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Bad-boy scientist Will Travers may have an Ivy League mind but he’s got the spirit of the jungle in his heart and the kiss of the Amazon on his body.River of EdenWith his sun-bronzed skin, a week’s worth of beard, and a shaman’s crystal around his neck, Will Sanchez Travers looked more like a man mothers warned their daughters about than a Harvard-trained ethnobotanist. And even if only half the rumors about him were true, Dr. Annie Parrish figured she was in trouble. Still, she needed the rogue scientist to ferry her upriver in search of a prize so extraordinary, it would make her reputation–if it didn’t get her killed first.When he’d reluctantly agreed to take the legendary Amazon Annie deep into the Brazilian rain forest, Will expected a woman warrior, not a blond ragamuffin renegade whose secrets ran darker than he could have imagined. But once the journey begins, there will be no turning back as they enter territory–of the wilderness and the heart–as dangerous as it is beautiful, desperate to stop a twisted destroyer of worlds before his nightmarish fantasy becomes horribly real. Amid sorcery, violence, and mystical visions, which will be the victor–the yearning for vengeance, or a power as potent and seductive as the heart of a singular, magical orchid?From the Paperback edition.
Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
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About the author
Glenna McReynolds
25 books35 followersGlenna McReynolds was born March 25, 1953, in Lewiston, ID; she studied at Colorado Mountain College. She is a writer of medieval period and contemporary books and romances. She also publishes under the pseudonym Tara Janzen . McReynolds is a member of several writers organizations in Colorado, including Colorado Romance Writers Association, Colorado Authors League, Romance Writers of America, and Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. Several of her books have won awards, including a RITA from the Romance Writers of America and a career achievement award from the Romantic Times in 1994.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
April 29, 2010
Dr. Annie Parrish is a world-renouned ethnobotanist who sets out on a dangerous quest in the Amazon to win back her reputation. She has a huge black mark on her reputation after an incident in the jungle that got her kicked out of Brazil and left her haunted. One year later, she is back in Manaus Brazil determined to do whatever it takes to find the amazing luminiescent orchid she found right before the "incident" took it away from her. She hunts down Will Sanchez Travers, another famous ethnobotanist who has some black marks on his reputation as well - he disappeared in the jungle for a year, was rumored to be killed by an anaconda, then mysteriously came back to pilot a boat around the Rio Negro instead of working with plants. Annie finds Will dancing an erotic samba with a local girl in a seedy bar and manuvers her way onto his boat.
Will Travers is a man with many secrets. He is on a mission given to him by the shaman who found him in the jungle years before when he was almost killed by an anaconda. Annie Parrish aka Amazon Annie is a huge distraction from that mission but he agrees to take her up river after an old friend calls in a favor. Will is very impressed and turned on by the intelligent woman who is small but has a will of iron. Danger is following them on their trip up the Rio Negro, as Annie runs afoul of Fat Eddie, a violent merchant from Manaus. She is also being hunted by Corisco Vargas, the man who terrorized her the last time she was in the Amazon. Will and Annie both feel an unmistakable pull toward each other despite the constant danger. Both are on dangerous missions that could get them killed unless they can stay one step ahead of danger and survive the elements and the dangerous men who are after them.
River of Eden was a fun adventure romance with a very exotic feel. I really liked the Amazon jungle feel and the atmosphere the author created. I also loved the information about the jungle, the local indiginous population and their beliefs and the Amazon region in general. The story has a lot of action and adventure plus romance and a touch of mystic from the shaman. Will was very involved in the mystic aspects from his time with the shaman. I enjoyed the romance part of the story but it took a back seat sometimes to the action. I felt like Annie and Will were a great couple with shared passions who would enjoy being together. Annie was a very strong woman with an overwhelming need to find the beautiful orchid she lost before, until she starts to rearrange her priorities after falling in love with the sexy rogue Will. As for Will, he has a very sexy, charming way about him that wins over both me and Annie. He went from being a famous ethnobotanist to being a man connected to the jungle and elements around him after having his eyes opened to a new world by the shaman. He is a man who lives on the edge and has no problem facing danger - which is pretty sexy too. I loved the snake tattoo and the way he fell so hard for Annie and found her sexy and cute just the way she was, which was always rumpled with her hair flying everywhere. There was a lot of chemistry between them that sizzled in the hot jungle and made me glad when they finally gave into their attraction.
If you are looking for an action-filled contemporary romance with an exotic setting, check out River of Eden. Another good book that is similar is Heart of Fire by Linda Howard.
