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Red Spear: An African Odyssey
Escaping a broken heart isn't easy. Putting the pieces back together is even harder.
When Harper finds her husband in bed with another woman, she flies as far away from her crumbling life as she can. Although she signs up to volunteer for a village co-op in Egypt, a mishap lands her instead in the untamed wilds of South Africa. With new dangers lurking around every corner, Harper’s heart may not be the only thing that ends up broken, burned, and bruised.
She soon finds companionship in the company of a baby elephant who needs rescuing even more desperately than she does. But the unforgiving landscape and determined poachers could mean risking her own life to secure a better one for this new friend. Will Harper find a way to move to the rhythm of Africa? Or will this prove to be yet another off-beat adventure in her uncoordinated life?
And, most of all, why do her insides twirl whenever Sam draws near? For Harper, the answer could mean the difference between life and death, love or loneliness.
When Harper finds her husband in bed with another woman, she flies as far away from her crumbling life as she can. Although she signs up to volunteer for a village co-op in Egypt, a mishap lands her instead in the untamed wilds of South Africa. With new dangers lurking around every corner, Harper’s heart may not be the only thing that ends up broken, burned, and bruised.
She soon finds companionship in the company of a baby elephant who needs rescuing even more desperately than she does. But the unforgiving landscape and determined poachers could mean risking her own life to secure a better one for this new friend. Will Harper find a way to move to the rhythm of Africa? Or will this prove to be yet another off-beat adventure in her uncoordinated life?
And, most of all, why do her insides twirl whenever Sam draws near? For Harper, the answer could mean the difference between life and death, love or loneliness.
- GenresLGBT
282 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 25, 2017
About the author
Alex Westmore
42 books146 followersAlex Westmore lives in the oven called Palm Springs, where she rescues desert tortoises, lizards, and a snake or two. One tortoise, Fancy Pants, is nearing 80 pounds and is eating Alex out of house and home! Havig travelled around the world to get closer to the action, she has spent time with Voodun in New Orleans, medicine men in the Southwest, and a Shaman in the Amazon. She has travelled to Galway, Ireland where her pirate captain, Grace O'Malley lived, ridden on the back of an elephant on safari, and raced an ostrich. Her adventures both keep her OUT of trouble as well as put her INTO trouble.
Alex is also a five-time award winning author of several series, from zombies to demons to empaths, oh my! When she isn’t writing, she’s thinking about writing and imagining where her next great adventure will take her, often, it takes her out onto the backroads of Southern California on her awesome beast of a Harley.
Spice up your life! Join Alex on her next amazing adventure… you will be so glad you did.
aka Linda Kay Silva
Blog
Alex is also a five-time award winning author of several series, from zombies to demons to empaths, oh my! When she isn’t writing, she’s thinking about writing and imagining where her next great adventure will take her, often, it takes her out onto the backroads of Southern California on her awesome beast of a Harley.
Spice up your life! Join Alex on her next amazing adventure… you will be so glad you did.
aka Linda Kay Silva
Blog
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
August 26, 2017
Usually I really like Westmore's books. I like her pirate series and loved the Silver Legacy books. This one was just ok. It's maybe 3.5 stars. I had some technical issues with the writing style and if I see "This is Africa!" one more time....
It's still a solid romance novel with some fun African wilds action. But it was not for me.
It's still a solid romance novel with some fun African wilds action. But it was not for me.
November 20, 2017
4.5 I absolutely loved this book. I mean, it has a freakin’ baby elephant in it! It also has a love story, evil bad guys, suspenseful situations, and, and... Seriously though, it’s well written and has some beautiful descriptions of Africa and a fair amount of info on the culture of the people (those in that area, anyway). The animal interactions can be a touch fantastical, but I choose to believe it could happen. Overall, a great read and I was bummed when it was over.
October 14, 2020
I went into this book unsure if I was going to like it or not. I’m not familiar with this author and I can honestly say I was not disappointed with it. I’m sad it’s over! I loved it so much. It was a crazy ride and reading about something that you know about but at the same time know nothing about it. This book made me want to go out and experience it all!!
July 17, 2017
Great
Great book. Great characters. Great story. Even the locale is one of the main characters. A truly exceptional read in every way.
Great book. Great characters. Great story. Even the locale is one of the main characters. A truly exceptional read in every way.
July 10, 2017
Red Spear, by Alex Westmore, is a truly inspiring novel about self-discovery and rehabilitation.
