Blog Tour of The Alpha Match by Leigh Archer -- REVIEW


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...

Title: The Alpha Match
Author: Leigh Archer
Publication Date: May 13, 2015
Published by: Smashwords Edition
Source: Copy Given by Author and Tour Organizer


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.
REVIEW: 
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.
 
EXCERPT: 
Ben tried to ignore the twinge of anger caused by Caro’s rather pointed departure. Although her rejection wasn’t unexpected, it still felt like a slap in the face. And it was the second time in the course of half an hour that he had lost his head over this woman. The first touch of his arm against her breast had been accidental; he’d been concentrating on answering Sophie’s questions. But after a second or two, it had been very deliberate.
 
The feel of that soft mound against his upper arm had burned into him with an intensity that made it hard to speak to Sophie as if nothing was happening. As if he wasn’t losing his mind. Trying hard to think of all the reasons a sane man would never, under any circumstances, drag a woman from a hide and rip off her clothes the first private place he came to, just so he could give in to the mind-shattering pleasure of pressing his naked flesh to hers. Feel himself slide against her, slippery with sweat and that primal desire he had never felt with any other woman. 
 
He had looked for release, many months after she had left, with beautiful women, but every encounter had remained on the surface no matter how hard he’d tried to dive to a deeper level. Eventually, it had terrified him that he would never feel again what he had so easily felt with Caro, so he had stop thinking about it, banished that expectation, but now…
 
AUTHOR LINKS: 
Leigh writes romance novels set in her native South Africa. She has always had a love affair with Africa’s wild open spaces, the intensity of its people and sunsets. Her love of storytelling began as a child when she spent every spare moment playing barefoot in golden grass, watching meerkats, 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, Leigh’s journey as a writer has taken her from journalist to communications specialist, all the way to novelist.
 
AUTHOR LINKS: 
 
GIVEAWAY!!
Leigh Archer will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn host. 
 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

TOUR ORGANIZED BY: 
 
 


11 comments:

  1. Characters often find themselves in situations they aren't sure they can get themselves out of. When was the last time you found yourself in a situation that was hard to get out of and what did you do?

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    1. Thank you for the question Mai T. My answer might seem a bit unfeeling, but trust me when I say that it is not. Last time I found myself in situation I can't get out of was when I got pregnant. I was very young with a budding career at the age of 20. What did I do? I quit my job, continued my pregnancy, and here I am now. I have never been happier. :-)

      Besides, I don't make it a habit to "get out" of a situation. I usually face it head on, see through the end of it, then move on. :-)

      I hope this answered your question. XOXO

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    2. Hello Mai T. Finding myself in a situation I feel the need to get out of is a big warning sign to me that I'm probably not where I should be. I think the challenge is to not just follow the urge to 'get out' of that situation but to use it as an opportunity to get to know yourself a little better, figure out what would make you happy and try at all times to follow your moral compass.

      The situation Ara describes is a perfect example of knowing yourself and doing what is right for you. If you do this then you're more likely to get to a situation that makes you happier than you've ever been.

      It's about turning crisis into opportunity!

      All the best - Leigh

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    3. Wonderfully said Leigh. :-) Thanks so much for that great insight.

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  2. Thanks so much for the review, Ara. I love the energy and insight you've brought to it!

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    1. Thank you so much. I truly did enjoy your book, and I've also seen the second one -- Sophie's story, I believe. I hope we get to see Caro and Ben still. :-) :-) Greedy fangirl right here. Lol.

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    2. Thanks, Ara. And, yes, Ben and Caro do play a small part in the second book. I'll probably have to have a big reunion for them all in book four - you're giving me ideas!

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    3. There will be four books in the series?! That's awesome! :-) I'm getting really excited now. I'm giving you ideas? *jaw drops* .. Well, it's my pleasure. *long pause* GAAAHHH!! I gave you ideas?! How awesome (for me) is that?! I'm being a total fangirl right now, I'm sorry. :-)

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  3. No need to apologize! Always love talking books and who better to get ideas from than the people they're written for :-)

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