Will Travers is a man with many secrets. He is on a mission given to him by the shaman who found him in the jungle years before when he was almost killed by an anaconda. Annie Parrish aka Amazon Annie is a huge distraction from that mission but he agrees to take her up river after an old friend calls in a favor. Will is very impressed and turned on by the intelligent woman who is small but has a will of iron. Danger is following them on their trip up the Rio Negro, as Annie runs afoul of Fat Eddie, a violent merchant from Manaus. She is also being hunted by Corisco Vargas, the man who terrorized her the last time she was in the Amazon. Will and Annie both feel an unmistakable pull toward each other despite the constant danger. Both are on dangerous missions that could get them killed unless they can stay one step ahead of danger and survive the elements and the dangerous men who are after them.
River of Eden was a fun adventure romance with a very exotic feel. I really liked the Amazon jungle feel and the atmosphere the author created. I also loved the information about the jungle, the local indiginous population and their beliefs and the Amazon region in general. The story has a lot of action and adventure plus romance and a touch of mystic from the shaman. Will was very involved in the mystic aspects from his time with the shaman. I enjoyed the romance part of the story but it took a back seat sometimes to the action. I felt like Annie and Will were a great couple with shared passions who would enjoy being together. Annie was a very strong woman with an overwhelming need to find the beautiful orchid she lost before, until she starts to rearrange her priorities after falling in love with the sexy rogue Will. As for Will, he has a very sexy, charming way about him that wins over both me and Annie. He went from being a famous ethnobotanist to being a man connected to the jungle and elements around him after having his eyes opened to a new world by the shaman. He is a man who lives on the edge and has no problem facing danger - which is pretty sexy too. I loved the snake tattoo and the way he fell so hard for Annie and found her sexy and cute just the way she was, which was always rumpled with her hair flying everywhere. There was a lot of chemistry between them that sizzled in the hot jungle and made me glad when they finally gave into their attraction.
If you are looking for an action-filled contemporary romance with an exotic setting, check out River of Eden. Another good book that is similar is Heart of Fire by Linda Howard.
May 25, 2024
Glenna McReynolds/Tara Janzen, I really miss you. One of my favorite authors for hot romance, suspense, action adventure hasn't had a new book published in a long time. This book was published in 2002, which makes it 22 years old. Ancient in publishing time, but it reads like a book published yesterday. The plot, characters, romance, suspense are all timeless. This is one of the best Romance-Action-Adventure books I've ever read. Highly Recommend.
Mysticism, sorcery and superstitions of the northwest Amazon region of Brazil have ensnared the life of brilliant Harvard scientist and author, Dr. William Sanchez Travers. For a year he lived with the Daku tribe becoming a shaman and being prepared for his journey to come. He has spent two years plying the Rio Negro and waiting. The Daku are nomads of the Amazon jungle, living a life and having a culture trying to survive the invasion of white men wanting nothing more than to rape the region of its' abundant natural resources. Most especially gold.
Dr. Annie Parrish has her own scars from the year she spent in northwest Brazil and most of them are invisible to the naked eye. She has come back to reclaim a part of herself that was brutally taken and isn't about to let anything stop her, especially not the rogue scientist she smashes up against. The crash is epic and fated. Annie needs Will to get her up the Rio Negro and that is all she wants from him. They both have deep dark secrets.
A corrupt military official, smugglers, a nasty on the order of Jabba the Hutt with a collection of shrunken heads and a wise shaman with one foot in the Amazon and one foot in the Otherworld. All want a piece of Amazon Annie and Will. Annie and Will just want to free the slaves from the gold mines, a mysterious orchard and each other.
Mysticism, sorcery and superstitions of the northwest Amazon region of Brazil have ensnared the life of brilliant Harvard scientist and author, Dr. William Sanchez Travers. For a year he lived with the Daku tribe becoming a shaman and being prepared for his journey to come. He has spent two years plying the Rio Negro and waiting. The Daku are nomads of the Amazon jungle, living a life and having a culture trying to survive the invasion of white men wanting nothing more than to rape the region of its' abundant natural resources. Most especially gold.
Dr. Annie Parrish has her own scars from the year she spent in northwest Brazil and most of them are invisible to the naked eye. She has come back to reclaim a part of herself that was brutally taken and isn't about to let anything stop her, especially not the rogue scientist she smashes up against. The crash is epic and fated. Annie needs Will to get her up the Rio Negro and that is all she wants from him. They both have deep dark secrets.
A corrupt military official, smugglers, a nasty on the order of Jabba the Hutt with a collection of shrunken heads and a wise shaman with one foot in the Amazon and one foot in the Otherworld. All want a piece of Amazon Annie and Will. Annie and Will just want to free the slaves from the gold mines, a mysterious orchard and each other.
March 7, 2011
4 Star Jungle Adventure
Jungle-trek themed romances are one of my favorite tropes in the world of romance. I got off this recommendation from my friend Jill on Goodreads who was wonderful enough to give me a huge list of jungle-trek themed romances which we both seem to love. River of Eden is my first novel by Glenna McReynolds and according to FictionDB the last of her published books as well.
River of Eden takes us through the steamy jungles of the Amazon where fact and myth submerge, where evil lurks in every deep and dark shadow that the jungle and its surrounding river harbors. Dr. Annie Parrish aka Amazon Annie had been a world renown botanist until the unfortunate Woolly Monkey incident which had labeled her persona non grata. Originally from Wyoming, Annie had been chased out of Brazil after having being captured and tortured in a Brazil jail until Dr. Gabriela Oliveira had pulled all imaginable strings to rescue her.
Annie returns once again, this time to garner more samples of the incredible orchid that she had found on her last trip, before her run in with the evil Corisco Vargas who has his own evil plans to conquer the wild jungle and its riches for himself once and for all. Corisco has been waiting for Annie, the one who got away from his clutches the 1st time round.
To make the required trip upriver to Santa Maria, Annie hires Dr. William Sanchez Travers, a Harvard trained ethnobotanist, until 3 years ago William had forsaken academia and his fieldwork and disappeared into the Amazon rain forest. Six feet tall, rangy in build with wild sun-streaked hair and a face that had set more than one coed on the path of a botany degree, Will is rumored to have lost it all and become a drunken half of a man who ferries scientists like herself upriver to pass his days.
Every preconceived notion that Annie has of Will flies out the window as she begins to learn more about the complex man who reluctantly agrees to take her on his boat Sucuri without half-knowing the secrets that she holds very close to her soul. Annie who is skittish at best when it comes to men after her horrific up close and personal encounters with Corisco finds herself fascinated with how Will makes her lose sight of herself with their up close and personal encounters.
Annie doesn’t feature into any of Will’s plans, Will who has been biding his time in fulfilling his end of a deal that has bound him to the jungle and its people for the past 3 years. Annie tempts him beyond anything Will has encountered before and when his protective and possessive instincts flare to life around a woman who is a mass of contradictions herself, Will is helplessly drawn into plans fate has in store for them, a plan that lands them right into the center of execution of Corisco’s evil plans.
Though I found myself a little bit impatient with the pace of the story at the beginning, things began to turn around once the trip aboard Sucuri took underway. Both Annie and Will’s characters are interesting ones, each carrying a whole lot of secrets with them, and each surrounded by the mystiques that cloak the Amazon and its tribes which lend an interesting facet to the story. Let me not forget the romance between Will and Annie, and how it drew me in as Will and Annie seduce more than just their surface emotions, but end up coming together as one and combining their lives together, once and for all.
All in all an entertaining read recommended for those who love a romance between two endearing people in the midst of a jungle adventure which gets its extra richness from the mystique surrounding the whole tale from beginning till end.
I leave you with a little spoiler, the scene which comes after the very erotic hammock smexing scene, where Will realizes that he has fallen completely for his Amazon Annie.
Jungle-trek themed romances are one of my favorite tropes in the world of romance. I got off this recommendation from my friend Jill on Goodreads who was wonderful enough to give me a huge list of jungle-trek themed romances which we both seem to love. River of Eden is my first novel by Glenna McReynolds and according to FictionDB the last of her published books as well.
River of Eden takes us through the steamy jungles of the Amazon where fact and myth submerge, where evil lurks in every deep and dark shadow that the jungle and its surrounding river harbors. Dr. Annie Parrish aka Amazon Annie had been a world renown botanist until the unfortunate Woolly Monkey incident which had labeled her persona non grata. Originally from Wyoming, Annie had been chased out of Brazil after having being captured and tortured in a Brazil jail until Dr. Gabriela Oliveira had pulled all imaginable strings to rescue her.
Annie returns once again, this time to garner more samples of the incredible orchid that she had found on her last trip, before her run in with the evil Corisco Vargas who has his own evil plans to conquer the wild jungle and its riches for himself once and for all. Corisco has been waiting for Annie, the one who got away from his clutches the 1st time round.
To make the required trip upriver to Santa Maria, Annie hires Dr. William Sanchez Travers, a Harvard trained ethnobotanist, until 3 years ago William had forsaken academia and his fieldwork and disappeared into the Amazon rain forest. Six feet tall, rangy in build with wild sun-streaked hair and a face that had set more than one coed on the path of a botany degree, Will is rumored to have lost it all and become a drunken half of a man who ferries scientists like herself upriver to pass his days.
Every preconceived notion that Annie has of Will flies out the window as she begins to learn more about the complex man who reluctantly agrees to take her on his boat Sucuri without half-knowing the secrets that she holds very close to her soul. Annie who is skittish at best when it comes to men after her horrific up close and personal encounters with Corisco finds herself fascinated with how Will makes her lose sight of herself with their up close and personal encounters.
Annie doesn’t feature into any of Will’s plans, Will who has been biding his time in fulfilling his end of a deal that has bound him to the jungle and its people for the past 3 years. Annie tempts him beyond anything Will has encountered before and when his protective and possessive instincts flare to life around a woman who is a mass of contradictions herself, Will is helplessly drawn into plans fate has in store for them, a plan that lands them right into the center of execution of Corisco’s evil plans.
Though I found myself a little bit impatient with the pace of the story at the beginning, things began to turn around once the trip aboard Sucuri took underway. Both Annie and Will’s characters are interesting ones, each carrying a whole lot of secrets with them, and each surrounded by the mystiques that cloak the Amazon and its tribes which lend an interesting facet to the story. Let me not forget the romance between Will and Annie, and how it drew me in as Will and Annie seduce more than just their surface emotions, but end up coming together as one and combining their lives together, once and for all.
All in all an entertaining read recommended for those who love a romance between two endearing people in the midst of a jungle adventure which gets its extra richness from the mystique surrounding the whole tale from beginning till end.
I leave you with a little spoiler, the scene which comes after the very erotic hammock smexing scene, where Will realizes that he has fallen completely for his Amazon Annie.
March 16, 2012
I had a hard time finishing this book & even understanding it. It was just too out there for me, all snakes & mysticism & stuff and I had a hard time understanding it.
The heroine was pretty kick-ass though though a bit fool-hardy jumping into danger.
The heroine was pretty kick-ass though though a bit fool-hardy jumping into danger.
February 1, 2016
Action, violence, visions and love slipping up on two characters that have been fleshed out well and show intelligence! I thought more than once...deja vu....the movie: 'Romancing the Stone' with Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner.
Annie Parrish and Will Sanchez Travers each hold at least one doctorate. You meet them in the rain forest in Brazil at the beginning of the story. She needs his help to locate something special and she is not above telling stories, stealing and whatever else is necessary to find it. Will learns quickly that this is the woman for him but he has enough of his own demons and there are plenty of people that want them both dead. They are followed by some mysterious soldiers, corrupt policemen, and other shady characters. Think Star Wars and a look-alike for Jabba the Hut only with razor-sharp teeth.
You feel the humidity drenching their clothes, the excessive heat that causes things to stick to the skin, and the fear as they face evil. There is pouring rain, snakes and unknown creatures living in the river. You also experience the tension and mutual attraction they have for each other and there are enough differences between Romancing the Stone and River of Eden to enjoy both.
If you like a romantic adventure then this is the book for you. It is a keeper. Enjoy!
Annie Parrish and Will Sanchez Travers each hold at least one doctorate. You meet them in the rain forest in Brazil at the beginning of the story. She needs his help to locate something special and she is not above telling stories, stealing and whatever else is necessary to find it. Will learns quickly that this is the woman for him but he has enough of his own demons and there are plenty of people that want them both dead. They are followed by some mysterious soldiers, corrupt policemen, and other shady characters. Think Star Wars and a look-alike for Jabba the Hut only with razor-sharp teeth.
You feel the humidity drenching their clothes, the excessive heat that causes things to stick to the skin, and the fear as they face evil. There is pouring rain, snakes and unknown creatures living in the river. You also experience the tension and mutual attraction they have for each other and there are enough differences between Romancing the Stone and River of Eden to enjoy both.
If you like a romantic adventure then this is the book for you. It is a keeper. Enjoy!
November 21, 2015
I am giving 4 stars for most of the book. But it was like the author wasn't sure how to end the book and IMO she botched the heck out of it. So the ending gets 3 stars.
June 16, 2013
Our hero, Will, is a super smart scientist who disappears in the amazon jungle for a while 3 years ago and comes out a man on a mission only he knows. Our heroine, Annie, is after the discovery of the century and to do it she has to go back to the one place that would be hell for her- into the land of the crazy sadistic villain.
Annie gets a ride from Will to go up a river and that's when the craziness ensues. Along the way Annie, Will, and his enchanted boat run into one villain after another and slowly end up falling for one another. The romance is nice (it's a bad boy scientist aaahh!), Annie is known as Amazon Annie for a reason! There's a little spirituality and enchantments along the way and although I got a bit confused I stuck with it until finally we get answers in the second half of the story.
I know one thing's for sure- I now know a good swear word in Portuguese
Annie gets a ride from Will to go up a river and that's when the craziness ensues. Along the way Annie, Will, and his enchanted boat run into one villain after another and slowly end up falling for one another. The romance is nice (it's a bad boy scientist aaahh!), Annie is known as Amazon Annie for a reason! There's a little spirituality and enchantments along the way and although I got a bit confused I stuck with it until finally we get answers in the second half of the story.
I know one thing's for sure- I now know a good swear word in Portuguese
June 15, 2010
4 stars: fast paced romantic adventure
This was an Indiana Jones style story set in the Amazon jungle. The characters were well developed and interesting. The fast paced action/adventure storyline captured my interest. At first I wasn't buying the shaman magic stuff (just didn't seem to fit), but then after they met with the Indians it seemed a bit better developed. I liked the romantic tension the author developed, but would have liked a bit more of it. The showdown between all the factions at the end was really good. All in all, it was an enjoyable read. This is my first book by this author and I plan to check out her other books.
This was an Indiana Jones style story set in the Amazon jungle. The characters were well developed and interesting. The fast paced action/adventure storyline captured my interest. At first I wasn't buying the shaman magic stuff (just didn't seem to fit), but then after they met with the Indians it seemed a bit better developed. I liked the romantic tension the author developed, but would have liked a bit more of it. The showdown between all the factions at the end was really good. All in all, it was an enjoyable read. This is my first book by this author and I plan to check out her other books.
April 14, 2008
Adventure/Romance. Just because this is a romance didn't mean the author skimped on the adventure element. This book was a page-turner for me, I had difficulty putting it down. If you are looking for an indiana-jones type romance you won't be disappointed by this book.
February 16, 2009
I'll be honest, I loved it! Think Indiana Jones if he was a botanist in the Amazon... And the heroine [also a botanist:] has her own agenda - one that turns her into a magnet for trouble...
own
October 3, 2012Free on Amazon Kindle right now.
February 1, 2024
A Trudge Through the Amazon
This is the book equivalent of Humphrey Bogart's slog through the mud from The African Queen:
Or in other words, it went nowhere slowly.
At first, this book was giving me vibes of The African Queen (one of my favorite movies!) with the guy and the girl heading down the Amazon together in a somewhat unreliable boat. But while African Queen had a story, this most definitely did not.
I will say, it definitely had potential, and there was a hint of a good idea there, but the story was so convoluted and hard to follow. Perspective changes happened mid paragraph which didn't help my confusion, and even at the end of the book I feel like nothing was explained.
From what I could piece together, this story follows Annie, a scientist on the trail of some rare orchid that she found in the Amazon rainforest prior to the events of the book. However, right when she was going to take a sample of the rare species, she happened to interrupt this mining operation run by this corrupt overlord. He captured her and she barely escaped with her life, but now she's headed back to get the orchid. Will is her reluctant guide. When the warlord hears that Annie is back in town, he wants to get revenge.
That sounds like an interesting story right? Well, I'm sorry to say that it plodded along and was actually really boring.
I was fairly neutral toward Will until the first sex scene which was pretty rape-y (she was mostly asleep) and after that I didn't like him at all. Annie's motivations weren't really clear to me and I didn't really care for her.
I really like adventure romances, but you can definitely skip this one. If you want a story about a couple navigating a river and their feelings for each other, just watch the movie The African Queen instead.
This is the book equivalent of Humphrey Bogart's slog through the mud from The African Queen:
Or in other words, it went nowhere slowly.
At first, this book was giving me vibes of The African Queen (one of my favorite movies!) with the guy and the girl heading down the Amazon together in a somewhat unreliable boat. But while African Queen had a story, this most definitely did not.
I will say, it definitely had potential, and there was a hint of a good idea there, but the story was so convoluted and hard to follow. Perspective changes happened mid paragraph which didn't help my confusion, and even at the end of the book I feel like nothing was explained.
From what I could piece together, this story follows Annie, a scientist on the trail of some rare orchid that she found in the Amazon rainforest prior to the events of the book. However, right when she was going to take a sample of the rare species, she happened to interrupt this mining operation run by this corrupt overlord. He captured her and she barely escaped with her life, but now she's headed back to get the orchid. Will is her reluctant guide. When the warlord hears that Annie is back in town, he wants to get revenge.
That sounds like an interesting story right? Well, I'm sorry to say that it plodded along and was actually really boring.
I was fairly neutral toward Will until the first sex scene which was pretty rape-y (she was mostly asleep) and after that I didn't like him at all. Annie's motivations weren't really clear to me and I didn't really care for her.
I really like adventure romances, but you can definitely skip this one. If you want a story about a couple navigating a river and their feelings for each other, just watch the movie The African Queen instead.
September 10, 2019
A year before the story starts, Dr. Anne Parrish "Amazon Annie" found an extremely unusual orchid in the Amazon. Just after finding it. she was found by Corisco Vargas - an army general gone bad who is running a huge illegal gold mining operation in a remote section of the Amazon. For 3 days, he held her captive and physically and sexually abused her. Finally rescued, she was shipped home to Wyoming to recuperate and escape Vargas. Now she's back and determined to get back to her orchids. To get safely up the river, she buys a load of illegal weapons and then recruits Harvard trained ethnobotanist William Sanchez Travers to take her up the river. He went "wild" 3 years earlier. In fact, he had an encounter with an anaconda and a primitive tribal shaman. He agreed to help the tribe destroy Vargas so their peoples wouldn't be enslaved and their habitat destroyed. Annie and Will both have secrets and past problems, but eventually they peel away the mistrust and open to each other... and fall in love. Unusual story. Took a long time to reach and some things seem like characters from another book, but aren't. Not totally smooth, but interesting. Two graphic love scenes towards the end.
December 18, 2022
Started reading. Skipped few pages. Skipped more. Skipping more. and SHELVED!
Jungle, ET, paranormal, corrupt govt - there is no theme that you will not find in this book. and even then the best is skipping to Shelving
Jungle, ET, paranormal, corrupt govt - there is no theme that you will not find in this book. and even then the best is skipping to Shelving
August 2, 2016
OK, so I like the academic vs wild man trope. It probably comes from my early obsession with Sean Connery in Medicine Man and was honed by Linda Howard’s Heart of Fire (which I think I am going to have to go back and re-read now). And I am not entirely sure how it first came to my attention, but I slapped it on my Amazon wish list, and ran it through ereaderiq, and when it popped up for free I snatched, and it has languished on Mt. TBR of Doom since….01/30/2015, which granted isn’t as much as I am sure some books have been on, but still, pretty disheartening. Where does the time go?
Anyway, this one could also have gone for the >10 years challenge as it was originally published in 2002, but I was drawing a blank when it comes to a favorite trope, I don’t think I really have one. In any event,this was published almost a decade after Howard’s version, though you might not have known it from the casual use of the term mulatto and the misogynistic way Will thinks of and speaks to Annie. In that manner it felt very old skool 80’s.
The book is weird though. There is a surprising paranormal element full of mystical Amazon rain forest mumbo jumbo. I wasn’t expecting it to be honest. And while I do enjoy a good paranormal, it felt off here.
Will and Annie though have plenty of adventure, and danger, and chemistry. And despite the oddball paranormal elements and some significant pacing issues, I was rocking along with it until something I find skeevy, the hero had sex with a not really awake heroine. Blergh, I am not a fan. And to add insult to injury there isn’t a bit of thought to pregnancy or birth control. A cardinal sin in my eyes.
As far as the plot itself, it was initially meh, rollicking adventure on the amazon, a villain or two to beat, and the hero and heroine butting heads. There were some early plot holes that I was initially willing to accept, but by the time the last chapters had come around those holes were plot craters and the ending was a lopped off, dues ex machina, no explanation, no relationship after-care, basic mess. It was like the author didn’t know how to resolve the action or develop the happily ever after so some awkwardness was tacked on to give some facsimile of an ending.
I don’t know how better to explain it. This just didn’t work for me. The characters grated, the story dragged when it wasn’t dumping you in plot holes, there were cardinal sins, and it didn’t resolve into anything that left me feeling happy or satisfied. I hate to just eviscerate something, but this I can’t really scrape up enough good to balance it out. I was giving it a solid 3-3.5 until about halfway, and then it dropped like a stone.
1.5 stars
Anyway, this one could also have gone for the >10 years challenge as it was originally published in 2002, but I was drawing a blank when it comes to a favorite trope, I don’t think I really have one. In any event,this was published almost a decade after Howard’s version, though you might not have known it from the casual use of the term mulatto and the misogynistic way Will thinks of and speaks to Annie. In that manner it felt very old skool 80’s.
The book is weird though. There is a surprising paranormal element full of mystical Amazon rain forest mumbo jumbo. I wasn’t expecting it to be honest. And while I do enjoy a good paranormal, it felt off here.
Will and Annie though have plenty of adventure, and danger, and chemistry. And despite the oddball paranormal elements and some significant pacing issues, I was rocking along with it until something I find skeevy, the hero had sex with a not really awake heroine. Blergh, I am not a fan. And to add insult to injury there isn’t a bit of thought to pregnancy or birth control. A cardinal sin in my eyes.
As far as the plot itself, it was initially meh, rollicking adventure on the amazon, a villain or two to beat, and the hero and heroine butting heads. There were some early plot holes that I was initially willing to accept, but by the time the last chapters had come around those holes were plot craters and the ending was a lopped off, dues ex machina, no explanation, no relationship after-care, basic mess. It was like the author didn’t know how to resolve the action or develop the happily ever after so some awkwardness was tacked on to give some facsimile of an ending.
I don’t know how better to explain it. This just didn’t work for me. The characters grated, the story dragged when it wasn’t dumping you in plot holes, there were cardinal sins, and it didn’t resolve into anything that left me feeling happy or satisfied. I hate to just eviscerate something, but this I can’t really scrape up enough good to balance it out. I was giving it a solid 3-3.5 until about halfway, and then it dropped like a stone.
1.5 stars
May 21, 2019
I'd forgotten just how pleasurable it is to read a Tara Janzen (a/k/a Glenna McReynolds) suspense story!
Dr. Annie Parish, a botanist, is back in Brazil, needing to get deeper into the rain forest in search of an extraordinary orchid she had discovered about a year earlier. Problem is that she initially found her specimen in an extremely remote area in which a sick, twisted, politically connected, power hungry army major has set up illegal gold mining, and with whom she had a pretty nasty encounter the year before just after finding her specimens. Her only option to get up the river is one rogue ethnobotanist cum-waterfront derelict named Dr. Will Sanchez Travers. She finds him dancing the lambada in a seedy waterfront bar in Manaus, and this is one sexy beautiful hunk of man, all spelling trouble: "He looked like the kind of man mothers warned their daughters about and the reason fathers kept shotguns." Physical descriptions of Will throughout the book often include the description 'beautiful', something you don't necessarily see when describing a hero.
From the moment Annie & Will meet, there are fireworks - both thriller type and sexual. The story takes Annie and Will deep into the rain forest, and includes encounters with petty crooks, the Amazon-equivalent of gangsters, evil sickos like the army major, shamans, a reclusive nomadic tribe, and incredible flora, fauna, and reptilian. In fact, a snake basically saves the day in the end. I may have to revise my aversion to snakes as a result!
Not only is this a really good thriller and suspense story, full of life and death situations, quick thinking, and narrow escapes, there is also a touch of the mystical here, as both Annie and Will evidence a sensitivity to native sorcery. The romance is a perfect compliment - these two are fated to be together and you know it from the beginning, but it also doesn't overwhelm the rest of the story. There's also a real sense of place -- the remote back country of the Brazilian rain forest, where legends are born.
I had to knock off one star though as I felt that there were 2 or 3 loose ends that should have been wrapped up, and I thought the last 3 or 4 chapters, where the story reaches its climax, were a bit confusing as to what was happening when. But those are minor complaints. Definitely a positive recommendation from me.
Dr. Annie Parish, a botanist, is back in Brazil, needing to get deeper into the rain forest in search of an extraordinary orchid she had discovered about a year earlier. Problem is that she initially found her specimen in an extremely remote area in which a sick, twisted, politically connected, power hungry army major has set up illegal gold mining, and with whom she had a pretty nasty encounter the year before just after finding her specimens. Her only option to get up the river is one rogue ethnobotanist cum-waterfront derelict named Dr. Will Sanchez Travers. She finds him dancing the lambada in a seedy waterfront bar in Manaus, and this is one sexy beautiful hunk of man, all spelling trouble: "He looked like the kind of man mothers warned their daughters about and the reason fathers kept shotguns." Physical descriptions of Will throughout the book often include the description 'beautiful', something you don't necessarily see when describing a hero.
From the moment Annie & Will meet, there are fireworks - both thriller type and sexual. The story takes Annie and Will deep into the rain forest, and includes encounters with petty crooks, the Amazon-equivalent of gangsters, evil sickos like the army major, shamans, a reclusive nomadic tribe, and incredible flora, fauna, and reptilian. In fact, a snake basically saves the day in the end. I may have to revise my aversion to snakes as a result!
Not only is this a really good thriller and suspense story, full of life and death situations, quick thinking, and narrow escapes, there is also a touch of the mystical here, as both Annie and Will evidence a sensitivity to native sorcery. The romance is a perfect compliment - these two are fated to be together and you know it from the beginning, but it also doesn't overwhelm the rest of the story. There's also a real sense of place -- the remote back country of the Brazilian rain forest, where legends are born.
I had to knock off one star though as I felt that there were 2 or 3 loose ends that should have been wrapped up, and I thought the last 3 or 4 chapters, where the story reaches its climax, were a bit confusing as to what was happening when. But those are minor complaints. Definitely a positive recommendation from me.
October 10, 2012
I haven't had as many book reviews coming through lately as I just haven't been in the mood to sit down and read. When I picked up RIVER OF EDEN, I had a feeling that I would enjoy the book but wasn't really sure just how long it would take to finish it. I am happy to report that this book was the perfect antidote to my lack of interest in reading. I finished it in one day and am ready to read another.
RIVER OF EDEN reminds me in a lot of ways of ROMANCING THE STONE. There is a lot of action in a place that definitely can't be considered all that civilized yet is very beautiful. Will and Annie seem to collect people that are out to kill them or actually it is Annie doing the collecting. Will wasn't aware of what he was getting himself into when he agreed to give her passage on his boat.
The pacing is just perfect with just enough breaks from the tension to give the reader a chance to take a breath. The dialogue between the characters especially Will and Annie is fresh and snappy. There were no editing errors to be found which allowed me to loose myself in the story.
I recommend this book to lovers of romantic suspense especially ones set in remote locations. I give this book 4.1 stars.
***I picked this book up through Amazon.com.
June 22, 2017
After reading The Chalice and the Blade which I loved, I was expecting great things from River of Eden. As a matter of fact, I had no idea what it was even about, I saw the authors name and grabbed it. I usually enjoy these types of jungle adventures and I enjoyed this one but found the first half to be a little slow (hence the four stars and not five). An exciting, grab you from page one story has excitement, danger, sparks between hero and heroine, a dastardly villain etc. Well the danger was present and accounted for; the sexual tension was there; there were a couple of nasty bad guys; and everyone had lots of secrets but it just lacked oomph. I had difficulty keeping myself reading until finally about halfway through the action picked up, the sexual tension was relieved (a little bit anyway) and the second villain makes an appearance. It became an exciting race to the finish that had me turning pages as fast as I could read the words. I liked the epilogue which almost made me wish for a sequel.
March 7, 2012
An old favourite. The ending is a bit dodgy, teetering on the edge of WTF Town, but up to then it's a fun adventure romance.
Ideal for anyone who enjoyed jungle-set romance like Linda Howard's Heart of Fire and Midnight Rainbow, Anne McAllister's The Marriage Trap, Anne Stuart's The Soldier and the Baby (a cross between those films Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison and Two Mules for Sister Sara, but with an orphaned baby and in a jungle; it's better than it sounds, honestly!), Theresa Weir's Amazon Lily (love!) and Katherine Sutcliffe's Shadow Play (historical).
Ideal for anyone who enjoyed jungle-set romance like Linda Howard's Heart of Fire and Midnight Rainbow, Anne McAllister's The Marriage Trap, Anne Stuart's The Soldier and the Baby (a cross between those films Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison and Two Mules for Sister Sara, but with an orphaned baby and in a jungle; it's better than it sounds, honestly!), Theresa Weir's Amazon Lily (love!) and Katherine Sutcliffe's Shadow Play (historical).
October 2, 2012
I loved this book. I've read some other books by Ms. Janzen and while I enjoyed them, they didn't suck me in like this one did. I started this one evening planning on reading for a bit then going to sleep. Nope. I made myself put it down about 2am so I get get a little sleep and be functional the next day. It hit all the right spots for me. Smart, strong, sexy alpha male, who happens to be a botanist, a first for me, and a competent, intelligent, strong and beautiful heroine, also a botanist. Add in a lot of UST, guns, knives, boat chases, giant anacondas, shrunken heads and folklore against the backdrop of the Brazilian rainforest, and I'm all in.
October 26, 2012
Wow! This is definitely a book for readers complaining about there being too much of the same-old, same old out there. RIVER OF EDEN was a delicious combination of adventure, romance, and mysticism which mixed sizzling sensuality with edge-of-your-seat suspense. The book is totally unique in its own right, but it did bring to mind the very best of the genre--ROMANCING THE STONE, THE AFRICAN QUEEN, and AMAZON LILY by Theresa Weir. I wanted to be Amazon Annie and I definitely wanted to go exploring with Dr. Will Travers! Glenna McReynolds is definitely one of the finest writers of romance or any other genre. More please!
March 10, 2008
God-awful, but only in comparison to her other books. Stick to her Chalice and the Blade series... this one, set in the Brazilian amazon, was excruciatingly annoying.
December 2, 2014
Botany made exciting, love story distracts from the action. Guns, snakes, gold, cats, and magic plants.
July 17, 2012
What a great book! Read like a true Indiana Jones adventure, loved it
kindle-freebie
July 10, 2012aka Tara Janzen
tbr-later
November 5, 201510/2/2012: Free on Kindle
Want to read
October 2, 2012Kindle free download 10/2/12.
might-read-freebie
October 3, 2012Free on Amazon 10.03.12
October 9, 2012
Awesome! Great mix of romance, suspense, thrill and paranormal...very cool read and want to check out some of her other books now!
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