When Harper finds out her husband has been cheating on her with another woman, she decides she needs to temporarily escape her crumbling life and lands herself deep in the wild of South Africa, in a village called Phalaborwa. Here, she’s tasked with teaching the South African women about business; however, Harper seems to be called to the wild and helps out with many adventures beyond her job description. On these adventures, Harper meets an eclectic cast of characters, including some animals who support her along her road to recovery, especially the snarky and headstrong Sam. The longer Harper stays in this land and with these people she’s come to love, she begins to ask herself: Why go back?
Harper is a very dynamic character, showing not only the willingness to grow, but the ability to. Coming to Africa with no understanding of the culture, Harper had an open heart and open mind enough to learn their customs and act respectfully towards them. Most of all, her empathy towards others in situations she had never personally dealt with was deeply heartening and really showed how dimensional she was as a character. Creating such a powerful protagonist, Westmore will easily inspire anyone who picks up Red Spear to go out into the African wilderness and make a difference, or at least inspire an understanding and acceptance of different cultures and people.
With certain uses of plot devices and storytelling, Westmore made Africa feel as if it came right from a fairytale. For readers itching with wanderlust, Red Spear takes one through not only the African wilderness, but a whimsical world where women control elephants by singing to them and poachers are the ones being hunted.
Red Spear is such an imperative read. It promotes the importance of diversity and shows how empathy can go a long way. For readers looking for their next fix of heartwarming adventure, this novel has everything one could want.
Autumn Stanish
Apex Reviews
When Harper finds out her husband has been cheating on her with another woman, she decides she needs to temporarily escape her crumbling life and lands herself deep in the wild of South Africa, in a village called Phalaborwa. Here, she’s tasked with teaching the South African women about business; however, Harper seems to be called to the wild and helps out with many adventures beyond her job description. On these adventures, Harper meets an eclectic cast of characters, including some animals who support her along her road to recovery, especially the snarky and headstrong Sam. The longer Harper stays in this land and with these people she’s come to love, she begins to ask herself: Why go back?
Harper is a very dynamic character, showing not only the willingness to grow, but the ability to. Coming to Africa with no understanding of the culture, Harper had an open heart and open mind enough to learn their customs and act respectfully towards them. Most of all, her empathy towards others in situations she had never personally dealt with was deeply heartening and really showed how dimensional she was as a character. Creating such a powerful protagonist, Westmore will easily inspire anyone who picks up Red Spear to go out into the African wilderness and make a difference, or at least inspire an understanding and acceptance of different cultures and people.
With certain uses of plot devices and storytelling, Westmore made Africa feel as if it came right from a fairytale. For readers itching with wanderlust, Red Spear takes one through not only the African wilderness, but a whimsical world where women control elephants by singing to them and poachers are the ones being hunted.
Red Spear is such an imperative read. It promotes the importance of diversity and shows how empathy can go a long way. For readers looking for their next fix of heartwarming adventure, this novel has everything one could want.
Autumn Stanish
Apex Reviews
May 9, 2017
This is billed as a romance and it is that, but it's also more. Harper flees to Africa to escape a crumbling marriage. She intended to go to Egypt but ended up in South Africa. She arrives alone and hesitant to trust anyone, but finally gets a ride to the village where she will be volunteering. On the way she learns her first lessons about Africa and meets Jake the elephant. I loved the interaction in which she swats Jake's trunk and the Africans are shocked.
She meets many people in the village, among them Sam who takes on a large role in the novel. Their initial meeting is rocky but gradually improves as Harper encounters one new situation after another. All the scenes are well-described and entertaining. We don't know who she can trust as she meets new people. We find out as she does. Harper gets into some big messes but survives them to find love after all in Africa.
It's a great book. Like others have said, I read it in one day - before and after work, on the bus, on my breaks, etc. It was that good! All the characters are well drawn and felt real to me. The learning to exist and thrive in a new land was also well described. I felt what Harper felt in this majestic land. I've never really wanted to go to Africa, but now I do. Don't miss this book!
She meets many people in the village, among them Sam who takes on a large role in the novel. Their initial meeting is rocky but gradually improves as Harper encounters one new situation after another. All the scenes are well-described and entertaining. We don't know who she can trust as she meets new people. We find out as she does. Harper gets into some big messes but survives them to find love after all in Africa.
It's a great book. Like others have said, I read it in one day - before and after work, on the bus, on my breaks, etc. It was that good! All the characters are well drawn and felt real to me. The learning to exist and thrive in a new land was also well described. I felt what Harper felt in this majestic land. I've never really wanted to go to Africa, but now I do. Don't miss this book!
May 18, 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. As always Westmore has created realistic characters that the reader genuinely cares about. Her descriptions left me feeling the heat of the sun and envisioning the animals. A fun romance with a twist of travelogue. A romance that belies the typical formulaic plot. I especially appreciate that the story was the point and not an excuse to write love scenes. I'd love to read more about these intrepid women and the work they are doing for the people and animals of South Africa. Oh wait it's fiction....
