:
I give The Alpha Match 3.5 stars. It's sexy, romantic, and sassy. The story is a little predictable, but it's still a pretty good read.
Author: Leigh Archer
Publication Date: May 13, 2015
Published by: Smashwords Edition
Source: Copy Given by Author and Tour Organizer
ARA'S NOTE:
I did not expect this to be so short. Honestly. I finished The Alpha Match in a couple of hours all-in-all, (because I was interrupted a few times...by work *sigh*) and I thought for sure that it would be longer. Anyway, what lead me to want to read and review this book is the animals. I am a huge animal lover so this story appealed to me a lot. Let met get to my review...
SYNOPSIS:
English conservationist, Caro Hannah, and South African, Ben Duval, must work together on a project to introduce endangered African wild dogs to a reserve, four years after their love affair ended. The challenges of their profession pale into insignificance beside the personal obstacles they must overcome in order to either bring closure to the events of four years before, or reignite a passion hot enough to set the African bushveld on fire.
CHARACTER BACKGROUND:
Caro Hannah is a passionate, dedicated, and ambitious woman. She's also very lovable, loyal, and strong. Monetary wealth was not something her family had when she was growing up, and this pushed her to work harder and aim higher. But those goals did not stop her from falling madly in love...and getting badly hurt.
Ben Duval is charming, handsome, and goal-oriented. He grew up privilaged, but has never been spoiled. All his life he's craved to have a family to love and protect. That is a future he saw when he met a certain woman he was confident was his "mate". But things changed and life interfered.
SYNOPSIS:
I've always been a sucker for romance novels wherein the main characters have some hostility towards each other. I don't know why, I just do. So aside from the wildlife, the mention of some unresolved issue between Caro and Ben is what drew me in the story. At first I thought Caro was an uptight, conservative, and seemingly innocent woman -- especially since she's English, but boy was I wrong! She's actually pretty straight-forward and goes for what she wants. I liked it. She also has a hobby of zoning out and thinking of "inappropriate" things in inopportune times, and we have that in common so, YOU GO GIRL! Ben is, like what's expected, a perfect male specimen. Kind of cliche, but he was pretty emotional in the book. Not in an I'm-crying-my-heart-out way, but in an I'm-mad-at-you-but-I-can't-think-of-the-good-times-we-shared kind. I also want to note the intimate scenes. In my opinion, for a book this short, I think there were one too many mentions of sex or love-making. But hey! The chemistry that they share is pretty damn strong. I was also able to pick up a couple of things about wildlife, but I guess you could say that I wanted more. A more descriptive environment perhaps? More info about the animals they're trying to save? Nothing that would deter from the real essence of the story, but something that would set as concrete "background".
SUMMARY:
I give The Alpha Match 3.5 stars. It's sexy, romantic, and sassy. The story is a little predictable, but it's still a pretty good read.
July 1, 2015
Saving the lives of endangered African dogs would normally not be what Caro could call romantic...but that all changes when her former flame Ben shows up to help out the cause too.
Caro and Ben were an absolutely fabulous and explosive couple. I love the whole "Old Flames Re-Igniting" trope and this one is done exceptionally well. The characters themselves were pretty well constructed, and I loved how they each had a chance to really take, to express doubts and ramp up the tension between them before really getting to the down and dirty ;)
The setting of an African animal reserve was both exotic and perfect for the intensity of the heat between the couple! It helped ramp up the drama in a completely non-romantic way and gave the plot some oomph it would otherwise be lacking. I loved Leigh's writing style. It was really smooth and flowed nicely. You really got caught up in the book as you went along and were able to enjoy everything from the romance to the action in stride.
The Alpha Match is a beautiful diversion. I could imagine myself hanging out at the waterfront, alternatively reading this and people watching on a lazy summer afternoon. Perhaps with a delightful glass of Sangria!
Caro and Ben were an absolutely fabulous and explosive couple. I love the whole "Old Flames Re-Igniting" trope and this one is done exceptionally well. The characters themselves were pretty well constructed, and I loved how they each had a chance to really take, to express doubts and ramp up the tension between them before really getting to the down and dirty ;)
The setting of an African animal reserve was both exotic and perfect for the intensity of the heat between the couple! It helped ramp up the drama in a completely non-romantic way and gave the plot some oomph it would otherwise be lacking. I loved Leigh's writing style. It was really smooth and flowed nicely. You really got caught up in the book as you went along and were able to enjoy everything from the romance to the action in stride.
The Alpha Match is a beautiful diversion. I could imagine myself hanging out at the waterfront, alternatively reading this and people watching on a lazy summer afternoon. Perhaps with a delightful glass of Sangria!
July 8, 2015
4.25 stars
"The Alpha Match" by Leigh Archer is the beginning of the ‘Untamed Safari’ series and centers on the complicated relationship between two renowned conservationists, Caro Hannah and Dr. Ben Duval. A project on endangered wild dogs that brings them back together four years after their failed romance forces them to put aside their differences for the sake of the pivotal study but pressures from both outside and within forces them to face their unresolved issues, with unexpected results.
This contemporary romance combines exotic locales of Africa with an unusual subject matter, conservation of a species in danger of extinction. The environment that can be both harsh and romantic is beautifully described and the inescapable attraction that draws the main characters together despite their painful past is conveyed through deliciously sensuous encounters. At times the hot and cold nature of the interactions between the main characters was a bit frustrating but the overall story was very enjoyable. This is the first story I have read by this author and I will definitely be on the lookout for more of her delightful stories.
A copy of this title was provided to me for my honest review
"The Alpha Match" by Leigh Archer is the beginning of the ‘Untamed Safari’ series and centers on the complicated relationship between two renowned conservationists, Caro Hannah and Dr. Ben Duval. A project on endangered wild dogs that brings them back together four years after their failed romance forces them to put aside their differences for the sake of the pivotal study but pressures from both outside and within forces them to face their unresolved issues, with unexpected results.
This contemporary romance combines exotic locales of Africa with an unusual subject matter, conservation of a species in danger of extinction. The environment that can be both harsh and romantic is beautifully described and the inescapable attraction that draws the main characters together despite their painful past is conveyed through deliciously sensuous encounters. At times the hot and cold nature of the interactions between the main characters was a bit frustrating but the overall story was very enjoyable. This is the first story I have read by this author and I will definitely be on the lookout for more of her delightful stories.
A copy of this title was provided to me for my honest review
July 7, 2015
5 HOT, ROMANTIC, PHENOMENAL STARS!!!This book was amazing! It's one of those books that made me truly FEEL. I read the whole thing in 2 sittings (would have been 1 if real-life came with a "pause" button!)This is a "past lovers reunite" scenario, and the emotions that went along with that were so perfectly articulated by Leigh and I felt like I understood exactly what she was trying to convey. Needless to say, the tension was SO thick throughout the book, and I eagerly read on to see how Caro and Ben finally came together.I loved how realistic the characters were. Caro and Ben were coexisting in a "workplace" setting (albeit the plains of Africa) and attempted to keep thing purely professional between them. The dialogue was very enjoyable, and I got a few chuckles out of the minor characters as well.Leigh did a fantastic job describing not only feelings but her imagery of everything from the way Ben looked at Caro via a reflection in a window to the decorations at the fundraising gala was absolutely wonderful.This is a true love-love story, and I am SO appreciative that I had the opportunity to read it and to be introduced to Leigh! I will read ANY romance she writes!!!***I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
June 20, 2015
Independent Reviewer for Archaeolibrarian I Dig Good Books.
Thrown together 4 years after their break up, Ben and Caro revisit every painful moment, every amazing might, every hurtful feeling and every single touch.
I can best describe this book as...nice. It pains me to be unable to come up with a better word, but I really can't!
The plot is good, it moves at an even and fair pace. You don't get the full story behind their break up till quite late on, and I liked that. I did see that coming, though, the person behind it all.
The sexual content is not at all explicit, but thats not BAD thing, at all! Its right and proper for Ben and Caro's story not to be at it like the wild dogs they are studying. But the emotions, so much pain and hate at the beginning of the book, and so much love at the end.
It was a nice way to spend a little over the lunch break read, about 75 minutes for me.
I liked it, I just didn't love it.
3.5 stars
**same worded review appears on Goodreads, Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk**
Thrown together 4 years after their break up, Ben and Caro revisit every painful moment, every amazing might, every hurtful feeling and every single touch.
I can best describe this book as...nice. It pains me to be unable to come up with a better word, but I really can't!
The plot is good, it moves at an even and fair pace. You don't get the full story behind their break up till quite late on, and I liked that. I did see that coming, though, the person behind it all.
The sexual content is not at all explicit, but thats not BAD thing, at all! Its right and proper for Ben and Caro's story not to be at it like the wild dogs they are studying. But the emotions, so much pain and hate at the beginning of the book, and so much love at the end.
It was a nice way to spend a little over the lunch break read, about 75 minutes for me.
I liked it, I just didn't love it.
3.5 stars
**same worded review appears on Goodreads, Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk**
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews