The Lion's Lover

As Serena’s lover Theo was dying, he made her promise to find another man, and to take a trip to Africa, which had been a shared dream of theirs. He loved her too much to let her live in grief.

It took Serena three years to muster the courage to begin a new life. Although she was excited to finally be visiting her uncle Hugh, the sixth Earl of Hartford, in the heart of Kenya, occasionally the loss of Theo would painfully resurface. Serena first met Aubrey Darnell at the railway station when he came to greet her on behalf of Hugh. Serena had heard of Aubrey through her Uncle’s letters; he is a tracker and hunter with legendary skills. She is unprepared for the striking, well-sculpted man. Aubrey’s very aura causes an uncalled for arousal, deep in her body.

On the journey from the station, Aubrey is abrupt with Serena because he is fighting to maintain control. He is an ngatu, not a complete lion, nor a complete man, but a changeling who is both. The exquisite Serena’s woman scent calls forth his baser animal side. He does not dare to change form before her because she is sure to expose the secret he has fought hard to contain. Late at night, her presence calls him like a siren. He is half changed as he stands beside her bed… he is unable to stop his ravishment of her body and her eager responses increase his appetite.

The following morning, Serena is shocked by the wanton behaviour of her dreams. She cannot believe that she was on the verge of making love with a stranger; her body is still pulsating with unsatisfied desires.

Serena’s first night in Africa provides a sizzling introduction to a highly erotic book. One by one, Vivian Hart ignites her characters’ senses in their daily events, as a subtle foreplay to the passions of the night. Aubrey and Serena are drawn to each other’s bodies; Serena cannot ignore Aubrey’s cologne and clean male scent, whilst Aubrey finds that Serena’s sweet smell constantly calls to him. Romantic classical music fills the air, and both taste and touch are sated from a slow burn to searing hot eroticism in Vivian Hart’s unrestrained bedroom imagery.

The ngatu is a stirring combination of man and beast, the author very capably brings him to life as a believable yet extraordinary character. His essence is a compassionate, suffering human. This combination will pull Serena out of her mourning and give her cause to look forward to a future with a new lover. For a slightly different erotic book, within a compelling tale, be sure to fall under the thrall of the ngatu!

Reviewed by: Naomi