September 29, 2019
This book was...average.
Pros:
- The basic story structure was good. Woman goes through divorce, needs to 'find herself' and goes to "Africa" for three months where she falls in love and starts over.
- Same sex romance is always nice to see in a book.
- Easy read. It was engaging enough to keep me interested. It wasn't the greatest book, but it wasn't so bad that I couldn't bear to read it.
- Cute animals.
Cons:
- The characters were shallow and needed a lot more development.
- The author consistently refers to South Africa as just "Africa". Africa is a continent; not a country.
- The people of color were all part of the sub-plot and didn't play a large enough role in the book for my liking.
- It reeked of "white saviorism". If you don't know, the term white savior "refers to a white person who acts to help non-white people, with the help in some contexts perceived to be self-serving." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_s...)
Overall, it was just okay. Would I recommend it? Eh. Probably not :(
Pros:
- The basic story structure was good. Woman goes through divorce, needs to 'find herself' and goes to "Africa" for three months where she falls in love and starts over.
- Same sex romance is always nice to see in a book.
- Easy read. It was engaging enough to keep me interested. It wasn't the greatest book, but it wasn't so bad that I couldn't bear to read it.
- Cute animals.
Cons:
- The characters were shallow and needed a lot more development.
- The author consistently refers to South Africa as just "Africa". Africa is a continent; not a country.
- The people of color were all part of the sub-plot and didn't play a large enough role in the book for my liking.
- It reeked of "white saviorism". If you don't know, the term white savior "refers to a white person who acts to help non-white people, with the help in some contexts perceived to be self-serving." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_s...)
Overall, it was just okay. Would I recommend it? Eh. Probably not :(
July 22, 2017
While this isn’t my favorite book by Alex Westmore (my favorites are those in her zombie apocalypse books. Go garmy!) I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Once again, an Alex Westmore book has brought me out of a reading slump.
Harper is your average American woman leaving a bad relationship. In the beginning of the book it feels like life is just pushing her around. She only goes to Africa to get away from her ex and even then it’s at the suggestion and nudging of a friend.
Once there, she finds her inner strength and inner warrior. She’s thrown into harrowing and dangerous situations that really test what she’s made of. She comes out victorious of course.
What I liked most about this book was her relationship with Jake the elephant. It seemed stronger than even her bond to Sam, the love interest and eventual girlfriend.
Harper is your average American woman leaving a bad relationship. In the beginning of the book it feels like life is just pushing her around. She only goes to Africa to get away from her ex and even then it’s at the suggestion and nudging of a friend.
Once there, she finds her inner strength and inner warrior. She’s thrown into harrowing and dangerous situations that really test what she’s made of. She comes out victorious of course.
What I liked most about this book was her relationship with Jake the elephant. It seemed stronger than even her bond to Sam, the love interest and eventual girlfriend.
September 16, 2022
Oh my gosh! What a great story! I am so happy I had the chance to read it! Once I started I had to keep on going until the last word printed on the screen. The many descriptions of dicks had me laughing out loud... I could hear your voice saying them so clearly! I laughed again when you said "There's no coming back from that" after Jake flattened the poacher. No Ma'am, there sure isn't! It was a great read and made me enjoy the journey the Kraken took. Thank you so very much for sending this to me. I recommend this to everyone. It makes me see the world through different eyes.
May 9, 2017
I finally found the time to read this one.... I don't know if It was because I was impatient to do it but I was a bit disappointed. While I like the characters, the story seemed a bit far fetched, too much happened to Harper-the main character- in such a short time and the story with the elephant felt too unbelievable. On the plus side, I like Sam, Icky and all the others protagonists. The book has flaws but remains a pleasant read that reminded me of my own trip to South Africa.
August 4, 2017
More please!
This deserves so much more than five stars, I have never been so sucked into a story like I was with this one! Both Sam and Harper have my heart, as a matter of fact the whole story nestled deep inside of me and Red Spear will remain with me for a very long time, this is one story I won't forget. I can always count on Alex Westmore to produce a wonderful story to keep me enthralled.
This deserves so much more than five stars, I have never been so sucked into a story like I was with this one! Both Sam and Harper have my heart, as a matter of fact the whole story nestled deep inside of me and Red Spear will remain with me for a very long time, this is one story I won't forget. I can always count on Alex Westmore to produce a wonderful story to keep me enthralled.
October 9, 2017
The story was excellent, the characters likeable and the description of the animals and their personalities very enlightening. Now, the reason I dropped a star. This book could stand on it's own without the throwing in of the descriptive sex. Why do so many authors, male or female, feel that they just have to include graphic romps in bed. I read books for the story. I do not breeze through looking for the sex scenes.
September 30, 2019
I received a copy of this book from the publicist in return for an honest review. This was a very quick read. I do feel like parts of it were a bit rushed, but I enjoyed this book overall. I didn’t feel like Sam and Harper really had chemistry, but I definitely felt like Harper grew as a person throughout her journey in Africa. I loved all the scenes with animals and her relationship with Jake, the elephant.
May 8, 2017
Awesome
Great story! Great characters! Wonderful adventure! I enjoyed the journey with Harper as she gained more of herself throughout the story. Her newfound strength as a woman who started seeing her worth in her everyday life among people who struggled to just be. I enjoyed interactions her new friends and Sam, I especially liked the animals portrayed in the story.
Great story! Great characters! Wonderful adventure! I enjoyed the journey with Harper as she gained more of herself throughout the story. Her newfound strength as a woman who started seeing her worth in her everyday life among people who struggled to just be. I enjoyed interactions her new friends and Sam, I especially liked the animals portrayed in the story.
May 20, 2017
Excellent book.
I loved Red Spear. Absolutely an excellent book. I loved this story of growth and enrichment of Harper. I love the lesson in this book, she thought she would teach women lessons about economics but she ended up being taught about life and living. I highly recommend this book.
I loved Red Spear. Absolutely an excellent book. I loved this story of growth and enrichment of Harper. I love the lesson in this book, she thought she would teach women lessons about economics but she ended up being taught about life and living. I highly recommend this book.
October 30, 2019
I really enjoyed reading this book, I loved reading the journey Harper went on and reading how she grew as a person and also how others grew too. There was plenty of drama throughout which I loved. There was parts of the book which I wasn't expecting but it all made the book what it is and that's a enjoyable read!
August 6, 2017
This was a great book! The scenery, the characters and the action scenes were wonderful. It's one of those "can't put down" books. Definitely worth reading. I've always enjoyed her books and this one was no exception.
January 21, 2018
A real lol book! Loved the humorous interactions between Harper and Sam. Their first meeting really had me rolling. He African adventures and illustrations of the land and her people are amazing. Great book all the way!!!
May 31, 2017
This book was ok. I felt more for the bond Harper shared with Jake than the one she shared with Sam though.
June 27, 2017
Good story
This is another book that Alex has bought the beautiful country of Africa to life, with their harsh way of life. And the people and animal's trying to survive.
This is another book that Alex has bought the beautiful country of Africa to life, with their harsh way of life. And the people and animal's trying to survive.
September 5, 2017
Spellbinding
A beautiful story about loving Africa, its animals and people and how that love creates a magical bond between them.
A beautiful story about loving Africa, its animals and people and how that love creates a magical bond between them.
August 2, 2018
A wonderful story of how Africa gets into your blood.
March 30, 2023
I was already annoyed within the first few pages when the author kept referring to Africa as one homogenous entity. Africa is not a country. It is a continent. A taxi driver would not say 'welcome to Africa' as if it is all one (I know this from personal experience from visiting 5 African countries). Nor would you land in 'Africa'. Would it be too hard to say ' landed in South Africa' or 'welcome to South Africa' or South African men'? This was just lazy and offensive. Imagine removing the identity of Welsh or Scottish and assuming they all the same country. Or Canadians are Americans. Or Puerto Rican's are Mexicans.
April 28, 2017
Must read!
I honestly think this is one of the best books by Alex Westmore. She has a way of describing scenes so vividly it makes you feel as if you're there. This book is no different from her other books as far as having a strong cast of characters (including Jake the elephant). She has a way of getting into your heart and soul, and makes you really care for the characters. You know a author has done their job when you want to learn more about a place or cultural. So if your wanting an adventure look no further. I loved the Romance part but It seems to me to be so much more. I can't wait to continue the adventure with the next book. 😁
I honestly think this is one of the best books by Alex Westmore. She has a way of describing scenes so vividly it makes you feel as if you're there. This book is no different from her other books as far as having a strong cast of characters (including Jake the elephant). She has a way of getting into your heart and soul, and makes you really care for the characters. You know a author has done their job when you want to learn more about a place or cultural. So if your wanting an adventure look no further. I loved the Romance part but It seems to me to be so much more. I can't wait to continue the adventure with the next book. 😁
April 28, 2017
Fun story
I enjoyed getting this glimpse of life in Africa and the wildlife. I thought this was a very interesting story.
I enjoyed getting this glimpse of life in Africa and the wildlife. I thought this was a very interesting story.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews